Spain

I write on Wednesday mornings, and this morning I am curled up on the couch in my parents' all season's room. They are both at work, so I have the house to myself. The fireplace is on, there's a foot of new snow outside (and more falling), and I have a hot mug of Starbucks coffee. Yay Starbucks! We don't have a Starbucks in our little town, but a friend of mine brought me a bag of Casi Cielo the other day and I ground beans for myself this morning. Yup, this coffee is almost heaven. Ah, the small pleasures.

And speaking of small pleasures (while, rather appropriately, speaking in Spanish), I thought I'd share with you a HUGE pleasure that is consuming my thoughts these days. I'm leaving for Spain soon! Yippee! I've wanted to travel to Spain ever since my very first Spanish class when I was a little freshman in high school. Sadly, the language lost it's luster for me after only a month of lessons, but somehow I fell in love with it again in college and graduated with a Spanish minor. I've been to Mexico and Central America, but never to Europe. Wow, I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.

Aaron and I are going with another couple and staying in a villa on the Costa del Sol. It's off-season in Andalucia, which is just fine by us. We're not going for the beaches. We're going for Granada and the Alhambra, Seville, the White Cities, possibly Morroco, and definitely a horseback riding tour through the Sierra Nevadas. Maybe a wine tour? Maybe a little antiquing in the famous markets? I think we need to stay longer.

Anyway, just thought I'd share. I'm not even taking my computer along so I won't blog for a while. (Though I'll try to get another blog or two in before we leave.) More than anything, I didn't want you to worry (he-he-he!)--I didn't drop off the face of the earth, I simply flew to the other side of it.

For your viewing pleasure... A shot of Seville and one of Rondo, one of the White Cities.