Tuesday, May 29, 2007
i found it!!! yay!
Wow! i actually have a properly labeled keyboard! soo happy to get my wxclimation point back! let´s see... where did i leave off...things have picked up nicely since our last post... the rain has not fallen for 2 days. the weather has finally started to get warm, although it was 5 degrees celcius yesterday when we started hiking (0 is freezing). all the townsfolk are complaining about the unseasonably cold, wet, and windy weather. >Curt and I slowwed down for a few days, met some fabulous americans from NYC... and have found a washer (ohh), dryer(ahh), and hot shower!!!!we went through a lovely town with a castle at the top of the hill. we got a great view, and free run of the ruins! it was awesome to climb the stairs in this castle and see the sights from up high! this town also boasted the most sumptuous, romantic dinner on the trail yet. old stone building, 200 year old wooden ceiling, fabulous lights... great atmosphere... sooo romantico! we are currently hiking through plains. it is flat and you can see everything around for kilometers... i mean miles... you can even see the funny line of hikers headed for the next town...the wildflowers have been amazing. whole fields of poppies, daisies, and dandylions. prickly plansts that remind me of indian paintbrush.. and rosemary and lavender growing wild! have recently passed fields of peppers, lentils, snap peas, etc. makes the hike more interesting. i expected the plants to be a little more diverse than from the US, but hey... where else have the invading species come from... have also enjoyed many happy chirping birds, mice, bunnies, and even some martins. LOVE the cuckoos.we mostly sleep in alburgues with about 10-20 to a room, shared (sometimes co-ed) showers and toilets, but a cheap price of 5-7 euros. we have sadly left the good sausage behind.curtis and i are both having a little difficulty adjusting to all the new proteins we have been consuming. makes the hike a LOT more interesting (although not necessarily in a good way). that is all for now...mwaH!
DAMN! I JUST LOST MY POST!
it was really long and good too...
we are in the province of palencia now.
okay... there was a castle ruin that was fun and we got to run around in it. great views and multiple floors! had a romantic meal in an old building run by charming brazilians...
staying in cheap alburgues with 10-20 people to a room, have recently encountered washers, dryers, and >HOT showers (oh my!)
have left the good sausage behind. boo hoo. having trouble with all the new protiens in our diet.
fields contain poppies, daisies, dandylions, beautiful wildflowers and even prickly plants that look like indian paintbrush. have passed more wheat, barley, peppers, greenbeans, lentils, and potatoes... etc. we are currently passin through lots of farm fields on FLAT plains. can see for kilometers.
we are over half-way (yippee!)
love
we are in the province of palencia now.
okay... there was a castle ruin that was fun and we got to run around in it. great views and multiple floors! had a romantic meal in an old building run by charming brazilians...
staying in cheap alburgues with 10-20 people to a room, have recently encountered washers, dryers, and >HOT showers (oh my!)
have left the good sausage behind. boo hoo. having trouble with all the new protiens in our diet.
fields contain poppies, daisies, dandylions, beautiful wildflowers and even prickly plants that look like indian paintbrush. have passed more wheat, barley, peppers, greenbeans, lentils, and potatoes... etc. we are currently passin through lots of farm fields on FLAT plains. can see for kilometers.
we are over half-way (yippee!)
love
Thursday, May 24, 2007
new spanish word for the day
chopsticks: los marillos
doesnçt that just make you happy... some things are the same, greasy food the whole world around.
doesnçt that just make you happy... some things are the same, greasy food the whole world around.
the rain in spain stays mainly in the mud
it has been raining nearly daily since we started hiking. it makes for some cold days, but great hiking when it finally clears ¿and more cafe con leche for usª? so, we have made some good time these past 3 days, going over 30 km every day. the chorizo sausage is still good, the wine is great, and the company is interesting.
where else in the world can you speak 3 languages and hear 7 before breakfast? ok, well, maybe at the un, youçre right, but this is aclose second. i have never really wished so hard for a german english dictionary in my life in a non=german speakin country. who knew? also, i have started eating small amounts of seafood out of necessity. so far, so good. curtis, asyou can well imagine, is thrilled. i also still continue to like white and rose wine. yum. there is no exclimation point on this keyboard...
