Summer has arrived

 

The gardens and foundains
at the Generalife



Ornate stonework

We have spent the last few weeks adjusting to life without Opa, enjoying the summer lifestyle Spain has to offer and spending time with our Granadian friends. Summer has arrived with a big change in the weather. Suddenly, it is very hot outside during the day and the air feels warm even in the evening. Lovely for being outdoors at night but a bit unbearable in the direct sunlight during the day. Shade is now a requirement.


Uncle Paul

My brother Paul and I
celebrating his 50th birthday

At the Plaza del Tores (bullring)
with his broken leg

My brother Paul turned 50 this month so planned a few special vacations in commemoration. As he enjoys motorcycle riding, he planned to visit us in Granada after a week long motorcycle tour out of Madrid. But 3 days before he was supposed to fly to Spain he broke his fibula (bone in his lower leg) during an accident on his motorcyle in Mexico. 

Uncle Paul and los chicos



Paul on top of the Alcazaba

Fortunately he was able to cancel the upcoming tour and delay his flight by a few days so instead came direcly to Granada, walking boot and all. Although not an easy place to get around what with all the cobblestone streets, stairs and hilly climbs, he hobbled his way around just fine. And his unhurried pace forced me to slow down and take the time to look around, walk at a very leisurely pace and stop and smell the roses so to speak, so was a good exercise in going with the flow. We enjoyed a relaxed day at the Alhambra where I got to explore the Generalife (hen-er-al-leaf-eh) for the first time and really appreciate the beautiful gardens and fountains there. And we had some amazing lunches out and probably the best food I've had all year. Not sure if it is just good luck or I am appreciating things more.

Book club


Book club friends

Fun with straw making kit sent
by Aunt Kate

I hosted my American book club the other night and 7 friends and I enjoyed an amazing potluck feast in our home and garden. It's the first time we've eaten outside but the change in the weather made it rather pleasant. No bugs either.




Mulhacen

Olafur, Nat and Tom

Refugio Poqueira

Nat, our Icelandic neighbor Olafur, and a Canadian friend of his just spent 2 days hiking up and over Mulhacen, the highest point in Spain which is right near Granada in the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains. Although the trip was only overnight, it required some serious planning and acquiring the appropriate gear as it is always best to be prepared in the great outdoors, wherever it be. They took the bus to the jamon (ham) famous pueblo of Trevelez in the Alpujarras and after lunch climbed 1000 meters up to Refugio Poqueira where they spent the night before the summit the next day.

Taking a break

Summit at 3483 meters

Up and out by 9am, they climbed an additional 1,000 meters to the summit (3,483 meters) around noon time. They enjoyed the views for a spell and even greeted some juvenile mountain goats who were also "sumitting." Then they started the trek down; the plan being to traverse a valley beneath neighboring Pico de Veleta and meet up at the ski area some time that afternoon. When Anna and I didn't hear from them by 8 or 9 at night, we started to get a little worried and called the Refugio for a weather report but heard that the weather was fine and that cell phones didn't work that high up on the mountain. Finally, at 9:30pm I got a call from Nat as they had fortunately just gotten cell access.



Nieves (snow)

Mountain goat

Although they knew exactly where they were the whole time, there had been a slight problem with the maps. Since they never found the correct trail from the botom of the valley across to the ski area, they needed to walk out the length of the valley. Now they needed a pick-up from a trailhead in a completely different area which required many more hours of walking for them. Fortunately I had a pretty good idea how to get there having been there a few times before (mind you, the drive is about an hour away and along a very, very steep incline with sheer cliff drop-offs on one side so thankfully it was pitch dark). I arrived at said empty parking lot out in the middle of nowhere at 11:15pm and within 5 minutes I saw the lights of a headlamp exiting out of the woods and towards the car. There was Nat and his two companions, thirsty and tired, and looking a bit ragged, but completely safe and sound.

