Yesterday was another rest day and we enjoyed an excursion to two high villages, Bubion and Capileira. Getting there requires hugging the side of a narrow road with switch backs, but around each corner another breathtaking view awaits. We wandered about and did some shopping - I ended up with a scarf and a lovely leather purse. When we returned home there was a long thunderstorm and pouring rain, but it made our little place that much more cozy. In the evening we ventured down the steep hillside for dinner in Mecina at a vegetarian restaurant we have enjoyed on our other visits. We sat next to a young couple from Berlin and visited with them throughout dinner exchanging addresses at the end with promises to visit each other in our home locations. Today was a ... read more

Sunday September 15 I am sitting on the patio at our farmhouse in Las Alpujarras. As I write I can hear the clanging of goat and sheep bells across the way as the dogs keep watch from the hill just in front of me. There are baby goats that continue to call to their mothers and a gentle breeze stirs the wisteria leaves above my head. This is what I have longed for - when I can't sleep at home I often visualize this setting and it calms me. Back to Granada...after we napped Friday evening, we climbed up to the Albaicin section of the city. This was the old Moorish neighborhood, dating back to the 11th century, and the narrow cobbled streets wind up and up past white-washed houses. As we climbed there were taxis ... read more

After 9 months of planning it is almost time to leave for our six weeks in Europe. Nothing left but the packing...... read more

“The rain in Spain….” well after 3 weeks of great weather we finally got rain - and we got enough to make up for all those clear days! Our time in the Alpujarras was wonderful. We hiked for 3 days covering nearly 20 miles of trails. Many of the trails were ancient, used by the Moors 500-600 years ago, and used today by herds of goats. We loved hiking along, or even sitting on our terrace later in the day, and hearing the bells that each goat wears around its neck. The goats are tended by dogs and occasionally we saw a goat herder as well. In all of that hiking we passed less than 10 other people. Ferreriola, where we stayed, is high on one side of the Trevelez river gorge and several times we ... read more

Today was our second full day in Portugal. Our last morning in Salamanca I had a final serving of churros and chocolate (they really are as good as I had imagined!) and then found our way out of the city - thanks to Sam’s careful planning which involved a walk-through from the parking garage back to the hotel. The drive out of Salamanca led us through changing landscapes and crops. We passed lots of cows of various breeds - there were brown cows and white cows and black cows and charcoal colored cows. After an hour of driving we stopped in Ciudad Rodrigo, a frontier town near the border with Portugal. This town, on the top of a hill, is an ancient walled city that looks out over the plains. We walked the wall and stopped ... read more