Granada 18 th June

I got to the airport with heaps of time to spare and then tried to check in and get a luggage tag. After three abortive attempts I realise there is English available and I get it sorted! The bag drop still wasnt open so I went looking for breakfast. It is a pain dragging the bag around. Good old McDonald's always open and a reasonable choice of yoghurt and cereal and coffee. Finally dropped the bag and I was pleased to find it iwas only 17 kg though it seems more when you are dragging it around.

I have to go through security twice! First the IPad must come out which I have never had to do before and then when I go through again I set off the beeper and get a full pat down. I have to take off boots here too. Barajas Madrid airport is huge. They have times listed on the signs to the gates, like 8 mins! The plane is half empty so it is a very comfy trip. At Malaga airport I meet an American from Kansas who has been reading the Phryne Fisher stories and she was thrilled to hear there was a TV series available.

I head off to find the bus to Granada and need to wait an hour but I don't mind as I am now well into the Game of Thrones book 3 Part 1.

The bus is really comfy. The ticket includes a bottle of water and two small snacks as well as earphones for the audio screen. I take my seat and when we get to Malaga a guy comes up and says I am in his seat. I can't find my ticket so I move and hope like hell no one else asks me to move. Only some seats seem to be allocated( pre-booked perhaps). All goes well and the trip is quite interesting. The country is drying off even though there are still patches of snow on the Sierra Navada mountains in the background.  When I get to Granada the information desk staff telll me that the Alhambra is booked out and I will have to get there really early to queue. She is a great sales person and I sign up for a discounted walking tour at 6:00 pm as well. I hope I can get in as that is my main objective in coming to Granada. I get  to the Pension and it is very close to the city.  Once settled I head off to the tour meeting point. 

While at the meeting point I meet  a German girl Karen and we set off for our tour with a small group and a gorgeous German, English, Spanish speaking guide called Hamas. He is very informative and we covered the old city Abayzin and the Sacramonte. I am intrigued to discover there is a large hippy community living in the caves above the Albayzin.

Looking to the Alhambra from St Nicolas viewpoint.

Some Senaglese drummers on the hippy hill.

Karen and I go for dinner after the tour and we really hit it off. She is great company. Karen has been told that we need to be at the Alhambra gate at 7:30 in order to get in as the numbers are controlled to 7,000 per day! It is the most visited monument in Spain. We feel that if we go together we won't sleep in because we know someone is waiting. We are both tired because she was up at 5:00 to fly from  Munich and I was up at about the same time after a restless night. It is still nearly midnight by the time we get home. These Spanish nights get away from you.

Madrid last day

I arranged to meet Laurie and Richard later today so we could all get some jobs done in the morning. When you are socialising and sightseeing every day there seems to be no time for organising. I also suffer with intermittent wifi and that means that it usually fails at a critical point in the transaction, it took me five hours to book a flight to Malaga/Granada and I wasn't sure it had worked. I am also a bit perturbed about needing a visa for Italy as I will have used most of the 90 days visa free period. I rang the Australian embassy to clarify and leaving the Continent and returning doesn't reset it apparently within the same six months. I didn't intend to stay longer originally. Being a free spirit isn't that easy these days!

Laurie has heard about this new art gallery in an old Tobacco factory so we decide that we will go there as the Sophia de rey is closed and only free  after 7:00 pm. We find  the factory in a very multicultural area of Madrid. I am continually surprised how many Chinese live in Spain but you don't see many on the main streets except for tourists.

The tobacco factory has an extremely interesting but challenging display of different media by the same artist. The exhibition is meant to be experienced as a whole so there is music and sounds and also we are in semi darkness with light only on the exhibits which is sufficient to light our way around. I have been reading too many crime novels because it seems like a great place for a murder. Especially when we seem to be the only people there and then other people mysteriously appear at different exhibits.The catalogue is a whole magazine and we try to decipher the artist's intention from snippets we read. At least we have some good conversations. The introduction seems almost unintelligible to us. We are artistic plebs!

Hanging out with the Alberca group has been a good chance to get to know people better but I have also found it challenging for me. I am quie happy on my own these days and trying to find time to do the blog, emails, bookings has been rather difficult. 

We finish up with our last drink at a fabulous place Laurie recommends. Richard and  I stay for an early dinner which we share as the portions are so large, yet very reasonable. Actually rather cheap. The place was very Andalucian with tiles and murals and generally a wonderful atmosphere. 

I get to know Richard better. He is going to do another LaAlberca on Friday. He is retired and doesn't seem to know quite what to do with himself so he is having some interesting adventures like house sitting in Jaen for six weeks and early next year, in Italy as well. He also will be out of his 90 day visa but is going to risk staying, as the Spanish wouldn't extend his visa. 