Memorial Service for Opa
The entire family is heading to Concord, MA to attend Opa's Memorial service on June 12th. We'll head back a few days early to get over the jet lag and help out Oma where necessary. Although it will be a sad affair, reunions with family and friends will be much welcome.

Our beloved Opa

Dedicated to William F. Brace (August 26, 1926 - May 2, 2012)

We lost our beloved Opa very unexpectedly this past week, Nat’s wonderful 85 year old father who was truly our hero, our stabilizing force, our role model. This guy lived every day to the fullest and had some amazing human qualities that I admire greatly. He and his wife Oma were supposed to be visiting us here in Granada last week, but very intuitively, they cancelled their trip at the last minute as he was having some trouble with dizziness and balance that was unexplained. And as our neighborhood in the Albayzin is very hilly and full of cobblestone streets, walking is difficult, so of course we supported this decision although we were very disappointed. We hoped they could reschedule for June.

Supporter
When we first told Opa we were moving to Spain for a year, his first response was “How can I help?” and “When can I visit?” This was classic Opa. No matter what you wanted to do, however crazy, he was your number one supporter and fan. When his kids were just out of college, he bought each of them one of the first Macintosh computers in hopes that they could use this fancy new tool to learn new skills. Nat took off in journalism, Colin in translation and Sarah in biology. When Nat took a year off to be a ski bum in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Opa applauded it. When Nat’s sister Sarah moved across the country to attend graduate school in Seattle (from Boston), Opa drove across the country with her. When Nat’s brother Colin decided he wanted to travel around South America for much of his 40^th year, Opa was his number one supporter.

When Nat’s sister Sarah heard that Opa had cancelled his upcoming visit, she realized something was amiss and decided to fly back for a visit (she lives in Seattle, they in Concord, MA). The day she arrived (a week ago Wednesday and the day that would have been his 3^rd day here in Spain), Opa ended up in the ER complaining of chest pain.

Opa is on the left

Opa skiing at Big White, B.C. with
his 4 grandchildren

Fitness

Now I should note that although Opa was 85, he had the body of a 60 year old. He spent much of his life taking good care of his physical self by running marathons (over 20), ultramarathons (50 milers), climbing mountains, skiing, hiking, bicycling, rowing crew and whatever else he could think of to be outside and keep himself in shape. He was never happier than when he was outside in nature and enjoyed introducing the great outdoors to others and inspired many to follow his lead. I know that he coached many young people while at MIT as they trained for their first marathon. He took his Concord running buddies hiking through the Grand Canyon, one of his favorite places in the world. When his body slowed down and he had knee replacement surgery in his 70’s, he kept fit by hiking and bicycling. When balance issues made bicycling difficult, he kept on walking. He had just been skiing this past winter with his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren at Crystal Mountain near Seattle. The guy was unstoppable. He had never been in the hospital a day in his life.

But last Wednesday Opa ended up at Mass General in Boston, epicenter of great healthcare and the best possible place for him in his current condition. They transferred him there after discovering he had a few clogged arteries, and scheduled him for routine bypass surgery the following Wednesday, after the blood thinners they gave him wore off. We were all shocked to hear this news and although we knew he would be fine, Nat jumped on a plane to get there in time for the surgery and to help his sister and mother out when moving him home for his recovery.

Professor at MIT: Boston, MA

Geology
Opa spent his professional career as a Geo-physics Professor at MIT and helped bring his children up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After earning tenure and being lauded for pioneering new models describing how rocks behave under the intense pressure of earthquakes and other tectonic activity, he was promoted to Head of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department. Although a prestigious title, I don’t think he ever really enjoyed the role, preferring lab and field work to politics and management. Nonetheless during his eight years as head, he lead the department though a difficult merger with another department and was lauded for his consensus-building, hands-on and engaged management style. 

