Diverbo day 5

Lots of tired people after the party Monday night. Most of Tuesday was about taking it slowly. We had a walk into the village of Alberca and a guided tour of the town. It was very interesting to hear the history and some of the customs such as ringing a bell at the corner of the town every night to protect from the spirits of the deceased who are not in heaven, the custom of the pig being slaughtered annually, and why there is an ossuary outside the church.  The town was under rule of the French for some time and the buildings reflect those influences. On one door lintel there were marks to indicate the inquisition was in the house  and excavations revealed human bones in the walls. Later we went to a bodega for wine and Jamon tasting. Some of us had a chance to drink wine from the Bota, leather wine bottle. I decided I would try it this time as I had been too nervous of spilling it all over myself last time it had been offered. I managed to drink for a count of 12 without spilling any. I didn't want to be greedy!

Angel demonstrating how to drink from the Bota.

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We lunched in town on suckling pig which was super delicious. Sweet succulent meat and crunchy skin. The local jewellery is unique because they use a button design that s found only on the local folk costumes and limited to the region. I bought earrings in the design as a souvenir.

After siesta we were back on the program talking and viewing presentations. To get our energy up we had to present some little skits based on fairy tales or movies. It was so much fun. Our team did a mimed version of Cinderella. I played the role of an ugly sister. Some of the others did the Pied  Piper. We had a dress up box to supplement our imagination.Then we had a speed charades game. By the end of these activities we were all energised and ready for the serious work.The evening was a quiet dinner and off to bed to catch up on sleep.

It was a lovely change of pace. The party was fantastic fun but ran very late and it really brought the group together and shook of the nerves. The next day was recovery but still talking with Spaniards so not a day off but a more relaxed pace. From this day everyone was really comfortable and the langue acquisition really moved up a notch for all the Spaniards.