Homeward bound!

Wakeup call at 3:30 this morning! Breakfast @ 4 am. On the bus and ready to go at 4:40. There are some pretty tired faces on this bus and the day has just begun! Lol! 1 car ride, 2 bus rides, 3 flights, and almost 24 hrs and I will be home in my bed ... If all goes according to plan! Lol! Vamanose! (let's go!)

Hola! We did it! I got home home and in bed by 2:30 am. Which was 7:30 Madrid time meaning it tool 28 hours from the time I got up till the time I got in my bed. I am soooo glad to be home and going back to sleep now!
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Our last day of touring...

This morning we got to sleep until 7:30. Yay! Gibraltar was only 2 hours away by bus so plenty of time to sleep in and have breakfast before heading out. 'The rock' will always have double meaning for me now. Being canadian, of course I think of Newfoundland when I hear someone say the rock. Well, here they call Gibraltar the rock and of course it is! We saw it yesterday as we took the ferry past it on the way to Morocco. It is so massive and I couldn't wait to return today to actually go on it and explore!

There are many interesting stories about this famous historical site. One of the earliest legends stems back to ancient Greece. It is said that the Greeks would only sail as far as the strait of Gibraltar and when they saw the peaks of the rock they would turn around and head back. They believed that the water flowed out to the Atlantic in a flat plane and that just beyond the entrance to the Atlantic, the earth ended and the water flowed over the side into hell, so they never ventured any further. I thought that was a cool story!

Gibraltar today belongs to Great Britain and has for the last 300 years since 1710 when they took it from the Spaniards in an effort to control the entrance to the Mediterranean. When you stand at the top, you understand why they wanted it. You see the tip of Africa that is Morocco across the strait in one direction. You see Spain in the other. And you have the Atlantic on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. It is a powerful position. The rock was first claimed and settled by the Moors in 711 and it was taken from them by Spain in 1462. (bet you didn't think you'd get a history lesson reading this blog! Lol!) Unfortunately when Great Britain took it, they did so from the sea and effectively destroyed the city in doing so, destroying most of the Moorish buildings as well as the Spanish ones. But some of the original Spanish fort and walls exist today. As a matter of fact, I saw a couple of workmen hanging off the wall today doing restoration work.

So today, modern Gibraltar is filled with Spanish descended people who speak the queen's English with a british accent and see british citizens. They have 35,000 inhabitants on the island and have their own parliament (with 17 members). They have had two referendums in the past 40 years voting on whether to stay British or revert to Spain, as Spain would like them back! The vote has been 99% for staying British both times much to the disgust of Spain! Lol!

So, going in, we crossed two boarders. The Spanish one and the British one! They have reclaimed some land from the sea and have expanded the city. They even have an airport. It is located right after you cross the boarder at the edge of the city and it has a unique feature that no other airport in the world has! As we approached the airport, Alberto pointed out what looked like an intersection we were approaching. He said it was very important that if that light was red, you had to stop! Because the street cuts across the runway! I kid you not! If that light is red it means traffic is coming from the other direction and that traffic is a jet! I took pictures # 587 and 588 as we crossed the runway! Lol!

When we got to the bus terminal, we were divided into groups of 6 or 7 because we had to go up the mountain by van. Without a doubt, this excursion has been my favourite of the whole week! I loved Gibraltar! The views from the island are spectacular! The first stop was at the entrance to a set of caves you get to go in and explore. VERY cool! 6 million year caves! And at the caves we had our first encounter with the natural inhabitants of the island. Monkeys! Monkeys everywhere! Apparently one of the early sultans liked monkeys so he brought them with him and they have thrived ever since. There is now a controlled program in place where they are looked after ... Spayed and neutered, tattooed and vacinated (this is going to become important later) but still not pets. They are wild and it behooves one to remember that! While we were at the caves, one of the young monkies climbed on Katie, one of the students in my group and supplied is with a Japanese moment. Lots of pictures! Then at the end of the cave visit, we watched one saucy monkey swagger into the gift shop, grab a chocolate bar from the counter and run like hell! Lol! He sat up on the shade cover over our heads and cheerfully mowed down. I have a great photo with the snickers name showing that I think I will send in to the company!

