tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81527484571432241522024-03-12T19:16:27.746-07:00Signs of DiscoveryKelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-45705476072687546982020-08-04T11:22:00.000-07:002020-08-04T11:22:15.343-07:00Beautiful Dar es SalaamDay 10 in our new home! Here are a few photos from our apartment balcony and our evening walks...<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_nJqrz4UknE/XymmtAUdYhI/AAAAAAAADG4/bgcDd3_OQSwKmm_QbI2HNXWFVx3CZlqSACLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/77f8aac0-b2df-4e92-a577-024533f01b1d.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_nJqrz4UknE/XymmtAUdYhI/AAAAAAAADG4/bgcDd3_OQSwKmm_QbI2HNXWFVx3CZlqSACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/77f8aac0-b2df-4e92-a577-024533f01b1d.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-guvYqeGBlqg/Xymms_nfFII/AAAAAAAADG0/ggOGQozvXGstOfwM9IUDzKbcBejKfx6NwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/IMG_0997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-guvYqeGBlqg/Xymms_nfFII/AAAAAAAADG0/ggOGQozvXGstOfwM9IUDzKbcBejKfx6NwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_0997.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPV_x6lAE5k/XymmvLkzzuI/AAAAAAAADHM/sLvEhyBMkB4QdmuA8Dpx6DZrkOTDR6kGACLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/IMG_1035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPV_x6lAE5k/XymmvLkzzuI/AAAAAAAADHM/sLvEhyBMkB4QdmuA8Dpx6DZrkOTDR6kGACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_1035.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aiPcxlEp2_A/Xymmvgl3BiI/AAAAAAAADHU/qBh0ZMiq6vI0h83Nyqcz6Dv9XfwHH0uewCLcBGAsYHQ/s2016/IMG_7727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aiPcxlEp2_A/Xymmvgl3BiI/AAAAAAAADHU/qBh0ZMiq6vI0h83Nyqcz6Dv9XfwHH0uewCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_7727.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FVSl8kdslCw/XymmwJN5JhI/AAAAAAAADHY/foFXaNR9Pt0MVTjV6DDSwtRoc1JsGM1UQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/IMG_7777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FVSl8kdslCw/XymmwJN5JhI/AAAAAAAADHY/foFXaNR9Pt0MVTjV6DDSwtRoc1JsGM1UQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_7777.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1eg0XjLtRVI/Xymmw-vL52I/AAAAAAAADHc/5xq4CMOamewCbfLJxUYnmPjmEbEo0jD-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_7784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1eg0XjLtRVI/Xymmw-vL52I/AAAAAAAADHc/5xq4CMOamewCbfLJxUYnmPjmEbEo0jD-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_7784.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-84707124099099492752020-07-27T10:52:00.005-07:002020-07-27T11:07:14.720-07:00Tanzania 2020<span id="goog_2119647006"></span><span id="goog_2119647007"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">I am glad to have fresh motivation for updating this blog. We accepted teaching positions at the International School of Tanganyika in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in East Africa! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">In addition to updating this blog, I am creating a newsletter for family & friends. Email me if you wish to be included in my mailing list.</span></div>
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<br />Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-8122430501500054042018-01-21T19:01:00.002-08:002018-01-21T19:11:10.484-08:002017: Ecuador (Highly Recommended!)Today I revisited this blog to search for photos of our China experience. A whole calendar year has again slipped by without comment in this space. The international highlight was our trip to Ecuador. Although it had been high on our desired destination list for some time, it moved to the top of the list when a family friend asked if we would take her there upon her high school graduation. Yes! Si! Ben had taught school there in the late 1990's and had visited again in 2006. Before we knew it, there were 6 enthusiastic young folks joining this adventure.<br />
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The takeaway on Ecuador is simply this: if you have the opportunity to visit, GO!!! The people are lovely, scenery and climate remarkable and variety impossible to describe. Food is also delicious, and due to recent governmental stability and other improvements, the roads are superb and transit from the Andes Mountains to the Pacific Ocean is quite manageable.<br />
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Here is a sampling from July 2017...<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fH_Z5RADS-c/WmVMdoAvD9I/AAAAAAAAClI/myZBxKdgYJEdaLOO0psrMFov7PQ50nAvACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fH_Z5RADS-c/WmVMdoAvD9I/AAAAAAAAClI/myZBxKdgYJEdaLOO0psrMFov7PQ50nAvACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_5853.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Puerto Lopez, Ecuador</div>
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el Placer de Toache</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4AuaYKzB-o0/WmVMkZiO01I/AAAAAAAACnc/Aj26_99vheshjj4zpM2gK4FqW0mosqVwwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_5974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4AuaYKzB-o0/WmVMkZiO01I/AAAAAAAACnc/Aj26_99vheshjj4zpM2gK4FqW0mosqVwwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_5974.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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River in el Placer de Toache</div>
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Dairy Land in the Andes</div>
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School where Ben taught in 1998</div>
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Blue footed boobies on Isla de la Plata</div>
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Beach in Puerto Lopez</div>
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Crossing the border from Colombia at Ipiales</div>
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Ben's new pan flute from Otovalo craftsman</div>
