Jerez de La Frontera

Posted May 22, 2022 by Joe Benning

The weekend arrived, marking the start of our second week in Spain. Since we didn’t have any classes, we took a train ride of about an hour out to Jerez de La Frontera. Jerez is the famous for its Sherry as well as its flamenco dancers and musicians. The flamenco shows tend to start late—some start in the early morning hours—so we didn’t make any of them this time around.

We did get some photos of what turned out to be a charming and beautiful town. A few are below.

A wide angle photo taken in Jerez de La Frontera

Jerez, Andalusia, Spain–May 21, 2022. A wide angle photo of an outdoor market where patrons are also dining in Jerez, Spain.

Jerez, Andalusia, Spain–May 21, 2022. A wide angle photo looking down a curved side street in Jerez, Spain.

JFB

Sevilla, Spain

Posted May 18, 2022 by Joe Benning

! Hola !

We made it and we are now settling in to our flat in Seville, where we will spend the next 6 weeks. We are in a (Spanish) language immersion program. Mary Anne is in the advanced class. Needless to say I am not. I am in the class with the other hopeless specimens.

But all is not lost. I learned how to order both red and white wine (vino tinto y vino blanco). So far so good.

Our 2 bedroom flat is in the old town section and is quite comfortable. That said there is a soccer match between Glasgow and Frankfurt scheduled for tonight and the place is teeming with fans. We are hoping to avoid a round of football hooliganism. We’ll see.

The city is very charming. I included a few photos taken in the neighborhood where we are staying. More on the way as we get settled in and get more familiar with the city.

Joe

Photo of a park with Jacaranda Trees, known for thier purple flowers

Seville, Spain– May 16, 2022. Patrons dining outdoors at El Paseillo Restaurant in Seville.

Seville, Spain — MaY 15, 2022. A wide angle shot of the Seville Cathedral and the town square on a spring day.

On the Road Again–New Mexico

Posted May 12, 2022 by Joe Benning

We are finally getting back on the road. We recently gave Road Scholar a test spin with a trip to New Mexico. Our group leader, Scott Aarestad, whose photo is included below, did a great job of showing our group around—with the sites ranging from places in the city of Albuquerque to Taos to Los Alamos to hikes in Bandelier Monument. Bandelier is closed for the time being due to the horrific forest fires that are now raging in New Mexico.

Anyway, a couple of photos from our trip, including one of our terrific group leader are below. We will post more photos in the coming weeks. In the meantime we are leaving this afternoon for an extended trip to Seville, Spain. After we settle in, expect photos and comments on that trip.

See you later.

JFB