Back in our cabs we proceeded to the next stop. Almost the highest point on the rock. 400 meters above sea level. Many more monkeys and an incredible view! I was standing with my back to the wall, watching the kids and taking photos, and one of the mom's jumped on my head! She was quite pleased with herself and happy to be there. I was less happy cause she weighed a ton! Alex got a picture and our van driver clapped his hands and shooed her away. I started to walk away and I'll be damned if she didn't launch herself back on top of me! age almost knocked me down. After the van driver shooed her away again, I made sure I stayed in the crowd and away from the wall. After a few more pictures, it was time to move on. Katie had sat down and a little monkey was quite happily sitting on her shoulder munching on the laces of her hood. Its mom was quite happily sitting behind katie checking her for bugs. Since our driver had gone to get our van, I stepped forward to shop away the baby so we could go and it didn't leave being fascinated by the knob on her good lace. So I said, naughty baby and reached to take the lace from it's cute little fingers. Apparently mommy monkey took objection to this 'threat' to her not so innocent baby and launched herself at me with a scream! The cranky bitch grabbed my arm and bit me right above my elbow! I yelped! And a horde of van drivers rushed forward and chased he away. Luckily I was wearing long sleeves so all I have is bite marks in my arm and a bruise about the size of a monkies mouth! (about the size of a toonie!) At point I decided enough of the monkeys! Let's go!

Down the mountain we went, and into the center square. We had a couple of hours of free time for shopping and lunch. I had a seafood pancake and it was THE best meal of the trip! Everyone had a great time. Then rest of the afternoon was taken up with transporting back to the hotel where we had more free time to spend in the shops or on the beach on the Mediterranean. I did a bit of both.

Now it is time for sleep! Tomorrow is travel day! Our wakeup call is 3:30 am! Yikes! We go Malaga, Madrid, Frankfurt, Toronto, Campbellford! We should be home by 1:30 am Thursday morning. I can't wait! I miss Lorne. And I miss my bed and my house and my dog! Lol!

Must sleep now! Later!
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It's Monday...

Today we were up early. Wakeup call was at 5:30 this morning. We were on the bus at 7 am and headed along the coast line towards the Atlantic. Our first view of the rock of Gibraltar was beautiful. Sometimes it is shrouded in fog. Tomorrow we will be coming back and actually visiting the rock. Today we just passed by it and went directly to the ferry that would take us across the mouth of the Mediterranean to Africa. We will land at Ceuta. A town still owned by Spain in Morocco. From the ferry we boarded another bus for our trip into Morocco. The boarder was insanely busy. And it was bedlam! Thousands upon thousands of people cross it each day. The Moroccans come into Ceuta daily to purchase tax free goods that they then smuggle home. Our passports have been taken by our local guide Mohammad (for entry control). We get them back at the end of the day. Scary!

Shortly after crossing the boarder, we stopped for a few minutes so the kids could have a ride on a Moroccon Mercedes ... A camel! Lol! Since I already had that experience in Egypt, I did not feel the need to repeat it! We travelled for about an hour to the town of Tetuan, an ancient, moroccan city that is a mixture of cultures, Moroccon (Muslim), Jewish, Christian, Bedoin. In addition to our local guide who brought us across the boarder into Africa, we had 2 additional guides and a photographer with us. With the group the size it is, they always have extra people helping. They took us to the center of the city by bus and than from there into the old city. And I mean OLD! The Moroccons settled the city in 711. Can you even grasp that? I can't! It was incredible. We were told to stay close because it was easy to get lost. We were also told it was safe because the Moroccons are very friendly and they love tourists and above all, their laws are VERY strict and VERY harsh and they are very afraid to break them. All that being said, the inner city is ancient and is comprised of 3000 interconnecting alleys. You can't even really call them streets! 3000!!! Wow! I gcould get lost in 30! Lol! So into the market we went. Live chickens and fresh fruit & veggies everywhere. The strawberries were huge and smelled soooo yummy! There were figs, oranges, apples, dates, bananas, spices and nuts. There were vendors selling meat and fish! Oh my! Basket and basket of stinky smelly fish. And whole chickens hanging and running around and being slaughtered. One of the girls was standing beside me when we stopped in front of a place selling chicken and just a few feet from us the vendor slit the throat of one! And Layla said 'omg! Did you see that? He killed it! It was alive!'. I could not help but laugh at their reactions to this experience! Where exactly do they think those neatly wrapped chickens in the supermarket come from? Or the whoppers they have been chowinh down? Too funny! I took so many pictures in the market. After the food, there was clothing vendors. And jewellry! Wow! Shop after shop of gold! But they kept us moving. There was not time for shopping with these vendors.

When we were buried too deep in the center of the market to find our way out, they took us to a carpet factory where we got to see the most amazing rugs and carpets imaginable, not to mention blankets and table cloths. We were told that each town was particularly known for its particular craft or area of expertice. This town is known for its carpets. They are all hand woven and the craftmenship dates back centuries. I have seen a carpet factory and shop in Egypt so I understood the prices of what we were looking at. The kids did not fully grasp what they we're in for when they enthusiastically asked for prices on what we were shown. For every piece we indicated approval for, another sales person came through the door. It was interesting to see the kids haggle for the prices or try and get out of haggling! Lol! A few of them did but a small rug, but for the most part it would have been more effective if they had been selling placemats! Some of the carpets were so beautiful but all I could see was Myah chewing the end off a 500€ runner I had shipped home from Spain! Lol!

