Really Useful Phrasal Verbs

I spent this morning at the Caudalia Mall in Mieres.  I needed a couple of things, and Jorge wanted to go to the gym, so he helped me pick out a couple of CD's then left me on my own.  I had a great time finding everything I needed (and a couple of gifts, as well), and admiring (or not) everything on display that is different than at home.  After I finished my shopping, I went down to the other end of the mall to wait for Burger King to open, and to use the free wifi.  (I would have taken that opportunity to write today's entry, but I hadn't really done anything yet.)  When Jorge was done at the gym, he took me back to my hotel to change clothes for today's activity.

                                My little outpost outside of Burger King - two phones, one GPS,
                                       and a netbook.  No, I'm not a geek.  Why do you ask?

After Jorge picked me up, we went to meet Paula coming out of school.  She gets out at 2:00, and it was a bit of a rush to get there on time.  I couldn't believe the crowd waiting for the kids!  Then the  gate slid open, and they all poured out.

                          This is the Spanish version of a line of minivans in front of the school.

                                                    Jorge, Gema, and Paula at the school.

Today's really useful phrasal verbs:

To be in the middle of nowhere
To be scared out of one's wits
To see through someone

OK, so everyone who knows me know just how much I LOVE riding horses, right?  Right?  Well, let me tell you, when neither the horse nor the guide speaks English, it's even MORE fun!  Jorge was trying to keep this adventure a surprise, but he told me at the end of last week that we were going riding in the mountains today, so that I would have the maximum amount of time "to look forward to" it. 

The drive into the national park was beautiful, and we once again encountered cows along the way.  The two groups we saw each included a baby, but they were camera-shy. 

                               Somewhat larger than the sheep one encounters in Ireland, Asturian cattle
                                                    take over the roads in the same way.

We arrived at the little village, which truly was in the middle of nowhere, and waited for the guy to arrive with the horses, then waited again while he took them to get their saddles on.  It was a bit foggy and damp, and I was more than a little concerned with whether or not I could manage this at all (using my knee as an excuse).

                                                                    Nowhere, Asturias
Let me apologize right now for the lack of pictures from this point onward.  They do exist, and I will add them when I figure out how to access them from Picasa.  The important parts are 1) I did not die,  2) I only thought I was going to die once or twice, on particularly steep downslopes, 3) I actually had a good time.  The mountains, even partially fogged in, are stunningly beautiful.  The path was wide (and even paved in many places),and bordered by bushes or fencing, or whatever, to separate us, at least psychologically, from the sheer cliffs a couple of feet to our right.  About two-thirds of the way through the ride, we stopped at the home of the guide because he wanted to show us something.  The "something" turned out to be eight six-week-old puppies!  They were adorable (and again, I apologize that you can't see them yet).  He asked if I wanted to take one home "to Chicago", but as tempting as that idea was (not) I managed to turn him down.

Along the way, we saw a huge variety of animals - sheep, dogs (one of whom slimed me with mud in a fit of overexuberance), an African grey parrot (caged, in the bar - he said, "Hola", and "Aloha"), cattle, cats, goats, chickens, and probably some I'm not thinking of right now.  All in all, though terrifying in places, it was actually fun.  At one point, Jorge was talking to the guide about the colors of the mountains in the fall, and then he told me, "Next time, in the fall."  Yeah, we will talk about that later.  Much later.

Cuuuute little Spanish puppies, none of whom are destined to become American.