A Costa Brava Vacation!

Happy Holidays!


Here are a few pictures from our most recent vacation to the Costa Brava! We only had a two day work week due to a couple of local holidays that were "bridged" together. We spent four nights away from home in a little country house two hours north of the city. We rented a car and toured the region, which included many small preserved medieval villages, ancient Iberian, Greek, and Roman ruins, as well as natural rural beauty. These are a few of the highlights.

The picture above was taken in Cadaques, a lovely village situated on a rocky peninsula just south of the border with France. It has a small sheltered bay and is completely surrounded by a natural preserve area. I don't imagine the real estate is cheap!

We hope that everyone is doing well. Stay tuned for a new post soon, which will explain the uniquely Catalan tradition of the Caga Tio. If you know any Spanish you should find the title intriguing...

A Morning on the Beach.

Happy Thanksgiving -- since we will be absent from the tables of some many that we love (and can't give thanks with all of you) we thought we'd show you just a little slice of some of what we are grateful for.
We are thinking of you -- now more than ever! Enjoy your holiday!

8:15 am -- Wow, the days are so short here now we don't even have to get out of bed early to enjoy the sun rising over the water!

9:15 am -- The sun actually makes her appearance (you can also see who we are forced to share the beach with).

We love you! -- James and Maggie

A November update...

¡Buenos días! Is it winter yet where you live? Luckily, it isn't very hard to get used to the weather here in Barcelona. It's a very mild coastal climate and not a dramatic change from Phoenix. We did have to wear sweaters for a few days last week, but the sun is back out and the laundry is starting to dry again! (I was just getting used to crispy clothes, but damp underwear was going a little too far)

The photo above is from a mountainous nature preserve a little way out from the city. It's called Montseny, and we have some friends that live in a town at its base called Sant Celoni. Last Sunday we went on a 24 km hike along the mountain with them and a few hundred of their closest neighbors. The town had organized a big marathon (most people walked) that started downtown and went up on a ridgeline. There were pitstops every six to eight kilometers with water, fresh oranges, and pastries. The final rest area had sweet wine in little glass bottles with long spouts that you could pour directly into your mouth, while holding the bottle out at arm's length--a little messy, until you get the hang of it. At the end of the marathon there was a big barbecue with butifarra sausages--yummy! Does it sound like we walked or ran?

Of course, all of you have probably been following the U.S. elections this week. Don't think that it's any different anywhere else. I turned on the news before heading to work on Wednesday morning (Tuesday night) and I was a little surprised to see a graphic superimposed on the left-hand side of the screen during the entire news broadcast. It showed the number of Republican and Democratic seats in the House, and it was continually updated. A recap was done by the reporters every five minutes.

Everyone here was following the election this week. A co-worker approached me about the MO and VA races that would decide the Senate majority before I had even had time to go online to check the results. My class that morning was composed of four businessmen from a local multi-national with production facilities here in Spain. They knew more about the way the American political system works than most people at home. Between students and co-workers, we have probably talked to a hundred or so people about the elections and, at the risk of politicizing our blog and offending you, gentle reader, everyone is quite pleased.

Here in Catalunya they had national elections on November 1st. Students of mine who had just cast their vote for one of the conservative parties here were, nonetheless, relieved to see the Democrats win in the U.S. Why do I include this in our blog? I mention it because everyone we talk to--and this really is an international city, we had dinner with about twelve people on Thursday night, from seven different countries--loves the U.S. and either has visited or wants to visit. What they have found so disquieting is the lack of understanding on international issues and the unilateral approach to so many problems, whether they are political, environmental, or security issues. Everyone knows the U.S. is important, and here in Europe they want to see themselves working alongside it. Instead, the dominant policy at home has been to shun international accords to combat Global Warming, to take a step backwards on human rights issues like torture or indefinite incarceration, and to endlessly defend a war in which thousands of innocent people have lost their lives.

