Below are the 14 most recent journal entries recorded in Denise's Blurty:

Wednesday, July 7th, 2004
2:52 pm	Planet Earth Tourists Tuesday and Wednesday in Madrid were hectic, filled with last-minute touring, packing, and farewelling before boarding our night train to Paris. Tuesday evening, Blair, Aedan and I went to Paco and Pilar's, my Spanish parents, for our final goodbye. Aedan and I were to meet Blair at their piso at 6 p.m., but we were running late. Blair, thinking ahead, brought his Spanish/English dictionary and held his own for a good 15 minutes. Pilar says that all he needs is to come back and live with her for a couple of months. Maria, Pilar's youngest daughter who still lives at home, put out olives, cheese, serrano ham, chorizo, potato chips and bread for us to snack on while we sipped a beer. Paco showed us their renovated terraza and his beloved flowers. Pizca, Maria's puppy, a Westie, and Aedan were glued together. I think that Aedan enjoyed seeing all of the small dogs in Madrid and Paris more than anything else on our trip. She's lobbying hard for a small dog of her own. As suspected, I cried buckets when we got up to leave. Pilar said that she loves how I cry. Maria chastised her. "Mama, no digas eso!" (Mother, don't say that!), she said. (When I lived in Madrid in 1981-82, I cried for a solid two weeks when it was time to leave.) I said that I hoped it wouldn't be another 18 years before I see them again, and Pilar said that it better not. "Sere en una casa de pino" (I'll be in a house of pine), she said. (She probably said caja de pino, box of pine, but I heard casa de pino, house of pine, which cracked me up.) There is something about Spain, especially Madrid, that crawls under your skin. I've travelled a lot and lived in several places, but no place makes me want to burst into tears when I have to leave it like Madrid does. I'm going to do more reflection on why that is, and I'll write about it later. After saying goodbye to Paco, Pilar and Maria, we walked down Cea Bermudez, my old street to the Faro de Madrid (Tower of Madrid), right next to the building where I used to attend classes in Madrid. Talk about a sentimental journey! We were supposed to meet the students and faculty at the faro at 8:30 p.m., but only Mark, the art appreciation professor, showed up. Aedan was disappointed because she likes hanging out with the "big" kids. Being at the top of the tower was a nice way to end our month in Madrid. "We came. We saw. We conquered!" The tower was completed in 1992, the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage, and it's got a stunning view of all of Madrid. We were able to see our apartment and all of the surrounding environs, including El Palacio Real and the cathedral. The tower closed at 9 p.m., and we walked over to the Moncloa McDonald's for a 2 Euro meal to go. Mark decided he wasn't up for McDonald's, so he bid us farewell. We were just about to leave when most of the students showed up. They also got meals to go, and we walked over to the Parque de Oeste for a picnic. There, the students talked about what they'd miss most and wouldn't miss about Madrid. It seems that most of them are really going to miss Madrid, and they want to return as soon as possible. It was a great way to end our trip, even though I got bitten by redbugs or something that itched the whole time I was in Paris! Wednesday morning, I got up early to take one last sentimental journey into the heart of Madrid. I took the metro over to La Plaza Colon from Arguelles, walked down to Cibeles and the beautiful Palacio de Comunicaciones, up Alcala to La Puerta del Sol, and down Preciados over to Callao, where I took the bus home. I went for one last coffee at the Cafe/Bar Rio Duraton on Calle Tudor, the first restaurant we went to in Madrid. From there, I went back home to finish packing and move furniture back into its proper place. While Blair was busy with laundry, I made one final dash to Suffolk to check e-mail, download photos, burn two CDs of our photos, return the borrowed fan, return the school's cell phone, and give Raul (the computer guru) and Africa (the school's receptionist) bottles of wine. When I returned home, Mari came upstairs with a tortilla espanola she made for us for our train ride to Paris. The owner of our apartment, Maria, came to get the sheets and towels, but we told her she didn't need to worry because Blair had done all of the laundry. We loaded up all of our stuff, and knocked on Mari's door for a final goodbye. She burst into tears before I did. We really became good friends in a short time. Her son, Javier, who's 17, is planning on coming to stay with us next summer. I'm sure her daughter, Cristina, who's 11, will do the same when she gets older. When we got down to the street and were walking over the metro, Maria, the apartment's owner, offered us a ride to the train station. Good karma coming back at us for putting the apartment in top shape. I was dreading the train ride to Paris, because I thought we only had seats. I can't sleep sitting up, so I knew the first day in Paris would be a bear. Thankfully, not only did we have seats, we had first-class bunks that housed four to a cabin. Blair, Aedan and I had our own cabin. Awesome! I've traveled by train a TON, and this was the best night voyage I've ever had. The students are going to be spoiled for anything less now if they come back and travel by Eurrail pass. Aedan felt like she was on the Hogwarts Express. Unfortunately, Aedan fell down and twisted her ankle getting off of the train. I knew it was painful, because she rarely cries when she is hurt (She didn't when she broke her arm.), and she was holding back tears. I was concerned about what a sprain or a break would mean for our four days in Paris, but she was a trooper. We put ice on her ankle immediately, and she was able to hobble along. We took a taxi from Austerlitz Train Station to our hotel, a dump, but a good location that EF Tours also uses near Sacre Coeur de Montmarte. Since our rooms wouldn't be ready until 2 p.m., we walked up to Sacre Coeur, had our first chocolate crepe, fended off the portrait artists, enjoyed the street artists, and toured the basilica. It was COLD. Definitely not what Texans know as July weather. We then went back to our room, took a shower and a nap, then Aedan, Blair and I took the metro over to the Trocadero stop for our first view of the Eiffel Tower. (I thought I remembered seeing it from Sacre Coeur before, but the trees obstructed the view this trip.) It was as stunning as usual. We took some family pictures, and we watched several incredible in-line skaters zoom through a colored-cup obstacle course. We walked under the tower and through the gardens, full of beautiful flowers, which made it seem like spring in July. The groomed chestnut trees are always a pleasure to see, too. From there, we walked over to Invalides, which houses Napoleon's tomb, and then took the metro back home to the Anvers stop. We had pizza at a Moroccan restaurant (!) and called it a night. Friday morning, we headed over to the Louvre, the world's largest museum. The Louvre was once a palace, so it feels like Madrid's Palacio Real in many ways with its