Morocco

I figured my parents may get a bit bored staying in Spain for the two weeks they were here so I planned a trip to not only a different country but a different continent.  We spent 3 days in Marrakech and what an experience it was.  Marrakech is situated at the base of the Atlas mountains, where sub-Saharan Africa meets Arab North Africa.  I can't really put into words what the city is like and pictures just don't do it justice; it really is a place you must see to believe.  The sounds, the smells, the sights... snake charmers, monkey men, storytellers, snail stalls, orange juice stands, call to prayer, mosques, souks, tombs, gardens... it's sensory overload!  From the incredibly beautiful riad that we stayed in, to the bustle of the night market and the dusty alleyways we navigated through, it was an experience none of us will soon forget.  I'd highly recommend a trip to Morocco to anyone seeking an extraordinary vacation unlike anywhere else.

(click the photo below to be redirected to the photo album from our trip)

 

Marrakech

 

 

M'a ssalama,

Linds

Southern Spain

My parents made the long journey to Spain for two weeks over Christmas.  We spent a few days in Madrid, seeing all the sights and attempting to keep warm (hard to do when Dad forgot his winter coat and my electricity got shut off!).  Then, we were off to Southern Spain to visit the "Costa del Sol."  If ever there was a slogan that did not accurately describe a place, this was the one.  It was freezing, raining, cloudy and windy the entire time!  But that didn't stop us from seeing all the sights and in retrospect we probably saw more since we didn't spend any time laying on the beach.  It was quite the experience to navagate the roads of Spain but we got by quite well. 

We based ourselves in Malaga and made day trips from there.  Our first full day was spent visiting a few small mountain towns, most notably Ojen and Ronda.  The second day was spent in Sevilla (Seville in English).  The third day we traveled along the coast to Cadiz and the small country of Gibralter.  The fourth day we ventured east to Granada.  And the last day was spent in and around Malaga.  Then, we returned to Madrid to celebrate New Years with the millions of other people before Mom and Dad headed home.  It was a wonderful vacation full of lots of laughs, wine, frustrations (not with each other but mostly just with Spain!) and memories.  I'm so lucky they were able to make the trip and I look forward to many more vacations around the world together!

(click on the album below to view the pictures from our trip!)

Southern Spain

 

Besos a todos,

Lindsay

Canary Islands

As many of you know, I'm a true beach girl in every sense.  Still, I thought it would be easy to move to a big city and a welcome relief to live somewhere with seasons (whereas the seasons in Puerto Rico were hot and very hot, humid and very humid).  Well... I was wrong.  As I've said over and over again this winter, I will never live away from a beach again!  I was craving the warmth and sunshine by October and thrilled to be able to visit a beach (while not a couple hours drive, it was just a couple hours by plane) for Thanksgiving break.  I will be the first to admit that I have been spoiled in my beach going the past few years; I would venture to guess I've vistited some of the nicest beaches in the world while living in the Caribbean and traveling through Southeast Asia.  And I will also be the first to admit that the Canary Islands are no Caribbean-- freezing water, high winds, and many, many naked 80+-year-olds.  None-the-less, I had a great time with good friends and got a little sunshine on my pale face. 

Gran Canaria beach

Just a bit windy...

This pretty much explains everything...

Freezing cold water

Good friend Dana and I

Very cool dunes line the waterfront

Another good friend of mine, Jamie

Last day at the beach... a little color

Pretty sunset

Trish and Fil

Dana and I

Sunrise! 

This trip makes me that much more excited for Mexico in February!

Besos a todos,  Linds

Florence, Italy

One of the great perks of working at an international school that has a high tuition (but not a high salary) and a well-known headmaster in the international teaching circuit are free trips, such as the one that 90 of my coworkers and I took to Florence in early November.  We spent 5 days at the Mediterannean Association of International Schools conference... but only about 5 total hours at the conference itself. (sidenote-  I will say I was one of the only ones from my school that went to 3 presentations, most didn't go to any.  Patt on the back...) 

Pictures of this city just don't do it justice; everywhere you turn is another view of something wonderful.  Although many go to Florence to see the David (which I did go see), Uffizi, Duomo and Ponte Vecchio, what I was most looking forward to was the food and shopping (big surprise, huh?).  Oh, I could go on for days about the food.  Pizza, pasta, gelato, waffles, cheese, wine, chocolate, fruit, bread... I would love to live in Italy but I'm afraid I may gain a few hundred pounds in the process.  Florence lived up to all my expectations (and memories from 12 years ago) and more.  I'd love to return in the summer and see what things look like in the sunshine instead of rain and overcast. 