I know, I know, it sounds like a partisan rant. That is not my intention. For what it's worth, I've voted Republican many times. I only want to point out that people all over the world are very concerned about what we do in America and they want to feel as though we're working together to make the world a better place. This has already been recognized by the President with several post-election moves, and I think there's a good chance that things will improve in the near future. (Optimism is a habit of mine, even in politics).

So, we hope that everyone is enjoying their autumn and will not miss the "attack ads" that were probably the dominant form of advertisement up to now. As you prepare for your Thanksgiving dinner and start to wonder whether you really want to have another day of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, pistachio salad, yams or whatever else you will enjoy, just remember that we'll be here without even an oven to cook the bird in. I'm thinking about going out for paella. Of course, they are selling roasted chestnuts on street corners right now, which is a pretty neat tradition. I had heard the song, but until last week I'd never actually eaten "chestnuts roasted over an open fire."

That's all for now! Love, James and Maggie

Our neighborhood...

Festival Season!

Hello again! It was festival season recently, and here are a few of the highlights! Above you can see the street decorations in Gracia during that neighborhood's festival. There were stages in every plaza and the residents competed with each other for the title of Best-Decorated Street. They used recycled materials that had been collected all year in preparation for the event. On the left you can see the alien-themed street that won, and on the right...well, everyone likes sunflowers.

The main festival for the city is La Merce, which took place at the end of September. There were fire-breathing dragons that went parading through the streets, and free outdoor concerts throughout the city. We enjoyed fireworks shows on our beach all weekend! By far the most amazing spectacle was the "castellers", which are human "castles" that were enacted in one of the main squares. People train all year for this event, with neighborhoods forming teams of men, women, and children in order to compete. Larger men form the base and first tier of the castles, with slighter men and then women forming the middle levels. Teenagers and children work together to form the top, with tiny, helmeted little girls crowning the structures. It is breathtaking to watch the final levels put into place, as the participants shimmy up other human beings as if climbing the trunk of a tree. Here is the first tower that we saw:

This was pretty amazing to watch, but we had no idea what was going to come next! The next team built a slightly larger tower that went up fairly quickly. However, the increased height and difficulty were apparent as we watched the participants' legs shaking under the weight of the structure. The two little girls made it to the top as the silenced crowd watched, in awe, below. The tower was executed perfectly, but as the girls began their descent on either side, the precarious balance was lost and the upper tiers began to sway. With each back and forth motion the situation became worse and finally, to our horror, first one, then the other girl fell into the crowd below. As they went down, instinct caused them to grasp at the clothes of those they brushed as they fell. This created more movement in the tower than could be sustained and the next two tiers fell apart, sending more people into the crowds below. Thankfully, no one was hurt. The other teams are packed tightly below while the performing group builds its tower and they stand ready to catch or otherwise support their fellow group. Everyone who fell had his or her fall at least partially broken by their peers below. Needless to say, as an amateur photographer I stood transfixed as this occurred and missed the chance to bring you, gentle reader, photos of five-year old girls tumbling through the air while thousands of onlookers let out a collective gasp. There goes my chance at the The National Enquirer. Here is the team in all its glory, just as the girls began to descend, and only seconds before the collapse:

So, there are the latest going-ons here. Thanks to those of you who posted comments! Unfortunately, this site is still losing your comments before we can post them, mais ficamos muito feliz ter noticias de voces. Jodi, esperamos que todo vaya bien contigo y con Josh y Zeke. Vamos a mandarte un correo con la informacion que nos pediste! Washington, wow!

For all of our family and friends, un abrazo--James and Maggie

Online...at last!

Hello! We have once again joined the modern world and are back to our virtual selves. This once a month blogging should be a thing of the past. The only problem is, where to start? We went on a day-trip to Girona (see above), we visited Roman ruins in Tarragona (see below), and then the whole town went absolutely crazy with festivals. It would take awhile to describe it in detail...

