Segovia

Here are some pictures from our excursion to Segovia. It is a popular excursion in Madrid because of its impressive aquaduct.

Navidades

Ahhh, two weeks of vacation from work for Christmas. Sarah´s parents came to Spain and after a few days in Madrid we went to Andalucía. We traveled to Granada first and visited The Alhambra, an old Islamic palace/fortress. Because it used to be a fortress, the Alhambra is at the highest point of the city so the views were really tremendous. Granada is beautiful because it has both palm trees and other tropical plants and, in the distance, you can see snow capped mountains. The Islamic history is palpable in the architecture and atmosphere of Granada. Sarah, her parents and I had a great time just strolling around the city and taking in the scenery. The people in Granada were extremely nice. Sarah and I noticed immediately that the level of hospitality of the people is higher than in Madrid. It was remarkable. People aplogized, admitted when they were in the wrong, treated strangers with respect, truly amazing. After Granada, we went to Sevilla. Sevilla is my favorite city in Spain. It was warm, the architecture is vibrant and colorful and the people are kind. The downtown area of Sevilla has many green spaces and parks and the city is filled with orange trees. The orange and green contrast is beautiful but, unfortunately, the oranges are not edible. They are used for syrup and jelly. After a few days, we returned to Madrid and spent new years eve here. Sarah´s aunt came in from Barcelona, we ate the traditional twelve grapes at midnight and had a great time. Our new years resolutions are to make the most of each day, take more deep breaths and spend more time just smelling the roses (or the evengreen trees since it´s winter).