To all my loyal subscribers, (all eight of you)
I know I kind of let this blog die over the last few months, but over the coming days I'm going to bring it back up to speed and catch you all up on what I've been doing this summer. Then I'm going to make a new blog about living in my new home, Jerez de la Frontera. So check back often, as I'm going to zip through a whole summer maybe a dozen or so posts. Hasta luego!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Carnaval de Chipiona
After Aleksis and company dropped me off at the Jerez bus station, they took off for Madrid to return the car. I can't say I was envious of the idea of a six and a half hour drive into the center of Spain, but they had to do it. I bought a ticket for the next bus to Chipiona and met Rocio at the bus station there.
It was a beautifully sunny day in Chipiona so we went to the beach for a bit, but then the clouds rolled in after a while and it was a bit chilly. We decided to leave the beach and go grab a coffee in town before going back to Rocio's house to relax.
That night we went for dinner with Rocio's friends in Jerez de la Frontera at a sushi place near the train station. It was pretty good, but a bit overpriced to this California boy. A few of the Spaniards wouldn't eat what they ordered because they didn't like it, but then again Spaniards are generally super picky about the food they eat.
After the dinner we headed back into Chipiona to watch the comparsas and chirigotas in one of the town squares. Comparsas are singing groups that wear costumes. They're judged on their singing ability, so they sing beautifully. Chirigotas are similar, but they're judged on how entertaining they are, so most of the songs are comedic. They poke fun at everything going on in Spain in the last year, and nobody is safe. Every year Chipiona has a few groups that didn't qualify for the finals come up from Cadiz to compete in Chipiona. These groups are generally more experienced and better than the groups from Chipiona, but Chipiona has a couple good groups too. The festivities for the night ended around 1 or 2 a.m. so we went straight to bed after.
Chirigota in Chipiona
Comparsa in Chipiona
Rocio left the next day, but I stayed in Chipiona for the weekend. The next night there were more chirigotas and comparsas. It wasn't until Thursday though that the party really started. Everyone headed out with their beverage of choice to the same plaza with costumes on for a long night of partying in the streets. With drums. In Chipiona lots of people bring drums and bang them all night long so that there is music (sort of). The racket was kind of embarrassing, and I felt bad for the people living nearby. I imagine they just go on vacation that weekend, since they won't sleep at home.
I went out again the next night with Rocio's friends and there were more people who didn't let a little rain stop them. They just jammed themselves under the big tent and continued on partying.
Looking back, I think Carnival in Chipiona was more fun than in Cadiz, but Cadiz was something that I needed to see at least once.
It was a beautifully sunny day in Chipiona so we went to the beach for a bit, but then the clouds rolled in after a while and it was a bit chilly. We decided to leave the beach and go grab a coffee in town before going back to Rocio's house to relax.
That night we went for dinner with Rocio's friends in Jerez de la Frontera at a sushi place near the train station. It was pretty good, but a bit overpriced to this California boy. A few of the Spaniards wouldn't eat what they ordered because they didn't like it, but then again Spaniards are generally super picky about the food they eat.
After the dinner we headed back into Chipiona to watch the comparsas and chirigotas in one of the town squares. Comparsas are singing groups that wear costumes. They're judged on their singing ability, so they sing beautifully. Chirigotas are similar, but they're judged on how entertaining they are, so most of the songs are comedic. They poke fun at everything going on in Spain in the last year, and nobody is safe. Every year Chipiona has a few groups that didn't qualify for the finals come up from Cadiz to compete in Chipiona. These groups are generally more experienced and better than the groups from Chipiona, but Chipiona has a couple good groups too. The festivities for the night ended around 1 or 2 a.m. so we went straight to bed after.
Chirigota in Chipiona
Comparsa in Chipiona
Rocio left the next day, but I stayed in Chipiona for the weekend. The next night there were more chirigotas and comparsas. It wasn't until Thursday though that the party really started. Everyone headed out with their beverage of choice to the same plaza with costumes on for a long night of partying in the streets. With drums. In Chipiona lots of people bring drums and bang them all night long so that there is music (sort of). The racket was kind of embarrassing, and I felt bad for the people living nearby. I imagine they just go on vacation that weekend, since they won't sleep at home.
I went out again the next night with Rocio's friends and there were more people who didn't let a little rain stop them. They just jammed themselves under the big tent and continued on partying.
Looking back, I think Carnival in Chipiona was more fun than in Cadiz, but Cadiz was something that I needed to see at least once.