Maggie and I are now working as English teachers here in Barcelona. It's a bit hectic; having started new jobs, moved into a new flat, and otherwise changed our accustomed way of life. It seems, however, as though we will have enough free time to continue enjoying our new surroundings. Our studio apartment is small. Very small. I have put a "before" picture on this post, which shows what it looked like when we moved in. (Note that the bed is just behind the red couch, with walls immediately on either side.) We have since made a few modifications, but as we are still in the process of adding our own "touch," I am not allowed to show its current state. Stay tuned.

We live on the beach. Well, not right on it, as we haven't robbed a bank. But, we are only about a hundred meters from the water. We have two wee balconies from which you can see the beach, and our Sunday morning coffee can be enjoyed in a lovely cafe, the only downside being that you have to shake the sand out of your shoes after leaving. God bless them, they call these marvels "chiringuitos". If that's a mouthful, call it a beach bar.


The weather right now is more than anyone could ask for. Sunny days, light cloud cover, and cool nights with the windows open. When it rains, it comes down like in Arizona. They call these storms "chubascos" which I believe is the equivalent to "raining cats and dogs". Still, the ocean breeze is incredible, and when combined with the afternoon sun, our clothes dry in no time! There is a shop at the end of the next street that rents windsurfing equipment, I'm thinking about starting a new hobby.

Our neighborhood has its own market, as do most places here in Spain. It is currently undergoing a complete renovation, but will probably be done before the end of the year. It is only two blocks from our house and is located at the end of a bakery and winery-lined street. There are temporary stalls set up right now, and there are vendors selling fresh fish, cheeses, fruits, etc. Now that I have given some background, it should be said that we live in a pretty old area of town. The sidewalks aren't straight, the buildings are old, and you don't want to stand too close to a drainage grate in the street (stinky, except after the aforementioned rains). There are a bunch of older people living in the neighborhood which makes for a generally quiet evening (this is to be appreciated here, as some of you know!) It's not a perfect comparison, but it's probably a bit like a reitirement community in Florida that just happens to be next to a famous beach. That said, the surrounding area includes the medieval city and is filled with all types of people enjoying the area's history and natural beauty.

I guess that's enough for now. I hope to put up pictures from the Grácia and Mercé festivals on the next post. Some of the things that we saw were incredible!

Love,

James and Maggie

Life in the big (Catalonian) city...

Well, hello again. It has been quite awhile since we have posted anything new, but we are still alive and well here in Barcelona. Of course, a lot has happened in the last month:

James finished his Cambridge certificate course and is now a qualified English Teacher!
Maggie completed seven weeks of intensive Spanish courses and is communicating gracefully with the locals!
Also, James has now accepted a job at a local language school and will be teaching full-time in a matter of weeks!

So, what else has been going on? Well, we are now actively looking for a flat of our own somewhere in the city. The job is in the suburbs, but is well-connected (communicated, as they say here) by train. Maggie will soon be taking Spanish courses again, and is considering her options as the language skills continue to improve. Right now, we just want a kitchen of our own and a bed without springs that go POP! in the middle of the night and rouse you from dreams of Mexican food and the Daily Show.

We hope that everyone is doing well, and we would love to hear from you about how things are going back home. We have taken a few trips in this part of the world, nothing too distant, and we hope to post some pictures/stories before long. It has been a busy time for us.

We love and miss everyone and wish that you could share our experiences, i.e. tasting fuet sausages, walking through crowded streets during summer festivals, or visiting 2,000 year old ruins underneath medieval palaces. Life is different here, sometimes harder, but always interesting. That´s all for now!

A quick note...

...regarding comments!

Hi there! Right now we are sitting in a laundromat and access to a couple of computers and a good internet connection is helping us to pass the time. We wanted to thank eveyone who is taking the time to post comments to us...we love to get them! Unfortunately, for a reason unknown to us, sometimes we are unable to pulish some of your lovely comments. Recently we have had comments from our dear friends the Jodi&Josh, and Bet0&Chris. Also, we have often had trouble uploading pictures. It seems that maybe we didn´t choose the ideal site to help us share our adventures. That being said, please keep trying and we will do the same at this end.

