Long Walk Dodging Cigarette Smoke

Saturday, January 20th.

The Basilica de Macarena

No surprise that the food has been awesome so far.  Although we haven't had much luck actually eating in restaurants. ha! Hopefully it is because it's the weekend, but everywhere we have tried to go is totally packed and futile to try to get a table for four and of course by the time we arrive we are all starving.  We did have some amazing tapas at Bar Las Golondrinas (mushrooms and sirloin tips) though and the markets right by our house have great fruit, meat, bread, and cheese so we are in heaven.

We are slowly adjusting to the time difference. We finally went to bed last night at around 1 a.m. and woke up at 11.  It seems that we are on a schedule of gaining about two hours a day.  The walls between our bedroom and the neighbor are paper thin so we can hear his every move.  I think we will adjust to that though. 

We managed to get out of the house just as everything was closing for the afternoon hours (most places are closed between 2 and 5), but we had a nice (loooonnng) walk across town to see the outsides of the Basílica de la Macarena and the Parlamento de Andalucía (they were both closed so we have to save the interiors for another trip (can you hear the kids groans of despair from there?).  A long walk back along the river with a stop by the heladería that's right around the corner from our place and back for a rest.

We have been speaking almost exclusively Spanish.  The kids and Nick are doing great with it and they are patiently helping me stumble along.  It gets easier every day. The conjugations and tenses still gum up my works pretty badly.

A. comforting N. who hates the cigarette smoke (good thing we didn't take them to Japan!)

A nice view of our walk along the river.

At the base of La Puente de Triana.

A street near our apartment.