Radio Show Star!

Our very own Melissa Jones has been asked to be on Vaughan Town Radio Friday at 12:00(spanish time). If you want to get up and listen in go to www.vaughanradio.com or vaughantown.com. We have been told you can listen via the internet.

Vaughan Town

We are in sunny Spain at a beautiful hotel. Compared to last week we've been lucky with the weather. Lots of walks speaking English with more new Spanish friends. The big change this week besides the location is we are the only two American Anglos. There is a large number from Australia, a few from England, a couple from South Africa, and one from Ireland. Thanks to our Irish friend Shiv for letting us borrow her computer. There is one man here who is originally from Texas but has lived in Spain for many years, we've put him in his own category. These past few weeks have taught us to think about our language in a different way. A few sample questions the Spanish have asked us: Why are you at some things and in others, explain the meaning of the word get, such as get in, got out, get over it, get rid of, get down, get on, etc. etc. When we made a toast at dinner with wine they were wondering why we use that same word for toast at breakfast, we explained that one of our souvenirs purchased was leather goods and the Spanish interpreted the word as ladder instead of leather, this created a further conversation among the Spanish as why we would carry a ladder around for 6 months. "Are the ladders in America not quality?", they ask.We will let you ponder all of these, we have lots more to share but not enough time. We know you want pictures! It's been a wonderful experience. Thanks to our friend Annie for suggesting we do this, she participated last year. Adios.

Spanish Haircuts - We look super!

Avila, Spain

More photos Pueblo Ingles

Photos Pueblo Ingles

Pueblo Ingles

Hello everyone! We are in Avila, Spain. We arrived late Friday night after spending seven days at La Alberca, Spain, teaching English to Spanish business people. Our hotel was located in a tiny, tiny village that is famous for its´black ham. (we ate a lot of it) The bungalows were two bedrooms, one downstairs, one upstairs with a common space. One Spanish person lived upstairs and an Anglo (as we were called) lived downstairs. We spent seven very busy days working from 9 am until about midnight each day. We were fed very well, and wine was everywhere! There were 43 people present for the program. Our Anglo friends came from the US, Australia, England, and Canada. The Spanish people were all from Spain and from a variety of indurstries including the Guardia Civil (the military police), Goodyear, Fujitsu, and many others. We spent our days in several one on one converstations, playing games, acting out skits, and role playing conference calls and telephone sessions. The weather in La Alberca left a little to be desired. Remember how we were bragging about no rain so far? Well, as fate would have it, it rained most every day - like cats and dogs! The wind picked up on our last two days, and was quite severe. The bus ride back to Madrid was interesting as several people got motion sickness. We were dropped off in a rest area on the outskirts of Avila, and caught a taxi to town. Avila is a beautiful walled city and the narrow, windy, cobblestone streets are full of great little shops! There is a dessert called a Jema, that is some sort of an egg pastry that Julie is sure to try today. We will stay here until Sunday morning (tomorrow) - again catch a taxi back to the rest area.... where the next group run by a different company will pick us up at the same rest area. The web site for this weeks adventure is www.vaughantown.com. You can look at our accomodations for the week, they look pretty nice. We are here for seven more days and on Sunday of next week will return to Madrid for two nights before heading to Paris, France! The spanish people are beginning to decorate for Christmas. They haven´t turned on the lights yet, but we sense it´s getting close to that time. Their decorations are fabulous, even unlit so we are anxious to see them when they are turned on. We spent Thanksgiving in a very old churchy cave. Very hard to describe. It was like dining in another century and very unforgettable. The staff of Pueblo Ingles made sure it was a very special night for us, as the Spanish don´t celebrate Thanksgiving. (obviously) We will post pictures when we are able to download. We are currently at the bilioteca in Avilla, which means library and only have 30 minutes of internet access. We made many good friends both Anglo and Spanish at Pueblo Ingles. Some of them gave us ibuprofen, food, and other items we were running low on. We hope to see them again in the future and really enjoyed spending our Thanksgiving with them. For our families, we missed you and thought of you and your turkey and pumpkin pie! (we had pork and rice pudding) We wish that we could find a satellite tv to watch the civil war (football game), but we also are wishing for world peace. Not a chance. So, for now, adios amigos. We are off to see what Avila has in store for us. Oh, one last thing. We got our first haircuts today. It is interesting to explain what you want done when you don´t speak the language. We look fabulous. We will once again have very limited or no internet access until the first week of December. We promise photos then.

Arrival inSpain,Offline for a week

Hello everyone! We have arrived in Spain and will be unreachable for one to two weeks. See you soon. www.vaughanvillage.com HAPPY Thanksgiving!

