Allie in the South of Spain

Jose and I have had a sort of rough start to the month of July. We both taught some intensive English courses while also undergoing a pretty serious fertility treatment. Add to that oppressive heat that comes with living in the south of Spain and I was more than ready to see at least part of my family and spend some time with them. Somehow I managed to talk my little sister, Andie, and my mom into a week-long visit. Overlooking the river in Seville Our first two days were spent in Seville where we visited all the major sites in the morning and evening when it wasn't so incredibly hot. Midday was spent back at our apartment. It was a pretty relaxing way to see the city. First lunch at home My mom has been here several times before but it was Andie's first trip to Europe. I am glad she chose to come here to Spain and I think she enjoyed herself. I know she certainly liked the food, especially patatas bravas. Plaza de España  We also had dinner in the village wh...

This summer Jose and I will be staying here in the south of Spain. It's the first time in many years that I will not be back in pure Michigan to spend time with family and friends during my vacation. I am pretty bummed out but by sticking around here for the summer we are hoping to finally be able to grow our family (cryptic enough for you) so I am trying to keep that in mind so as to not get too depressed about having to brave the sweltering sun during the next few months.  In any case, we have to be pretty close to Seville during the month of July and somehow I managed to talk my younger sister (now Dr. Krieg) and mom into coming for a visit. They arrive toward the end of the month and though it will be hot, we plan on lots of time at our pool and visits to places early in the morning and later in the evening. I love hosting visitors and having at least some of my family here will make this summer much more tolerable. Besides seeing Seville and since they arrive to and leave f...

It's been a while. I'll admit that things around here haven't been too exciting and I took a break from blogging but as you can see I am back from my semi-retirement because I. just. can't. I. CAN'T. Maybe you have heard (or maybe it's news to you) that we had our first case of diphtheria here in Spain since 1987 recently because a family decided not to vaccinate their child.  Turns out a six year old contracted the disease and the Spanish government had to go to Russia to find a treatment since nowhere in Europe had it because it's a disease that has basically been eradicated.   I thought that in this sense I was living somewhere more reasonable than the U.S. and that the anti-vaxxer movement nonsense hadn't really made it to this side of the pond. Apparently I was wrong. There are idiots here in Spain too. From the very beginning of this tragedy the press and government have been portraying the parents as victims. Let's get something straight ...

Recently we just wrapped up Semana Santa here in the south of Spain, which is one of the biggest holidays that is celebrated throughout the year. Holy Week is a huge deal around these parts and you can read all about it here . Though I appreciate Semana Santa for its cultural implications, I am not fanatic about going out to see processions each day; I can get by with seeing just one or two. I do enjoy having a week off work and this year my parents came to visit so all in all, it was a pretty nice Easter holiday. First, Jose and I started off visiting the beach in Portugal for a few days before my parents arrived. We went and stayed in an apartment hotel in Quarteira which was right next to the beach and had a pool. The weather was fabulous and there was basically no one around so we had a couple of fantastic days of rest and relaxation. When my parents got to Seville we went back to Portugal since the weather was perfect for heading to the beach. We showed them our favorite ...

As you might know Jose and I love spending time at rural houses around the south of Spain. It is one of our favorite ways to travel and see new places and just recently we headed out east to the Alpujarras region for a long weekend. The Alpujarras are a mountainous area dotted with cozy white villages extending from Granada into Almeria. We spent the first few nights in a tiny town called Laroles after crossing the Sierra Nevada and then the last in Trevelez which is the highest village in Spain. We enjoyed hiking, good food and relaxing by the chimney. Our hike ended up being a bit longer than we had planned but the views were beautiful. Poor Cooper by the end was exhausted. This hike was about 9 kilometers long and wound up through the mountains passing an incredibly old chestnut tree. The weather was just about perfect during our whole trip, warm during the day and cooling off at night. One of our requirements when we book a rural house is that there be a chimney. Usua...

Things have been quiet here on the blog for the last few months but let me explain why. Besides the fact that Jose and I haven't been on any big trips since our last one to Istanbul, life here in the south of Spain has been a routine of work, studying and trying to get through the winter (which is admittedly much milder than what the folks back home have been suffering). When you get right down to it, we have been boring lately, in a bit of a rut. Why you might ask? First because since October I have been completing the CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) offered by Cambridge University. A bit of background: English is very important to people here in Spain. It seems like everyone wants or needs to show their English level whether for job prospects, for University or even as a young learner in primary school. Most people study and prepare some kind of exam and official Cambridge exams are incredibly popular. In any case, native English speaker...

Here is the latest in my 30 before 30 updates. In April I turn 29 which gives me just over a year to try to cross off a whole lot of things from my list but I still feel like things are going well. So far I have completed 17 items and am working on a few more. Who knows, in a few months I might adjust my list again to include different goals or things I want to accomplish. I'll keep you updated! 1. Go on another cruise.  2. Learn to cook Indian food . 3. Start a family (read: have a baby). We are still plugging away at this. Keep us in your prayers. 4.  Find a job in which I am happy with what I do, feel accomplished and appreciated.  5. Visit Morocco. 6. Spend Christmas in Michigan. 7. Walk at least a part of the Camino de Santiago. 8. Drive comfortably here in Spain. 9. Go to (and enjoy) a soccer game. 10.  Find a list of books every person should read, and read them.  11. Visit Ireland.  12. Cook a Thanksgiving dinner solo.    13...