Memorial Day

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Hello everyone,

Life in Toledo is going well. I think we are all getting a little bit restless for home. The undergraduate students will remain here until the end of June. We leave a week from this Wednesday for home. It will be good to get home, to eat MEAT, and to have a Diet Mountain Dew! There is none to be had here... so I have not had any caffeine since May 18th except for a 8 oz bottle of Coca Cola Light several days ago.

We took a day trip to Segovia on Saturday. That was an awesome place. We saw the famous aquaducts, another huge Cathedral, and the Castle. I am unable to recall the names of the Cathedral or the Castle and I don't have that information readily at my fingertips as I am typing. The country side was beautiful..mountainous at times with regions of agriculture tracts as well in the valleys. On the way to Segovia, I saw a John Deere implement with small tractors and combines. Although the tractors that are sold here are very small scale compared to what is used in the States, the fact that they are using combines and tractors is quite progressive. I have taken lots of pictures as have others. We plan to share all our pictures and burn them on to one disc for each of us.

Yesterday, Julie, Darlene, Karen ,and I went to a town near here to see the Spring Palace for the Royal family. It was a remarkable palace and I enjoyed it better than the main Palace in Madrid that we toured a weekend ago. In order to get there we had to take a bus all the way back to Madrid to catch a bus to the palace and then back to MAdrid and back to Toledo. We left about noon and got back home about 10pm.

This week is going to be busy for us as we have to wrap up all of our classwork and presentations. Wednesday is a holiday here (not sure what holiday) so we are going back to Madrid to spend the day. Some of the younger kids have to go go museums for their Spanish History class. We get to do what we want!

This weekend we are hoping to get a cheap trip to the Mediterranean Sea or to the Canary Islands. So far the program that is co-sponsoring us to be here as not given us prices for either of the trips.

We washed a load of clothes again last evening. That is always an interesting venture as it takes almost 90 minutes for a load to wash. They do not use dryers here so everything is dried on drying racks. In the apartments across town they have pully clothes lines. So, no one cares that the rest of the world can see their bloomers hanging out to dry!!!

Well I best close for now and get ready to go to dinner. IT will be good to have a variety again as we have the same choices each meal. That gets old when you aren't eating meat. Oh yea...speaking of meat. In Segovia on Saturday we all ate as a group at a nice restaurant. We were seated in the back in long tables. As we walked in this guy was taking baby pigs (feet and heads intact,.... just skinned) out of a wood cooker. I can handle pork but not when I get this baby pig head staring back at me with his all fours in the air. AND.. you guessed it.. we had pork for dinner. I ate bread, pasta (our first course) and a few french fries that came with the pork. ... and a few glasses of wine as well!

Until next time... I hope you are well. I hear the weather in ND has been HOT.... it has been the same here.

Lori

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Comments

[Marlys]

Thanks, Lori
Lori, I am enjoying your travelblog so much. I will look forward to learning more about your trip and seeing your pictures. My children both studied in Spain, so many of your observations are sounding a bit familiar. Thanks again for keeping all of us in touch. Marlys