Travelling with the family in Seville and Granada
We arrived late at night in Seville and it was noticeably warmer than the North of Spain, but we didn't feel the full effects until the next day in the sun (actually we were lucky and it only hit about 38 C)
We went to see the major sites of the city, the Plaza de Toros (a bull ring), a tour of the Cathedral and finally the Alcazar (an arabic palace). We saw some Flamenco dancing and I made good use of my new fan.
My sisters commented that they felt as though they were on the Amazing race as we went around from site to site. My mom was all about the souvenir shops and my Dad always wanted to try a new cerveza.
We got on the train to spend one night in Granada and to visit the Alhambra.
Now I am in Hull in England at my step aunt's house and I have only a few days left in Europe.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Travelling with my parents and sisters in Galicia
The visit got off to a rocky start, literally as we got on the little train next to Cathedral to tour the city of Santiago. First the commentary was given by a guide reading the names off the buildings as we drove past them and then the English ' translation' would be given about a block or two late. Then while sitting in small train cars that were glassed in you would think that you were going to pass out from the greenhouse effect and then you were nearly jolted out of your seat by a sharp turn on the cobblestone streets. I was very grateful for the 5 € tour to be over.
The next day we went to explore Finisterre and to see the coast, or at least what was visible through the thick fog. At the 'end of the world,' the lighthouse visit was nearly deafening with the foghorn blasts, but on our walk back to town over the mountain things started to clear.
The regional food sampling was somewhat appreciated, but I think after the pig's ears that Maggie has turned vegetarian. We were in luck to see two Charanga bands, fireworks and then the opening concert all for the beginning of celebrations for St. James the Apostle.
The best part of the visit was the rooftop tour of the Cathedral and then when we came down we saw the Bota fumeiro swinging over the crowds at the 11am mass.
We then took the bus to La Coruna for a tram tour, swim at the beach and to catch our flight to Seville.
The visit got off to a rocky start, literally as we got on the little train next to Cathedral to tour the city of Santiago. First the commentary was given by a guide reading the names off the buildings as we drove past them and then the English ' translation' would be given about a block or two late. Then while sitting in small train cars that were glassed in you would think that you were going to pass out from the greenhouse effect and then you were nearly jolted out of your seat by a sharp turn on the cobblestone streets. I was very grateful for the 5 € tour to be over.
The next day we went to explore Finisterre and to see the coast, or at least what was visible through the thick fog. At the 'end of the world,' the lighthouse visit was nearly deafening with the foghorn blasts, but on our walk back to town over the mountain things started to clear.
The regional food sampling was somewhat appreciated, but I think after the pig's ears that Maggie has turned vegetarian. We were in luck to see two Charanga bands, fireworks and then the opening concert all for the beginning of celebrations for St. James the Apostle.
The best part of the visit was the rooftop tour of the Cathedral and then when we came down we saw the Bota fumeiro swinging over the crowds at the 11am mass.
We then took the bus to La Coruna for a tram tour, swim at the beach and to catch our flight to Seville.
Experiencing Taizé in France (July 2nd-July 9th)
Having heard a lot about the community of Taizé www.taize.fr I decided while in France it was time for me to go and visit it so I took the train from Caen to Macon and then a bus to the town. I went to spend a week with the brothers and about 2000 other young people from all around the world. Each day we were invited to join in the morning, midday and evening prayers and small bible study groups. We slept in cabins or barracks, lined up at meal time for a tray on which our food was placed and helped with a small task. Most of the time we sat on the ground and spoke in English to try and communicate through the many languages that were spoken.
It took me a while to adjust to the new community life having arrived a day late and being on my own. On my first morning I was with the 10:00am cleaning team and after a motivational song of ' Let me clean' adapted to tune of ' Let it be' I was off to change garbage bags with a group of Swedish boys. They spoke a bit of English, but their gagging noises said a lot. The week was quite rainy and it wasn't until Thursday that I learned there were about 30 other Canadians there when we had a Q&A session with Brother Emil.
My favourite part were the forums in the late afternoon and for the last two days of my stay I chose to be in silence to focus more on prayer. I was not very good at staying silent, but let's just say I was silent most of the time. On the Sunday night a few friends from Spain arrived and it was a nice reunion.