we have walked in the mud up to our ankles, on back=dirt roads, through the vinyards= and i do mean through... also on old roman roads, over old roman bridges... along the highway= that was a fun interlude today= and through all the major cities... this keyboard is not labeled properly.
the fun part is when we go through small, old villages where we can see old houses. everyone in the small villages is reallly nice and helpful, and most speak slowly so that i can understand. curtçs spanish is growing by leaps and bounds. i am actually enjoying some compliments about my spanish abilities. people are really impressed when we say we are from the usa. they donçt expect us to know a foreign language. it is hard not to buy an old hpouse in a small village and set up shop here...
almost everyone here has heard of celiacçs disease, so getting food is no issue. that said, i do eat a lot of eggs and french fries... there is an omlette... known as a tortilla here... that has onion and poatato in it... yuym yum yum. there are also large, tasty, cheap hikers meals in most towns. finally had good, homemade paella as well... different, but good. also tried bloodsausage for the first time... again, gross looking, different, but good.
went through atapuerca today, home of the oldest human remains ever found... and have seen some mighty nice churches as well. also passed a fountain that dispences wine instaed of water ... not the best wine ever, but hey, itçs free wine, we cançt be choosy....
more later. i should now be able to give more specific details on our journey since the basics are covered.
watching the hail
audrey and curtis
where else in the world can you speak 3 languages and hear 7 before breakfast? ok, well, maybe at the un, youçre right, but this is aclose second. i have never really wished so hard for a german english dictionary in my life in a non=german speakin country. who knew? also, i have started eating small amounts of seafood out of necessity. so far, so good. curtis, asyou can well imagine, is thrilled. i also still continue to like white and rose wine. yum. there is no exclimation point on this keyboard...
we have walked in the mud up to our ankles, on back=dirt roads, through the vinyards= and i do mean through... also on old roman roads, over old roman bridges... along the highway= that was a fun interlude today= and through all the major cities... this keyboard is not labeled properly.
the fun part is when we go through small, old villages where we can see old houses. everyone in the small villages is reallly nice and helpful, and most speak slowly so that i can understand. curtçs spanish is growing by leaps and bounds. i am actually enjoying some compliments about my spanish abilities. people are really impressed when we say we are from the usa. they donçt expect us to know a foreign language. it is hard not to buy an old hpouse in a small village and set up shop here...
almost everyone here has heard of celiacçs disease, so getting food is no issue. that said, i do eat a lot of eggs and french fries... there is an omlette... known as a tortilla here... that has onion and poatato in it... yuym yum yum. there are also large, tasty, cheap hikers meals in most towns. finally had good, homemade paella as well... different, but good. also tried bloodsausage for the first time... again, gross looking, different, but good.
went through atapuerca today, home of the oldest human remains ever found... and have seen some mighty nice churches as well. also passed a fountain that dispences wine instaed of water ... not the best wine ever, but hey, itçs free wine, we cançt be choosy....
more later. i should now be able to give more specific details on our journey since the basics are covered.
watching the hail
audrey and curtis
Monday, May 21, 2007
el camino up-date
okay... 11 minutes... we started in st. jean, pied du port <(france, at the boarder where there is a pass in the pyraneese<) and hiked 27 km uphill the first day, without breakfast, lunch, or snacky-poos!) suprisingly, we were there by 3 pm... good motivation! when we arrived (spanish speakers at last!!!), the food had never been so good! the accomidations were also great! there are hostels for pilgrims here (called alburgues or refugios). and it is hard to hear the word pilgrim <(pelegrino) without hearing the word gringo within it! the first night there were 110 people in one room sleeping! it has been fewer since then. the churches and dining halls, etc. were midieval and from the 12-13th century! we are getting good at aging churtches to the century at a glance.
we have become addicted to several food items here. the cafe con leche <8coffee>VERY good, and we have about 2-4 cups each day! the helado (icecream) is also good, but it is not gellatto. we are addicted to the local cheeses and meats (yes, we are eating meat here, it makes the trip >MUCH easier). there is a local sausage called chirozoz that we can´t get enough of, although it is salty. audrey has started drinking good amounts of both white and rose wine and is currently typing tipsy, which could explain the gramnmer, although the bad keyboard is part of it. more later. love you all!