intricate marble floors, grand staircases, and barrel-vaulted ceilings. We hit the high points first: the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and the Venus de Milo. That took about two hours, and Aedan was museumed-out, so we left Blair at the museum and strolled down the Avenue de Opera to Les Galeries Lafayette, a gorgeous department store with a cafe that boasts a breathtaking view of Paris. We went straight to the cafe for lunch, and all that Aedan found to eat were French fries and chocolate mousse. Oh well, when in Paris... Afterward, we shopped and shopped and shopped. Or should I say looked and looked and looked. Even though things were on sale, it was still very expensive. (The dollar is still weak against the euro.) We did manage to buy a couple of things, and we enjoyed smelling all of the delicious smells in the perfume department, which is housed under an unbelievable colored-glass dome. We went back up to the cafe for an afternoon coffee and brownie break, and enjoyed gazing out over the city, and especially the Eiffel Tower, again. From there, we walked over the the Galeries Lafayette Gourmet store next door. This definitely reminded me of Central Market, and it made me wistful for Spain because they had a Spain counter that featured bocadillos and tortilla espanola. We met Blair at 6:30 p.m. at the arch outside of the Louvre. We took the metro back to Anvers and had more pizza, this time at a pizza restaurant. Saturday morning, we again had breakfast at our hotel (included in the price of our room), which consisted of cafe au lait or hot chocolate, a croissant and rolls. It was a nice way to catch up with everyone and give them and learn about tips on where to go and what to see. We then went to the Pompidou, the museum of modern art, for a visit. Besides housing a great collection of art, it offers a beautiful view of the city. In the small world category, I ran into David Cay Johnston, a reporter for The New York Times, who I had taken a course from in San Antonio at a Poynter Institute National Writers Workshop the weekend before we left for Madrid. I spoke with him in San Antonio, because my grandmother's maiden name is Johnston, and I wondered if we could be related. I ran out of time to e-mail him my family history before leaving town, but I'm going to do so now. He said that he, too, had some Louisiana ties. After touring the museum, we walked down the street and found a sidewalk cafe selling grilled cheese sandwiches. We bought some, and went back to the Pompidou to watch the street performers. One guy was balancing on stacks of moveable objects. Truly incredible. I took his picture. Afterward, we went back to the same restaurant for chocolate crepes. Delicious. Aedan was in heaven. For the first time in my life, I had to hand the last several bites to Blair because it was just too sweet for me. We then walked over to the Orsay museum, which is a converted train station that houses Impressionist art, my favorite. We got our fill of Degas, Monet and Van Gogh before heading over to Le Petit St. Benoit, a restaurant in the St-Germain area that's been "offering indigent Left Bank intellectuals the same for more than 125 years" (Access Paris Guidebook). The food was delicious, and it was the perfect place to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. We sat outside, drank red wine, enjoyed our meal and talked with some very nice French Canadians who were on vacation. We took the metro home to Chateau Rouge, another stop close to our hotel. Sunday, our last day in Paris, was a walking day. We took the metro down to Notre Dame, toured through the church, and waited in line to walk up the north tower. While we were in line, it started to rain, so we went over to a line of nearby tourist stores and compared umbrella prices. We found some that we liked that feature the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur in an impressionist style. The umbrellas came in handy, because it rained on and off all day. Not hard, but constant. We made it up all of the winding steps of the tower to another gorgeous view of Paris. We also went further up into the bell tower and pondered how in the world they got that huge bell up into the tower in the days before heavy equipment. From Notre Dame, we walked over to the Ile St-Louis to check out a bakery that Blair read about in our guidebook. We bought quiche lorraine and other tasty items for lunch. We went back for something sweet afterward, and Aedan chose a chocolate meringue confection. We cut it in half. The inside was meringue, and it had been rolled in dark chocolate then rolled again in dark chocolate powder. Heaven. That gave us the energy to take the metro to Place de la Concorde, the site of a 3,300-year-old Egyptian obelisk, and walk down the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. Madrid has a lot of pretty arches as you enter into the city, but nothing compared to the Arc de Triomphe. (Interesting aside: The Tour de France started while we were there on July 3, our anniversary, and it will finish under the Arc de Triomph on July 25. Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas, is trying for his sixth win.) We happened upon a memorial service for World War I and II American veterans under the arch. A French military band broke into "The Star-Spangled Banner" followed by the French national anthem while red, white and blue flowers were being laid on the tomb of the unknown soldiers. I got weepy, because I was reminded of my father, a World War II veteran, who was in France during and after the war. He, in fact, met General Patton at the Follies Bergier while he was on leave in Paris. It was a special way to spend the Fourth of July. From there, we went back to the St-Germain area for dinner at St-Benoit's, which was closed on Sunday. We went to another Left Bank haunt, the Polidor, which Hemingway, Joyce, Valery and Verlaine frequented. It was good, but not as good as Le Petit St-Benoit. Afterward, we got one final chocolate crepe, which Aedan said was the best of the trip, before heading back to the hotel. When we got back, I slipped notes under everyone's door reminding them to be in the lobby by 9:30 a.m. to catch the airport shuttle. Some of the students were in their room when Aedan and I went by, and we asked them if they were in for the night. They said that they were going to go to the Eiffel Tower at 11 p.m. to see it lit up. Aedan and I went back to our room and told Blair, and we decided that we wanted to go, too, since we hadn't seen the tower at night. I'm so glad that we did. We jumped back on the metro at Anvers and took it took Trocadero. We we came out, the tower was lit. Then, on the stroke of 11, a light show began. The Eiffel Tower looked like it was a Fourth of July sparkler. I'm not sure, but I think this is something that must have been started on New Year's in 2000. It was definitely new to me. Absolutely gorgeous. The show went on for 10 minutes and then stopped, leaving the tower lit up. (According to my students, the light show is every hour on the hour after 11 p.m.) We took some more family photos and called it a night. Seeing the tower at night was definitely a high point of our four days in Paris and a great way to end our adventure. The ride to the airport the next morning was very interesting. I prayed that after five weeks without incident we would make it safely to the airport. We had to order three minivans to handle 18 passengers with enough luggage (luggages, according to the driver) for 30. The driver, an immigrant from Sri Lanka, was interesting to talk to. He doesn't think highly of George W. Bush, and he said that he really admired Bill Clinton, a very smart man. I said, "Yes, he's smart, but he cheated on his wife." The driver said, "What man hasn't had two or three women? We are only tourists on this planet. Like you. You come to Paris for a very short while and you leave. That's how it is with life. I want to enjoy it to the maximum." I hope you've enjoyed this armchair tour! Now that I'm in the habit of writing, I may continue to post on occasion. Thanks for reading. Stay tuned! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 29th, 2004