Having heard a lot about the community of Taizé www.taize.fr I decided while in France it was time for me to go and visit it so I took the train from Caen to Macon and then a bus to the town. I went to spend a week with the brothers and about 2000 other young people from all around the world. Each day we were invited to join in the morning, midday and evening prayers and small bible study groups. We slept in cabins or barracks, lined up at meal time for a tray on which our food was placed and helped with a small task. Most of the time we sat on the ground and spoke in English to try and communicate through the many languages that were spoken.
It took me a while to adjust to the new community life having arrived a day late and being on my own. On my first morning I was with the 10:00am cleaning team and after a motivational song of ' Let me clean' adapted to tune of ' Let it be' I was off to change garbage bags with a group of Swedish boys. They spoke a bit of English, but their gagging noises said a lot. The week was quite rainy and it wasn't until Thursday that I learned there were about 30 other Canadians there when we had a Q&A session with Brother Emil.
My favourite part were the forums in the late afternoon and for the last two days of my stay I chose to be in silence to focus more on prayer. I was not very good at staying silent, but let's just say I was silent most of the time. On the Sunday night a few friends from Spain arrived and it was a nice reunion.
Return to Normandy (June 28-July 2nd)
The small town of Courseulles-sur-Mer is a very special place to me, not only because it is part of the beach where the Canadians landed on D-day, but because I met a lot of wonderful people there during the nine months I lived and worked there in 2003. When I first arrived there in the Juno Beach Centre was only a construction site and when I worked there it was a little like my baby. It was really nice to see how much it has now grown four years later. It is still a magical place for Canadians as it is both rich in history and memory. I felt very special being able to witness one of its many stories while I was there.
Not long after the museum opened a woman brought in a small, cherished bracelet to the Centre to donate it to the exhibit. It had been given to her as a young girl during the landing by a Canadian soldier and she thought it would then be best in the museum. It had the name Chepesiuk on it and she asked if there was any way of learning more about what had happened to the man. Through the dedicated work of the director a trace of the family was found and it was learned that the Captain had since passed away. However his nephew decided to plan a trip to the Centre and to meet the woman who had been given the bracelet. I recognized the woman when I arrived and was delighted to see the reunion.
I was in Courseulles to attend my friends' Carla and Alexis' wedding. It was very beautiful ceremony followed by a lovely reception. The tireless couple were wonderful hosts and we even managed to sneak in the song ' The Saskatchewan River Pirates' amidst the french ' rock' selection.
On Sunday it was Canada day and after a morning swim with my good friends Louise and Sam I went to the Centre to help out with the childrens activities. There was face painting, colouring, story telling and even cake. After the kids left about a dozen people from the town stopped by the Centre to see me and I left feeling like Léo Gariépy.
The small town of Courseulles-sur-Mer is a very special place to me, not only because it is part of the beach where the Canadians landed on D-day, but because I met a lot of wonderful people there during the nine months I lived and worked there in 2003. When I first arrived there in the Juno Beach Centre was only a construction site and when I worked there it was a little like my baby. It was really nice to see how much it has now grown four years later. It is still a magical place for Canadians as it is both rich in history and memory. I felt very special being able to witness one of its many stories while I was there.
Not long after the museum opened a woman brought in a small, cherished bracelet to the Centre to donate it to the exhibit. It had been given to her as a young girl during the landing by a Canadian soldier and she thought it would then be best in the museum. It had the name Chepesiuk on it and she asked if there was any way of learning more about what had happened to the man. Through the dedicated work of the director a trace of the family was found and it was learned that the Captain had since passed away. However his nephew decided to plan a trip to the Centre and to meet the woman who had been given the bracelet. I recognized the woman when I arrived and was delighted to see the reunion.
I was in Courseulles to attend my friends' Carla and Alexis' wedding. It was very beautiful ceremony followed by a lovely reception. The tireless couple were wonderful hosts and we even managed to sneak in the song ' The Saskatchewan River Pirates' amidst the french ' rock' selection.
On Sunday it was Canada day and after a morning swim with my good friends Louise and Sam I went to the Centre to help out with the childrens activities. There was face painting, colouring, story telling and even cake. After the kids left about a dozen people from the town stopped by the Centre to see me and I left feeling like Léo Gariépy.
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