Friday, March 11, 2011
After Cadiz: Down The Coast To Tarifa
After we left the chaos and noise of Carnaval de Cadiz, we hopped back in the car and headed south towards Tarifa, the southernmost point on the Iberian peninsula. On the way to Tarifa we stopped in a beautiful little beachside village called Los Caños de Meca. We parked the car and walked out onto the beach for a bit of rest from driving. The beach was really beautiful and we took a bunch of photos before getting back into the car to finish the drive south. Just before we reached Tarifa we stopped again near a cliff in a forest that overlooked the town of Zahara de los Atunes. We walked down a trail towards the beach and found an old World War II turret bunker overlooking the water. It was in pretty good shape, and we could go into it, but it looked disgusting inside so we didn't go in. Tarifa is a really, really windy town. Windsurfing and kitesurfing shops line the main drag since so many people go there to catch waves.
Painted rowboat on the beach in Los Caños de Meca
World War II bunker overlooking the water near Zahara de Los Atunes
We checked into the hotel and took a much needed nap. After our nap we took a stroll through the old part of town to the port where a huge ferry that travels between Tarifa and Tangier, Morocco was docked. From Tarifa, Africa is only 8 km across the strait of Gibraltar, close enough to see. We took a bunch of photos of the water with Africa in the background. Afterward we walked back into town to sit in a cafe near a nice church and have coffee and tapas. The tapas were really good, one that everyone liked was squid fried in it's ink. Different. We decided since there wasn't really much nightlife in Tarifa we would call it an early night.
Puerta de Jerez in Tarifa
The ferry to Tangier
Cadiz by day
In the morning we headed back north to Cadiz to see the town during the day since the three people I was with hadn't seen Cadiz before Carnaval. It was the second day after Carnaval and people were still sweeping up. The streets smelled like bleach, which was probably a good idea after the huge party with no bathrooms. We took a couple hours to check out the town and walk around the perimeter of the old port town. We went to some of the cooler parts of the city I could remember and again we took a bunch of photos before heading back to the car.
Angela and Eric had to get the rental car back to Madrid that day, so they dropped me off at the bus station in Jerez de la Frontera where I could catch a bus to Chipiona to spend the second weekend of Carnaval.
Painted rowboat on the beach in Los Caños de Meca
World War II bunker overlooking the water near Zahara de Los Atunes
We checked into the hotel and took a much needed nap. After our nap we took a stroll through the old part of town to the port where a huge ferry that travels between Tarifa and Tangier, Morocco was docked. From Tarifa, Africa is only 8 km across the strait of Gibraltar, close enough to see. We took a bunch of photos of the water with Africa in the background. Afterward we walked back into town to sit in a cafe near a nice church and have coffee and tapas. The tapas were really good, one that everyone liked was squid fried in it's ink. Different. We decided since there wasn't really much nightlife in Tarifa we would call it an early night.
Puerta de Jerez in Tarifa
The ferry to Tangier
Cadiz by day
In the morning we headed back north to Cadiz to see the town during the day since the three people I was with hadn't seen Cadiz before Carnaval. It was the second day after Carnaval and people were still sweeping up. The streets smelled like bleach, which was probably a good idea after the huge party with no bathrooms. We took a couple hours to check out the town and walk around the perimeter of the old port town. We went to some of the cooler parts of the city I could remember and again we took a bunch of photos before heading back to the car.
Angela and Eric had to get the rental car back to Madrid that day, so they dropped me off at the bus station in Jerez de la Frontera where I could catch a bus to Chipiona to spend the second weekend of Carnaval.
Carnaval de Cadiz!
In February we had two days for vacation for Carnaval. Since they were a Monday and a Tuesday, I asked my school for the other two days off. No sense in coming back to Don Benito for two days when I can instead make my vacation five days longer right?
My friend Aleksis, his girlfriend Angela, his friend Eric living in Madrid, Aleksis' hedgehog and I rented a car and headed down to Cadiz for the festivities. We were a little late since Angela and Eric had to rent the car in Madrid in the morning and drive down to Don Benito to pick us up. We didn't leave Don Benito until around 5 pm and arrived in Cadiz around 9. Finally we were here and I was ready to run out of the parking garage in El Puerto de Santa Maria. Then Aleksis told me they still had to make their costumes. Ugh. An hour later we finally set off to find a bite to eat and catch the train into Cadiz. We didn't even attempt to park in Cadiz and I'm glad we didn't.
