Estacion Inglesa August 26 - 31, 2024, Mengibar, Jaen, Spain - NOT

I flew to Madrid with every intention of participating in another wonderful English immersion program with Estacion Inglesa.  There was only one problem - I did not take covid precautions even though I had plenty of masks with me.  As noted in my previous post, I flew from Phoenix to Chicago to Frankfurt to Madrid arriving around 4:00 p.m. Friday afternoon - three flights, four airports.  I took a cab to the hotel, rode the metro from the hotel to Parque Santander and then back to the hotel - one taxi, two metros, one group meeting (the meeting was outside).  Saturday and Sunday, I went to a museum, a couple of stores, had brunch both days at the hotel.  On none of those things did I wear a mask as I should have.  I started feeling bad Sunday evening but twice tested negative for covid.  I got worse over night and Monday morning, I twice tested positive for covid.  I called to cancel out of Estacion Inglesa, booked a room for Monday through Sunday at Paco Rooms, a small hostel where I could avoid people. There is no front desk check in, rather I emailed them a copy of my passport and they sent me the codes to the door on the street, the door to the hallway and the door to my room.

The good news is that I had brought a half dozen covid tests with me and a five day supply of Paxlovid. The weather was good so I was able to find sidewalk cafes each day for a late breakfast and would be able to avoid being inside with others.  One morning was Corredera Bakery.

Another morning, it was Ultramines del Coso.

 For dinner, I found both a Dia Market and a Carrefour Express within easy walking distance to quickly buy something to bring back to my room - limiting my exposure to other people.

 

Because I was so tired and sore, I only did some of my PT exercises on Monday, and none on Tuesday.  I was back to doing most of them on Wednesday, also to almost feeling normal by bedtime on Wednesday.  Thursday morning I was back to the full set of exercises.

Two more days of isolation and Paxlovid, then testing again for covid.  Assuming I test negative Saturday, I will go out shopping while wearing a mask, looking for Spanish Manchego cheese and Valor chocolates to bring back as gifts for friends.

 

A weekend in Madrid before going to Estacion Inglesa, Aug. 23 - 25, 2014

I flew to Madrid via an indirect but less costly route, Phoenix to Chicago to Frankfurt to Madrid.  I left home about 9:00 a.m. Thursday and arrived at my hotel at 5:00 p.m. Friday, some 23 hours door to door.  I napped some on each of the three flights, but nothing that resembled a good nights sleep.

After checking in and taking a short rest, about 6:45 I headed out to Parque de Santander for the 7:30 gathering of the Friday Evening English Speaking Group also known as La Tienda de las Lanas.  My long time acquaintance, Richard Morley, is the emcee - I have known him for more than 15 years.  He expected maybe six people and only one woman - it ended being about 15 people including at least seven women.  Good discussions were had by all.  I learned a new satirical term for America's obsession with fast food - S.A.D. for Standard American Diet.

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday morning, after a long and relaxed time for reading and eating at the hotel's breakfast buffet, I set out for a visit to the Casa de la Moñeda, also known as the House of Money or the Mint Museum.  On the way, I passed the WiZink Center https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/wizink-center  This center caught my eye with unusual architecture.  It is a large sports and event center.

This was only a block away from Casa de la Moñeda.

Art and architecture are always big in Madrid.  The museum has a special exhibit about Collecting and the Genesis of Museums with materials from the Peralada Castle in Catalunya, the Spanish province that includes Barcelona.  

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They also had materials from the library at Peralada.

 

And they had a selection of items from the Museum of Glass.

 

 

The rest of the museum still has their longtime exhibits of money from using beans to stones to coins in Ancient Greece to coins and paper currency from Spain and European countries up to the current Euro coins and paper money.  They have coin making machines from past and present, as well as the history of the Spanish Postal Service and postage stamps.

 

Later, I walked and explored the area.  Finally, I found an outside cafe in the shade for a beer and to finish reading The Big Burn by Timothy Egan.  This tells the story of the biggest forest fire in our history, in August of 1910.  This led to the creation of the US Forest Service and national forests.  After finishing the book, I had an Ensalata el Jefe - this was much like the chicken chopped salad we get at the Beatitude's Campus Bistro.

The hotel is in a good neighborhood, across the street is a Mercedes Benz dealer and around the corner is a police station.

Sunday was a quiet day with exercising at the hotel gym, walking, reading and relaxing on the quiet, covered roof top lounge at the hotel.

And I did a load of laundry at the local laundromat.

A long weekend in Portland, OR, Aug 7 - 12, 2024

I am traveling more again and spent five nights in Portland.  Even though it is the middle of summer, many home gardens were still in bloom.  This made my daily walks quite colorful.

Portland is known for celebrating the arts.  I passed by a school that had former windows replaced with colorful tiles.

While I was at the airport, I had been forewarned by Megan that she would be PIC and was making the landing.  I could not get a video, but I did get this shot of her flight landing.

And I picked up a new word while doing a crossword puzzle - mokoro.

 

English Immersion Programs in 2023

Here is a post I started and never finished until now.

In March of 2023, I did a Vaughan Town program in Alhama de Aragon.  There are hot springs in this town,  so our hotel and nearby one are very popular for people who like to soak and play in the naturally heated water.

There were lots of art work, both sculptures and murals.

Several of us went to the nearby hotel that had access to the thermal lake.

As usual, there were skits, songs and presentations.  I gave a presentation about my February trip to Portugal to build with Fuller Center for Housing.

Some of the buildings were built into the rock cliffs.

Trees were in blossom all around the thermal pond where we went swimming.

I developed a sore throat Thursday and stopped participating at lunch.  I changed my flights and flew home on Saturday and by that evening, I tested positive for Covid. I got Paxlovid Sunday morning and spent the next week in a hotel.  Other than feeling tired for a couple of weeks, I did not have any long term effects.

October 25 to November 4, Ben and I did a father son trip, visiting Brugge, Ghent and Brussels in Belgium, and Berlin, Germany.  He then went to visit friends elsewhere in Germany and Austria.  I went to Prague where I met my friend Ken, and we did an English Immersion program with Prague Volunteers in Chotoviny, Czechia.

The town is a small town that appears to be a suburb of Tabor, a medium size city for Czechia.

One of the activities was a tour of Tabor.

Look closely at the clock.

There was a museum near our hotel - it had a very eclectic collection.

Back in Prague after the program, Ken and I met Danilo for coffee, pastry and more conversation in English.

After Thanksgiving, I did another program with Vaughan Systems, this time at Hotel Izan Puerta de Gredos in the town of Barco de Avila.  My corner room was on the top floor with sloped ceilings - there were parts where I needed to duck under the massive beams.

As on past trips, I often walked into town, either before breakfast or during siesta after lunch, sometimes alone, sometimes with other participants.

Now it is August of 2024 and I am looking forward to a program later this month with Estacion Inglesa in Mengibar, Jaen, Espana, and in November with Prague Volunteers in Telc, South Bohemia, Czechia.