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Shepherdess in early morning, Otovalo</div>
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Mt. Chimburazo</div>
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Fellow passenger on bus to Cuenca</div>
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Incan ruins in Cuenca </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--THOcQcevjE/WmVM3OTNpqI/AAAAAAAACnk/JRfTCTYgEqoIVL-a0JxObiyat8VgfKmWgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_6385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--THOcQcevjE/WmVM3OTNpqI/AAAAAAAACnk/JRfTCTYgEqoIVL-a0JxObiyat8VgfKmWgCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_6385.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hat factory in Cuenca</div>
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Local artist friend in Cuenca</div>
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With friends in Cuenca</div>
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Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World)</div>
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Standing room only bus in Quito</div>
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Bread maker in Quito</div>
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Hosteleria in Banos</div>
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Artists in Otovalo market</div>
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Bus station in Santo Domingo de los Colorados</div>
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Amazing flowers in the tropical area</div>
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Sea turtles in the Pacific near Isla de la Plata</div>
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Bananas everywhere</div>
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Lunch of trout, plaintains, yam soup, fresh tree tomato juice, rice in Colombia<br />
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Impromptu Sign Language lesson for children in rural school</div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-79819127540122562932016-11-13T11:46:00.000-08:002016-11-13T11:46:05.785-08:002 years, 3 continents, 4 countriesI recently met with a former professor for lunch. She mentioned that during the summer of 2013, she had followed our trip to Spain via this blog. I purposed to revisit this temporarily abandoned site. One reason for the long pause is that so much has happened and I felt that I needed to go back and fill in the blanks...and while I waited, new discoveries were made, new friends made, new languages explored...and yet no writing or reflection in this manner. Perhaps one day I will upload photos of our special opportunities and unique privileges. For the present, I will simply list the dates and locations of our journeys. Remarkably, in each place we met members of the local Deaf communities! <br />
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Spring 2014: I graduated from EKU with a degree in Deaf Education and began working for Fayette County Public Schools with deaf and hard of hearing students.<br />
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Summer 2014: This was our summer of American travel. After visiting family in New York and New England, we toured Washington, D.C. Highlights included campus tours of Rochester Institute of Technology and NTID as well as Gallaudet University where I gathered on site information to share with my students whom I hope will one day enter these institutions of higher learning. We then traveled to Georgia, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Although we really enjoy train travel when abroad, we agree that one outstanding feature of travel in the USA is our interstate highway system.<br />
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Summer 2015: We had a family reunion in Branson, Missouri. Then, we visited Ben's sister in Dominican Republic where we were fortunate to meet several new friends. <br />
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Winter 2015: Over our school break, we visited Ben's former "home" in Argentina and spent a day in Chile during our return flight.<br />
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Summer 2016: Ukraine was our destination to spend a month with some of our cousins. Again, we met several Deaf folks who patiently communicated with us as we learned some Russian Sign Language.<br />
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This list represents time/location and perhaps some photos will be added later. The primary purpose of this post is to give myself permission to move forward with my blog without the burden of catching up on everything!Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-61673383103018581792014-01-01T19:03:00.000-08:002014-01-01T19:18:21.351-08:00Savannah, Georgia and Tybee Island<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For winter break, Ben and I went to visit my family in Georgia. We took a day trip to Savannah, a place I'd never visited, although I had grown up less than 3 hours away. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We checked Lonely Planet and Yelp to locate a place for brunch and we decided on B. Matthews</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Eatery at the corner of Bay St. and Habersham. You can check out their website: </span><a href="http://bmatthewseatery.com/">http://bmatthewseatery.com/</a>. <span style="font-family: Verdana;">We had shrimp & grits and fried green tomatoes benedict--both were delicious!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Parking was very easy to find and from there we simply walked across the boulevard, down "historic steps" (with signs warning us not to slip) and strolled along River St.