Orientation and Travel

Like the United States, diversity marks the flow of this entire program. Toledo, where we start, was once the capital of Spain, and home to Romans, Visigoths, Moors, Jews, and Christians. These influences have melded to make this a beautiful city, one that has been declared a National Monument! We will certainly see the sights—the old wall and its nine gates that ring the city and an architectural delight of mosques, temples, and the El Greco museum. But we also work on getting to know each other, learning what Spanish life and foods are all about, and cranking up the spoken Spanish in preparation for meeting our family.

We now spend the next two weeks in al-Andalus, as the Moors called it. The varied tapestry of cultures is astounding. For anyone who has not, for example, seen the Alhambra softly glowing a golden yellow in the setting sun as it gently burnishes over Grenada, just wait!

We start in first by wandering among the three hills of Granada and savoring the art, the architecture, the people, the whole scene that makes up this stunning, other-worldly city. And for certain we plan a beach day on the Costa del Sol.

Next it’s Sevilla, more the bustling, fast-paced city than Grenada, but still inhabited by the polite, classy Andaluces. An old Spanish song says about Sevilla "He who has not seen Sevilla, has not known marvel." And it is true—it has endless charm. As with all our visits, cultural stops are interspersed with the stuff of "normal" life, as we walk and absorb all Sevilla has to display.

Segovia is a delicious city. On any weekend you might find hundreds of madrileños on the streets lured by the Italian flair, food, beauty, and sense of humor for which Segovia is renowned. It is here where, for the next two and a half weeks, we let go of our American ways and become Spaniards. Our mission here is to make everyone feel as though Segovia is our home-away-from-home, and your family is your second family. And one more point—Segovia (like Tours, France) is known for its "perfect" Spanish accent... we’ll see?!

Classes are held in a local school, and are overseen by our friend, Jose Miguel. He and his English wife have been instructing Spanish students in English (and taking them on homestays in Britain) for 15 years. In addition to our classes, we take excursions to the castle towns surrounding Segovia, burn off energy in various sports venues, and relax downtown at a tapas spot..

During our days in Segovia, we had off on many ecursions - a day canoeing down Spain's Grand Canyon in Las Hoces National Park, visits to medieval villages, castles, and then Madrid.

It's now only a 30 minute high-speed train ride to from Segovia to downtown Madrid! We love Madrid! It is an amazingly lively place on a weekend night, where people stay up to dawn, dancing, eating, laughing. There is, of course, the visit to the Prado. But we also take in a real (i.e. non-touristy) Flamenco show. Meals here as in the other cities are focal points of culture—one we love is a small cave, under the Plaza Major, that serves a traditional salted herring tapa.

Day 30, Home!

and finally... to Barajas and the flight home... boo hoo!