The train station from El Puerto started filling up fast with people in costumes and being a mostly Spanish crowd, they started drinking right there on the platform. The train was pretty packed heading into Cadiz and it was pretty weird being on a train with people in costumes.
The group in our costumes, I was an old man.
Walking out of the train station and into downtown Cadiz was surreal. So many people in costumes and so many things to look at. By 10 or so people were already getting pretty rambunctious and the party was just getting started. It was really easy to get lost among the crowd but luckily Aleksis and his friend were both taller than 6'5". We wandered around Cadiz making friends and memories until well past six in the morning and then headed back to the train station.
The scene in just one of Cadiz's plazas during Carnaval
Before we left I decided to stay with a different ground of friends that I knew from Caceres since the guys I came with were cold by the ocean wall in their basketball jerseys. I couldn't find my way back to the plaza where they were waiting for the life of me, so they told me to meet them at the train station. I followed the pack to the station, but somehow went left when I should have went right and was isolated from the train station by the wall around the train tracks. I decided to just keep walking instead of backtrack 20 minutes. I ended up walking so far that I got to the next station and caught the train there. Everything worked out in the end, but man that walk was long.
We headed back to the car in the parking garage and decided to sleep for a few hours before we headed south. We didn't have accomodations in Cadiz because everything was booked well beforehand. After a short nap we headed out in search of food in El Puerto. Walking around in Spain is always a treat and El Puerto is no exception. We stumbled upon a beautiful old church with a cool plaza next to it. The Spanish did it right.
An old church in El Puerto de Santa Maria
Plaza in El Puerto de Santa Maria
After food we started up the car and headed south down the coast towards Tarifa...
My friend Aleksis, his girlfriend Angela, his friend Eric living in Madrid, Aleksis' hedgehog and I rented a car and headed down to Cadiz for the festivities. We were a little late since Angela and Eric had to rent the car in Madrid in the morning and drive down to Don Benito to pick us up. We didn't leave Don Benito until around 5 pm and arrived in Cadiz around 9. Finally we were here and I was ready to run out of the parking garage in El Puerto de Santa Maria. Then Aleksis told me they still had to make their costumes. Ugh. An hour later we finally set off to find a bite to eat and catch the train into Cadiz. We didn't even attempt to park in Cadiz and I'm glad we didn't.
The train station from El Puerto started filling up fast with people in costumes and being a mostly Spanish crowd, they started drinking right there on the platform. The train was pretty packed heading into Cadiz and it was pretty weird being on a train with people in costumes.
The group in our costumes, I was an old man.
Walking out of the train station and into downtown Cadiz was surreal. So many people in costumes and so many things to look at. By 10 or so people were already getting pretty rambunctious and the party was just getting started. It was really easy to get lost among the crowd but luckily Aleksis and his friend were both taller than 6'5". We wandered around Cadiz making friends and memories until well past six in the morning and then headed back to the train station.
The scene in just one of Cadiz's plazas during Carnaval
Before we left I decided to stay with a different ground of friends that I knew from Caceres since the guys I came with were cold by the ocean wall in their basketball jerseys. I couldn't find my way back to the plaza where they were waiting for the life of me, so they told me to meet them at the train station. I followed the pack to the station, but somehow went left when I should have went right and was isolated from the train station by the wall around the train tracks. I decided to just keep walking instead of backtrack 20 minutes. I ended up walking so far that I got to the next station and caught the train there. Everything worked out in the end, but man that walk was long.
We headed back to the car in the parking garage and decided to sleep for a few hours before we headed south. We didn't have accomodations in Cadiz because everything was booked well beforehand. After a short nap we headed out in search of food in El Puerto. Walking around in Spain is always a treat and El Puerto is no exception. We stumbled upon a beautiful old church with a cool plaza next to it. The Spanish did it right.
An old church in El Puerto de Santa Maria
Plaza in El Puerto de Santa Maria
After food we started up the car and headed south down the coast towards Tarifa...
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Padel
While here in Spain, I've found my new second favorite sport. It's called Padel and it's like pickle ball, but there are walls surrounding the court. It is played with a small paddle raquet and the ball is a tennis ball with the some of the pressure taken out so it doesn't bounce as much. It's amazingly fun and best played as a doubles game so it's social too.
I started playing with one of the teachers at my school against Aleksis and one of the teachers at his school. Since the first time we played a few months ago we've gone back a couple times and it's always been fun.