Florence Food

We had a great day in Florence today. The weather turned cloudy but it was pretty warm and pleasant for walking around the city. For the second day in a row we started the day at a bakery less than a block from our hotel. The man behind the counter recognized us and we were happy to be instant locals. Pastries were warm, right out of the oven and we stood at the bar like the locals. Costs more to sit at a table, and we enjoy being in the middle of all the action. Many people think Melissa is Italian because of her dark coloring, so if we don't speak we are golden. Last night we had a great meal of pasta(of course), a liter of Chianti, bruchetta, and Italian tirimasu. The trattoria was right over the Ponte Vecchio bridge and just beyond the tourists. Fun evening. We've had wonderful food since arriving, pasta at every meal except breakfast, where we have healthy pastries. For our last night here we're heading to a local Osteria, family run and cute, cute, cute. As you can tell, we are LOVING the food. In addition to the food we've visited the sights and continue to be amazed as we learn more and more about the history. Florence is a beautiful city and we're very glad we made this detour. On Friday we head to www.vaughanvillage.com to start teaching English and we don't think we will have much access to email. If you don't hear from us for two weeks that's where we will be!

Florence Pictures - More

Florence Pictures

Buon Giorno!

We have arrrived in Italy. Florence is wonderful. Our Adriactic Sea crossing was like a scene from the movie "Titanic." The sea was very rough. Even with ear plugs in we could hear the waves crashing against the hull of the ship. Luckily neither of us got seasick, but we were sure rocked back and forth quite a bit. Good thing we are on a travel budget and with the poor folks on the lower level. It didn't rock around as much. When we awoke the next morning we were in Ancona, Italy. We caught a bus to the train station and then a 4.5 hour train to to Florence. All in all it was about a 30 hour voyage! Our hotel is Florence is located about two blocks from the Duomo- Florences Gothic Catherdral. We dined the first night on a three course dinner for 7 euros! What a deal. Today we visited the Duomo, The Uffizi Gallery (some of the greatest Italian paintings anywhere), The Ponte Vecchio (the famous bridge lined with gold and silver shops), the San Lorenzo and Central Markets (souvenirs and food). We bought some great watercolors and pasta and it is soon to be headed home via DHL. We had lunch today at Trattoria Mario's, a recommendation from a friend in St. Louis. Superb. After that we headed to the "Lavarapido" for a great time doing our laundry... then a walk along the Arno (for you crossword fans you know this one) and dinner in the Oltraro area. It's amazing to see the number of scooters in this area, everyone has one. They are parked together in large groups... quite a sight to see. You risk your life crossing the narrow streets with all of them zipping around. The shopping is really great - hand painted ceramics, great wines, and leather, leather and leather. So here's the final image, us in our leather, on our scooter ( a vespa) heading over the Arno for a bottle of Brunello and some pecorino cheese. Cin Cin.

Italy Here We Come!

Well, here we are in Split, Croatia. It's about midway up the Dalmation Coast directly across from Ancona, Italy. We are in the "Backpackers Cafe," waiting to board our night boat. After a five hour bus ride, a nine hour boat ride, and another 2-3 hour bus ride we will be in Florence, Italy. We actually went into Bosnia today on the way up the coast, making that seven countries in six weeks! We hit Italy, then teach english in Spain for two weeks before heading to Paris....then work on a winery in Southern France for two weeks... and then to Bankok, Thailand New Years' Eve. We have now purchased our plane tickets for all journeys, except the trip home. We really enjoyed Croatia. It is beautiful. We would highly recommend Dubrovnik. Now heading out for some fish soup before the big Adriatic crossing.

Relaxation

We have had 6 nights so far in our cute flat in Dubrovnik, the Pearl of the Adriatic. 2 more nights here before departing to Italy on a boat..more on that in a moment. Today the weather turned a bit and it is raining. Out came our scarves. Yesterday we were laying on the beach having a picnic lunch. The weather has been great and we have been able to spend lazy days meandering around open air markets, playing on the beach, strolling the Stradun(historic main street in Dubrovnik), eating mussels and calamari, and unwinding until we cannot unwind any more. It has been just super. Since we are vagabonds we do not plan too far ahead. Sometimes that works out and sometimes it makes things challenging. We could not figure out how to get out of this area to Madrid. If you look at a map and see where we are you will understand why when you travel off season there are limited options. Well, we are adding Italy to our list of destinations. We popped into Italy when we were in Germany. Now we are going for 3 nights. This is how we get out of our relaxing oasis...we take a 5 hour bus ride to Split, north of Dubrovnik, then we catch a boat at 9 PM, destination....Ancona, Italy. Our boat arrives at 7 AM. From there we take a bus or train for a couple hours to Florence, the heart and soul of Italy. And, home to melt in your mouth pasta and vino. We spend 3 nights there and then take a cheap flight from Milan, 3 hours north of Florence, to Madrid. No sweat. Good thing we are flexible girls!! Whew. That took a couple hours at an internet cafe. While here we made new friends. We love making new friends. The place we are staying has two apartments and we share a phenomenal terrace. Bill and Pat are from Canada and we had lots of laughs and nice chats with them. We also all went to dinner and shared huge pots of mussels and calamari and wine. When we were having our travel detail issues they helped us make our decisions with their handy map and books! They left early this morning and we were sad to see them go. They left a couple days after us from Canada and have visited many of the same places in Eastern Europe. Last night our hostess, Jadranka, invited all of us in to her house for some wine and Turkish coffee. It was so interesting listening to her speak about the war and how it affected her family. An education for us all. What is so shocking is that it was only a little over a decade ago. By the way, do not drink Turkish coffee at night, very good but very potent. If you find yourself in Dubrovnik consider staying at http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/apartments_benussi/, we have apartment number 2 and we love it!