12:02 pm	Guadalix de la Sierra Blair, Aedan and I had a fabulous weekend in Guadalix de la Sierra, a small town outside of Madrid, where my Spanish sister, Silvia, and her family own a weekend home (chalet). We rode the bus from Plaza del Castilla to Guadalix on Saturday morning. It only took about an hour to get there by bus, but Silvia said it only takes 30 minutes by car. We ate and ate and ate some more! Eduardo, Silvia's husband, had bought all of the ingredients to make a seafood paella espanola, so he and Blair got to work almost the minute we arrived. Blair's not crazy about seafood, so I'm surprised he handled it as well as he did. Squid, tiny crabs, mussels and all! The paella was delicious, and Silvia served gazpacho beforehand. She makes hers different than Mari's, but it was also good. I think I'm finally developing a taste for gazpacho! In the afternoon, we traveled down to the village, which is very small. The church is beautiful, and it has become a nesting place for at least a dozen, maybe more, storks! Their nests are huge. Afterward, we had a cold beer in la plaza, and Eduardo bought a vat of whipped cream for the waffles Blair planned to make on Sunday morning. We got home late, and Silvia made a tortilla espanola, also different from Mari's technique, but equally as delicious. We didn't eat until midnight! I guess we're finally on Spanish time. Sunday morning, we slept in late (10 o'clock), and Blair got up to make the waffles. In San Antonio, he uses a Belgian waffle iron. Silvia just had an electric grill that they use to make grilled ham and cheese sandwhiches here. Luckily, it worked. The waffles, called gofres here, looked like cushions, cojenes, so we started calling them Blair's cojenes. Silvia said that it was very not to substitute an "o" for the first "e," otherwise the word changes completely. After a late breakfast, we drove over to Miraflores, another small village close to Guadalix. A lot of Madrilenos have homes outside of the city to escape the heat and the crush of people. Miraflores is very picturesque, since the residents have decorated their houses with window boxes full of geraniums. When we got back to Guadalix, Silvia started making "la comida," lunch, a roasted chicken that sat in a bed of potatoes and onions. It was delicious. Blair said it was the best thing we've had to eat since we arrived, and I have to agree. While lunch was cooking, Aedan and Carmen, Silvia and Eduardo's daughter, played Monopoly. Instead of NYC's street names, the board featured Madrid's streets. Fun! After cleaning up, we headed for Madrid. Silvia dropped us off at our apartment, and then she and I walked over to a shop on Fernando de Los Rios that sells beads. She and her sisters are really into making jewelry, but she said she was having trouble finding stuff to work with in Madrid. (Her sister, Mary Carmen, who lives in New Jersey, brings stuff to her.) She was pleased to find out about the shop. Afterward, we went to look for "Woody's," a bar that we used to hang out in the year I lived her. It isn't far off of Cea Bermudez on the street Andres Mellado. Unfortunately, it's a pizza/pasta place now, but I looked in the window and could see the same seats that we used to spend many a night. Silvia and I walked back to my apartment but decided to duck into a corner bar for one last despedida. She had a half beer, half limon (Schwepp's limon, sort of like lemonade) drink, and I had a vino tinto (red wine). The bartender put out a plate of green olives. Bliss. I burst into tears when we got back to Silvia's car. It'd been too long since we'd seen each other, and I guess I'm worried about when we'll see each other next. It's too bad we live so far from each other, because we are muy amiga. To backstep a little, the Friday after our hectic Thursday was pretty low-key. On Thursday, we spent a good four hours at The Prado, took the metro over to the classical guitar concert, which was good but not great, then took the metro again over to the paella restaurant. (Good, but expensive. I tasted my first black paella. It's made with the "tinto" de calamares, the ink of squid. Sounds gross, I know, but it tasted pretty darn good.) We didn't get home until after midnight. On Friday afternoon, Cristina invited Aedan to go swimming at a nearby public pool. Mari and I went with them, and it was a nice place. We walked there from our apartment through the Parque de Oeste. We went over the River Manzanares, and Mari taught us a cute song, which I wish I could remember. It went something like "Rio Manzanares, dejame pasar, yo tengo una moreno, yo quiero visitar." (River Manzanares, let me pass. I have a dark-haired beauty, I want to visit.) Yesterday, Monday, we spent all morning until 3 p.m. at school. My students are getting their papers turned in, which makes me happy. I'm going to post them to the web when I return. Yesterday afternoon, it was scorching hot, so we waited until 7 p.m. to hit the streets. We tried to go up to the "Faro de Madrid," Madrid's "Tower of the Americas" sort of, but it was closed on Monday. We're going to go up it today before our farewell picnic in El Parque de Oeste. From McDonald's (yet another 2 Euro meal for Aedan), we took the metro down to La Puerta del Sol. We went into El Corte Ingles to buy Aedan a CD of her favorite Spanish band, 3 mas 2 (three girls and two boys). We've seen them again and again on the Cola Cao commercial, so we decided to check out their CD. We also went shopping for a t-shirt for Steve, our neighbor, who's taking care of Windy, our dog. From there, we got a picnic para llevar at El Museo de Jamon and went over to eat on the street in front of San Gines Chocolateria, the place we're going to miss the most. When we went to pay, I told the guy it was our last visit this trip, and he handed me our money back. What a nice surprise! Tomorrow, our train to Paris leaves from Chamartin station at 7 p.m. I've been on the verge of tears for days. I'm sure going to miss Madrid. (Comment on this)