Check out what the court looks like. Dad see if they have paddle in Florida its way better than pickle ball!
I started playing with one of the teachers at my school against Aleksis and one of the teachers at his school. Since the first time we played a few months ago we've gone back a couple times and it's always been fun.
Check out what the court looks like. Dad see if they have paddle in Florida its way better than pickle ball!
A Weekend in Cordoba
One weekend last month me and a few friends decided to rent a car and set off for Cordoba, three hours to the southeast. We left Don Benito around 1 and headed to the gas station to fill up. My friend Aleksis filled up the car with 40 euros of gas and I noticed he left the fuel door open when he went inside to pay. I went to close it and noticed it said diesel on it. I looked up at the pump beside me and groaned when I saw "Gasolina" which means regular. We had to tell the gas station attendant and he brought out a pump to siphon back out the gas we put in. It took about half an hour to get it all out and then we still had to fill up the tank again. The gas that came out of the car was just wasted since it was a mixture of diesel and regular.
After that fiasco we got on the road. The drive between Don Benito and Cordoba is a beautiful stretch of highways with lush landscape and breathtaking views. When we arrived in Cordoba it was raining but we didn't want to waste the Friday afternoon since we had to return the car early on Sunday back in Don Benito. We headed to the alcazar and walked around a bit. The rain really ruined the experience though since it was mostly outdoor gardens. We would come back Sunday, get in for free, and see the place in the sunshine, but we didn't know that at the time.
Friday night we wanted to head out and see the nightlife in Cordoba. For some reason it was absolutely dead that night and we ended up going to a bingo hall for a few minutes before settling into a smaller bar to relax. Don Benito has better nightlife than Cordoba, or at least it did that night.
We all made a pact to get up early on Saturday so we could get into the Mezquita for free. They started charged after 10am. We all stumbled out of bed and made our way across the Jewish Quarter to the Mezquita. The place is simply amazing. A cavernous room of Moorish marble columns and arches with a Catholic cathedral smack dab in the middle. Apart they would both be beautiful, but together they just seem sort of odd. I prefer to think of the two parts at separate buildings so I don't get too upset at the audacity the Catholic church once had to put a Cathedral inside a Unesco Heritage Site.
Saturday night we went to eat at a restaurant in the Jewish Quarter to try the flamenquin, a typical Cordobes dish of pork wrapped in ham and deep fried. All five of us thought it was disgusting and sent it back. I think the meat was spoiled. We headed back the hostel, but first we stopped by the bar across the street to check out the flamenco show they were putting on. It was fantastic and the main girl was radiant in her red dress.
Cordoba ended up being a nice weekend trip, and the Mezquita was magnificent, but I wouldn't imagine going back anytime soon.
Uploading photos is becoming a pain, so instead I'm just going to link my Facebook album...
After that fiasco we got on the road. The drive between Don Benito and Cordoba is a beautiful stretch of highways with lush landscape and breathtaking views. When we arrived in Cordoba it was raining but we didn't want to waste the Friday afternoon since we had to return the car early on Sunday back in Don Benito. We headed to the alcazar and walked around a bit. The rain really ruined the experience though since it was mostly outdoor gardens. We would come back Sunday, get in for free, and see the place in the sunshine, but we didn't know that at the time.
Friday night we wanted to head out and see the nightlife in Cordoba. For some reason it was absolutely dead that night and we ended up going to a bingo hall for a few minutes before settling into a smaller bar to relax. Don Benito has better nightlife than Cordoba, or at least it did that night.
We all made a pact to get up early on Saturday so we could get into the Mezquita for free. They started charged after 10am. We all stumbled out of bed and made our way across the Jewish Quarter to the Mezquita. The place is simply amazing. A cavernous room of Moorish marble columns and arches with a Catholic cathedral smack dab in the middle. Apart they would both be beautiful, but together they just seem sort of odd. I prefer to think of the two parts at separate buildings so I don't get too upset at the audacity the Catholic church once had to put a Cathedral inside a Unesco Heritage Site.
Saturday night we went to eat at a restaurant in the Jewish Quarter to try the flamenquin, a typical Cordobes dish of pork wrapped in ham and deep fried. All five of us thought it was disgusting and sent it back. I think the meat was spoiled. We headed back the hostel, but first we stopped by the bar across the street to check out the flamenco show they were putting on. It was fantastic and the main girl was radiant in her red dress.