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After 2 hours in Savannah, we headed to Tybee Island, about 20 minutes away by car. Our family went here one time shortly after we moved to Georgia in the late 1980's. Since that time the local historical societies have done a great job in their restoration efforts. The lighthouse keeper's cottage is nicely furnished with many original pieces and the 15 minute film gives a good summary of the historical significance of the site. The 178 steps to the top of the lighthouse are worth climbing. (caution: take time to stretch or you might end up sore for days like I did!) Happily, we found the staff at the lighthouse were very friendly and informative. <a href="http://www.tybeelighthouse.org/">http://www.tybeelighthouse.org/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Included in the $9 admission fee for the lighthouse and surrounding buildings, is admission to Fort Screven. This has some interesting historical notes and displays. The docent informed us that they are continuing to work toward restoration of this defense structure that dates back to 1855. <a href="http://visittybee.com/what-to-see-and-do/attractions/fort-screven/">http://visittybee.com/what-to-see-and-do/attractions/fort-screven/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before heading back to Jefferson County, we walked over to the beach. It was 75 degrees...quite nice for December 21st!</span></div>
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<em>Back home in Lexington, Kentucky for New Year's Eve with family & friends...Ben introduced some of our friends to the Argentine custom of drinking mate. :) Happy New Year to all!!!</em></div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-17414745456417415422013-07-29T21:08:00.005-07:002013-07-29T21:10:38.524-07:00Priego de Cordoba, Spain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em>View of gardens and olive groves from the city wall of Priego de Cordoba.</em> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From Grenada we traveled by bus (Alsa is the main bus service) to Priego de Cordoba, a small, walled city tucked into miles and miles of rolling, olive tree covered terrain. Our primary reason for visiting this town was to see some friends whom Ben and his sister, Angela, had met in 1996-97. We had a wonderful visit in their home and I appreciated their great patience with my Spanish. In the evening we took a walk around Priego and ate a typical Spanish meal: tortilla espanola, olives, bread, salmorejo, watermelon and grapes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Paqui in her kitchen making dinner.</span></div>
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She let me help with the salad: tomatoes, garlic, onions and olive oil.</div>
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In Priego, it is quite easy to believe that nearly 50% of the world's olive oil is produced in Spain. The view from the city wall consists of thousands of neatly ordered olive trees. </div>
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<em>In the plaza there are many fountains. Manolo & Paqui included this on the walking tour of their city. It is one of the nicest parks I'd been to in Spain. </em><em>Ben remembers this plaza from his first visit to Priego. </em></div>
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The following morning, Paqui insisted on sending a bottle of local olive oil with us. We left Priego with oil in our backpacks and happy memories in our hearts.</div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-7055158079848741632013-07-15T13:31:00.002-07:002013-07-15T13:31:54.067-07:00Granada, Spain: Alhambra, Pension Austria, etc...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We took the bus from Murcia to Granada. The most famous site in Granada, and perhaps one of the most famous sites in the world is the Alhambra. It was originally built as a fortress in the late 800's and in the 1300's became a royal palace. It has gone through many conquests and reconquests and what remains is a fascinating mixture of architecture. We had tickets to visit the Nasrid Palace, which only allows a certain number of visitors in each hour. Our tickets were for 7:00 in the evening and we were able to visit the other parts of the Alhambra the two hours prior to going into Nasrid Palace. Ben had been there before and after seeing it myself I could see why he (and clearly many others :) are impressed. Pictures really don't do it justice, but of course, we make an effort. </div>
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View from the balcony of the inner court gardens. Lots of citrus trees.</div>
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If you are like me, you recall the name Alhambra from the card game, "Authors" (which Shane, Kate and I played with both our Myers and Teixeira cousins :). Yes, Washington Irving really did live here in the Alhambra back in 1829 when he wrote that book.</div>
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If you are like Ben, then you knew that the Alhambra was a really neat place and you spent your free time constructing an award winning replica of the Court of Lions (see photo below of the actual court) for high school Spanish festival competitions.</div>
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The interior décor has unbelievable detail.</div>
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The Alhambra is not the only thing interesting about Granada. The photo above was taken in the ancient "water treatment plant" (I'm sure Ben's dad, Ron, will appreciate this :) in Granada. We happened upon the historic site and noticed that they gave free tours. The guide spent an hour and a half telling us about the history of the area, explaining the scale models of the water systems and giving an overview of various cultural perspectives. </div>
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We ate a nice lunch in this restaurant somewhere in the narrow streets of the Albayzin section of Granada. There are several Turkish, Iraqi and other Middle Eastern-type restaurants in Granada. The "menu del dia" specials are pretty good--a "3 course" offerta for about 8 euros.</div>
