Waiting for Spring March 11, 2016
Guatemala to Maine to Spain, all in 4 days! It seems pretty crazy - and maybe it was - but airlines being what they are, it was cheapest for us to fly home from Guatemala (making that a round trip) before setting off for Europe, where we each plan to undertake a long hike in early April.
It was a very full weekend in Gorham - but surprisingly unrushed. We managed to pick up a few things for the next leg of our trip; have dinner on Saturday night with friends; have lunch with our son, Sam on Sunday; get tax info mailed out; as well as attend the Democratic caucus on Sunday afternoon (good thing I did, as Hillary really needed me :), cook a meal for Jane and Don, our hosts; and watch the last episode of Downton Abbey! All the things that we love: family, friends, politics, and public tv! By the time that Monday noon rolled around, we had switched out our bags and were refreshed and ready to go again. We couldn't have done it without the generous hospitality of Jane Andrews and Don Bouchard! They are the best!
It had been snowing as we arrived in Boston on Friday evening - and it was snowing as we left Portland on Monday. Although it was just a dusting in both cases, the weather gods seemed to be thumbing their noses at us, hurrying us on our way, reminding us not to linger.
When we planned our winter/spring adventure this year, we both wanted to do a long hike - but not until the weather had warmed up a bit. Early April seemed like the earliest that we could trust temperatures to be accommodating. So...what to do until then? We decided to return to Alozaina, the small town in the Andalucian area of southern Spain, where we had spent 6 wonderful weeks in 2014. This time our stay would be for only 2.5 weeks, but it would be long enough to say hello to our friends there, do some pre-hike walking, and enjoy the bright, clear sun and the timelessness of ancient mountains, tinkling herds of goats, and tidy olive groves everywhere.
Our flight landed us in Malaga, situated on the coast, about 25 miles east of Alozaina. It's a sunny, Mediterranean city with a Roman amphitheater situated next to a high, historic Islamic castle, and a lively modern harbor with cruise ships coming and going. In one of those coincidences of life these days, we met up with my PEI cousins, Brian and Norma Ellis, who happen to be vacationing there for a month. It was a treat for us to be with family so far from home!
Bruce, Brian, & Norma enjoying drinks on the 15th story of a Malaga hotel rooftop.
This is what they were looking at.
We've just now woken up in Alozaina in the very same sweet house which we rented in 2014. Looking out of the glass doors this morning, I watched the sun light up the mountainside, casting shadows here and there, highlighting different facets, changing every few seconds. Birds darted around, sometimes catching the light and glowing against a dark background, then swooping up high, turning black as they were silhoueted against the blue sky.
The entrance arch to the town of Alozaina.
Looking out on the mountain scene from our bedroom.
Not a bad place to wait for spring.
It was a very full weekend in Gorham - but surprisingly unrushed. We managed to pick up a few things for the next leg of our trip; have dinner on Saturday night with friends; have lunch with our son, Sam on Sunday; get tax info mailed out; as well as attend the Democratic caucus on Sunday afternoon (good thing I did, as Hillary really needed me :), cook a meal for Jane and Don, our hosts; and watch the last episode of Downton Abbey! All the things that we love: family, friends, politics, and public tv! By the time that Monday noon rolled around, we had switched out our bags and were refreshed and ready to go again. We couldn't have done it without the generous hospitality of Jane Andrews and Don Bouchard! They are the best!
It had been snowing as we arrived in Boston on Friday evening - and it was snowing as we left Portland on Monday. Although it was just a dusting in both cases, the weather gods seemed to be thumbing their noses at us, hurrying us on our way, reminding us not to linger.
When we planned our winter/spring adventure this year, we both wanted to do a long hike - but not until the weather had warmed up a bit. Early April seemed like the earliest that we could trust temperatures to be accommodating. So...what to do until then? We decided to return to Alozaina, the small town in the Andalucian area of southern Spain, where we had spent 6 wonderful weeks in 2014. This time our stay would be for only 2.5 weeks, but it would be long enough to say hello to our friends there, do some pre-hike walking, and enjoy the bright, clear sun and the timelessness of ancient mountains, tinkling herds of goats, and tidy olive groves everywhere.
Our flight landed us in Malaga, situated on the coast, about 25 miles east of Alozaina. It's a sunny, Mediterranean city with a Roman amphitheater situated next to a high, historic Islamic castle, and a lively modern harbor with cruise ships coming and going. In one of those coincidences of life these days, we met up with my PEI cousins, Brian and Norma Ellis, who happen to be vacationing there for a month. It was a treat for us to be with family so far from home!
We've just now woken up in Alozaina in the very same sweet house which we rented in 2014. Looking out of the glass doors this morning, I watched the sun light up the mountainside, casting shadows here and there, highlighting different facets, changing every few seconds. Birds darted around, sometimes catching the light and glowing against a dark background, then swooping up high, turning black as they were silhoueted against the blue sky.
Not a bad place to wait for spring.
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