Walking in the Sand, Week 1: Thursday

The living room, where we eat

In conversation this morning, we practiced ordering at a restaurant.  In Spain, it's not common to leave a tip because the waiters and waitresses make normal wages and aren't underpaid like those in the U.S.  For lunch today, we had a stew with chicken (that still had the bones), potatoes, carrots, and a few other veggies.

In El Campo Grande

After siesta and homework, we met the guys at El Campo Grande (the big park).  It mostly had lots and lots of trees, but there were also a couple flower gardens, playgrounds, fountains, and a lake.  The park also had swans, ducks, turtles, fish, and peacocks, which they call "pavos reales," which literally means real turkeys.  The peacocks were the most interesting.  There were quite a few, and some were strutting around with their feathers open and honking.  Jon said that when one of the males was honking at a female, a little kid said (in Spanish), "What, you don't have her number?"

At La Playa

Next we walked along the river again.  People were swimming up the river, not just for fun but for long distance.  There were also kayaks, which is something I'd really like to try if we can find a place to rent them.  Once we got to the beach, we took off our shoes and walked in the sand and in the edge of the water.

For supper, we had "tortillas patatas" again, salad, and an apple.  After we ate our apple, Mercedes commented that Americans don't peel their apples.  She peeled hers, so that must be customary here.



 We decided to try to get a normal amount of sleep, so after supper we showered and went to bed.


To see a lot more pictures, go to Facebook.  If you don't have Facebook, you can see them at http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3553695803896.2132207.1317690207&type=1&l=6a42a74eb4