Today is our last day in Seville and also marks exactly one month before our return to the US.

We saw a very good flamenco performance last night. Only one of two that was totally local and not aimed at tourists. Two guitars , cajon and a group of 6-10   family members who took turns singing songs with no micophones in a pretty large space (a bodega= bar). Enthusiastic local crowd.

We haven’t written for almost a month – sorry about that. It is mostly laziness and a little bit of blame on our internet access. I’ll  summarize the past month in this post  and follow up with some more pictures later.

First we spent two week in Granada. We again took Spanish lessons with Don Quijote and stayed with a host family. “Aunty” Lina (Short for Catalina) took great care of us. Our classes were in the mornings, so we would have breakfast at 8: tostadas con tomate  – Toast spread with freshly grated tomatoes with olive oil. Lina’s apartment was in a great location near river and only a 20 minute walk to the school which was in the center of town.  After class we would come back for lunch (Spanish eat lunch around 2-2:30). We’d eat with Lina, Amanda (another Spanish home stay student) and other family members that would show up for lunch that day  (her sons, granddaughter). Lina is from

Argentina, but has lived in Granada for 40 years. We loved her gazpacho, lentil soup, fried calamari among other things she cooked.

After lunch we would usually nap and/or do some homework and at 7pm usually head back to the school for an optional culture class. These were exceptional; we had lectures on the Alhambra, the Spanish 2^nd republic, cooking, the Spanish Press and a stroll through Granada.

After class we would go for walks around town and tapear (eat tapas).  Granada is one of the few places in Spain that you still get a free tapa for every drink you order. Tapas were originally given as an extra (either to cover the drink and/or make sure you did not drink on an empty stomach). We liked walking through Albaicin – the old Muslim neighborhood.

The snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountain range hovers over Granada and was our first stop after renting a car for a week. We stayed in Capileira for a couple of days, one of the white villages, and did some hiking. After that we stopped for a day in Malaga and visited the Picasso Museum that celebrates Malaga’s most famous son. We then spent 3 days in Ronda which is very picturesque – sits on a tall cliff and is connected to the other side of the steep carved river by a 390ft  tall bridge. In that area we also did a short hike, visited some more white villages and a winery and tapeared some more 😉

We are now in our second week in Seville – which is as wonderful as everyone says it is. Beautiful city, easy walking, good food…. Our apartment is the central district – easy walking everywhere. Only downside is internet in the apt is not good (we have been spoiled….). We are both taking private Spanish lessons and typically staying at home during the heat of the day. It has only reached 36 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) – and they say we are lucky it can be in the 40’s.

We emerge from the house after 8pm to stroll/eat or see some music. We’ve been a couple of times at a summer music series in the gardens of the royal alcazar (palace) which have been great.