¡Vacaciones!

Hola! Yes, we are in Spain and having a wonderful time. We flew into Madrid and found a great little wine bar. And, of course, we had the first "tapas" of the trip. After one night in Madrid, we took the fast train (called AVE) to Cordoba. We haven't been to Andalucia before, so it was really fun to catch the vibe. "La Mezquita" was really impressive. It is a huge church/mosque that draws tourists from all over. It was built by the Muslims originally, but the Christians took over and built a church right in the center of it. Interestingly, they left much of the obviously Arab architecture in tact. So you see images of Jesus and crosses mixed with striped Islamic-like arches.

Now, we are in Sevilla. What a great place this is! It's bigger than Cordoba and not as sleepy. It has so many things to do. We saw the Alcazar (palace) today - again a collaboration of centuries of architecture with a strong Arab influence. Lots of colorfully-tiled mosaics, large open spaces, arched doorways, and beautiful gardens. We may go into the Cathedral tomorrow which is also an iconic presence here. The Gothic architecture even inspired me to take out my sketchbook and scratch out a rendition of La Giralda - a former minaret of the mosque which is now the church tower.

Lots of cool fashion here in the land of flamenco - very simple tastes but classy. I'm getting into this monochromatic look always with a splash of color, even for the men! Always a surprise scarf, tie, or shoes that is a bright pink, green, purple, or yellow. People too have been very helpful - and for those of you wondering - yes, I have been loving speaking Spanish. "El vino tinto me ayuda mucho tambien!" Well... a couple more days in Sevilla one of which includes a flea market. "Excelente, no?"