Nat arrived in Boston on Monday afternoon and went straight to the hospital. As usual, his dad was in great spirits, felt wonderful, was enjoying his stay in the hospital flirting with the young nurses, appreciating the food (!), and generally making the best of his circumstances, whatever they be. Nat got to spend Tuesday chatting with him about Spain, past hikes and trips with him and make plans for visiting us in Hood River later this year. The kids and I were able to Skype with him in the hospital 3 or 4 times during his stay there and we all told him we loved him on Tuesday, pre-surgery.

Four poster bed in Seattle

Furniture

After retiring from MIT in his mid-60’s, Opa turned to furniture making and put together an amazing shop off their house in Concord, MA. He took beautiful pieces of wood and turned them into the most beautiful pieces of artwork one can imagine. His work is truly gallery worthy and Oma hosted a lovely showing of his furniture several years ago at a shop in Concord where many of his pieces were displayed. Although he sold a few odd pieces here or there, he built furniture because he enjoyed it and to give to the people he loved. For our wedding 15 years ago, he sent us out 2 beautiful end chairs made out of gorgeous, red cherry wood, the seats covered in dark green fabric with a leaf pattern. And every year since we have received some new delight in the mail, including a large dining room table which comfortably seats 12, a china hutch custom designed to match our window pattern, a hat stand, a dresser and a grand King-sized 4 poster bed that arrived shortly after the birth of our second child (matching bedside tables arrived the following year). Our home in Seattle (as well as Nat’s brother and sister’s) are filled with his treasures. It’s literally a living museum of Opa’s furniture.

The next day during the 4-6 hour surgery, everything went well. Nat and company heard from the surgeon that the procedure was over, they had fixed 3 arteries, and that they could see Opa in about an hour. This was about 10:30pm our time here in Spain so we went to bed feeling like things went well and we could get an update on things in the morning. Another interesting note: Opa had planned to bring the boys over t-shirts with (American) football logos on them. Since they cancelled their trip, he had Oma ship them instead and I picked the package up from the post office on Monday. The one for Clark showed the New England Patriots vs. the New York Giants in Superbowl XLV. The one for Colin, although adult-sized, was of his favorite player #87 “Gronk” for Rob Gronkowski. They both had their t-shirts on when they went to bed and both ended up in my bed that night on either side of me.

At about 2:30 in the morning I woke up to strange music playing upstairs. I went up to investigate and found that Clark’s laptop was playing silly music from a web site. I turned it off but because I was awake I decided to check my email to see if Nat had sent any further updates re: Opa’s condition. I was absolutely shocked and devastated to see one titled “We lost Opa tonight.” Apparently, Opa had gone in to cardiac arrest in the recovery room following surgery and although they whisked him back to the OR for several hours they couldn’t resuscitate him and he never woke up. The doctors were shocked as well as he just didn’t fit the profile for someone that wouldn’t survive this routine surgery.

We can all rest assured that Opa went out on his own terms: at the top of his game mentally (he was an avid reader and always passed book recommendations on to friends and family), extremely fit for his age (he still worked out with a personal trainer several times a week), and looking forward to future projects.

Nat, Colin and Sarah

He left us so many gifts, the most important being his 3 wonderful children, all amazing and perfect in their own way. I admire them all equally and in different ways: Colin (we named our youngest son after him) their handsome, multi-lingual, extremely smart elder son who lives in Amsterdam, Nat, my stable, multi-talented jack-of-all-trades husband who like his father is happy wherever he is, and one of my dearest friends and running buddies Sarah, who values both  science and fitness, just like her dad.

The greatest thing about Opa was how he lived his daily life. He never judged anyone, was always open to new experiences, took the time to slow down and smell the roses (and check out the grasses, trees and plants), didn’t ever worry about what other people thought of him, and always gave of himself to others. What an inspiration. As they say, if you love somebody, set them free. It’s so hard to say goodbye but we learn so much in the process.