A Personal Invitation for You!

More Pictures

Pictures of Dubrovnik and Lopud

Dubrovnik, Croatia

We have begun our love affair with Croatia - it started the minute we set foot in Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is an extraordinary place. Vast castle walls come complete with fortresses, towers, and cannons. Their is an ancient footpath along the entire old city, about 1.5 miles. The wall encircles an incredible stone built red roofed city, which juts out into the clearest, cleanest blue waters of the Adriatic. The streets are paved with time-polished marble, which looks wet even when dry. Dubrovnik has been called the "pearl of the Adriatic"and we believe it. The minimum winter temperature rarely falls below 68 degrees, the sun shines quiet a bit, and the sea stays fairly warm year round. Dubrovnik was part of the former Yugoslavia. As you know when the Soviet Union collapsed and the communist government fell Croatia claimed it's independence. A series of other events occurred and the war began in 1991. When you see our pictures you will see bright red tile roofs, most of which were bombed then and have been replaced. The Croats have done a great job of rebuilding their beautiful city and it is now a top tourist destination. We are here off season, and in fact, today we ferried over to the island of Lopud and had a beautiful white sand beach all to ourselves. The only two pitfalls we see so far, trash is not attended too, and there is a serious issue with stray and sick cats. We have actually purchased cat food and are feeding them while here. It's very sad. We are here until Sunday, and are attempting bit by bit to download our pictures. It is a difficult task as many computers are in the language of the country we are in, or they do not have the right software, or don't let you hook up your usb cord - we think we may have found a place to download tonight so this is our test run. We hope you enjoy the view!

What did you do at work yesterday?

We walked the wall of Dubrovnik and took a million pictures. Then, bought a bottle of local vino, got a couple plastic glasses smaller than dixie cups, and headed to the most beautiful place for a drink. See for yourself!

"10"

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Arrival in BEAUTIFUL Dubrovnik, Croatia

We have arrived in Dubrovnik, flew in from Zagreb and landed late last night. Couldn't see much in the dark but you could just feel the beauty. When we woke this am, it was like opening the curtains to a fairy tale city. This place has to go on your list of places to go in your lifetime. It is a must see. Old castle surrounds the city, facing the Adriatic sea, shiny cobblestone, old churches, crystal blue water, stone homes and more. We promise to spend some time in the next day or two downloading the pictures. But meanwhile, go on to www.sidestep.com and book your plane ticket over. You have got to come and see this! We have decided to stay here for 9 or 10 days. Miss all of you. We will have a glass of the good Croatian vino and salute you.

St. Martin and Snow

Hello Everyone. We awoke this morning to very pleasant sounds out of our window. The setting up of booths, and the carting in of wares. Excitement was in the air! We wandered across the street and asked the Pope (he looked like the Pope, white gown, big tall, white hat and a large ring) what was happening. (pictures are coming, so just imagine) He told us that it was the first day of the "Festival of St. Martin." Every year St. Martin helps release the next years wines. He apparently needs help with this and asks people to come and taste the wine. The Pope gave us our first glass of a nice, dry white wine and sent us over to the booth to get our glasses. At this point, we have both decided we now have a new favorite Saint. If he needs help releasing the wine then we are his women! So, over to the booth we go, get our nifty glasses. Again, imagine with us here.... they are white wine glasses in a supercool leather holder that hang around your neck. No need to use your hands to hold your glass! Our new favorite Saint is super, duper smart. We found some great import items, wooden bowls over 80 years old made from the Lipa tree. Get your checkbooks out because we bought all of them and are bringing them home. Who needs a job? The next big event of the day was the arrival of SNOW in Croatia. Yes, snow. For those of you who remember our original plans, we decided to go North to Prague instead of Croatia during week two. We outfoxed ourselves. Prague was seventy degrees, and we are wearing everything in our backpacks. Hats, scarves, gloves, and new boots included. Tomorrow we head even further south in hopes of sun in Dubrovnik. Stay tuned and let us know what the Weather Channel says. Is this normal?

Doberdan from Zagreb, Croatia

Hello everyone, we have left Slovenia and have landed in Zagreb, Croatia for two days before heading to Dubrovnik. Zagreb is a beautiful city and its sunny but cold. Since Zagreb is the capitol of Croatia its a major shopping destination. The city center is bustling with activity and just outside of our internet cafe they are preparing for an outdoor concert. We cant wait to see what it is. We will take some pictures later today and load them for you.

The Dogs of Munich

More Munich Market Photos

Munich Market Photos