From there we headed to a pharmacy which is a cool stop. They have so many natural products available for you to try and of course purchase. Almond creams and rose and coconut creams. Creams for acne and cold sores and big bites (I was tempted by THAT sales pitch!). They had a massage oil for muscle injuries and arthritis pain. And they also sold headache and snoring medications. A very cool shopping stop and these vendors made more sales than the carpet vendors.

After all that, we made the almost 4 hour trip back to the hotel for a late dinner and bed! Another full day is looming tomorrow! Our last day already. I can hardly believe it. On wed we start the trek home and it will be almost a 24 hour trek! Yikes!

Ciao!
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Sunday afternoon

This afternoon we went to the cathedral in Sevilla. It did not open until 2:30 and we were first in line. This time they just turned us loose instead of a guided tour. It was so huge and amazingly beautiful! It is the largest Gothic temple in the world and the 3rd largest in th Christian world and was built on the original 12th century site of the principal Mosque of the city. Again the artwork and craftmenship was intricate and detailed. I am not sure how many pipe organs there were but I counted at least 6 almost floor to ceiling. In the cathedral, both the remains of the Christian king, and patron of Seville, Fernando 3rd and Christopher Columbus are buried! Before we went inside, the guide explained that if you went to the Dominican, they claim you can visit the burial site of Christopher Columbus and if you go to Puerto Rico they also claim they can take you to the burial site of Columbus. But Spain is the only one who has done DNA testing on the remains to prove it actually is Columbus. I found that very cool cause it it means they know who his descendents are. How cool would it be to be able to say my great great great x whatever grandfather is Christopher Columbus? Really cool!

Part of the cathedral is the Giralda which is universally known as the symbol of the city of Seville. It was initially the tower of Seville's principal mosque. It is 97 meters high and is crowned with a weather vane known as the Giraldillo, a giant bronze figure representing faith victorious. You can climb the inside of the tower to the level of the bells and get a great view of the city. A great workout and worth the climb 36 stories!

After our cathedral visit, it was back on the bus to head to the next hotel 4 hours away. We went to a coastal town called Malaga right on the Mediterranean. It was originally a brutish colony and is filled with the English. The kids love it! Block after block of shops! Of course most were closed by the time we got there but we did make our way down through the streets and shops to the beach, about a 10 minute walk! So, I dipped my toes in the Med sea! Wow! Almost as cool as Christopher Columbus! That was our day. Another exhausting one but so much fun!

Must go now ... So much to see, so little time! Ciao!
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Sunday ... Sunny and 10 degrees @ 9 am!

Last night we had a late night and I was too tired to type any more. I slept through the night for the first time! The Flamenco dancing last night was really cool. It is an art form in itself and is a mixture gypsy and andalusian culture and is also strongly influenced by the Arabic culture. It reflects the persecution of Andalusian Moors and the gypsies during the reign of the catholic kings. We went to a gorgeous theater, El Palacio Andaluz, for the evening to see it. It was like a Spanish river dance.

Another day of adventure lies ahead! Today we tour Sevilla. I am wondering why it is sometimes called Seville and sometimes Sevilla. I will have to ask Alberto. There is a major river that runs from the Atlantic through Seville, thereby making it a very important town in ancient times because it was an embarcation point to the Americas. One of the historic sights we saw is called the Golden tower. It was built as a defence tower in the 12th century and is one of the last examples of Moorish architecture. Some say it owes it's name to the golden tiles which covered the structure, while others say it was used to store the cargoes of silver & gold that were shipped from the Americas.

The royal palace in Seville, Real Alcazar is often referred to in the plural because it is a series of smaller palaces as the seat of power changed. Palaces were built by the Muslims for the Christians so you could see Moorish architecture mixed with Gothic, renaissance and baroque elements. I have learned a lot about architecture on this trip! And the gardens! Wow! They are so beautiful with fountain upon fountain all interconnected with a gravity fed system. Only the earliest of the flowers were out and you could already smell them. I would imagine in a few weeks it will be incredible. This tour was a little more difficult because we only had one tour guide and our group was too big for that. After the tour, we were in this area of the palace that housed some restaurants and gift shops and it was a maze of small walkways. One of the girls wandered off and got turned around and when the group went to leave, we realized we were missing one teen. She did the right thing and managed to find someone who spoke English to help her find a phone and she called Alberto's cell phone #. He was not with us, but he was able to direct her to our meeting place and he called Antonio, our palace guide to explain she had been located. It was a valuable lesson for everyone to keep tabs on the people you are with and for the kids to keep the paper with the hotel address and the guide's cell phone #.

After the palace, we had some free time in the city center until the cathedral was open for tours. Instead of shopping, I once again settled at an outdoor cafe with the teachers for lunch. I had a fantastic Mediterranean salad. And the best bread ever. It looked like some sort of nut loaf but am not sure. Mmmmmmmm!