happy in wine-country
the kids
we have become addicted to several food items here. the cafe con leche <8coffee>VERY good, and we have about 2-4 cups each day! the helado (icecream) is also good, but it is not gellatto. we are addicted to the local cheeses and meats (yes, we are eating meat here, it makes the trip >MUCH easier). there is a local sausage called chirozoz that we can´t get enough of, although it is salty. audrey has started drinking good amounts of both white and rose wine and is currently typing tipsy, which could explain the gramnmer, although the bad keyboard is part of it. more later. love you all!
happy in wine-country
the kids
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
5 minutes on this connection! we are in pamplona right now, and unfortunately, the bulls at not! we bought our house without serious events, and made our flight with tons of timne to spare. we arrived in london early saturday morning (9AM) and spent the day tiredly touring the important sights: london/tower bridge, westim8inster abbey, and big ben, and the tower of london. spent the night in the airport (london is expensive-save money by sleeping at the airport!) and flew out at 630 am for pau, france. had some fun in france- pau, bayonne, and st. jean, pied de port. now on camino. more details later!
love
love
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
what a long, strange trip it's been
okay, so we fell off the world.
we found a house. we are closing on it tomorrow! our new address will be
Drs. Audrey and Curtis Gale-Dyer
2404 Southview Drive
Lexington, KY 40503
in other news, both curt and i graduated! graduation was a fantabulous event with lots of family, friends, and tasty food. not to mention booze. it was a much needed chance to sit back and relax (which i appreciated even more since i just finished internal medicine...). I think the coolest part was getting to hood my husband! Many fond memories and lots of pictures. it might be a while before we get the pictures up on the web-page, however, since we are taking a much needed vacation to SPAIN to hike the camino de santiago!!! yes, i will try to keep the blog updated while i am there... pero ahora esta practicando mi espanol. depends on how often we have internet access.
we packed up the house on monday and tuesday, and the movers loaded our little pod tuesday afternoon. we took off this morning after meeting one last time with our ex-landlord, ron. we officially no longer live in michigan (oh the excitement!)- made curt and i a little teary-eyed. long drive behind us (con mis discos compactos que tienen lecciones en espanol) with 2 cars, and we are about to crash into a long-deserved hot tub!
future plans: close on the house tomorrow and pack for spain. i have an interview at a small animal clinic on friday, and we fly out friday night for our wonderful month of walking and eating in spain! soo excited.
it hasn't quite sunk in yet! i'll try an post more later!
DR. Audrey Gale-Dyer (make sure the v in DVM is nice and pointy)
we found a house. we are closing on it tomorrow! our new address will be
Drs. Audrey and Curtis Gale-Dyer
2404 Southview Drive
Lexington, KY 40503
in other news, both curt and i graduated! graduation was a fantabulous event with lots of family, friends, and tasty food. not to mention booze. it was a much needed chance to sit back and relax (which i appreciated even more since i just finished internal medicine...). I think the coolest part was getting to hood my husband! Many fond memories and lots of pictures. it might be a while before we get the pictures up on the web-page, however, since we are taking a much needed vacation to SPAIN to hike the camino de santiago!!! yes, i will try to keep the blog updated while i am there... pero ahora esta practicando mi espanol. depends on how often we have internet access.
we packed up the house on monday and tuesday, and the movers loaded our little pod tuesday afternoon. we took off this morning after meeting one last time with our ex-landlord, ron. we officially no longer live in michigan (oh the excitement!)- made curt and i a little teary-eyed. long drive behind us (con mis discos compactos que tienen lecciones en espanol) with 2 cars, and we are about to crash into a long-deserved hot tub!
future plans: close on the house tomorrow and pack for spain. i have an interview at a small animal clinic on friday, and we fly out friday night for our wonderful month of walking and eating in spain! soo excited.
it hasn't quite sunk in yet! i'll try an post more later!
DR. Audrey Gale-Dyer (make sure the v in DVM is nice and pointy)
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