Cordoba ended up being a nice weekend trip, and the Mezquita was magnificent, but I wouldn't imagine going back anytime soon.
Uploading photos is becoming a pain, so instead I'm just going to link my Facebook album...
Monday, January 10, 2011
Spain: Magi King Parades and January Sales
After I returned back to Don Benito from Chipiona for New Years, I still had five or six days left of christmas vacation to enjoy. Plus, for the Spaniards Christmas doesn't end until January 6th. That's when the three Magi kings bring all the good little Spanish children gifts. They are really lucky because Santa Claus brings them something and then a fortnight later they get even more gifts. I talked with all my students about what gifts they received and they got mostly clothes, money, and a videogame system. Some of them only got money though which was interesting.
On the night of the 6th there was a parade all through Don Benito with themed floats. The themes varied, Toy Story, Cinderella etc. In total there was about fifteen and the whole town showed up to see them slowly make their way down the avenida. The best thing for me was that they were tossing candy at the bystanders so everyone was scrambling to pick up the candy off of the sidewalk. Some people even brought umbrellas to catch the candy with. My favorite float was the techno dragon that some of my students were on. Pretty creative.
One of the Magi kings throwing candy to onlookers with his helpers
Cinderella
After the parade went by us we decided to try a 'caña tour'. The cafes here all give you something to munch on when you order a drink and some of the food is quite good. This one bar on the plaza gives you fried chicken wings or calamari. The first two cafes we went to gave us chips, and the third gave us peanuts. We didn't start off very well, but finally struck gold with El Diamante where they gave us some sort of green bean casserole. It was so good we stayed for another caña. Each time you order a round they give you something different usually. We finished the tour at the plaza where we sampled the calamari at La Candela.
The day after "Reyes" is the official start to rebajas (sales) season. Every store participates and the discounts can be pretty steep. The stores started with smaller discounts like 20% off and then in February they kicked it up a notch and now have some pretty nice bargains. Rebajas will go on until the end of February and then prices will go back to normal, until August when they have the summer sales.
Another thing that changed with the new year is the law regarding smoking indoors. Before January 2nd, 2011, people could smoke in bars, clubs, restaurants etc. But now they have to go outside and it is so much better. At first it was kind of quaint and different that they smoke inside here, but after a few times out I just wanted to come home without smelling like an ashtray and with my eyes burning. I used to stay away from certain places because the ventilation was so bad, but now it doesn't matter. A lot of Spaniards complained about losing their 'rights' to smoke indoors, but what's more important, the right to smoke inside, or the right to breathe fresh air? It's not as if this is Siberia, going outside isn't that big of a deal.
On the night of the 6th there was a parade all through Don Benito with themed floats. The themes varied, Toy Story, Cinderella etc. In total there was about fifteen and the whole town showed up to see them slowly make their way down the avenida. The best thing for me was that they were tossing candy at the bystanders so everyone was scrambling to pick up the candy off of the sidewalk. Some people even brought umbrellas to catch the candy with. My favorite float was the techno dragon that some of my students were on. Pretty creative.
One of the Magi kings throwing candy to onlookers with his helpers
Cinderella
After the parade went by us we decided to try a 'caña tour'. The cafes here all give you something to munch on when you order a drink and some of the food is quite good. This one bar on the plaza gives you fried chicken wings or calamari. The first two cafes we went to gave us chips, and the third gave us peanuts. We didn't start off very well, but finally struck gold with El Diamante where they gave us some sort of green bean casserole. It was so good we stayed for another caña. Each time you order a round they give you something different usually. We finished the tour at the plaza where we sampled the calamari at La Candela.
The day after "Reyes" is the official start to rebajas (sales) season. Every store participates and the discounts can be pretty steep. The stores started with smaller discounts like 20% off and then in February they kicked it up a notch and now have some pretty nice bargains. Rebajas will go on until the end of February and then prices will go back to normal, until August when they have the summer sales.
Another thing that changed with the new year is the law regarding smoking indoors. Before January 2nd, 2011, people could smoke in bars, clubs, restaurants etc. But now they have to go outside and it is so much better. At first it was kind of quaint and different that they smoke inside here, but after a few times out I just wanted to come home without smelling like an ashtray and with my eyes burning. I used to stay away from certain places because the ventilation was so bad, but now it doesn't matter. A lot of Spaniards complained about losing their 'rights' to smoke indoors, but what's more important, the right to smoke inside, or the right to breathe fresh air? It's not as if this is Siberia, going outside isn't that big of a deal.
