Welcome to my new blog home!
In May, I will be traveling to Spain for the second time. I'm setting up this blog so that I can share my trip as it happens with anyone who is inclined to follow along.
A little backstory:
I first visited Spain in 2007. I spent about a week with my friend Jorge, his wife, Gema, and daughter, Paula. My short visit wasn't nearly enough, as it turned out, and I have wanted to go back ever since. In 2010, Jorge came here and I played tour guide. He got to see the Lincoln sites in Springfield, the Arch in St. Louis, parts of Route 66, an American farm, and spent two days in Chicago.
Then came my involuntary retirement from GE. I worked fulltime for H&R Block last tax season, then part time through the summer. Somewhere along the way, I decided that this was the year to go back to Spain. Jorge and I are deep in the planning now, with the itinerary being adjusted almost daily. But before we travel together, I will be spending a week in a program called Vaughantown.
Vaughantown is a program to help Spanish professionals and executives improve their English fluency. Native English speakers ("Anglos") are brought in from all over the world to converse with the Spaniards - no Spanish allowed. In return for their time, they are put up at a 4-star resort for the week, all expenses paid. It seemed like a great way to extend my trip and get acquainted with other Spanish people. And I do love to talk, so how could it not be fun?
At the end of the week, Jorge will pick me up there and we will head out to see whatever is on our itinerary by then. Some of the places we are planning to see (at the moment) are Segovia, Valladolid, Salamanca, Burgos, Granada, Sevilla, and Toledo. (I will spend two days in Madrid before going to the Vaughantown program in Torrecaballeros.) We will also spend a couple of days back in Mieres, where Jorge's family lives.
Before any of that, though, there is Tax Season 2012. So, stay tuned. May will be here before we know it!