Love you all!
Maggie&James

A weekend in Barcelona...

Hey, here's a look at what the Stuhans are up to this weekend in Barcelona:

On Friday night we went to an outdoor movie screening that is held on Montjuic, a hill in the middle of the city that straddles the ocean. It was part of a film festival of sorts, with movies selected from around the world. We saw a French film, The Barbarian Invasions, that we had already seen but we were really there for the ambience. There was a concert before the film, and the movie itself was projected onto a screen that covered the side of the old fortress wall. We are going to go back on Wednesday to see Everything is Illuminated (an excellent movie that everyone should see, thanks Chris!), a film which is based on a book of the same name that we both read this summer. There are buses that run from the plaza below and carry you, your food, your wine, and anything else you can't live without to the top. We could get used to this...

We also went to another of Gaudi's creations during the day on Saturday, the famous Parc Guell. It is a large park that overlooks the city and includes more of the modernist touches for which he is famous. There is a long, undulating bench finished in colorful tiles that runs along an upper vista, and a former home of the architect that has been turned into a museum. The pictures speak for themselves:






Tonight, we are going to see a Brazilian dance show that is part of the summer cultural festival going on throughout the city. It looks like it will be a fantastic show and has gotten great reviews. We also wanted to go see a flamenco performance with Paco de Lucia but the only tickets left were incredibly expensive, maybe next time.

As always, we hope that everyone is well and we hope to post again soon!

¡Hola desde Barcelona!

Hello everybody, we hope that your summer is going well and that it´s a little cooler than it is here. Other than the heat, however, this city has much to offer. We visited Gaudí´s masterpiece in progress, La Sagrada Familia, over the weekend. The picture above shows the general shape of the cathedral, but you really need to see it up close to appreciate the detail. It is in many ways a great cathedral like those which were constructed hundreds of years ago, complete with arches, buttresses, stained glass and all the rest. Nevertheless, it is the revolutionary design inspired by nature which truly captivates the visitors who come from all over the world to see it. There are columns shaped like trees, towers capped with fruits, and animals crawling down the sides of the exterior. It is being built in the old tradition, using only anonymous donations--i.e. visitors´ fees--for financing and skilled artesans for hand-crafted artistic touches. Construction began at the end of the 19th century and is exptected to be conplete in the next 60 years or so (estimates vary).

So, this is where we are living. Currently we are staying with a single woman who rents out two of her rooms to students, and who provides us with breakfast in the mornings before we set out. We bought a fan for our bedroom and can now sleep through the night as we enjoy natural AC--sweat + breeze = cool. Everyone says that the city is experiencing an unnatural heat wave, so hopefully things will be better soon. It sounds as though the weather is beautiful the rest of the year, similar to Phoenix.

Well, we´re off to have lunch in the public market and enjoy an afternoon drink. We wish everyone well and hope to post more entries soon!

A new update...at last!

Okay, so we´ve been a little lazy. Here´s the update for those who weren´t in the loop. We left Ireland for Chicago at the end of June and spent a week with Maggie´s family in the Kanakakee area (hi guys!). We had a great time and, as always, I was overwhelmed by their hospitality. It was nice to take it easy and have a leisurely visit. We ate well and were able to enjoy a beer outdoors during the cool evenings--we were lucky with the weather this year.

Afterward, we set out for Chicago with Frank and Leanne to spend a little time in the city. We visited the Art Institute, the Field Museum, and even squeezed in a performance of Wicked at the Ford Center. Also, the view from the observation deck of the John Hancock Building, recommended to us over that of the Sears Tower, was spectacular! Of course, it was no accident that Taste of Chicago was going on at Grant Park. We stuffed ourselved on BBQ ribs, fried okra, and various ethnic delicacies before finishing it all off with some of Eli´s famous cheesecake.

Of course, we are now in Barcelona after an uneventful series of flights and are happy to report that we are safe and sound. Our first entry focusing on the current locale will follow shortly, and we hope that everyone is well! Also, a warm welcome to new visitors in one horse towns that straddle the border...bienvenidos!