11:58 am	Miss and won't miss lists! Things that I WILL miss: 1. My Spanish family...the family I lived with in the Fall of 1981 and the Spring of 1982. 2. Good red wine for less than 3 Euros ($3.75) a bottle. 3. The energy in the streets. 4. Riding the Metro and walking every place (no need for a car). 5. Non-stop cultural activities. 6. Better-than-Starbucks coffee for 1 Euro ($1.25). 7. The scent of pines trees when I'm walking to Suffolk in the morning. 8. Seeing the stylish outfits displayed in the store windows. 9. The sultry voices of the Spaniards. 10. Chocolate y churros at San Gines. 11. The view from our bathroom window, overlooking the Parque de Oeste y El Museo de America. 12. Our neighbors, Mari, Felix, Javier y Cristina. Things that I WON'T miss: 1. Dog poop on the sidewalks. 2. Cigarette smoke in restaurants. 3. McDonald's, except for Helado y Cafe. 4. Trash/litter on the streets. 5. Our tiny, life-endangering shower. (Comment on this)
Thursday, June 24th, 2004
1:16 pm	More museums! El Palacio Real was regal, to say the least. I must have been royal in a past life, because I felt right at home! I can't imagine how many people you would need to staff to keep it up and running. The palace was the site of the recent wedding reception of Principe Felipe and Dona Letizia, so things were still spit polished and shined. My favorite room was the Japanese Room, also called the Smoking Room. It almost looked like the walls had been made of cloisonne. Turquoise was the prominent color, save for bright red doors. Sounds strange, I know, but it looked beautiful. The armory collection was also quite impressive. The most suits of armour I had ever seen, including little bitty suits of armour for the princes. (Royal dress up?) Yesterday, we went to El Museo de La Reina Sofia. Picasso's "La Guernica" is the jewel in the museum's crown. You may visit the museum via the web at http://museoreinasofia.mcu.es/portada/portada.php Before going to the museum, however, we enjoyed a tasty lunch of tortilla espanola (potato omelet) and gazpacho made by Blair. Our neighbor, Mari, gave him a cooking lesson. Delicious! I'll include the recipes as soon as he gives them to me. Pablo Gargallo's "Mascara de Greta Garbo" was my favorite work at the museum, aside from Picasso's "Guernica," and you may see it at http://museoreinasofia.mcu.es/coleccion/sala05/default.php The museum also houses a nice collection of Joan Miro's work. Aedan wasn't too impressed, though. One painting that was a white canvas with black dots on it stumped her. "Why is that famous?" she asked. I had to agree with her assessment! We rushed through another floor, because Aedan and her friend Cristina (our neighbor from downstairs) were ready to go. A Donald Judd sculpture that Blair and I wanted to see was on loan to some other museum. Today is another jam-packed day. We're going to the Prado, followed by a classical guitar concert of "Carmen," followed by a paella dinner. The good news is that we don't have any classes tomorrow, so we'll be able to take it easy. We leave for Guadalix de la Sierra on Saturday morning to spend the weekend with my Spanish sister, Silvia, and her family. We leave Madrid a week from today. The only thing that's taking the sting out of our departure is having Paris to look forward to. Coming soon: things I'll miss/things I won't miss. Stay tuned! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2004
12:39 pm	Synchronicity I forgot to write about the shrunken heads at El Museo de America, and how Aedan was grossed out by them. ("I nearly barfed," she said.) Lo and behold, shrunken heads are featured prominently in the new Harry Potter movie. Talk about coincidence! The movie versions look like the real McCoy. Yesterday after classes, Aedan and I walked over to El Corte Ingles near our home (Arguelles metro) to exchange a doll that my Spanish family gave her on Sunday. They gave her a baby doll, and she's been dying for a "Witch" doll since we arrived. I thought they were only here in Spain, but there's a Disney trademark on the box, so maybe they're worldwide. She's got her doll, named Hay Lin, playing with a Madeline doll that she brought with her. Nice cross-cultural exchange. We're off to El Palacio Real. Mas luego! (Comment on this)
Monday, June 21st, 2004
12:00 pm	Flamenco heaven Last night, Blair, Aedan and I attended the "Concierto Flamenco" featuring Angel Rojas, Carlos Rodriquez and Mayte Bajo at the Teatro Albeniz near La Puerta del Sol, and it was amazing. The three dancers have garnered all kinds of "premios" (prizes) for being the best in Spain, and it's no wonder why they were deemed the best. Not only were they fantastic, but they had an incredible band of seven musicians: a flautist, a cellist, two classical guitarists, a percussionist, and two flamenco singers, one male and one female. The choreography was superb, as was the lighting, and the dancers were at the top of their game. Their website is www.nbeflamenco.net, and the program said that they were featuerd on PBS during an 18-city U.S. tour, which included New York, Miami, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. We need to invite them to San Antonio! Friday, Beatriz, my oldest sister in Spain, arranged a tour of La Gaceta de Negocios, sort of the Wall Street Journal of Spain, for me and my students. (Her husband is a journalist for the paper.) It was very interesting. The editor of the Gaceta, Hernando Calleja, was extremely gracious and very informative. Many of my students overslept (Too much partying in the city that never sleeps...forget New York!), and it was their loss. Those who attended really enjoyed the visit. The Gaceta is a Monday through Friday paper, plus they do a weekend edition that features art, books, culture, films, etc. Or as Hernan would say, "Et-theh-tera, et-theh-tera." Friday afternoon, Blair, Aedan and I went to see Harry Potter 3. It was in English with Spanish subtitles. I was afraid that it might be too scary for Aedan, but she did fine. (She sat in Blair's lap, but she did fine.) I really like the new director's interpretation of the book. I liked his vision. Plus, I think the actors are really growing into their roles. We all enjoyed it and look forward to seeing it again at home. I enjoyed reading the subtitles. For Voldemort, they didn't translate it you-know-who. Instead they translated it quien-tu-sabes. Saturday, we went to Toledo. We met at the Bus Station of the South at 9:30 a.m. for the 10 a.m. bus. It only took at hour to get there, and it was a nice ride for four euros. Not as scenic as the trip to Segovia, though. Anyway, we walked up a hill to La Puerta de Bisagra, one of the only Moorish doors left into the city. Toldeo is beautiful: winding cobblestone streets, ancient buildings with beautiful verandas, and tons of shops with swords, black and gold jewelry, and ceramics. Supposedly, all of the swords for "El Hombre de Los Anillos" (Lord of the Rings) were made in Toledo. I had another bocadillo de calamares (squid sandwich), and Aedan had another McDonald's hamburger. (She said that she couldn't wait to tell her friends that she gets to eat at McDonald's every day. Arrrrgh. Surrounded by delicious food, and she won't eat any of it.) Toledo's Cathedral is another marvel. Giant, Gothic, and paintings, including ones by El Greco, for days. The coolest, I thought, were sculptures in the dome looking down at