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain

Buen amigos (good friends)

Hiking Los Cahorres near Monachil

Best buddies

Our dear friends from Seattle just paid us a visit and it was wonderful to be surrounded by people who know us so well. We've known these folks for over 20 years and were fortunate enough to have kids at the same time, thus our youngest is 3 months older than their oldest and they are all best of friends. It was wonderful to share all we have learned with someone back home and we had fun dining out, showing them the local sites, spending a day on the beach and just hanging out. 

Kid-friendly meal



Karb and Brooke

Mala suerte (bad luck)
They came to us via Barcelona where they had a string of bad luck. First off, getting sick on the flight over (all four of them,  adults as well as kids) which led them to miss Geo's beloved Barcelona futbol match, the bribery item his wife had used to get him over to Spain in the first place. Then an ATM machine ate their one and only cash card after withdrawing a measly 50 euros so no more access to cash for the rest of their trip. Then, when checking out of their Barcelona hotel to catch the night train down to Granada, the hotel "misplaced" one of their bags (still a mystery - either stolen or given to the wrong family) which happened to contain their eldest child's favorite stuffed animals from birth. Ugh. Then the rain started..... and continued for most of their visit which is truly a rarity here. 

Clark injures himself
on Friday the 13th

After school treats

They arrived at our house on the morning of Friday the 13th and mere hours after happily reporting that we had not yet needed to use the Spanish healthcare system, we got a call from the PE teacher from the boys new school who said that Clark had most likely fractured his wrist* and could we please pick him up to take him to hospital. Thankfully the pain wasn't too bad and the school's insurance was able to cover everything in full. After hours at the hospital and his first cast he returned home to a houseful of his buddies and we spent a rainy weekend at home catching up. Nat did tons of amazing cooking and the kids took over the house building forts in almost every room.

The Heynens on top of the Alcazaba

The next day, our friends spent a rainy morning at the Alhambra and with good fortune we happened to touch base by phone right when they were on top of the tower that looks directly at our house so they were able to get a great video of our house and we took their picture as well (see photo at left).

We later walked around town, kicking a muddy soccer/futbol around wherever possible (avoiding dog poop was the biggest challenge).

* Injury happened as he was playing goalie in futbol and he made the save. Fortunately 4 days later, the bone doctor confirmed that it wasn't a true break and he got his cast off.

Brooke fit perfectly in our mini
bathtub



Catheral in Granada

Girl time

The rest of the week we spent showing them our favorite hikes, restaurants and walking around town. I got some much needed "girl time" with Michelle (I finally bought some Spanish clothes at my favorite store Desigual) and we hit the Arabic baths for some soaking and massage. We also took Brooke shopping for flamenco clothes, to the local Teteria for mint tea and crepes and she even tried out our child-sized tub. And Michelle got me and her kids to visit the local Cathedral which was just amazing, covered in gold leaf and apparently the second largest iglesia in Spain. It is also where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella are buried.



American kids picking up recycle
on the beach



Fresh fish

We pulled the boys from school on Wednesday and drove 40 minutes to the Mediterrenean and one of our favorite spots, Salobreña, where we were luckier with the weather although it was truly blowing a gale. (We saw a kite boarder which is a treat for this windsurfing crowd). We had lunch at a beachside restaurant and then drove to nearby Almuñécar in search of helado.

Dining on the beach

Adios amigos

Brooke with flamenco poster

After a week filled with treats, friendship and catching up, we said our goodbyes on Friday as they returned via night train to Barcelona for one more day before heading back to Seattle via London. We've already heard that it is sunny and warm there after their very rainy visit to Spain.

Semana Santa (Holy Week)

Girl makes ball of wax from candle
drippings

This past week was Easter Week here in Spain, a holiday much bigger than Christmas, and here in Granada (Andalusia) we are lucky enough to witness the full regalia of this Catholic festival by watching multiple processions every day as they wind around town.