This afternoon, we have the cathedral, then we are off to Malaga on the coast of the Mediterranean sea for the next 3 nights. Then home! Thumbs are tired so I will type more later!
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How can it be Sat already?

Good morning! We started our day early this morning in Granada so we could get to the palace Alhambra for 8:30 am because you have to tour by appointment especially with a large group and we are a group of 46 all together!

The Alhambra castle is unique since it was built over 3 centuries by different rulers and obviously many, many architects (the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries). So some of the palace was built by the ruling moors and the rest by the Christians after they conquered the moors and drove them out of Spain. The diffrence between the two is quite stark when you see it. The style of the moors is very intricate and delicate with detail mosiac work in ceramic and wood inlaid into ceilings, floor and furniture. In contrast, the part of the palace the Christians built was also lovely but plain and simpler in it's design. We toured the throne room and stood in the very spot that Queen Isabella blessed Christopher Colombus and sent him on his way to discover America. In a way it had this sense of being overwhelming when you get this close to the history. This stop was truly a Japanese moment and the camera worked overtime. Do you know how many angles you can photograph a castle from? Lol!

After the palace, we walked down the mountain and had a couple of free hours in the city center. Busy, busy, busy. With people bustling everywhere. The kids (26 girls, 10 boys) were thrilled with 2 1/2 hours of shopping time! They had to stay in groups of 4 and be back to the main statue in the city center by 1:45. I laughed when I got back and most of them were wolfing down whoppers from burger king because they were too busy shopping to eat earlier. Before they were turned loose, they were warned again about the puck pockets in Spain as they are apparently VERY talented. But they were all wearing travel bags with their passports under their shirts and money belts too. They were also warned about the multitude of gypsy ladies that will boldly push a rosemary branch into your hands and tell your fortune and ask for money and it is best to not make eye contact, keep going and ignore them. Anyway, anyone who really knows me knows that 2 1/2 hours of shopping is about 2 1/4 hours too much! Lol! So the first thing I did (with one of the teachers from St T's) was go to the Granada cathedral and blessed chapel and paid 3 euros to go inside. It was beautiful! And inside was another piece of history. It contains the crypt containing the tombs of the royals that financed the expeditions of Christopher Columbus. Another piece of history for you and I just had to see! Very cool! After that, we worked our way through the shops and the gypsy ladies back towards one of the many squares. We saw a couple of living statues and they facinate me. These two were all dressed in silver and their skin was painted silver. Like the London guards, I have no idea how they hold their poses. If you take their picture, it is customary to drop some coins in their hat on the ground and they will move in a poetic motion as a gesture of thank you. I photographed the one outside the chapel that was dressed as a nun and was holding a cross. She didn't move. I photographed again from a different angle, then went closer to drop some coins for her. She smiled and leaned towards me and offered her hand and held it out towards me as if to shake mine and slowly made a handshake motion. She continued until I reached forward with my hand to touch hers. When I got too close she pulled her hand back and gently shook her head. So I pulled my hand back also a little confused cause she started it! Then she repeated the motion and I clued in. I reached forward with my hand and when our hands were still a foot apart we made the same slow shaking motion and silently shook hands without touching. She smiled approval at me and returned to her complete stillness. It was soooo cool! I wonder what they think about while they stand there for hours on end? After my encounter with the silver bin, Ray and I made our way to a square that was mainly surrounded by restaurants as opposed to shops. There was a wooden merry-go-round that was powered by a very fit fellow riding a bicycle to make it go round and round! And there were guitarists and accordianists circling the outdoor cafes playing for the customers. There was also a stage at center square where we were treated to some live music. It was wonderful! We were supposed to meet Mike and Tim (because they did not want to see the cathedral) and have some lunch. One tour of the square and they were no where to be found. What to do? What to do? Well, I told Ray that my dad always told me that if you were lost in the woods, you should stop walking in circles (or square in this case! Lol!) and stay in one spot until the searchers found you! It did not take us long to find a table for four at the outdoor (20 degrees and sunny today) Oh La La! restaurant. Ray was half done his servaisa and I my vino tinto by the time the other two found us! Lol! I think they were less amused by our story than we were! Of course, we ate with them and shared another drink cause we had tons of time before heading back to the bus. :-) After lunch, we went our separate ways dole the last 15 minutes and I managed to find Dana a flamenco dress I think she will love and be back to the square on time! Yay!

