11/10/2023
Days two and three of Spanish language class have passed by in a flash. And I’m annoyed and relieved to say I’ve dropped down a level. I wasn’t doing well with one of my teachers. I really could not understand him when he spoke. I felt like he teased/was surprised at me when I got something right, actually, and I had a rough day till I switched to A2 today. I like both teachers better and they are having us do much more work, instead of talking about politics with just one student.
We’ve had the Spanish wines lecture plus the third lecture this week on churros and chocolate. The walk from the school to the cafe was beautiful. The old stone buildings are absolutely extraordinary. The stone is from a local quarry, which explains why newer buildings like the Banco de España are built from the same stone. Javier said it was a place where many movies from Bollywood are filmed. It looked a little like a Game of Thrones set too. Additionally, Javier described how the two families had a blood feud for many generations, including the beheading of the prettiest daughters and delivering their heads to the other family’s doorstep. The churros were just okay, but we are finally getting a hang of each other in our group. Everyone is so nice.
My closest friend is Isabelle from France/Luxembourg and I spend time with her and the English gals, Maureen and Caroline. Caroline has a CELTA too and we have that in common. We and some others are going to Avila tomorrow.
I’m trying to get into a yoga studio. Just about as soon as we leave class, all the shops close for the siesta. It’s hard to find my way there but I need to get moving physically. There is almost nowhere in this apartment to move freely. It’s tight and there are many lovely, breakable things on every surface and wall.
I pass the same stores every day and boy, do these folks like their shoes. I think I must pass by ten shoe stores on my way to school. It’s still hotter than normal and I’m sure the beautiful boots in the shop windows are not selling particularly well.
10/12/2023
Since today was a national holiday, a few of us from the class went to Avila on the comfortable Avanza motorcoach at 8:30. I know all of us would have liked a later start, but the other busses and the trains were sold out.
We met at the station and rode across the countryside as the sun got a bit brighter. I was struck, as I was 35 years ago, by how much Spain looks like California. There are dry, golden fields, and some random rocks on the rolling fields.
Avila is a medieval walled city with a cathedral and extremely thick and impressive walls that can be walked up on top of after you pay 4E. The current town exists inside and outside of the walls.
After our bus arrived, we started walking toward the town, stopped for a coffee, and then toured the monastery. The group partly split up after that and Caroline, Maureen and I had some white wine and tapas. Then I decided to relax in a park and do some drawing. Then I went for a tour of the walls, which had incredible views. It got late quickly and I had to scramble to get back to the bus on time in a taxi. We returned to Salamanca and I walked home. It was fun to see another part of town and lots of people enjoying a holiday meal with family. The cafes and wide sidewalks are so convenient for adults to visit while the kids hang around the table with a ball or a scooter.
Because of the siesta and the holiday and the fact that I arrived on a Sunday, I have seen the shops closed much more often than I have seen them open.
10/13/2023
I had two great classes at the school today. In the morning with Pedro, we reviewed the preterite. In Maria Jose’s class, we discussed in detail the imperative, reviewing the affirmative, learning the negative, and finishing with irregular commands.
I signed up for private conversation classes for next week from 2 to 3. I’m sure I’ll be extra tired with little ability to return to the apartment between 3 and 5 for the cultural activity.
Maureen and Caroline waited for me to sign up for the lessons, then we rode the bus to El Corte Ingles. We shopped for phone chargers, pillows, and nightgowns, then ate a yummy lunch in their delightful restaurant on the top floor. I had salad and lasagne.
The silly title of this post is from the very silly slippers I see four times a day in the Ale-Hop Shop, which has lots of stuff to appeal to tweens, I think.
Notice the playground with a cafe for parents conveniently located just to the side. That is absolutely brilliant!
Honestly, I thought I’d never heard of Salamanca, but Max reminded me of a famous character from Breaking Bad called Hector Salamanca. I found his statue and took a picture. JK!
