Vino, Vino y Mas Vino

Hola Americanos,

I'm sorry for not writing more/quicker but the internet here has been going in and out.  The past two weeks have flown by. My first weekend we traveled to Pamplona where the running of the bulls takes place. I was there for the first night of the celebrations and went to the big concert in the park and drank lots and lots of red wine. A bottle of wine here is .99 euros. Between $1.75 & $2.00 american dollars. Ridiculous, I know. I did not get to see or run with the bulls but I'm ok with that. The next night we went to San Sebastian. San Sebastian is located in Northern Spain on the coast of the Atlantic.  Unfortunately it rained but we still enjoyed the city and spectacular views of the beaches, streets, and mountains(playas, calles, y montanas). The weeks in Logrono are busy filled with classes, red wine, and normal errands. This past weekend I went to Barcelona. I love Barcelona. I am going to live there at some point in my life. The beaches are amazing, the city is huge, and there is so much to do. Barcelona is one giant seaport, trading center, and full of consumers. Not only do I think i could get a a job there but I could drive a vespa too. I am planning on going again this weekend and go to the Picasso Museum. I can't believe how fast the trip has gone and how fast the next two weeks are going to go. Hope all is well in your respective worlds- Andrea

No entiendo mucho espanol, lo siento

Hola Amigos,

The phrase of this trip so far has been, "No entiendo mucho espanol, Lo siento" (translation: I don't understand a lot of spanish, I'm sorry). I believe this phrase makes people pity me and speak slower. BUT this problemo is improving daily. I started my spanish classes on Monday and our teachers will not speak any english to us which is forcing my ear to understand spanish which it is! We are staying in Logrono which is in La Rioja. Logrono is a nice size city with lots to do. We went out the first night we got here and found out that men apparently like to dress in drag on Saturday night. The wine here is .85 euros which is also helping my spanish. We also went out to watch the futbol game, euro cup. Espana won and we all ran out into the street and went wild. We also took a tour of the city and got to see and learn about a lot about the buildings and statues. The road to santiago, which is a kind of pilgrimage that catholics take, goes thru Logrono was really cool to see because of a book I read by Paulo Coehlo that is about that exact journey. This weekend we are going to San Sebastian and Pamplona  which are more north. San Sebastian is supposed to have amazing beaches and Pamplona has the running of the bulls. We are also planning a trip to Morocco on one of our long weekends! I am SO excited for Morocco. I didn't think I'd be able to go back to Africa so soon haha. I'm told I should be careful because a girl last year was offered 15 camel for her hand in marrage.. 15 camels are temping ha. I can't believe I've only been here for 4 days, it feels like much longer. Hope everyone is having a great summer.

Hasta luego!

Andrea