Now we are back on the bus and are headed to Seville where we will spend the night. The kids see all in high spirits and see having a blast. The two girls that were stricken with the stomach flu yesterday have recovered and no one else seems to have caught it. Our bus driver pointed out to our guide Alberto that one of the boys is wearing an offensive shirt that could get him in trouble and Alberto spoke with him. Eric wisely decided to change the T-shirt. Know what it was? A soccer shirt! I am not sure what team it supported but it was not a Spanish team and for his own safety, he took it off and put it away! Wow! One of the girls from St Theresa has had her rag doll kidnapped today by someone on the bus and has received a ransom note. And no! It was not me. I had nothing to do with it. Alex appears to be a prime suspect and all I can say is if he did it, he comes by it honestly. Evetone is having fun with it though and Katie is taking the joke with great humour although I think the loss of Matilda (a doll she has had from birth) would be pretty traumatic! So that is that! Except to mention that Alex's coach sent us a msg that they won their semi-final series and are therefore onto the finals! His message this morning said ... 'We won! Get home!' Lol! So I guess I know what I will be doing next weekend! Karen will be happy cause she wanted to experience a playoff game!

That is all I have to say for now! I hope everyone is staying safe inside for the snowstorm Lorne tells me you are having! I am loving the comments left directly on my blog! Thanks. It is nice to hear from home. Any comments left on facebook I will have to read when I get home.

Ciao until later! Hugs!
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The end of the day...

Ahhhhh.... It feels good to stretch out on a bed after a long day of sight seeing. Even if it is a hard single bed! Lol! I don't think the people who stay in this hotel care though cause it is for exhausted skiers. We are in Granada n the south of Spain now. It nestled in the mountain range that separates Spain from the Med sea. It was founded and occupied by the Moors for 800 years and that is apparently very obvious in the architecture but it was too dark to really see tonight when we arrived. Anyway, we were told it is a great city to live in because a short drive into the mountains gives you ski resorts that operate 9 to 10 months of the year and you can spend your day skiing and your evening on the beach! How cool is that? So we stay just one night in this hotel and sight see in the morning than off to Seville.

Before we left Toledo, we stopped at a small factory to see some master craftsmen at work. Toledo was famous an still is for their craftsmen making first tools of iron such as daggers and swords and ygr suits of armour worn in the middle ages. In addition their work with 24 K gold to decorate these pieces as well as create remarkable pieces of jewellry. It was very interesting to see the master craftsmen at work, inlaying strands of golf into delicate and intricate designs. Interesting and expensive LOL!

After we left Toledo today, we made an unscheduled stop to see some 500 year wind mills. They were very cool. All located across a hilltop by some castle ruins overlooking the plains of La Mancha. These are the same windmills that Don Quioxte did battle with in the 1600's as the legend goes. It was well worth the stop and I think I got some good pictures. Then we went on to a small farming village for our lunch. The food was interesting! I am determined I will try the local fare whenever I have the opportunity. The other day when we stopped for lunch, we were told we would be having fried cheese and then this mixed vegetable stuffed roll of some sort. And sure enough they started with the fried mozzarella cheese. Omg! It was good. Funny how some of the kids turned their noses up at it. It was a slab of mozzarella fried in olive oil with saffron & oregano. Mmmmmm! Then they brought out the roll. I was kind of expecting a fajita bread stuffed with a stir fry of veggies. I was soooo wrong! The roll itself was some type of crepe. A thin egg thingie. Inside it was filled with green slop. I have other words I could use to describe it but I think you get my point! It looked like a crepe filled with bright green pea soup. I kid you not! I tasted it and it was ok. I could eat it. Actually, the taste was not the problem, the texture was. What'd ya have for lunch Jeannie? Green slime... Mmmmm! And it wasn't even St Paddy's day! A lot of teenagers went hungry after that lunch! And with dinner traditonally served at 9 pm, it was a long wait for some! Lol! I did find out later that it was pureed spinach and potato so now I can make it at home. NOT! Today's lunch was something called pisto. It sounded like peestoe. Green peppers, onions and tomatoes stir fried into what Alberto calls softie veggies! It actually looked like I was being served a bowl of salsa sauce with a side of whole wheat bun. It didn't taste like that though. I tasted like a chunky tomato soup. Kind of. Regardless, it was not objectionable! Lol! And no Jen ... Sorry! No food pictures! But I know love me anyway! :-)

From the farming village (kudos to the bus driver who managed the monstor bus in steets never meant for one! Often making turns with literally inches to spare!) it was back on the bus to drive the remaining 2 hours to Granada. In the last 2 hours we crossed the Spanish state of Andaluscia. Of course, like any other horse lover, I kept my eyes peeled for the very famous horses that bear the same name. No luck! What we saw were miles and miles and I mean MILES of olive trees! Spain is actually first in the world in the export of olive oil. Interestingly enough, one of their biggest customers is Italy who is well known for selling the BEST olive oil. In order to meet the demands for Italian olive oil, they must purchase it in bulk from Spain and bottle it under their Italian label! Hmmmmm ... Think about that next time you are in the salad dessing aisle of the grocery store!

