Me, Mary, and Elena enjoying our 2nd out of 3 tapas bars on Calle Van Dyck, a street full of bars & restaurants A new week meant a new student and a new roommate!  First was Elena, knocking on my bedroom door last Sunday night at 11:30pm asking what time was I going to use … Continue reading Week Two In Salamanca

I’ve been a very dedicated little student this week, spending every afternoon and evening after class studying my Spanish.  I was not put into a pure Beginners class, as expected/hoped, but into a “A1+” class which was already finishing up Chapter 7 of the textbook(!), so I have a lot to catching up to do. … Continue reading A “Student” Once Again…

I flew from the Madeiras back to Porto, where I had two nights before heading over to Salamanca where I’ll spend just over two weeks. I’ve been suffering a bit from a gimpy groin pull (what else?!!) so I stayed close to my hotel and caught up on old episodes of Lewis and Vera on … Continue reading Traveling To Salamanca

It’s my last full day in Madeira so I decided to check out the other half of the island – the east side. I scored a front seat in the minivan again, but unfortunately a middle one squeezed between the driver and a Polish Facebook fanatic so I wasn’t able to take many photos during … Continue reading Eastern Island Tour

I’m afraid that Madeira is just so beautiful that I’m going to have to convert my blog into a photoblog. I had nothing planned for today (I know, strange for me) and the sun was brilliant out so I just went for a stroll to check out the waterfront. This baby was built in 1614 … Continue reading A Morning Stroll and the Nun’s Valley

Roads are crazy curvy here and narrow, so as a solo driver I’d be concentrating too much on not plunging over a cliff let alone taking in the view, so I’m taking a few guided tours while I’m here. Today’s tour was the west coast of Madeira, famous for its dramatic scenery. As the trip … Continue reading Western Island Tour