Hello Ireland!

As mentioned in the last entry, we are now actually in Ireland. There were not many/any good internet options in Portugal, so we weren't keeping up with the posts as much as we would have liked. We have been out a little here in Ireland, these pictures are of the day trip to Dun Laoghaire.

I (James) am still getting over the stomach flu/food poisoning that was my going away present from the Portuguese...may they lose against England on Friday. My driving is getting a little better and I think that we may live to see our return to the right side of the road (that's Maggie's, she's pretty proud of herself at the moment).

Tonight we are going on a literary pub crawl that will illuminate the pubs that a bunch of Irish writers got drunk in before composing their masterworks. Other than that, we're just wandering around planning our stops based on when I have to go to the bathroom.

That's all for now, we hope everyone is doing well and we'll try to check in again soon!

Goodbye Portugal...

Just when you were beginning to think there might be something...? Here we are in Ireland. We hope you're still with us after all of this time ; )!

We had several really nice days in Portugal, but most of our trip there was spent trying to kill time, as we ended up with more than we had anticipated. In the end we were glad that we had an extended stay as we feel that we got a better idea of what Lisbon and the surrounding area had to offer, both the good and the bad.

We went on a day trip outside of the city to a charming little town called Sintra. I would liken it to Sedona, only a little smaller, but easily as picturesque and also brimming with local artisans. Oh, how we wished we had the space and or ability to get some things home! We visited many of the local sites, castles, and towers, in the older parts of the surrounding city. In the other pictures you see us in an old monastary in Lisbon and also at the nearby Torre de Belem. We did a lot of hanging out and relaxing, and finally, because my leg healed, a lot of walking. During our last couple of days in the city we took in a couple of American movies at El Corte Ingles; the only "department" store where you can fully remodel your home, do your new spring wardrobe shopping, and pick up you freshly waxed skis, all while enjoying free samples of fine Portuguese wine ; )! An additional pleasure was the weather. It was a little hot for two of the days that we were there, but overall we couldn't have asked for more perfect out-and-about weather (like 75-82 degrees with a light breeze and cloud cover rolling in and out).

We also encountered more drug dealers than we have anywhere else we have ever traveled, I think we were asked if we would like to buy some marajuana or hash like 58 times in the week we were in Lisbon. At least this took place in broad daylight, around police and everyone else, so that it was never a threatening experience. Also, now that you all know that we are safe and sound, we did decide to leave a line once because a vagrant forced his way to the front of it and was openly tapping his knife on the counter...even James' beloved McFlurry wasn't worth tolerating threatening behavior nor the possible, albiet only imagined, aftermath. Things could have been even worse in another incident, if it weren't for James' recently perfected vision (thank you laser eye surgery), when we came across a pistol wielding mad-man by the docks and immediately high-tailed it in the other direction (even bigger thank you doctors of Barnett, Delaney, & Perkins).



But, that was Portugal. We are now, as mentioned, in Ireland and everything is beautiful and safe, if a little gray and wet. Anyway, we rented a car and it's making me (James) wish that I had brought some Prozac. I am a nervous wreck after learning how to drive on the left in the middle of downtown Dublin and I don't recommend it to anyone. We drove down to Dun Laoghaire today, a port area to the south of the city that is near the university. There are small cobblestone streets and little shops that make for a very relaxing afternoon (we have parked the car).

Goodbye for now!

Lisboa

Here we are in Lisbon! This is Maggie standing in front of the entrance to the Plaza of Commerce.

Our first day here was overshadowed by a long bus ride from Porto with a driver who was reluctant to turn on the air conditioning. This means that I was sweating to death and needed a shower after we checked in to our pension, or pensão as they are called here. Ours is a little dive that I can´t imagine anyone we know staying in for long, although it seems pretty safe. (Hi mom!)

Today is actually our second day in Lisbon, we went out of the city a bit to the Parque das Nações. It is an enormous new park that was built for the 1998 World Exposition. We spent the afternoon at the oceanarium, one of the larger attractions, and rode the cablecar for a view of the bridge across the river Tejo.