For sure a couple of the girls would be glad to see the end of this road trip as they have been suffering through the day with the stomach flu. We have our fingers crossed that no one else in the group comes down with it. I leant Jessica my pillow for the bus trip today. It is still on the bus! I sprayed in heavily with anti-bacterial spray and am hoping for the best!

Well, that is all for today. I have actually been sleeping on my bed and just woke up with the phone still in my hands. How funny! Guess I better see if I can actually sleep now. One of the women is wearing a pedometer. I forgot to ask what we walked today but the day before it was in the neighbourhood of 22,000 steps!

I hope everyone at home is safe and well and hunkered down with lots of supplies doe the storm. I have heard from Lorne it is supposed to be quite an event! Stay safe! Ciao!
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Back on the bus!

It's friday morning and 6 degrees in Madrid. Today we head south. We will drive for an hour and then stop to sight see in Toledo for a couple of hours. I was told yesterday that if I was interested in gold, Toledo was the place to buy it! Not sure if we will have a chance to visit a store or not but this sounds like a dangerous stop! Lol! Then it will be back on the bus and we head for Granada. That is a 5 hour trip.

Toledo was amazing! It is truly an ancient medieval city. It is built around a river valley and actually reminds me somewhat of Luxembourg in its layout. The bus took us up the mountain for what the Spanish call a Japanese moment! Lol! I am soooo glad I brought Lorne's camera. Then they took us through the wall into the old part of the city where the bus had to drop us off so we could tour the city on foot because it too narrow for vehicles. Our local tour guide was Carlos and he was great! He made us repeat his name because he said if we called him Mr Guide he would call is Ms Tourist. Our first stop was the Toledo cathedral. Wow! It was AMAZING! They began construction in the 11th century and it took 270 years to complete! I had to buy a booklet of postcards at the end of the tour because the inside of the cathedral is too beautiful to forget and as per usual indoor pictures were not allowed. We saw priceless works of art that have been hanging the cathedral walls for hundreds of years. Pretty incredible when you think of it. We also stopped in the most unique historical building. It is actually a synagogue but since no Jews live in Toledo it stands empty. What makes it unique is that it was built in the 11th century by the conquering Muslims as a mosque so you can really see the Arabic influence. Then when the Jews were prominent in the area they used the building as a synagogue, hence the Jewish decorations were added. Then along came a very Christian king and queen and they told everyone that you must be Christian or you must leave! In Spain if you believe in god you are catholic, if you are not catholic you are atheist. So anyway, the Christians took back the synagogue when the 90% of the Jews left and the remaining 10% converted. The building became a church and they created an elaborate alter depicting the Christian faith and topped by a crucifix. Hundreds of years later the building is still there, in fantastic condition and displaying the characteristics of the 3 distinct religions. King Juan Carlos has promised that if any Jews wish to return to settle in Toledo, they can have their synagogue back. I knew religion played a really large role in Spanish history and it remains primarily catholic today, but that fact really hit home this morning as we left Madrid and we spotted a lineup that was kms long. At a stop light our driver asked someone in line what they are waiting for. They were waiting to see a miracle. A farmer has recently produced a religious picture that is crying tears of blood and the people are going by the bus load to see it and touch it and be blessed by a miracle. Wow!

I have been typing this note as we drive. First from Madrid to Toledo and then from Toledo to Granada. We are still 2 hours from Granada but I find it hard to type on the bus. I still have to tell you about lunch but it will have to be when we stop again!
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Today

Today we went and visited the royal palace in Madrid. It is the 'official' residence of the royal family and they continue to use it for royal, formal functions but they don't actually live there. With over 2800 rooms and 35,000 sq meters apparently King Juan Carlos did not like having his coffee get cold while the servants delivered it all the way from the royal kitchen to his room so he decided he needed a smaller palace so apparently he and Queen Sophia live in one 13 km outside of Madrid (that would probably be a 90 minute drive in Spanish traffic jam terms! Lol!). The architecture and decor was amazing. The influence of the catholic church is everywhere you look. The frescoes in the ceilings huge and beautiful and mostly commissioned by Italian artists. The palace has always been open to the public. Centuries ago the public would constantly flow through the palace and see the king and queen going about their business of the day ... Working at their desks, sitting for a meal, even dressing and preparing for cermonies. Talk about an open door policy! I am guessing this is anothe reason that king Juan Carlos has retreated to a smaller palace to live in.