Carrying the gilded cross



Things got started on Palm Sunday. At the first “parade” I viewed I was surprised to discover the large amount of people involved and logistics that need to be arranged to put on this spectacle. The streets were just packed with people (locals and tourists alike) and policia were used to help control the crowds and keep the processions on track. There were people (men, women, children) in colorful hooded robes (think Ku Klux Klan), folks carrying special ceremonial items (crosses, septors, floats, etc…), and enormous lit candles dripping wax (we saw one girl creating a large wax ball from the drippings of those passing by). There is an unbelievable dedication to the ceremony and pageantry of it all. Most faces were somber and bands playing music were serious and dedicated. And the processions moved slowly; lots of stops for crowds, traffic, etc…. No one was in a hurry.   

Ornate statue of Jesus

Not the Ku Klux Klan

Each procession is represented by a different church and some date as far back as 1561 (no joke). The “parade” typically exits said church, moves in a circle around town and then returns to where it started.  There are always musicians (lots of brass instruments), people dressed in hooded robes, children included and a float with a statue of Jesus Christ that is carried by 20 or so unseen people, followed by another carrying a representation of the Virgin Mary. Some processions last until the wee hours of the morning, the printed schedule stating 3:15am (although I’ve heard they go much later). There are up to 5 processions a day and they start in the later afternoon, post 4pm. At one of the processions I witnessed today, we noticed one “float” being carried by women only, definitely a unique occurrence in this still fairly male oriented place.



Marching band

 In the evening, the central core is a very festive place, with vendors selling, candy, drums and balloons. People of all ages are milling about and everyone is chatting happily but it is not a party atmosphere per se (no drinking). Best part for Clark was the booths set up selling baked potatoes out of enormous kettles drums. For 3.50 euros you get an enormous spud with multiple topping options (cheese, ham, olives, corn, carrots, mustard and ketchup).

Corte de pelo (Haircut)


Haircut at home



Calcetines gets her milk



We’ve found a wonderful, local hairdresser who will come to the house on a moment’s notice and cut the boys hair for 5 euros. Last time she even brought her 1 month old kitten “Calcetines” or “Socks” who she couldn’t leave at home with her dog and whom she was still bottle feeding (no mama cat around to take care of her).

Easter hike



Fun Easter hike with the boys



Mountain goat

After a week of hanging around the house, and with a nice break in the weather (it has been raining a lot this week which is very unusual), we decided to get out and about and re-did a lovely hike we took a few weeks ago with the group from school. Afterwards, we enjoyed a fun Easter lunch at an outdoor restaurant overlooking the Sierra Nevada.

First Day of School (Round 2)

Prepsters

On Monday morning, I walked the boys down to their new bus stop on Gran Via (5 minutes downhill instead of 5 minutes uphill) and they got on a very swanky "airplane bus" which took them 20 minutes across town to their new school, Granada College. The first few days have gone well. Clark comes home happy and Colin is already off with his friend Xavi on a 3 day/2 night school excusion to la Sierra de Baza for a 4th grade camp** event (first time away from friends and family overnight and in a foreign country no less).

Clark opted not to attend the 6th grade camp as he wanted time to adjust to the new school and have some time alone at home without his brother. Worst part of Clark's first day was having to eat the tomatoes at lunch time so I'll deem it a success (it's quite formal and apparently you have to raise your hand when you finish each course). Colin spent his second day teaching his english class Clark's version to a Beatle's song "We all live in a yellow submarine. I hate the stupid thing. I want to paint it green." The days are longer and include many more activities including all kinds of sports (hockey, bike riding, there's even a pool) and obligatory Chinese (!).  But so far, both kids have not looked back.

** 4th grade camp, spanish style:

Nos ponemos en contacto con vosotros para comunicaros que este año los alumnos/as de 4º de Primaria van a tener tres días de convivencia con sus profesores y compañeros en el Centro de Educación Ambiental "El Cortijo Narváez", situado a 85 Km de Granada en el Parque Natural de la Sierra de Baza.