I finish the day with a visit to El Cortes Engles to get my tax  free documents organised for claiming when I leave Spain. It is worth €50 which is a very good meal!

I had to print my boarding pass yet and I hit a snag which the young receptionist very graciously helped me resolve. After much hair pulling on his part he eventually got it printed. Many cheap flights only have online check-ins and you need to have access to a printer or maybe download to your IPhone, but not all airports  have readers! I continue to learn new things all the time. I am anxious to not oversleep as I am catching a 7:40 am flight from the airport but I don't get to sleep till after 12:00.

Madrid and Toledo

I have been catching up with some of the Diverbo people which has given me company when exploring. I met Richard ( from New York, retired) to explore the Pop Art exhibition at the Thyssen gallery. It was really interesting and well put together. There were several works by Andy Warhols, Roy Lichenstein, Peter Blake and Tom Wesselmann to name a few. We then went into the permanent collection to see a range of art from every century. This is one of the largest private collections so it is comprehensive. In the end I lost Richard and despite waiting an hour for him to appear I went back to my hotel. I then met Sandra and Catherine for dinner and Richard turned up and joined us. We tried to get into this fancy modern tapas bar but we had hit peak time so ended up in a little pop up restaurant in one of the plazas. 

Next day Sandra and I met Laurie and we explored this amazing, huge Flea market. The crush was unbelievable so I was hanging on to my purse tightly. I did buy some lovely fans and a rather fun sundress. Sandra and I split from Laurie and headed for El Cortes Engles, a department store like Myer. They have a system where you can claim your tax back if you are a foreigner, I signed up for that and went looking for a dress to wear to the wedding in Kent. Eventually I bought the first thing that caught my eye but not before I had tried on so many outfits. Now I need shoes but that is a nice problem. Sandra and I meet again in the gourmet terrace for wine and tapas. It is unbelievably busy. This is Sunday evening and the place is packed. I buy a snack for tea and head back to my hotel. This shopping is exhausting. 

I need to organise a flight or train to Malaga but that turns out to be fraught. The internet is down and I can't do the research or bookings. Budget hotels leave a bit to be desired sometimes.  I skype Tim and Mum. It was good to talk with Mum but the connection was not good which was frustrating. Technology is great when it works!

Monday I went to Toledo with Laurie and Richard. We met at the Plaza de Sol and caught the Metro ( I was glad of their knowledge about using the metro after my last attempt) to the bus station and all went smoothly so we arrived in Toledo about 12:00 and began to explore. It is a charming town with the usual winding streets. Toledo is famous for the evidence of three cultures who lived in harmony, 

Jews, Christians and Muslims for a long time. The synagogues have been changed into churches now and it has an amazing gothic Cathedral, and two Mosques that have also been converted. 

This was the mosque converted to a church.

We got lost pretty quickly but it didn't matter. The other two walked a bit slow for me so I had to keep checking I hadn't lost them. We saw all these chains on the church and went into this shop to ask about them. The shopkeeper/artisan told us the links are for remembering. Like leaving tokens at the alter of your favourite saint. He showed us how he beat the gold thread into the steel base of jewellery, plates etc. 

 This is the artist making the gold plates. It takes about 10 days to finish this sized plate.it is a steel base then fired so the gold sets in the patterns.

It was fascinating. I remembered Sandra had said how unique the work was and so I succumbed to a beautiful pair of earrings. The town had celebrated a saint on Sunday and was getting ready to celebrate Corpus Christi this coming weekend. The houses and buildings had banners hanging from windows and they were decorating the streets with wreaths of green vegetation and flowers. It takes four days to put up and four days to take down. The place looked so festive.Each night there are music concerts and of course on Friday a party. It is Spain after all!

I had tried to book a flight to Malaga this morning for Wednesday but I put my Spanish phone number and that caused a hitch.  Finally when I get home I find an email confirming the booking but with a tentative return. I am positive I only booked one way. I will sort it out at the airport. I will need to fly or train it from Malaga eventually.

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.

http://0.tqn.com/d/gospain/1/0/a/4/-/-/mini-bota.JPG

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.

Diverbo day 4

Another day of walking and talking, student presentations and group discussions. The day was warm and sunny with a cool breeze. The mountain range across the valley still has snowy patches which makes it look very pretty. Yesterday I had a free hour extra to siesta and it felt quite strange  not to be talking. I actually felt like I was missing out! At siesta I decided to remain in the bar so I could catch up on the blog and emails. We are such slaves to communication. 

There was a party last night with lots of dancing. The Spanish men are good dancers and some really salsa and cha cha and do lots of fancy swings. It was great to watch everyone have so much fun. The music was across all eras so everyone got involved. I danced alnight and actually got asked to dance too.  I think my stamina for dancing alright from 10 pm till 2:30 with barely a sit down surprised a few people. The program director Marco loves to dance and is very supple and dances with the girls as well as solo. The dancing finished at 3 am.