In the afternoon we went to another palace which was started by king Phillip 3rd in the 15th century. It was their fall palace since the royal family changed residences based on the season. It would take them 1 to 2 weeks to move from place to place. Mainly because it meant moving 3000 people! No! That is not a spelling mistake or typo! 3000 people! When they talked about moving the court they moved the whole damn court! This palace was much simpler. Still huge and lovely but plainer. It was divided into 3 parts. The royal side where the royal family resided. The center was this most amazing basillica. The bed chambers of the king and queen had doors that opened into the basillica so they could listen to the services each day. The basillica was sooo beautiful! Apparently they have weddings there each Sat afternoon. The cost for the facility is $2000 euros and you have to be very lucky to boot! They only open the books for booking the weddings once per year. On January 24th. So you must line up and hope you get lucky enough to book your day! Directly underneath the chapel, was a series of tombs for the royal family. Centuries of royalty are entombed there. The main tomb houses the king and any queen they begat an heir with. Interestingly enough, there is not enough room left in the tomb to bury both king Juan Carlos and his wife. Apparently he has a tough decision to make! The third part of this palace was the monastery. It looked to same from the outside but is was quite simple and plain on the inside. It still houses 30 monks but that is a minimal number compared to what it used to house when it was built.

From this palace we went to the valley of the fallen. This is the burial place of the dictator Franco. He was a 20th century dictator that the tour guide, Mita, likened to Hitler. He may have even been related? It was obvious the Spanish people had little to like about this man. Anyway, it is the site of yet another bascillica. This one is gigantic and unique nevuse it was carved right into a granite mountain side so essentially it is a large cave. Very beautiful. And on the top of the mountain, directly over the main alter in the cave is a large stone cross that can be seen for miles and miles. It seemed like they were trying to buy their way into heaven?

So that was my day! Oh wait, we also went to the Prada museum tonight but I was too tired and hungry to really concentrate. Then we took the kids to the main square in downtown Madrid and said enjoy! Shop, eat and meet back here at 10 pm.

If anyone is reading this from facebook and leaving comments, I van't read those comments until I get home. If you are reading and commenting directly in the blog, those are emailed to me. So, Jen, it is a 6 hour time difference. You did not wake me. I doubt a bomb could have woke me last night! And Lorne ... Sweetheart ... Please stop beating my dog! Lol! And you are right, I will not let you sit on our step and shoot people who trespass so you better come up with a new retirement plan! :-)

Must sleep now. Wake up call is 6:45. Busy day tomorrow!

Bye! Ciao! Adios! Buenas noches!
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I am awake!

Boy did I sleep last night! What fun we had but exhausted! The walking tour was excellent but FREEZING! We were too tired to appreciate the architecture but I took lots of pictures anyway. The idea was to give us the lay of the land so we know where we are going this aft with our free time. Anyone who has ever travelled with me or even listened to my stories of travelling knows what a waste of time that was for me! Lol! I can get lost under the best of circumstances!

So what did we learn last nite? Madrid means mother of water and was founded in 871 by the Moorish people. Wow! As canadians we have a hard time grasping this kind of history. Madrid is really a mixture of old and new. The population is growing by leaps and bounds and has reached about 3 million now. The architecture is amazing. Most of the buildings are old old old but Alberto tells us they look quite different now since they are redoing the 'facades' of the buildings as the country grows in wealth since joining the European union.

Today we have had a breakfast of orange juice, dry whole wheat toast and a croisant and of course Tim horton's peppermint tea! Mmmm! Today we are off on a city tour, then we tour the royal palace and go to the valley of the fallen and then back to Madrid to a museum and to turn the kids loose in the main square for the evening for shopping and supper.

It is time to go! I hope all is well at home. Lorne told me about all the lovely ice and snow and how my puppy is waiting by the door with a sad face for me to come home!

Until later!
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I do! I do!

I DO have data service in Spain! Yay! Now I can blog from here. This is so much easier than writing multiple emails. Of course, I have no idea if anyone is reading these but that is your problem! Lol! So, as you can tell, we are safely in Madrid. They flight was fine I think? I don't know for sure cause I slept through most it. By the time we hit 24 hrs on less than 3 hrs sleep, my body was screaming ENOUGH already!! Anyway, the couple of hrs sleep I got on the flight was enough to revive me for the evening. I must admit our planding was pretty rough. And I don't just mean the jolting up then back down the planes can sometimes do. I mean the swinging side to side action we had going on! It kind of felt like that Lufthansa flight looked like that was on the news the other day. It rocked side to side so hard I thought for sure the wing on the other side from me was going to tip right into the ground. A couple people from our group that were on the other side of the plane said the same thing. From what they said they thought the wing was going to touch. Anyway enough of that! We landed safely and that was main thing!

So we made it to Madrid safely. We were met by Alberto, our guide for the trip. And he seems great! He has a great sense of humour and should be a lot of fun the next week.

I am too tired to try and tell you any more tonight. I have already fallen asleep once trying to do this. Night!
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I've had ...