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Ben in front of Pension Austria, Granada</div>
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We spent 2 nights here in Pension Austria, a hosteleria we read about in Rick Steve's Travel Guide. It was very clean, comfortable, convenient and the cost was extremely reasonable. We could walk up the hill to the Alhambra (caution, it is not an easy climb!). <em>(By the way, we don't automatically recommend every place we visit. One in Seville won't get a bad review from us, but neither will it get a recommendation.)</em> Here's the link for Pension Austria. The photos on the website very accurate and this site is quite user-friendly.<em> </em><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/pension-austria.en.html?aid=311984;label=pension-austria-QYeaBEPDLvlEWoiTF1PRCwS19528251553:pl:ta:p1:p2:ac:ap1t1:neg;ws=&gclid=CNvwq8ijsrgCFTMRtAodWEYAFQ"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/pension-austria.en.html?aid=311984;label=pension-austria-QYeaBEPDLvlEWoiTF1PRCwS19528251553:pl:ta:p1:p2:ac:ap1t1:neg;ws=&gclid=CNvwq8ijsrgCFTMRtAodWEYAFQ</span></a></div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-82311889374775375372013-07-14T14:02:00.003-07:002013-07-14T14:02:36.087-07:00Murcia, Spain: wonderful hosts and excellent tapas @ La Tapadera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our friends from Lexington, Alejandro & Carolina (she is a teacher at Ben's high school) and their son, Santi, are spending the summer in Murcia and they invited us to visit them. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them and Alejandro's family. They gave us a great tour of their city.</div>
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When you go to Murcia, you might not be lucky enough to have Alejandro & Caro as your personal guides, but you should <em>certainly </em>go to La Tapadera~Cocina Mediterranea for tapas. Victor & Elena, the friendly owners, offer classic as well as creative options. One of our favorites was eggplant topped with goat cheese and a honey glaze. Gazpacho, croquettes, duck, quiche...the list goes on. </div>
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La Tapadera is conveniently located just a short walk from the center of town: </div>
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<span itemprop="streetAddress">Calle Saavedra Fajardo, 2, </span><span itemprop="postalCode">30001</span> <span itemprop="addressLocality">Murcia. </span></div>
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<span itemprop="addressLocality"><span itemprop="addressLocality">For additional details: <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-tapadera-murcia">http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-tapadera-murcia</a></span></span></div>
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Victor & Elena</div>
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Croquette w/ sauce</div>
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Dulce de leche :)</div>
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Alejandro & Carolina</div>
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Breakfast on the patio of Alejandro's parents' home.</div>
Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-6677593476278650362013-07-05T01:12:00.002-07:002013-07-05T01:21:23.135-07:00Aldaba Residencia Universitaria, Calle Monroy, Salamanca, Spain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This blog wouldn't be complete without a post about our "home" for the past 2 weeks: Aldaba @ Monroy. There are two locations for Aldaba here in Salamanca, both owned and operated by the same ladies, and we hear good reports from the teachers staying in Aldaba Rector as well. Our experience here has been excellent and we would recommend this lodging option to anyone. The rooms each have a private bath. They have single and double rooms. No smoking is allowed in the building. Internet is available in every room, and WiFi is available in the dining room. The photo above is of the main entrance, and if you look closely, you'll see we are adjacent to a Carrefour, which is a convenient place to pick up necessities, and it accepts foreign credit cards. We actually have stayed in 2 rooms here, since when we arrived the larger room was still occupied. Below are some photos that were taken in both rooms, as well as a single room.</div>
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The foyer just inside the entrance is cozy and clean. The door is locked at all times and we feel very safe here.</div>
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This is the room (on the main floor, just off the dining room) we were in the first few days. It is a very nice room and opens to the balcony.</div>
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This room is on the 3rd floor, a bit larger and more suited for two people.</div>
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Some of the double rooms have bunk beds. </div>
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Ben, doing homework. </div>
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This dear lady is a <em>wonderful</em> cook (and also a kind and patient Spanish teacher for me :). The homemade meals are satisfying and offer a variety of examples of traditional foods. Lunch is served from 1:30 - 2:45. Dinner is served from 8:30 - 9:15. Breakfast is self serve and available around 7:30 in the morning. Breakfast in Spain is fairly light--coffee and a small muffin or croissant, but then they eat a "2nd breakfast" around 10:45 in the morning at one of the many cafes.</div>
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This is the dining area and the terrace pictured below, is adjacent to the dining room.</div>
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The 2 rooms on the main floor (where the dining room is) open onto this balcony.</div>