One part of the conference that everyone attended was the Gala, held out of town a bit on a hillside.  We were told the gala was being held in the city center but after one hour on a bus, many of us were beginning to get worried as to where we were going.  But all fears were put to rest when we were dropped off in front of an old palace, owned by a family who has kids that attend the Florence International School.  They now rent the house out to big parties and weddings and boy, was it beautiful.  Just touring the house was amazing, let along the food, drinks, and dancing.  ASM (as we normally do) took over the dance floor for a night to remember.  I'm now in the process of planning a solo trip to Rome in February to do it all over again (but this time, unfortunately, I'll have to pay for it!) 

Getting read to leave in the airport

Ponte Vecchio in the background

Modern art inside an old cathedral- love the contrast

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

Baptistry Doors, or "Gates of Paradise" as Michelangelo put it

Piazza della Republica

Fil and I out one night

Two of my middle school teaching partners, Eric and Steve, at the Gala

Good friend of mine, Susan

Just a smigin of the beautiful ladies at ASM

Dana, my next-door-neighbor and travel partner

Mmmm... dessert at the Gala

Delicious... every last morsel was eaten

Amazing pasta dish

And even more amazing dessert

Fruit, pasta, cheese and wine galore

Fake David (can't take pics with the real one, unfortunately)

Looks like a painting, doesn't it?

Arrivederci, Linds

Porto, Portugal- October

At the mouth of the Rio Duoro, this hilly city is both modern and decaying; a brand-spanking new metro system travels right past crumbling townhouses that haven't been renovated since they were built hundreds of years ago.  But it still holds a certain amount of charm, even for being the second largest city in Portugal (behind, you guessed it, Lisbon).  There are medieval and windy alleyways, never-ending staircases, baroque churches, cute plazas and some amazing views.  Porto's historic center is a Unesco World Heritage zone that you could spend days getting lost in.  Cross the famed Dona Maria Bridge, built by none other than Gustave Eiffel, and you enter the world of port wine (where it was originated and the only place it is produced).  Some wine is still brought by wooden barrel on adorable boats into the city- see pictures below. 

Scattered across the hillside are various port houses offering tours and tastings, with restaurants and bars lining the riverwalk.  Oporto, as it's referred to across Europe, is the birthplace of Prince Henry the Navigator and, some people say, the birthplace of Harry Potter (author J. K. Rowling was living in Porto as an English teacher when she started writing her first book).  A visit in spring or summer would be much more lively than fall but it was a weekend well spent (and so close I just might have to go back again soon!)

City of Oporto with boats carrying port

What the city is known for!

Port tasting with Dana and Allie

Their metro system is about 1/4 as large as Madrid's

Church by night

Rio Duoro and Dona Maria Bridge

Dona Maria Bridge

City Hall

Sunset on the Duoro

Who does this?  (I hope you can see what I'm talking about...)

Port Hill

Another day... more port.

Até a vista, Linds

Magical Segovia

What other word could you use to describe the birthplace of Sleeping Beauty’s castle? Legend has it that the Alcazar in Segovia was the inspiration behind many of Walt Disney’s storybook castles. And it’s no wonder why. With Rapunzel towers, turrets with witches’ hats and a very deep moat, this fairy-tale castle leaves you feeling like you’re in a movie. The current structure is actually a reconstruction, though, because the original was burnt down in 1862.

Side View

Front Entrance

That little speck is me!

Guarding the castle!

Stained glass inside

Her knight in shining armor!

What's under there?!

The views from the Torre de Juan II are amazing and put the town’s hilltop location in perspective.

The cathedral in the distance

As if the Alcazar wasn’t enough, Segovia’s most recognizable symbol is an extraordinary feat of engineering, made even more remarkable by the fact that is was first raised here by the Romans in the 1st century AD. To top it off, not a speck of mortar was used to the hold the whole thing together.

View down the aqueduct with people below

Other side

Up close view

The 728m granite block aqueduct is made up of 163 arches and is part of a complex system of aqueducts and underground canals which once brought water from the mountains to the town. At its highest point it is 28m high!

As if this wasn’t enough, the cathedral in town is quite impressive as well. Started in 1525, this cathedral is the final expression of Gothic architecture in Spain that took almost 200 years to complete.

Cathedral

Plaza Mayor

From a distance...

Another view

I would highly recommend a day trip to this intriguing and fascinating city full of the sights and sounds that Spain is famous for.

Ciao!  ~Linds