... Almost as much fun as I can handle for one day! It is now 1 pm on Wed, Mar 5th. That is 7 am back home so I have been up for over 24 hours now. I have slept next to nothing. The last 7 hrs in the Frankfurt airport have been the longest hours. Some of the kids are getting cranky although most of them have managed to crash today and get some sleep on these torture devices they call chairs. The lineup to get through security for this flight must have been a km long. I kid you NOT. It is the first time I have ever seen an airport have employees cater to a lineup with free drinks of water or pop and carts of chocolate bars and fresh apples and bananas because we were standing in line so long. Seriously! It was of course because of the public sector strike. We are supposed to be in Madrid for 5. Not sure how long it will take to get the group to the hotel but I am thinking shower and straight to bed! I don't think there is anything on the schedule except supper tonight and I can do without that!

Hey Jen ... Speaking of food ... I had this great tomato sandwich for lunch today on this fantastic whole grain bread and for some reason it made me think of you. It was so pretty, I almost hated to bite it! I thought to myself, if Jen were here she would take a picture of it first (cause she is strange like that! Lol!). Anyway, I stood very still for a moment and the feeling passed very quickly and I devoured it without a picture. Sorry! Lol!

Oops! Gotta go! Boarding soon! They are announcing our flight! Oh wait! They are announcing our flight is delayed. Yay! TERRIFIC!! That was sarcasm in case you missed it! <sigh> the incoming flight is not here yet. It is landing at 2 when we are supposed to be departing. Oh dear ... Such moaning and groaning! Lol!

I hope I still have data service when I get to Spain! Then maybe I can write about more than airports, delayed flights and whole grain sandwichs!

Until later!
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Yawn!

We are on the ground in Frankfurt! Yay! Our flight was great! Well, except for a few bumps. We hit some turbulance somewhere over Newfoundland just as they served our dinner. It was a little rough and Alex looked at me and said 'what do we do?'. I laughed at him and said you eat your supper and try and get more in your mouth than down your front! I succeeded. He was not so talented! We are sitting waiting to get off the plane. There was a medical emergency on the plane and so the paramedics have had to board and remove the patient. That's ok cause we are not in any real hurry as it seems we are not going to be leaving the Frankfurt airport but will be spending the next 7 hours here until we board our flight to Madrid. It seems there are some rotating strikes happening here including public works so it has been decided that it wouldn't be prudent to take 28 teenagers into the city for a couple of hrs. I didn't think it was prudent before we learned of the strike but am even more in favour of staying out now. One small glitch might be the fact that the luggage handlers are part of the strike. Hmmmm ... Any bets on how many of us are missing bags in Madrid? Lol!

Time to go explore the airport! Ciao! Oh wait! That's Italian! Adios! :-)
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Hola!

Ok... At the time I am writing this, we have not yet left the Toronto airport but I am practising the little Spanish I know! And somehow I don't think I will be using 'mas vino tinto por favor' that much on this trip (although I might like to)! We left the school on time this morning on a coach bus no less (Alex was mistaken about the school bus. Yay!). So it was a coach and that meant more comfortable seats and a bathroom for those who dare enter it. One small glitch ... We filled the belly of the bus at St T's with luggage. We had 15 empty seats and only 12 students plus 2 teachers to pick up at St Pauls, so that was good but no room for their luggage. Hmmmm! Some quick thinking on the part of Norma (one of the organizing teachers) and they had a van sent to the other school to transport just the luggage. Can you tell she has done this before? She had us here and checked in and through security very smoothly. I have never experienced group checkins before but it is a cool feature. Here is the logistics part of this trip I don't quite grasp. The group of 14 from the other high school is on a different flight to Frankfurt than us. They are going via Montreal. Now don't ya think it would be nicer to take a train a couple of hours east to Montreal directly to the airport than take a bus 2 hrs west to Toronto and take a 1 hour flight east to Montreal? Things that make you go hmmmmm. I am guessing this was the cheaper way to go so that is what they did. And after listening to the teachers discuss the 2 star hotels they have stayed at on other trips, I am pretty sure cutting costs wherever you can is a big deal!

So that is my day so far! Won't be much longer before we board our flight! Pbly one of the kids has never flown before and that is a sign of our times I guess. A great group of kids and a great group of adults escorting them. Should be fun! Stay tuned!
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what I learned yesterday ...

Every day you learn something new and that means life is good!! :-)

So what did I learn yesterday?? Well, I learned that we are travelling from Belleville to the Toronto airport to embark on the school trip to Spain via SCHOOL BUS!! Oh boy!! I am getting old when the thought of that makes me cringe! lol! Somehow I'd convinced myself when Alex said we'd be going by bus that it was a coach bus that would be taking us! Silly me ...

What else did I learn yesterday? Oh yes!! While travelling to Alex's hockey game in Minden by bus (COACH no less!!), I learned from son Tim that I could forward my blog to Facebook via an RSS feed (real simple syndication) and the blog would end up in the 'Notes' section of my profile. And guess what!! I read about it last night (sorry Tim .... didn't quite believe you!) and voila!! It worked! Of course .... I think it works ... this post being my first test since I set up the feed and did the initial import ...