Sunday, October 30, 2011
Monkeys in Gibraltar
This weekend we took a day trip to Gibraltar, which is actually a territory of the United Kingdom. It was a short hour and a half drive from our house to get there and a beautifully sunny day. We road in what they call a "cable car" up to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar, where the monkeys live. The cable car is similar to the tram in Albuquerque, only a shorter and less stable ride. The monkeys were awesome! Never have either of us seen anything like them. They are easy to spot and more friendly than you'd like them to be. Apparently they have become addicted to the sugar and salt in human snacks (could make for a great study) and this is why they attempt to steal bags from you hoping to find some yummy snacks. They are playful and incredibly acrobatic to watch.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
A happy ending...
Rudy has safely arrived to Spain, after a very long journey. We are happy to say that he is in good spirits and resting up from his travels. Later today he’ll get to play at the beach for the first time. We met up with a vet in Madrid to pick him up from the airport cargo area. After a very long and stressful wait, he was brought to us in his crate on a fork lift. He freaked out with excitement the moment he saw us, and in that moment we knew he was right where he should be. I call it resilience, while Carl calls it amnesia; but either way he is a trooper!
The Navy Ball
The Navy celebrates its birthday each year with an annual ball. This year it was held at local "bodega" which means winery. We met up with the other pharmacist and his wife for this fun event. The evening included several speeches from highly ranked Spanish and US Navy officials, dancing, and of course wine!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
A trip to Granada and la Alhambra Castle
We took our first road trip in our Spanish car to visit the the city of Granada, Spain. Granada is an old, beautiful city featuring an extensive Moorish castle known as Alhambra, which perches on a hilltop. Granada is also the launching point for skiing the Spanish Sierra Nevadas. And although we didn't check it out this trip, on a clear day you are suppose to be able to see Morocco from the mountain's summit, which is pretty cool. Our highlights of Granada include tappa hopping and observing the free-spirited Gypsy population.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Life in Spain
Hola Family and Friends!
On our flight to Spain I told Carl that never in my life did I think I would get to see Spain, yet alone live here for 3 years…
It’s been a little over week since we arrived. We continue to learn about the naval base and the nearby communities. The people we meet, both US and Spanish natives, are friendly and helpful. We practice what little Spanish we know daily, but are still a long ways from having conversations. Southern Spain is known for speaking Spanish with the most slang and at the fastest pace, making it very difficult to keep up with. We’re still in temporary housing on base for now. And we are the proud owners of a “Rota beater” car.
A Spanish day looks a lot different than a typical day for us. They start their days later and end much later than we’re use to. Spanish eat their main meal of the day in the late afternoon, which usually consists of tapas (delicious small portions of foods). Dinner is usually around 9 pm or so. And if they go out it doesn’t happen before midnight and it is common to stay up until sunrise, which seems wild to us. The Spanish foods we’ve tried were delicious. They take pride in their ham and fish, tapas and Sangria. Baguette bread is served with most meals and olive oil is used for everything. The foods are not spicy and many seasoned with garlic.
This past weekend we went hiking near a town called El Bosque with a group of people who work at the hospital with Carl. On the hike we saw some ancient ruins and a lot of animals both domesticated and wild- goats, wild pigs, donkeys and wild cows. It was awesome!
We have tons of places we hope to visit in Spain and other countries to see while we are in Europe. I hope 3 years will be enough!
With Love,
Aubrie
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