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The staff here is very friendly and they have patiently allowed me to practice my Spanish. This is one of the ladies who does some of the cooking and also cleans the rooms and common areas. I snapped this photo in the 3rd floor sitting area. </div>
Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-88983677920948846612013-07-04T01:09:00.004-07:002013-07-05T00:48:17.888-07:00Mester Academy, Salamanca, Spain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've not mentioned too much about Ben's classes. Yes, we've had a great time visiting various sites and meeting folks, but the original reason we came to Spain was so Ben could take some classes at Mester, a Spanish language school here in Salamanca. He has really enjoyed the classes about technology, culture and language. Additionally, he's met some great teachers from all over the U.S. as well as other countries. They are working on a group project for class and spend a pretty high percentage of time talking about teaching strategies and experiences when they are not in class. For more details, you'll need to ask Ben, of course, but I thought I'd post a few photos.</div>
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<a href="http://www.mester.com/">http://www.mester.com/</a></div>
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III Congreso Internacional del Espanol was last week, and the Mester group attended various presentations, including one by Dr. Blake and Gabriel. </div>
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And, as you know from other posts, the group has had several out of class cultural experiences as well! The ruta de tapas (above) and cooking demonstration (below) are 2 examples.</div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-40658879075275986932013-07-03T12:48:00.000-07:002013-07-03T12:48:18.809-07:00Churros con chocolate @ Valor, Salamanca, Spain...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Certainly photos of antique buildings should be balanced with something more palatable. :)</div>
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We were advised by many wise persons that the best churros con chocolate could be found at the Valor shop. Churros are like fresh doughnuts. They are dunked in melted dark chocolate. They are exceptionally delicious. They are not low calorie. We'll stick with carrots when we return to KY :).</div>
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<em>Ben, doing his best to pretend he's happy.</em> </div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-60435458914039601442013-07-03T11:50:00.001-07:002013-07-03T12:30:46.017-07:00University of Salamanca and surrounding area...<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The University of Salamanca, founded in the 1100's, is the 3rd oldest continuously operating university in Europe. We had a brief tour of some of the historic buildings and a few other nearby public spaces.</span></div>
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<em>Door to a classroom.</em></div>
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<em>An old lecture hall. I will never complain about uncomfortable seats :).</em></div>
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<em>The library.</em></div>
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<em>This old sequoia is in a plaza inside the university.</em></div>
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<em>The ceilings are worthy of a photo.</em></div>
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<a href="http://campus.usal.es/web-usal/Ingles/Universidad/Historia/Historia.shtml">http://campus.usal.es/web-usal/Ingles/Universidad/Historia/Historia.shtml</a><br />
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We also climbed up a tower of an old cathedral. Actually, it is the "new" cathedral, as the original one, which is adjacent to the new one, was damaged by an earthquake in 1755. Anyhow, the bonus of climbing the tower was a view of the city and surrounding countryside. <br />
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<em>Those who know me well will be impressed that I can coexist with the multitude of pigeons that inhabit this city. :) They are Everywhere.</em></div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-20276887836774677062013-07-03T11:40:00.003-07:002013-07-03T11:40:40.241-07:00Signs of Interpreters! (LSE-Spanish and ASL-English)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em>The sign for "interpreter" in LSE has 3 parts, shown here right to left.</em></div>
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This evening, Ben and I had a great visit with these two professional Sign Language Interpreters. I met them at the school (center) I mentioned in an earlier post. I had the awesome opportunity to observe both of them interpreting in the classroom. Suffice it to say, I'm <em>very</em> impressed by their professionalism, skills and their rapport with clients and colleagues. </div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-44628202154659444812013-07-03T06:51:00.004-07:002013-07-03T06:51:57.762-07:00Signs of Teixeiras in Miranda do Douro, Portugal...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I learned that one stop on our weekend excursions was in Portugal, I was very excited because my Uncle Jorge Teixeira is originally from Portugal. Immediately we found a place of business with the Teixeira name near the door :). The small city of Miranda do Douro is just across the river from Spain, and our bus arrived during siesta time. The streets were quiet as we wandered around the older part of the city, discovering the old city wall and city gate. When the shops opened, we went into a store selling linens (Portugal's cotton products are quite popular) and the store owner was very friendly. Ben has learned a bit of Portuguese and she kindly let him practice speaking a bit. Below are the snapshots we took. It was 96 degrees while we ate our picnic lunch under the shade trees near this fountain.</div>