We bought unlimited travel passes that are good for the next three days and so we should be seeing a lot of the city. There are roman ruins to visit, a hilltop castle that was built by the moors, and various palaces built by wealthy Portuguese monarchs who didn´t know what else to do with all the money they made from plundering Africa, America, and Asia. This history (the colonial one) is also evident in the foreign workers/residents here in Lisbon. Banks advertise that they send money back home to Senegal, Angola, and Brasil, just as occurs with Mexican workers at home. To the foreign observer this doesn´t seem to be a super wealthy country, but they must have many opportunities that these people don´t have at home.

Well, that´s all for now. We will try to give an update again soon, and we love and miss everyone. James and Maggie

Bem vindo ao Porto!

Well, here we are in Portugal. We arrived in Porto on Saturday and must admit that we were taken a little off guard. We had gotten spoiled to small-town Spain. All of a sudden we found ourselves navigating steep one-way streets and a new hustle and bustle. While the original expectation had been for a culture and infrastructure much like its Iberian neighbor, Portugal seems to be quite different. It is possible to see, shortly after crossing the border, that this country lags behind the rest of Western Europe in economic terms. We´re adjusting now and we are going to focus on taking it easy for the next few days.

Our first day in Portugal was spent immersed in Brazilian Portuguese. We met two Brazilian men on the bus from Spain who had also walked the road to Santiago. One was doing the trip before he started med-school in New York and the other owned a computer business back home. The latter was staying overnight in Porto and became our companion for the evening (he spoke very little English). We walked the new city together and got to be lazy, enjoying the services of our native-speaking tour guide.

When we first set out the city seemed unnaturally quiet and subdued. This was because everyone was watching the Portuguese national football team in the match that would advance them into the next round of the World Cup. This is the first time in over 40 years that Portugal will make a showing in a later round. After the game the streets were flooded with people in the national colors, cars were honking, and everyone was celebrating. The energy was astounding!

Later in the evening, we were also pleasantly surprised to find that a local festival was being celebrated, complete with a parade of residents in costume for the occasion. Street vendors lined the path and created a festive atmosphere. At the end of the night we dined at an Irish pub with live music, and shared a few drinks with our new friend. It was definitely an international experience!

The next day we enjoyed lesiurely strolls through the streets and a Port wine tour/tasting. We found, to our surprise, that we actually enjoy a good Port wine.

We hope to check-in and add some pictures soon. Look forward to news of Lisbon...Love, J&M.

¡Vámanos a Portugal!

And now for the latest in, "The Misadventures of los Stuhan."

This morning we set off on a day trip to see one of the best preserved Celtic villages in Europe. Given our heritage, and the fact that our status as Irish citizens is what is allowing us to empart on this fantastic voyage, we were quite excited to do so. We got up first thing to take the earlist bus available out to the coast. Not only does the bus system provide cheap and convenient travel accomodations, but it also saves injured travelers from having to walk great distances. We were to be dropped of at a quaint seaside resturaunt, overlooking the ruins. Fantastic oceanside sight-seeing and fresh fish lunch! Who could ask for anything more?!?!?

We set out before 8:00, our trusty guidebook in hand (it has never failed us), and full of anticipation for an easy and fun day. As we have mentioned before, the people have been incredibly helpful all over Spain. They maintained this record of courtsey and kindness today. Our bus driver, and the little old ladies on the bus, made sure that we knew exactly where to get off in the little town, Porto do Sol, that we had intended. It wasn´t difficult, they assured us, as the town is so small there is only one stop. Our luck seemed to just get better and better.

When we arrived in Porto do Sol we were to be on the look out for the little restaurant mentioned above. In fact, we were to be dropped of directly in front on it. We didn´t worry when we didn´t see it immediately, as eveything looked new, we thought there was maybe a new bus stop. We hopped out and set out to find the famed Celtic ruins.