El objetivo de las actividades y talleres que van a realizar es conocer la gran diversidad floral y paisajística de la Sierra de Baza, además, ayudará a que desarrollen su autonomía personal, así como los hábitos de convivencia democráticos y solidarios en grupo.

El entorno de este parque natural, ofrece numerosas posibilidades para que los alumnos/as puedan realizar circuitos de multiaventura: rocódromo, bicicletas de montaña, tiro con arco, escalada, tirolina, juegos deportivos y cooperativos y gymkhanas de orientación. Además harán senderismo guiado por el parque Natural de la Sierra de Baza.

We get in touch with you to announce that this year the alumni / ae of 4th grade primary school will have three days together with their teachers and classmates in the Environmental Education Center "El Cortijo Narvaez", located 85 km from Granada Natural Park of Sierra de Baza.

The aim of the workshops and activities to be performed to know the diverse floral and landscape of the Sierra de Baza, also help to develop personal autonomy and democratic habits of coexistence and solidarity groups.

The environment of this park offers many opportunities for alumni / ae can perform multi-activity circuits: climbing, mountain biking, archery, climbing, flying, sports and cooperative games and gymkhanas guidance. Besides hiking will guided by the natural park of Sierra de Baza.





Cabo de Gata

San Jose


Playa de San Jose



Overlooking San Jose

The beachside town of San Jose, in the National Park known as Cabo de Gata, is my new favorite pueblo in Spain. This perfect-sized village with a central square with playground, surrounded by restaurants, coffee shops and gelatarias has access to some incredible beaches and amazing nearby hikes. Although we were there in the low-season, so things might be very different during the summer, the laid back pace was heavenly and the amount of commercial services (pescateria, panaderia, markets, gift shops, above mentioned establishments) was just right.

Abandoned gold mine

Restaurante La Isleta del Moro

Armed with a list of recommendations from friends we drove to the lighthouse at the end of Cabo de Gata and checked out the amazing vistas and spectacular waterfront. We even saw a windsurfer attempting to sail along Playa Cabo de Gata. We later drove north to the town of Rodalquilar to check out an abandoned gold mine (with no warning signs or fences mind you, so we could truly explore at will). And we ended the day at a well-known beach front seafood restaurant in La Isleta del Moro for dinner. Clark tried the grilled artichokes while the rest of us shared a seafood paella.



Margarita piza



Indiana Jones beach



We also discovered a lovely pizza/pasta bar where we had our best family-friendly meal in Spain (Italian I’m afraid) and went back several days later to repeat the exact same order. We spent our first full day at the beach, enjoying a remote area only a short drive from town but completely empty of people (we did meet a nice family with a 12 year old boy who was half English/half Spanish and enjoyed splashing in the waves and digging in the sand with our boys for a few hours). This particular beach, called Playa del Monsul, is also the backdrop to quite a few movies including one Indiana Jones film starring Sean Connery and Harrison Ford.



Wild West town



Yes, we this is in southern Spain

The next day we drove about an hour away to visit an Old Wild West town/movie set near the town of Tabernas used for quite a few films and shows over the years. It was strange to walk around an authentic western town complete with fake restaurants, banks, shops, corrals, and a horse drawn carriage and to watch a “show” in the local saloon acted by western cowboys and bar maids (speaking Spanish of course).

Caving in Sorbas

We then stopped at a local restaurant in the small village of Sorbas where we had a pub lunch and the boys tried their hands at pinball. Afterwards, we drove to Cuevas de Sorbas where we took an underground tour of some pretty spectacular caves that extend throughout the area. Thankfully our German tour guide was fluent in English and Spanish as well.  

Overlooking the Mediterrenean

Hike to lookout tower

On our last morning we hiked up to a medieval tower on a tall hilltop overlooking this beautiful coastal town. We had to do some steep climbing as there wasn’t a clear path but the hard work made our efforts all that more enjoyable.