Lauren and I retuned to the villa and then talked till 4:00 pm! We still all have to be up at the usual time.

Diverbo day 2

We are all more comfortable with each other and starting to get to know everyone's names. Today it is the same schedule but with some group discussions and two and two discussions. Everyone has a lot of fun.  We are all keen on walking and talking so several people end up sunburnt despite the cool breeze.

 We have a presentation from Jimmy about his stay in Austria which he delivers with the aplomb of a stand up comic. He is a very entertaining young man.  We are all eating well, too well but I am trying to eat less and light.  We all tend to walk and talk so I hope that balances out the delicious food.

Today is another round of people with whom I haven't yet had one to ones or Anglos with whom  I have yet to spend time.

Some of the personalities are rather idiosyncratic to say the least but we are all getting along well.

This evening we had the quiemado experience which was huge fun. It is a drink made with aroja liqueur and spices like gluewein then flamed for some time till a lot of the alcohol is  burnt off. The  drink is accompanied by an incantation by three witches, (Ann, Marge and  Kitty) which was hilarious. 

The ritual for making the Quimado

The three withes making the spell

We have also been warned to prepare a song, that represents our country. Arrgh! There are only three Aussies and Suzanne is not one to stay up after the dinner which was already late for her. That leaves Capri and I to sing. Oh well you can't go wrong with Waltzing Matilda and we manged a good rendition. The Americans sing Yankee Doodle Dandy and there are about ten of them. The Canadians sing the silver geese(?)with actions which was very funny and then the English did Look on the bright side from Life of Brian. We all sang along with the chorus.  The two Kiwis do the Maori love song very well with all the hand actions. Capri is an Indian/Aussie so she also contributed an Indian dance and song,  Furley did a Jamaican, Bob Marley, Don't worry 

and The Spanish did a rendition of something I didn't recognise. Sara Z did the Peruvian national anthem. We were all having a great time and after  Jez the MC and Marco the program planner completed their songs we adjourned to the bar for dancing and more refreshments. I called it quits at 1:00 pm.

Diverbo day 1

We meet at the bus outside the office and board the bus with our Spanish participants. Some of the Spanish are coming by car so we are not all paired off. I get to know Joss a Michelin chef who now works as a culinary judge and restaurant critic. He is Dutch but has lived in the States for many years and is a veteran English volunteer. He finds the program great fun and has attended several. I also get to know Catherine a retired Lawyer from Vancouver.

Avila and medieval wall

We pass through Avila, a really cold place and a town with one of the most complete medieval walls around the city in Spain.

The hotel and cottage accommodation.
We arrive at La Alberca and the hotel. It is very attractive. We are assigned our room mates and in my case both Spanish and Anglo. I am sharing with Lauren from Houston Texas and she is lovely but jet lagged and she has just arrived from a very stressful period at home.  Her mother has just passed away and her son has just graduated and is going away east to college.  She is very tired and this program was a way to keep her busy and distracted. This I understand. We get along really well.
Our Spanish roommate in the attic has not arrived but eventually turns up quite late after drivingfrom Gallicia.  she is Marge.  There are fifty two participants and we get introduced to the way the week will go, some icebreakers then it is  right into one on one conversations.  Talking is something I do very naturally( as my friends and colleagues know!)  so  this is easy and we have an interesting time moving from person to person every hour with a ten minutes break in between. Our throats are dry after a time but everyone is in high spirits.  We have  a delicious lunch and then more talking and later dinner.  I am trying to eat light and small so I don't put on all the weight I have lost. Instead of sitting and talking we decide to walk and talk. That is good  and stops us from getting tired.
The weather is colder than everyone expected so they are all struggling with their clothes choices and some only have thongs. I am in my jeans and walking boots, probably all week!
It is a full day and everyone is tired by the end of the day. The Spanish particularly because they have  been struggling with the language.  Generally they have a good competence so if I want to do the Spanish equivalent I will need to improve considerably. Volunteers get a €400 discount.

The village 

Paul from Massachusetts

Then next day we  have some group activities and during siesta Paul from Massachussetts and I head into town which is about 2kms away. It is a very quaint and medieval  and is quite a tourist attraction apparently.  We have talked so much that we are a bit confused about the return track. Eventually we find a track that leads us through the bush and eventually back to  the hotel, just in time for our next sessions! We have theartre which is histerical. Pedro is a tall Spanish and is a great comediian and the women and Jimmy dressed as a woman are excellent. Everyone is so confidant! We have a great time.

There are presentations from the Spanish and also two Anglos. It is a good day.