you. They looked real. We took the 6 p.m. bus back to Madrid, so it was a full day of walking and sightseeing. Sunday, I woke up early and went to El Rastro, a giant, open-air flea market in Madrid. I was a regular when I lived here before, and it hadn't changed much. I bought a couple of antique religious icons (Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary with Baby Jesus) and some antique laces that were made by hand. (Mindy and Carol E., Heads up! I got some for you for future crazy quilts!) I also bought Aedan three more hamsters to add to her Hamtaro and Bijou collection. She was pleased. Sunday at 1:30 p.m., we met my Spanish family for lunch. It was so good to see them again. Four of the five sisters were present (The absent one lives in New Jersey.), along with Mama (Pilar) y Papa (Paco). We went to a restaurant (El Norte) near their home, and the food was delicious...a little bit of everything: jamon serrano, paella, tortillas espanoles, papas, etc. Beatriz organized the whole thing. And, they gave each of us a present! I got a beautiful scarf in blues and purple. Blair received a cookbook in English of all the Spanish delicacies. Aedan received a baby doll and some purple hair things. Best of all, they gave us an 8 by 10 photo of the entire family taken on Pilar and Paco's 50th Wedding Anniversary taken this past November. Afterward, the sisters and some of their children went with us for a walk in a nearby park. Maria brought her Westie dog, Pizca, who's adorable. It was nice to hang out with everyone. From there, we ran to the theatre to catch the show, so now I'm up to date. I haven't written about classes, but they are going well. The heat is on the students. Their final stories are due a week from tomorrow. We only have 10 days left in Madrid. I wish I had Hermione's time turner!! (Comment on this)
Thursday, June 17th, 2004
3:36 pm	Museum overload We visited El Museo de America today, which I walk past every day on my way to Suffolk University. It was completely restored over a 12-year period and was reopened in 1994. This was the first time that I'd had the opportunity to see it. It's an amazing collection, and the building alone is worth the trip. The items made of feathers from the Amazon were my favorites. Spectacular colors woven into hats and head pieces. You can really see how the artisans were influenced by the beauty of the birds. The gold jewelry and masks from Peru and Colombia are also pretty hard to beat. Our guide was Pilar, and she said that it "pained" her to rush through the exhibit. We got there at noon, and the museum closed at 3 p.m. She said you'd need at least six or seven hours to do it justice, and I believe her. At least we got a taste, and the students may return later if they'd like. One part that I think they missed that Blair, Aedan and I saw was the Edward S. Curtis photo exhibit of "Los Indios de America del Norte" (The Indians of North America). Curtis took this pictures in the early 1900s, and they are a wonderful glimpse into the Native Americans of that time. My favorite photo was entitled "An Oasis in the Badlands" taken in 1909, and it is of an Indian chief in full headdress on a white horse that is taking a drink of water. The photos of Santa Fe are also noteworthy. Yesterday we spent not three, but FOUR, hours in the Thyssen Museum . The Baroness Thyssen, a former Miss Spain, married the Baron, whose family had gathered a tremendous art collection over many generations. Talk about an embarrasment of riches. I can't imagine owning one of the works, let alone hundreds! The museum is arranged chronologically, which is really nice, because you see the progression of art over the centuries. My favorite works, as usual, were the Impressionists. They have gorgeous Degases, Monets, Van Goghs, and on and on. One of my favorites was a Kandinsky. This museum was also a first for me. It opened only recently. I forgot to write about our visit to the Atocha Train Station to pay our respects to those who lost their lives on March 11. We went there before our visit to the Botanical Gardens, and it was powerful. They've set up an interactive display where an image of the palm of your hand is taken and you may type in a message. The messages are then displayed for everyone to see with photos of those who lost their lives. There were lots of people there who were crying. Like I said, powerful. Tomorrow, we're (me and my students are) going to visit "La Gaceta de Los Negocios," the newspaper where Beatriz's husband, Manolo, works as a journalist. I'm looking forward to it. Afterward, Blair, Aedan and I are off to see HP3. Can't wait! Saturday, we head for Toledo as a group. We're going to take the bus there and back. FYI: My e-mail is working again, thank goodness. Raul, the computer wizard for Suffolk, figured out what was wrong. I hadn't deleted the mail in my delete folder, which was clogging everything up. Who knew?! Since I don't use ePortal as my primary e-mail, I'm not familiar with all the ins and outs. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 16th, 2004
1:36 pm	E-mail down! :( I haven't been able to download e-mail for the past three days. I'm in contact with ACCD's District Office to see if they can fix the problem. So far, no luck. If you've tried getting in touch with me, this is why I haven't responded. Please say a prayer that it's fixed soon. I feel "cut off" from everyone. FYI, Denise (Comment on this)
1:09 pm	Sorolla y mas! Yesterday (Tuesday), we went to El Museo de Sorolla, my favorite museum in Madrid. Sorolla was an impressionist painter, who was a master of capturing light and movement. I took lots of pictures without a flash. I wish I could download them here, but I can't. A link to the museum's website will have to suffice: http://museosorolla.mcu.es/ The museum, Sorolla's home, is beautiful, and the gardens are gorgeous, too. In many ways the museum reminds me of the McNay in San Antonio. Tons of azulejos (tiles) running up the staircases, and beautiful, lush fountains. When I lived here before, I visited at least once a week. I plan on visiting at least one more time before we leave. Afterward, Blair, Aedan and I walked down Castellana to Colon (Christopher Columbus) Plaza. Underneath a giant statue of Colon, there is a giant cascading waterfall. Columbus' journey is depicted on the wall in front of the waterfall, which is incredibly loud. No telling how many millions of gallons of water is used. While there, we went to another Photo Espana exhibit, this one called "Variaciones en Espana, Fotografia y Arte 1900-1980" that was very interesting. My favorite photos were newer ones, taken of tourists on the beach. Close-ups. Bright colors. From there, we took the metro home, and Aedan went downstairs to play with our neighbor, Cristina. I met Cristina and her mother, Mari, in the elevator on Monday, and they invited us over for a visit. Aedan and Cristina went to visit a friend's home down Martin de Heros to see her new cat. While the girls were visiting, Mari and I hung out at a corner bar. I had a tinto and a piece of tortilla espanola. Love it. We checked on the girls and they weren't ready to return home, so we walked down to La Plaza de Espana