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Clearly, lavender is not allergic to heat and drought! We found this beautiful patch on a hill overlooking the river. </div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-28169336936004124392013-07-02T03:39:00.001-07:002013-07-02T03:39:59.851-07:00A nod to the stereotype...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Before we left for Spain, our friend, Edward, cautioned us to not get trampled by the bulls. :) Por supuesto, people often equate Spain with its tradition of bullfighting. I'm not overly interested in sports, especially this one, but we did join two of the professors/guides from Mester, Carlos and Belen, in a tour of the local museum. For more info on the museum: <a href="http://www.museotaurinosalamanca.es/">http://www.museotaurinosalamanca.es/</a>. I should say that both Carlos and Belen are very knowledgeable and excellent guides.</div>
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This cape is <em>not</em> light.</div>
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A display of brands from the bull farms.</div>
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The clothing of the matadors can be quite ornate, </div>
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with real gold used for the embroidery.</div>
Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-44993492049012908632013-07-01T06:33:00.001-07:002013-07-01T06:33:37.664-07:00@ the village of Ledesma, near Salamanca<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my favorite stops on our out of town excursions has been in the little town of Ledesma. This town has a few thousand citizens and has a long history (just like everywhere else around here, I believe). There are lots of poppies sprouting up amidst the stone streets. The corridors are clean and the sky is clear blue. The overlook of the surrounding countryside is very accessible and I had a chance to ask our guide about the agriculture in the area. This is haying season, and there is only one cutting per year, as it is so dry. There are co-ops that organize for the purpose of figuring out irrigation and we saw several fields with beef cattle and a few with dairy cattle. </div>
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The guide pointed out that part of this bridge was dynamited when Napoleon was leaving town.</div>
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Irrigation system.</div>
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It is hard to see out the bus window, but that is a stack of large square hay bales. In one area near the border of Portugal, we saw round bales.</div>
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Herd of beef cattle. </div>
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The old city gate. Please note the stone "speed bump" in the center of the gate. I imagine it was part of a door jamb back in the day, but it served as a speed bump for me. Ouch. Thankfully, nothing a little ice pack, ibuprofen and band-aids couldn't handle! Note to self: when looking at the scenery, pay attention to 24 inch high stones in the middle of the street. One Spanish word I'll remember is knee (rodilla), since the rest of the day everyone kept asking how mine was :).<em> </em></div>
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One of the teachers in our group stopped by to talk to this friendly lady about her beautiful windowbox of geraniums. Geraniums in many colors are a popular choice here. I am guessing it is because they can stand the hot and dry summer climate here.<em> </em></div>
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Before we left town, we all stopped at the local diner. The zucchini tapas were a surprise. They looked exactly like the fried zucchini Ben's mom makes, but when we cut into it, the thin slices of zucchini were actually a sort of sandwich for ham, cheese, egg and onions. Muy rica.</div>
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<br />Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-87641460683379153722013-07-01T05:55:00.001-07:002013-07-03T07:06:06.955-07:00Caceres, est. 34 B.C.E....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After Merida, we were taken to Caceres, another city that has ancient roots. It was founded by the Romans in 34 B.C.E. and has had a variety of inhabitants and governments, including the Moors in the 12th century. The photo above was taken during siesta time (notice the absence of people in the background, we did <em>not</em> photoshop them out :) in the Plaza Mayor. The plaza has several buildings dating to the 12th century.</div>
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The most interesting part of the tour for me was going down below the Caceres museum (built by the Moors several centuries ago) to this cistern. One of the agreements in years past was that this water would be available to all citizens of Caceres in times of drought. Through the centuries, water-rights have always been a concern, just as they are in many places today.</div>
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<br />Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-91755403884281638922013-06-30T15:00:00.000-07:002013-07-01T00:08:02.902-07:00Merida, Spain, a city of ancient Rome...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the side trips arranged by Mester Academy was a trip to the city of Merida, a city founded by the Romans in 25 B.C.E. We spent a couple hours there, eating a picnic lunch in the park (prepared by the cook at the residencia) and touring the museum.</div>
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<em>Below the museum is a crypt, and other remains of the city.</em></div>
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<em>Ruins of the amphitheater.</em></div>
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<em>Oil lamps from the era.</em></div>
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<em>Roman road.</em></div>