Gardening, ziplining, hiking and changing schools

Antonio's Garden



Nat holds up our first head of lettuce

Nat has been a rock star keeping Antonio’s garden up to snuff. Besides trimming back the trees and grape vines, a few weeks back he planted lettuce starts that we are already enjoying and last week he added potatoes, onions, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, basil, sunflowers and mint. Just (remember) to add water and voila, we’ll be able to feed the neighborhood. He’s also been to the hardware store to get parts to fix the aljibe pump (very clever but finicky watering system located underneath the garden and created by our landlord to catch rainwater).

Excursión al canal de la Espartera

Clark walks along the path

With our friend Wolfgang

We enjoyed another group hike with the boys’ school, this time exploring an area not too far from town. About 25 people showed up (not bad given the early start time and the daylight savings time clock change made the night before). It was a lovely hike with beautiful vistas and great company but once again on the return trip, the "leader" lost his way (this seems to be a theme) so we freestyled our way back up a very challenging cliff to the trailhead. Lots of trips across a small river where many feet got wet and the kids were pretty worn out by the end, but it was adventurous for sure and we very much appreciated the always necessary stop for a cold beverage on the way home.

Paella and more paella



Adding the rice



Grilling the veggies

As part of a Spring celebration at the boys’ school, I signed Nat up to be sous chef (or pinchar in this case) to help cook a paella for 80 or so at a school fundraiser. Now Nat has cooked many a paella in his lifetime, but never in Spain, and never for so many Spaniards who know a thing or two about this very special rice dish. He went the night before to help prep the food (lots of chopping) and then several hours ahead to help create the dish overseen by a fellow dad who is a French chef. It turned out absolutely delicious although we didn’t tell the kids there was rabbit in there, even though I ended up with an entire head skeleton on my plate, teeth still intact.

Paella: ready to serve



Paella en nuestra casa

Friends from Malaga stopped by last weekend and Nat tried out his paella technique at home (see photo). These are fellow Americans who moved to Spain 7 years ago and are still awaiting their residance status (they've already built a house here). Although only
"friends of friends" they were very welcoming in getting us here, sharing lots of information and putting me up for 2 nights when I visited last May.

Ziplining

Colin on the ropes course

We’ve recently discovered Aventura Amazonia, a new zipline park located in the national park not too far from our home. With visitors in town recently, the boys really enjoyed the ropes course as well as trying out some new outdoor skills as they spent 3 hours climbing thru the "jungles" of Granada. Be sure and watch the video to get a better idea.

Time for a change

After several months of re-attempting to communicate with the boys’ school about Clark’s dyslexia issues (it appears to have been overlooked from day one as well as many subsequent communications thereafter), we really haven’t gotten Clark any help at school, or any changes in his routine there. He’s spent countless hours copying text from the board, had “hands-on help” trying to correct his script (the worst thing you can do for a kid like him) and has listened to hours upon hours of lectures he can’t understand. We even asked if he could skip English class and work with a private tutor which we’d pay for but they were not amenable to that either.

So we finally took some fellow American’s advice and went out to look at the local bi-lingual private school, Granada College, located across town, thinking it might be an option if we were to extend our stay. After being quite impressed on the tour (the facilities alone are amazing compared to any school our kids have ever been to) and quite frankly felt like a bit of a country club with the extensive campus, access to the arts and sciences (drawing, drama, science lab and best of all 2 hours of PE a day. And did I mention uniforms? Sheesh.).

Although we are very staunch democrats and big advocates for public education worldwide, things clearly haven’t been working for Clark. At the end of the tour, we were told that we would receive a call the next week if there was any room for next year, but one hour later we were contacted via our tutor/translator and were actually offered two spots, to start immediately. I’m guessing they are interested in having English speaking natives around. And of course the influx of cash doesn't hurt. Whatever the reason, we feel fortunate to get the opportunity but are also torn to be leaving a school community that welcomed us so warmly. They’ll start there the Monday following Easter. 

Coming up next, our trip to Cabo de Gata...