Alas, we had not gotten off the bus at the correct stop. This became apparent quite quickly. We asked another helpful local where we had gone wrong and he pointed us in the correct direction, just a little ways up the road. We would be there in no time...No time turned into 4K. It wasn´t planned for, nor expected, but it was beautiful. We walked along along the western coastline looking down on the clearist water that either of us has ever seen (other than in a backyard pool). There was also a wonderful breeze that blew in off of the water. This was well recieved as the sun was beating down on us, thank goodness we had remembered our hats!

We finally arrived, only a little worse for the wear. The ruins were neat and the location just incredible! We had fun taking pictures and learning how to set up our camera so that we can take pictures together. We almost lost James taking one of them he was running so quickly to beat the timer (see below). After seeing what remained of the village we headed in for our fishy lunch and then caught the bus back to Santiago. It was really a nice day, all in all.




Tomorrow we are off to Portugal. O Porto, where port wine comes from, will be our first stop! James made a seamless transition from Spanish to Portuguese when he called today to make our reservations, and he is also the author of this final sentence. Goodbye for now!

Llegados a Santiago de Compostela

First, a note of apology...I (Maggie) am still learning my way around this site. Making it more difficult, accessing it from here, everything is in Spanish. Due to that, I accidently erased a response instead of responding to it...it was:
Wonderful!
but...it makes me cry.
Love,
Mom
Our response is:
We agree, it is wonderful and, at times, it makes us cry too.

Thanks to so many of you for your kind responses and encouragement. They really help to keep our spirits high!

Day 5 ---> a Santiago de Compostela

Well, unfortunately, the tendonitis in my left knee got the better of me. Seeing the countryside by bus wasn´t nearly as exciting or cathartic as walking would have been. However, we decided that, even though are hearts were in it (and otherwise our bodies had adapted), attempting to hobble into Santiago would do more harm than good. We are still entertaining the idea of attempting the journey again another time, employing the knowldge and wisdom with which we are now equiped. For now, we are resting in this beautiful and vibrant city, healing our bodies and spirits.

The city has an energy reminiscent of that which we fell in love with in Léon. They both have delightful old city centers, rich histoy, thriving culture, and beautiful old Cathedrals.


The people have been great and the food here is unreal! Our hostal is in a building that is about 400 years old, and right in the middle of the old city...within minutes of everything.

We will endeavor to do a more detailed update soon and will, regrettably, see you all in hell. Except for those of you that we will not be seeing, you know who you are.

¡Hacia Santiago, con fotos, fotos y más fotos!