New years eve in chipiona
For New Years Eve I went down south to Chipiona to see some friends from the last couple times I came to Spain. I haven't been down there since the first weekend of October so I figured it was time to return and New Years Eve is a great holiday to spend with friends. I took the train from Don Benito to Sevilla and arrived around noon. Then met my friend Margari there who just happened to be driving to Chipiona around the same time I arrived. Sevilla was beautiful as always and much warmer than Extremadura.
Margari dropped me off at Rocio's parents' store just as they were closing up for the weekend. Rocio's dad took me for 'una tapita' at a new restaurant/bar that I really liked near the lighthouse and then to another bar across from Rosa's store. I took the opportunity to surprise her that I was there and we chatted for a few minutes before I had to leave.
Fast forward a few hours and another friend Jennie picks me up at Rocio's parents' house around 11:30. We head back to her house to watch the New Years Eve special on tv and do the 12 grapes. Each time the bell tolls after midnight you are supposed to eat a grape for good luck. You are supposed to be done with them just after the twelfth toll. It took me about 4 minutes due to all the seeds and the skin. Seedless grapes are really underrated.
After we watched the action from Puerta del Sol in Madrid we headed out to the clubs. Everyone was out and lots of people were wearing tuxedos. I was really surprised by that but Jennie told me it's something the young kids do. We stayed out until breakfast, which some old guy paid for, and then I took a glorious nap after the long night out.
On new years day I went with Jennie and Carolina to Sanlucar de Barrameda to eat at McDonalds. It's really different here, they have sandwiches called the CBO (chicken bacon onion) and the NYCrispy. Same monopoly game, but all the streets are streets in Madrid.
Chipiona is really different in winter. It's not packed with tourists and it seems half empty. The town is really just chill and people seem to be enjoying their downtime. Come July the place will be buzzing with beachgoers. See you soon in March Chipiona...
12 grapes ready to be not eaten in 12 seconds
friends
Margari dropped me off at Rocio's parents' store just as they were closing up for the weekend. Rocio's dad took me for 'una tapita' at a new restaurant/bar that I really liked near the lighthouse and then to another bar across from Rosa's store. I took the opportunity to surprise her that I was there and we chatted for a few minutes before I had to leave.
Fast forward a few hours and another friend Jennie picks me up at Rocio's parents' house around 11:30. We head back to her house to watch the New Years Eve special on tv and do the 12 grapes. Each time the bell tolls after midnight you are supposed to eat a grape for good luck. You are supposed to be done with them just after the twelfth toll. It took me about 4 minutes due to all the seeds and the skin. Seedless grapes are really underrated.
After we watched the action from Puerta del Sol in Madrid we headed out to the clubs. Everyone was out and lots of people were wearing tuxedos. I was really surprised by that but Jennie told me it's something the young kids do. We stayed out until breakfast, which some old guy paid for, and then I took a glorious nap after the long night out.
On new years day I went with Jennie and Carolina to Sanlucar de Barrameda to eat at McDonalds. It's really different here, they have sandwiches called the CBO (chicken bacon onion) and the NYCrispy. Same monopoly game, but all the streets are streets in Madrid.
Chipiona is really different in winter. It's not packed with tourists and it seems half empty. The town is really just chill and people seem to be enjoying their downtime. Come July the place will be buzzing with beachgoers. See you soon in March Chipiona...
12 grapes ready to be not eaten in 12 seconds
friends
Spain: Roman Ruins and The Three Kings
After Christmas I went to Merida, a city 50km away and the capital of Extremadura, with my friend Joe to check out the sights and do a little tourism on the cheap. The train ride there and back only cost 6.50 and took about 45 minutes. We went to the see the Roman ruins and they were spectacular. We also went to eat in the beautiful plaza in the center of Merida.
In the plaza kids were lining up to tell one of the three kings what they want for Christmas. Santa Claus isn't big here, but the kids ask the Magi kings for gifts instead.
Enjoy the pictures!
In front of the Roman bridge in Merida
Los Reyes Magos in Merida
In the plaza kids were lining up to tell one of the three kings what they want for Christmas. Santa Claus isn't big here, but the kids ask the Magi kings for gifts instead.
Enjoy the pictures!
In front of the Roman bridge in Merida
Los Reyes Magos in Merida
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