and took a spin, then we went back to the same corner bar, which was nice because it wasn't smokey. Good cross ventilation. This time, we had mosto to drink (a non-alcoholic grape juice) to drink and bacalao salado, a tasty fish, to eat. It was pleasant talking with Mari, who reminds me of my childhood friend, Brenda Fingleman. Aedan had fun with Cristina. She's not having any trouble communicating, which thrills me. She's teaching Cristina some English words, too. Yesterday, Mari invited us (me and Aedan) over again, and I noticed that she was doing some very find handwork. She's making a tablecloth out of lace she crocheted and squares of fabric that she cross-stitched. Teeny tiny, blinding, work. Absolutely perfect. I told her that I was into quilting, and she showed me some more things she made. I went upstairs to get Blair, because I knew he would appreciate it, too. He couldn't believe her work, either. While we were visiting, she offered us some gazpacho. I declined, because I really don't like it, but Blair said it was great. Sure enough. Hers was very fine, not chunky. The taste was spectacular. She said that it was Sevilla style, and she is going to show Blair how to make it and a tortilla espanola. After our visit, I went to the Puerta del Sol to secure tickets for me and Aedan to see the opening day of Harry Potter. We'll be in our seats on Friday at 3.30 p.m. for the first show! Can't wait. I also got us tickets to the Nuevo Ballet Flamenco for Sunday. Supposedly, the two featured dancers, both men, are the two best male flamenco dancers in Spain. When I got back home around 8.15 p.m., Aedan was still downstairs with Cristina, playing Barbie dress up on the computer. I asked her if she'd like to move in, and she smiled! I'm glad we met Mari and her family. They are super nice, and it's great for Aedan to have a playmate close by. Today, we're off to visit the Thyssen Museum. It's new, so it'll be my first time to see it. Just last week, the baroness donated more work, so it's even bigger and better. (Comment on this)
Monday, June 14th, 2004
12:18 pm	¡Un sueño de verdad! Last night, we went to see "Yerma," a flamenco ballet choreographed by Cristina Hoyos. It was a dream come true to see her dance in person. I'd seen her in Carlos Saura's films, like "Carmen," and was impressed with her passion and her talent. The dancers she selected were phenomenal. They made me want to get back into flamenco dancing! The costumes, set and singing were also amazing. I especially loved at the end of the show when the dancers did a a signature dance for their curtain call. You could really detect their personalities. Plus, seeing the Teatro Español was alone worth the price of admission. Definitely the best three euros I've ever spent! We saw the show's final performance. Otherwise, I'd go again. All in all, it was a great weekend. We went to Segovia on Saturday, and it was a beautiful day. I loved seeing the wildflowers, mainly red poppies, from the bus. The bright red against the green grass (complementary colors!) is spectacular. I also loved NOT having to see billboards trashing the landscape. There is very little visual clutter here. Why can't we do the same in Texas? (I know some states in the U.S. have anti-billboard laws.) We toured several gorgeous churches in Segovia. The first one, Vera Cruz, is outside of the city proper and it has a glorious view of the city's castle, El Alcazar. In the city, we went to the cathedral, the last Gothic cathedral built in Spain. It's a stunner. Giant arches. Beautiful stained glass windows. Intricate chapels. While we were there, the organist was playing, entertaining those who had been invited to a wedding. On the way out, we saw the bride going in. Her dress was beautiful, and I especially liked her bouqet, which was made of calla lillies. Then we had lunch, sopa castellano and a mixed salad, at a restaurant named Jose Maria. It was delicious. Afterwards, we went to a bakery and ordered Ponche de Segovia, a layered angel caked soaked in something wonderful with a creme filling. After Segovia, we took the bus to Pedraza, a walled medieval city. It reminded me of Assisi, Italy, with its cobblestone streets. It's too bad they let cars in. I think they should have the cars park outside the walls, making the city a pedestrian-only zone. The view from the city was goregous. Rolling hills, deep blue sky. Blair said that he could understand why the Spaniards liked Texas and California. The scenery is much the same. One difference: Storks were nesting atop the churches and walls. It was amazing to see them in flight. Reminded me of the whooping cranes on the Texas coast. Yesterday, Sunday, before the performance, Blair, Aedan and I toured the Botanical Garden, which is next to the Prado. It's nice, but I don't like it as well as San Antonio's BC. We did get to see a photo exhibit while we were there that was very interesting. An American from Des Moines, Iowa, photographed plastic bags and newspapers flying in the breeze. Interesting. Reminded me of the film "American Beauty". The other photographer (I can't remember her nationality, but I believe she's Scandanavian.) takes pictures of people at pivotal moments in their lives. She had a series of photographs of a young man who joined the French Legion. Before and after, so to speak. Haunting. Afterward, we went home for a rest, before hitting the streets again to have some dinner before the flamenco show. We got a "picnic" para llevar from El Museo de Jamon, and then we went for chocolate y churros at Chocoleteria San Gines. Learned something new: churros are thin; porros are thick. Personally, I don't need the fried food. I'll stick with the chocolate, which is very dark and as thick as pudding. Absolutely delicious. Aedan wants to go every day. (This was our second trip in three days.) Can't say that I blame her! Despite all the walking we are doing, I think chocolate every day might be a dangerous thing weight-wise! Our days are rushing by. Mark passed out an updated calendar today, and we only have two and a half more weeks in Madrid. Arrgh! Some students are trying to figure out ways to live here...or at least extend their visit. I feel the same way! (Comment on this)
Friday, June 11th, 2004
