Tour De France - Viva Le Spain

The German AutoBahn is more exciting with speeds exceeding 180km/h and their rest rooms might include toilet seats, but the French and Spanish countryside is more beautiful to drive through.

Draw a line from Strasburg to Belceon to Bordeaux to Biarritz and you have crossed the country west to south east through ever changing countryside so lovely you’ll want to do it again. Spectacular bridges and ravines, castles and villages, verdant green valleys, white cows and well maintained roads all come together to make it thoroughly enjoyable. Take a detour off the main highways and you find yourself travelling through farmlands and tiny villages with cobbled streets, sleepy squares and gorgeous architecture – you might even find yourself driving through the grounds of a castle.

The north coast of Spain, from the border near San Sebastion west across to Gijon is nothing short of spectacular. The road is rarely straight, the tunnels are up to 1.5kms long, the bridges over ravines are spectacular and the mountains are on all sides, except for where there is a cliff side run along the ocean. The mountains to the south tower into the sky and change shape continually. The little towns are either nestled in valleys or hug the coastline. The entire stretch of coast is a feast for the eyes magnificent driving experience.

Michael

Los Chispas Part 3

On Monday it was a public holiday in Gijon, so after a sleep in and leisurely morning (necessary after talking til 1am the night before!) we went out for lunch. Lunch is the main meal and is eaten at about 2 or 3 pm. (Dinner is then eaten at about 10pm.)

We walked for about an hour, along the beachfront to the restaurant area. It was a lovely day and Gijon is a very pretty city. We stopped a few times to chat with friends, so encouraging to see the relationships Shane and Ruth have built up (and how fluently they can speak Spanish!)We found a place which had a traditional fixed meal so we ate there. (It was also next to a plaza so the boys could run around when they had finished!)

We ate a choice of two stews to start (I avoided the black pudding!)and drank sidera (the local drink, it's an alcoholic cider which is poured into the glass from a height and then downed in one go), then fish and pork chops for main and rice pudding (also a local dish) for dessert. It was a pleasant afternoon, sitting, eating, chatting and watching the boys play. After a couple of hours we wandered back.


There is a fantastic playground near their home so we stopped there for a play. Once again we met many people Shane and Ruth knew, and the boys made new friends and played on very exciting equipment! Before we knew it, it was 8pm so we headed back.




A great, relaxing, Spanish day!

Karen

Los Chispas Part 2 - reunions!

Shane, Ruth and Kye had lived with us for a week, 2 1/2 years ago, when they were on 'home assignment' from Spain. During that time Aidan and Kye hit it off. They are only 6 weeks apart in age and became firm friends!

They had a lovely reunion over the weekend. They played, had baths, watched movies, slept in the same room, chatted, and dressed up together. We loved seeing our boys together like that. We're so glad that the Sparks will be in Australia soon so the boys can continue their friendship!



I realised there had been another 'reunion' when one of my boys asked me today 'mum, did you and Ruth stop talking all weekend?' And the answer is, maybe not! (except when we were asleep!) It was lovely to catch up on news, and discuss everything from parenting to books we've read to mutual friends to issues we're thinking through to challenges we've both had and much more! It was a real joy to do so and to pray together also. Ruth is so honest and has a transparent love for Jesus, it was refreshing to chat with her.


Of course, Michael and Shane caught up too... but I'm not sure what they talked about... I was too busy talking and listening myself!



Karen

Hola!

Greetings from Spain! We have been in this country since Friday. We spent Friday night and Saturday in San Sebastian, then drove on Saturday afternoon to Gijon. We had three nights there then have just returned to San Sebastian for the night (it's now Tuesday).

San Sebastian is a gorgeous town on the northern coast of Spain. On Saturday we walked along the promenade, ate ice cream, went to the market in the town square and played on the beach. Tomorrow we plan to climb up a headland to look back over the town. It has a classic, Spanish feel - just lovely. (all photos are in San Sebastian)

Karen