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<em>Tiled mosaic floor preserved from the Roman era. The tiles are about an inch square.</em></div>
Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-82886771080140321012013-06-30T14:37:00.002-07:002013-06-30T14:37:10.898-07:00New Deaf friends!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, half a day after I had found the book about Spain's Sign Language at the library, we met these two young Deaf ladies around the corner from our residence. We had a great visit, and they gave us the address of the school where one of them is a student. It is sort of like a technical school, as it is post-secondary. I went the next day, and met the students in the photos below. They are very patient in helping me to learn their Sign Language. </div>
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During the 11:15 - 11:45 break, they took me around the corner to a café & tapa shop. The café con leche served here is very easy to get used to and the tortilla espa<span style="font-family: Calibri;">ñola (potatoes, eggs & lots of olive oil)is just like Ben makes.</span></div>
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@ the school with one of the instructors (far right) </div>
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Sign Language Interpreter and the physical therapist </div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-75522932176468613692013-06-30T14:17:00.001-07:002013-06-30T14:17:14.076-07:00Cooking class...paella!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Honestly, we do more than eat here. However, food is just so photogenic, so excuse the lack of diversity in these posts. The director at Mester arranged for the group to go to a cooking class at a well known hotel and restaurant (once I remember the name of the place, I'll update this post). The chef cooked paella, a traditional Spanish dish with chicken, shrimp, mussel, squid, rice, peppers and many other things I can't recall, simmered in a broth. After watching him and his assistants cook the meal, we went upstairs to eat dinner that was preceded by a great parade of appetizers. The combinations sounded rather unusual (violet ice cream and duck liver), but all tasted great!</div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-72102966277705086952013-06-30T14:04:00.001-07:002013-07-01T06:48:05.991-07:00Around town...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-19445423291546339932013-06-30T13:53:00.001-07:002013-06-30T13:53:20.169-07:00@ Ayuntamiento de Salamanca...the royal welcome!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em>King Juan Carlos' portrait is a central focus in the Ayuntamiento.</em></div>
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We have had several interesting experiences this past week. On Wednesday, the group of teachers with the Mester Academy were greeted by the vice mayor at the city hall of Salamanca. This city is quite a friendly place for students wanting to learn Spanish, and they make an effort to promote it as such. Certainly, we have found Salamantinos to be very pleasant and the area is very safe. Here are a few photos taken in the official greeting room, where <em>other</em> "important" people :) are also received.</div>
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<em>Doesn't Ben look rather presidential? :) I told him to show this to his students in the fall. :)</em></div>
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<em>The view of Plaza Mayor from the balcony of the Ayuntamiento...</em></div>
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<br />Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-2573252205531920132013-06-26T05:49:00.000-07:002013-06-26T12:45:59.841-07:00Discoveries @ Casa de las Conchas in Salamanca...<div style="text-align: center;">
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This morning, while Ben was in class, I took a walk to the Public Library, which is in a historic building, The House of Shells. The following excerpt from the website link explains some details about this landmark:<br />
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<em><span style="color: #20124d;"><span class="goog_qs-tidbit goog_qs-tidbit-0"><a href="http://www.travelinginspain.com/salamanca/salamanca2.htm">http://www.travelinginspain.com/salamanca/salamanca2.htm</a> Today the Casa de la Conchas is a modern library, but it was once a palace of</span> Rodrigo Maldonado, a knight of the Santiago (Saint James) Order. The palace was built in the 1500’s. The shell that adorns the building is the emblem of the Santiago Order. </span></em></div>
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<em>The inner courtyard of the Casa de las Conchas.</em></div>
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The library staff were very helpful, and seemed to understand my Spanish enough to help me find a book that teaches LSE (Spain's Sign Language) to children. The book is very well done and features many photos of Deaf students demonstrating the vocabulary of LSE. I hope I can order a copy of this book. Below is the manual alphabet of LSE.</div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-63955070534849722662013-06-25T16:02:00.001-07:002013-06-25T16:02:58.972-07:00Salamanca: History & Tapas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have really enjoyed the last 48 hours and the directors and professors at Mester Academy have been very organized and hospitable. Yesterday, one of the professors gave us a walking tour which included explanations of some historical sites in Salamanca. This evening, she and other representatives of the school arranged a ruta de tapas, a tasting tour of tapas offered at local venues. Here are a few photos, with sparse details because it is almost past bedtime here--even for night owls!</div>
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The music of this instrumental/vocal duet echoed amidst the historic </div>