2:21 pm	Temple of Debod y mas! Yesterday (Thursday), we had classes in the morning. The News Reporting and Writing I and II students are on the go. The ¨newbies¨ are learning what makes something newsworthy (Impact, Proximity, Timeliness, Prominence, Novelty, Conflict, Information, Cooperation/Consensus, Common Experience), and the ¨oldies¨ are learning how to write creative nonfiction/literary journalism. In additional to daily exercises, they are responsible for keeping a daily weblog and for writing one major article by the end of the session. So far, so good. After classes, we headed over to El Museo Cerralbo on the corner of Ventura Rodriguez and Calle Bailen. The Duke of Cerralbo gave his gorgeous home and its contents to the city of Madrid. (He married a widow who had two children from her previous marriage, but they never had any children.) It was GRAND. Totally baroque. Amazing tapestries, paintings (including some by El Greco), chandeliers, suits of armour, Oriental rugs, and on and on. How nice that everyone, instead of just one family, can enjoy this amazing collection! Afterward, Blair, Aedan and I went for a picnic in La Plaza de Espana. The park has been completely rennovated since the early ´80s when I was here. Beautiful. From there, we walked over to the Debod Temple, a sister temple to the Temple Dendor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I think Madrid has done a better job of displaying its temple than New York. For one, it´s outside in a beautiful park with a stunning vista high atop the city. You are able to walk into the temple, which is more than 2000 years old, and see the heiroglyphics up close. I´m going to recommend that the students see it while they are here. Even better, they don´t charge admission! We then walked over to El Palacio Real. First, through the gardens surrounding the palace and then over to the Almudena Cathedral, where Principe Felipe y Dona Letizia were married on May 22, 2004. It is absolutely beautiful. The painted ceilings are a sight to behold. I´d like to attend Mass at the cathedral while we are in town. We´ll tour the palace on June 22. I´m sure it will be more grand than El Museo Cerralbo, but I can´t imagine it´ll be much more grand. Stay tuned! We strolled over to La Plaza Mayor, and I left Blair and Aedan there to rest for awhile and enjoy an ice cream while I walked over to El Teatro Espanol to secure tickets to ¨Yerma,¨ a flamenco ballet choreographed by Cristina de Hoyos. The whole group will go on Sunday at 8.30 p.m., and I can´t wait! I´ve been a fan of Ms. De Hoyos since seeing her in Carlos Saura´s movies, ¨Carmen¨ and ¨El Amor Brujo¨. She´s the best flamenco dancer alive. I checked out some gift shops on the way back to La Plaza and made a few purchases. When I met up again with Blair and Aedan, we walked down to the McDonald's at La Puerta del Sol. It's been hard to find things that Aedan will eat. Happy Meals, disafortunadamente, are one of those things. Afterward, Blair decided he wanted to go to ¨El Museo de Jamon¨ (The Ham Museum) for a beer and a ham sandwich. Aedan and I decided to go to El Corte Ingles at La Puerta del Sol instead. The Corte Ingles is like a Foley´s or a Dillard´s, only bigger. Plus, I´ve never seen an olive bar at Foley's! From there, we walked down Calle Preciado. Aedan found a pair of hot pink hoop earrings at a shop named Six that she had to have. They were only 2.5 Euros, so I got them for her. She said that she wants to wear them on the first day of school in August! Afterward, we walked down Preciado some more until we came to La Plaza Callao, which is surrounded by movie theatres. I wanted to see if we could purchase advance tickets for Harry Potter 3. It opens on June 16 here. No luck, but I´m going to try other theatres. There was a man near the taquilla (ticket booth) who was selling his drawings. He was using old postcards to draw his pictures on. I asked him how much they cost, and he said, ¨Solo un oferta¨ (an offering). So, I gave him some change, and he gave me a drawing. He signed it F.M.W. He said, ¨Es una girafa.¨ I asked him what his name was, and he said Francisco Miguel something. I didn't catch his last name. I love the drawing, and I want to do a story on him to find out what it´s like to be a street artist. (I'm also going to get him a stack of cards from "Yerma" that I saw outside of the theatre.) When Aedan and I were walking away, he ran over to us to give us another drawing, "El Fantasmo del Opera" (The Phantom of the Opera). It's great, too. I hope I can find him again. Aedan and I ducked into the Corte Ingles near our apartment on Arguelles, and I had a salmon sandwich. Delicious. We bought some olives (aceitunas) from the olive bar, and ate them when we got home. You can buy a decent bottle of wine here for a little more than a Euro! Life is good. I walked to campus today, via El Parque Oeste and El Museo de America. I checked out group rates, and I hope we go while we're here. Tomorrow, we go to Segovia. Should be fun! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 9th, 2004
1:32 pm	Living! It's so good to be back in Spain. For some reason, to be pondered more thoroughly, it seems that people live their lives more fully here. Que disfrustan mucho. I'm going to take note and see if we can't import some of the lessons learned back to the U.S. Monday night, Suffolk University had a welcome dinner for us at Casa Mingo, 34 Paseo de La Florida, and we ate and drank and ate and drank until we nearly burst. First, the wait staff, all men, brought out plates of ham and bottles of cold sidra, cider, which Bruno nicknamed apple juice. Then they brought out plates of jamon serrano, followed by plates of torilla espanola and plates of chorizo. Meanwhile, the sidra kept flowing. Then black olives, two types of cheese, bread, and finally the roasted chicken the restaurant is famous for cooking. We ate outside on the veranda upstairs. There was no way we were going to be able to eat everything they put before us, although we tried valiantly, so I asked the waiter what they were going to do with the leftovers. He said they were going to throw them out, and I said, "Please don't do that. I have lots of hungry students. May we have doggy bags?" The waiter said that in Spain, there's a dicho that says los ninos y los borrachos, children and drunks, tell the truth. One day a father had taken his family to the restaurant. There was lots of leftover food, and the father asked to have it wrapped up to bring home to their dog. The man's child said, "Anda Papi! Nos va a comprar un perro?" Translation> All right, Papi! You're going to buy us a dog? After all that food, they brough out dessert, una tarta. It looked like cheescake, but it was more like a cream pie flavored with apple. It was delicious. At the table, we spoke about our favorite things so far. Comments ranged from the way the Spaniards converse with one another in a very animated way, to "El Rastro," the fleamarket, to Chueca, a neighborhood in Spain. The bottom line is that everyone seems to be having a great time. I don't think a month is going to be long enough! We didn't leave until close to midnight, which means we didn't get home until late, and we (me, Blair and Aedan) had made plans to meet with my Spanish "sister" Silvia to attend the elementary school where she teaches. We left our apartment at 7.30 a.m. and rode the Metro to El Duque Pastrano stop. We loaded into Silvia's car, and she took us to her school, which isn't far from Madrid's Barajas Airport. The school is only two years old, and the "theme" for the year is "The Middle Ages," so the whole school was decorated with castles, knights, and princesses. Silvia teaches English as a "special" class, like art, music or PE. Aedan attended class with the seven year olds, and they seemed to be fascinated by "La Americana de Texas". Aedan seemed to be able to hold her own in Spanish, even with the new Castillian accent. It was a great experience. Blair and I walked to the downtown park to hang out and write postcards. There were some cool birds in the park we'd never seen before. One looked almost like a goldfinch, but it was the size of a sparrow. We left the school at 1 p.m. with Silvia, and she took us to her home, a very nice apartment, which they recently rennovated. We had lunch (cerdo/pork) there, and enjoyed an extended visit. Silvia dropped us back off at the Metro after taking her children, Andres y Carmen, to English classes. When we got back to our place, Aedan and I went for a walk around our neighborhood. We stopped into a libreria (bookstore) and bought a book in Spanish for Aedan called "Drama Queen: Yo quiero un perro!" A very appropriate title for Aedan! She's reading it to me at night before I read book four in the "Borrower's" series to her. Got to run! We promised Aedan she could do what she wanted today after going to school yesterday! (Comment on this)