¡Hola! Here is the latest installment of los Stuhan: We are currently in Sárria, the last of the larger towns on the road to Santiago de Compostela. However, this is still rural Galicia (the province of northwestern Spain), with farmhouses and pastures that lend the area a special charm. This part of Spain is lejos (far) from the sunny beaches of the south. The weather here is more like Ireland, it has been wet and rainy since we arrived. Everything is green, and when it´s not raining there is still a bit of moisture suspended in the air. Our progress has been substaintial, until today, as I (Maggie) am suffering from a minor muscle ache and tendon inflammation. Fortunately, last night we had dinner with an Irish doctor and an Australian massage physiotherapist. From our Irish friend we got lots of good advice. From the Aussie, I got a couple of free deep tissue massages. They hurt like hell, I hope that they pay off over the next few days! Here is a quick summary of our progress: Day 1 - Ponferrada a Cacabelos (21k) Our first taste of walking. We were quite optimistic for the first 10k or so, then we realized that there were no signs (the path is marked with arrows and shells). Additionally, as this was our first day, each subsequent kilometer became exponentially more difficult to endure than the last. It was a relief to pull into town and find clean showers and private bunks. Day 2 - Cacabelos a Vega de Valcarce (22k) Okay, these packs are getting heavy! We enjoyed a lovely early morning walk through Spanish vineyards that evoked images of Napa Valley. This second day was also the beginning of our ascent of the mountains that seperate Galicia from the meseta (the large plain of central Spain where it doesn´t rain). Now that you have repeated that to yourself a few times, we will continue. Day 3 - Vega de Valcarce a O Cebreiro (13k) Now, before you go thinking that we took it easy, this was our hardest day yet! The toil was all uphill. Due to the rigor of the climb and the developing injury/blisters, we had little energy to devote to enjoying the scenery. That being said, it was the most beautiful day yet. We arrived at a tiny stone village at the summit just after noon. There was Celtic music playing and you could be forgiven for thinking that you had arrived in Ireland. This part of Spain was the stopover for the Celts before heading over to Ireland. The tradition is still strong here, and they participate in all of the international Celtic games and festivals. In the village we continued to make friends from all over the world, replacing people like the zippy little Italian guy who does 40k a day and with whom we could never keep pace. These encounters are one of the little delights that make the camino our own "moveable feast." Well, that and the menu specials that come with a bottle of wine, two courses, dessert and cafe con leche, all of which, are necessary to sustain the weary pilgrim. Day 4 - O Cebreiro a Sárria (46k) Does this seem like a super human feat? Possibly a little unrealistic for your beloved pilgrims? Actually, it was done by taxi. Due to schedule concerns and the injuries sustained, it was necessary to advance a bit to make it to Santiago on time. This also gives us a much needed day of rest. It is still 120k to the apostle´s city, which we will hopefully begin at sunrise tomorrow. In order to finish the camino and receive a full plenary indulgence for our sins, we must do the last 100k completely by foot and get our pilgrim´s passports stamped at least twice daily on our journey. If we are not able to finish it in this way, we will only get our certificate of completion and a coupon for a free meal in Dante´s Inferno. Please wish us luck, and remember, everything depends on this. (Well, that and Spain winning against Ukraine tomorrow. Otherwise, the bar that we are watching the game in may go up in smoke.) ¡Hasta luego!

El Camino de Santiago

O.k., this will be a quick one as the internet services are pretty limited out here--so no pictures this time. We covered 20km by foot today, it would have only been 15km without the ¨shortcut¨ (seriously). Our bodies are a little weary, but our spirits are high and we are looking forward to getting going again first thing in the morning. Between what our feet and backs are telling us, and the impending rain, we aren´t sure what progress we will make tomorrow.

While the trip is challening, everyone along the way is more than willing to help. We had cars slowing and drivers pointing us in the correct direction at forks in the road. Also, there has been no shortage of old Spanish men and women who have been willing to stop and talk to us, taking a short break from their own caminos.

We will try to check in again soon and provide more of an update. All our love.

Bienvenidos a León

Well, the picture doesn´t do it justice, but imagine rounding a corner at night and seeing this brilliantly illuminated gothic cathedral...amazing! This is the kind of sight that the pilgrims look forward to. We see people arriving all day long with backpacks, walking sticks, and expressions of joy and relief.

We´re excited to be getting underway tomorrow morning. We went to the Post Office today and shipped all of our extra baggage ahead to Santiago de Compostela. Hopefully they won´t lose it like Iberia did on the way here (we got it within 24 hours, but man did I need a change of socks)!

We were also lucky to get a special tour of León when we arrived. A professor of mine from ASU was here visiting his parents and we met up the night we got here. We enjoyed a late night stroll (we met at 11:00 pm) and sat at a café full of locals. He and his family took us around and we saw the wall around the old city that dates from Roman times, a romanesque church on a cobblestone square, and a more contempoarary building designed by Gaudí.

The charm of this city is difficult to communicate in a short description like this. It is a very Spanish town, bereft of large-scale tourism apart from the humble pilgrims that pass through as they follow their path, marked by sea shells and arrows.

We went to the convent yesterday and got our pilgrim´s passports which are stamped along the way as proof of progress. The love and exuberance shown by the volunteer who helped us demonstrated the piety and passion that is found in the pilgrim community. Tonight we are going back to receive a blessing from the sisters that will inaugurate our journey. Our excitement is palpable.

We send everyone our love, please wish us ¡buena suerte!