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stone buildings of Salamanca's streets. </div>
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Gabriel Guillen (teaching assistant at Mester), Dr. Robert Blake </div>
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(professor from UT, Austin) & Ben on La Ruta de Tapas. </div>
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Spanish teachers from California, Texas (native of Colombia) and Arkansas </div>
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Many restaurants and shops have these hams hanging in their windows. They have a </div>
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different flavor than Kentucky's country ham--very distinct. Wish we could bring one home, but I guess that will happen when pigs fly :). </div>
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The people who served us in each of the 4 places on our tour were very hospitable.</div>
<br />Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152748457143224152.post-32482514103586935522013-06-24T02:35:00.002-07:002013-06-24T02:39:57.157-07:00Jetlag and Dinnertime...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I believe the jetlag is working in our favor. Siesta time here is from 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm. When I say siesta time, I mean that not a creature is moving, not even the pigeons, during this time of the afternoon. The only movement on the streets of Salamanca during yesterday's siesta was caused by a group of international students arriving in town from CA, PA, MA, KY, UT, HI (and likely some other places, but I've not had a chance to meet them all yet). Upon our arrival at Aladaba <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.aldabaresidencia.com/">http://www.aldabaresidencia.com/</a>, </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">our residence for the next 2 weeks, we immediately became "locals" by taking a good nap!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a good thing we did, because I was unprepared for the length of the evening's events. Pardon my lack of experience, and skip this blog post if you are one of the people who have tried to explain to me the length and lateness of mealtime here in Spain (and other countries which I've yet to visit). I will admit that I actually doubted your description. No longer! Thankfully, according to my stomach, it was late afternoon/early evening when our meal started at 9pm. <em>(Disclaimer: Let me say the</em> <em>entire</em> <em>evening was <u>wonderful</u>, and I believe I'll adjust quite well to the mealtimes while we are here; it was just a <u>very</u> new experience!)</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We met some of the others in the Mester group in the Plaza Mayor (photo above) at 8:45 pm. Mester Academy was hosting a welcome dinner for about 40 of us at a restaurant in the plaza, Don Mauro's. </span><a href="http://www.restaurantedonmauro.es/">http://www.restaurantedonmauro.es/</a></div>
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9:00 pm Every place setting had a bread plate.The breads here are quite good and this seems to be </div>
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a country of bread eaters. So far, I've seen the bread served with olive oil.</div>
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9:20 pm: The waiters brought plates of ham. The plates were for 4 of us to share and had 5 kinds of meats, including jamon cerrano (in the center) which is the closest thing to some of Myers' Meats products that I've ever had. It is <em>muy rico</em>.</div>
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10:00 pm: The salad was probably my favorite part of the meal, although I liked everything. The salad had mixed greens (almost as good as Riverhaven lettuces :), chunks of fresh mozerella, candied walnuts, sweet pickled peppers, tomatoes, dried cranberries (or some kind of similar dried fruit), and was topped with slices of tuna. The dressing was some sort of vinaigrette.</div>
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10:45 Ham croquettes. They are about the size of hushpuppies, but very soft, cheese filled and the ham must be pureed into the cheese. <em>Outstanding</em>, but 2 of them were more than enough because they were so rich.</div>
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11:05 pm: So, after feeling like we'd had a complete meal already (hams, tuna/salad, </div>
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croquettes, bread), we had the main course. Uff-da! I will say the objects in photo are <em>much larger</em> than they appear! The lamb and homemade fries were so good, that I almost forgot I was already full! Not to worry--I cleaned my plate!</div>
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11:40 pm: <em>What?!?!</em> There's dessert?? Yes. Again, this photo makes it look petite. It wasn't. Tiramisu, gelato, cookie, dark chocolate sticks and some sort of fruit sauce garnish. Thankfully, we didn't have to chew it--the phrase "melt in your mouth" developed to describe this dessert. At this point Ben made some reference to being like cows--having 3 stomachs. :)</div>
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11:50pm: Oh yes, we'd like some coffee :). The one on the left is Ben's--café solo; mine, on the right, café con leche, is the typical way of serving coffee here. It is excellent...yes, and keeps us awake until 3:00 am. Apparently the other residents of the city drink coffee at midnight too. And it keeps them awake until 3:00 am too. They must have jetlag :). Actually, it is pretty quiet here compared to China (no fireworks on a nightly basis beneath our window).</div>
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Plaza Mayor at 12:15 am. Many more people on the street at this time compared to siesta time.</div>
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Kelly McMainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14416613820106954101noreply@blogger.com1