Monday, June 7th, 2004
2:08 pm	Eets just sooo beautiful! This is our fifth day since landing in Madrid, and we've been on the go non-stop. The first couple of days were pretty brutal because of the jet lag, but we seem to be catching our stride. For me, it's great to be back! It's been 14 years since I stepped foot in Spain. I lived here in the fall of 1981 and the spring of 1982 during my junior year of college. I returned in 1986 for a visit and again in 1990. Interesting aside: David Robinson was on the plane with us from San Antonio to Houston! He was asleep when we boarded, so I didn't bother him. On Thursday, Crystal, the Student Activities Director of Suffolk, met us at the airport, and we took a shuttle to our apartment, which is located behind the Ministerio del Aire in the area of Moncloa/Arguelles. It's a very nice location. We crashed for an hour before heading over to Suffolk for a mini-tour. On Friday, Crystal and Cristina Grasset, the Director of International Programs, led an orientation to acquaint everyone with Spanish culture and reminders on how to keep safe. Then Nuria, Cristina's assistant, led us on a tour around the campus. We had lunch at VIPS, a Denny's-like restaurant. Friday afternoon, several of us toured downtown Madrid on foot. We saw La Plaza Mayor, La Puerta del Sol and El Palacio de Comunicaciones, to name a few landmarks. When Libby Castillo saw "Metropolis," my favorite building in Madrid, she said, "Eets just so beautiful!" Libby had heard the story of when my sister, a friend and I toured Europe in 1990. Molly, Celeste and I were at a bistro in a small French village, enjoying the local scene and sipping a glass of wine. An elderly man, about 80 years old, approached us and told us in broken English about his brother who lived in America. We continued to chat, and every once in awhile, he would be overcome with emotion and say, "Eets just soooo beautiful!" and wipe a tear from his eye. Whenever we would see something beautiful from then on, that was our trip's slogan. I have an idea it might become the slogan for this trip, too! :) On Saturday afternoon, Blair (my husband), Aedan (our daughter) and I visited my Spanish family. I lived with Pilar and Paco the year I lived in Spain, and they are treasures. They have five daughters: Beatriz, Elena, Maricarmen, Sylvia and Maria. Although we keep in touch via Christmas cards and, now, e-mail, I hadn't seen them since 1986, and they had never met Blair or Aedan. (They were out of town when I was here in 1990.) Pilar and Paco look exactly the same! They haven't aged at all. Pilar is 77 and Paco is 80, but they could pass for much younger. They are great examples of why we should all choose to live la vida tranquila. We were also able to see Beatriz, Sylvia and Maria and some of their children. Beatriz is going to organize a fiesta before we leave so we can all get together at one time. It was so good to see everyone. Pilar reminded me about the time Kelly, my roommate, and I had an audience with King Juan Carlos. Kelly only had tennis shoes, and Pilar wouldn't let her go to meet the King with tennis shoes on. She insisted that Kelly wear a pair of Maricarmen's shoes with very high heels. Kelly agreed, but on the way home she couldn't stand them a minute longer. She kicked them off and walked home. When she got to the house, her feet were black and bloody! But, she looked stylish for the King! On Sunday at 1 p.m., Blair, Aedan and I took the Metro to Retiro Park. It was "llena" with people: gypsies selling rosemary, a guy dressed in a Scooby Doo outfit selling balloons, Central Americans dressed in Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Spider Man and Winnie the Pooh suits; Native American (?) drummers and dancers, parents strolling kids, physically disabled people in wheelchairs, evangelists waving flags and marching for Jesus, a guy strumming Beatles tunes on his guitar, an orchestra playing selections from Bizet's "Carmen" in a gazebo, a group of people demonstrating Capeoira (sp?), including one black guy who had the body of Hercules; fortune tellers, and on and on. We enjoyed lunch (tortilla espanola) at a cafe in front of the park's main lake, and then walked over to see El Palacio Cristal, which has been renovated and is absolutely gorgeous. Many people had rented boats and were enjoying a cruise across the lake. One of the gypsies asked Blair if he'd like to buy some rosemary, but he declined. She whispered some sort of curse under her breath as she left our table. I hope it didn't take! I love watching people stroll by. One woman was especially fascinating to watch. When she walked, she "rolled" her toes, like she was playing a scale. It looked like she was playing the piano. Right foot forward: C, D, E, F, G; Left foot forward: C, B, A, G, F; Right foot forward: C, D, E, F, G; Left foot forward: C, B, A, G, F! She wasn't scrunching her toes to keep her sandals on; she just walked that way. It made me wonder how I walk! Cristina invited me, Blair and Aedan to her nephew's seventh birthday party later that afternoon. Pedro and Aedan are the same age. The party was at her sister's beautiful home just outside of Madrid in a suburb called La Florida. They have a gorgeous back yard and a pool. It felt like we were in a park! It seems that Spanish birthday parties are a lot like American birthday parties. The kids played, we ate cake, and we sang "Happy Birthday!" in Spanish. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. Our first classes were this morning, and the students are off and running. We have a lot to cover in a short period of time. Blair, Aedan and I are sitting in on Mark's class, Art Appreciation. Love it! We learned about a Japanese artist who created colored-sand ant farms of 144 flags. He turned the ants loose via plastic tubing, and they mix the sands of the different flags, demonstrating how interconnected we all are. Brilliant. I'd love to see that in person! Bueno, now I'm up to speed. It's so good to be back! More posts to come! Stay tuned. Cheers, Denise (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 27th, 2004
4:36 pm	Welcome to our weblog! Dear Madrilenos, This is how we are going to communicate when we are not communicating in the classroom, the museums and the bistros! Tell your family and friends so they may travel vicariously with us. Hasta Wednesday (10:30 a.m., Continental Airlines' check-in)! Cheers, Denise (4 Comments |Comment on this)