Los Arribes del Duero

We had to say "goodbye" to our JMU apartment, but we had 4 days before the one we are currently renting was available. (Yes, Sam made a rubber band bracelet with a fork all by himself.)

So, we rented a car and drove 1.5 hours west, to Los Arribes del Duero. This was the view from our room, in Spain, but what you see is Portugal across the river.

Can you spot Anthony?

Our rhythm of vacation was: big breakfast, big hike, drive through little towns to find lunch, play tennis, swim, then have a picnic.

Morning Hikes

3 boys are looking for rocks to sharpen into arrowheads until I say, "Look up! There is another eagle!"

We saw too many of these round houses to count.

Micah is looking over Pozo de los Humos.

We all had our eyes open to see more of God's character expressed in His creation.

We enjoyed overlooking the waterfalls,

testing the Duero River temperature,

and exploring.

You can't see the eagles, but we got to see numerous amazing birds soaring over the canyon.

fascination

Poppies!

Our historical engineering experts tell us that this bridge was built by the Romans.

These experts seem to know what they are talking about.

Typical sight. I think I should use it for a spiritual metaphor.

How is it that I can't keep my foxglove plants alive if they can grow here?

The trees over Anthony's shoulder are endangered.

"When I grow up, I won't give my kids toys. I will give them rocks to play with." - Sam.

Instead of climbing the endangered trees, they spent hours climbing rocks.

This building might be Paul's future home.

No, they didn't climb these rocks. Yet.

Scenic Drives

The left is Spain and the right is Portugal. The stripes are vineyards and the spots are olive trees. Apparently, I am highly allergic to the aggressive pollination of olive trees.

The Aldeadávila Dam

Sometimes, when you are driving along, you come to a castle,

but more often you find yourself driving on roads like this one.

Afternoon Tennis and Swimming

The paddle tennis court suited us just fine.

Documenting the first game Micah won against Anthony.

Evening Picnics

This Portuguese picnic spot became part of our evening routine.

looking into Spain

Dining with a view

Dining with a view, Samuel style

Family-style dining with a view

3 best friends for life

My macho men

Can you guess who?

waving goodbye to the sun over Portugal

If only the olive trees surrounding it didn't cause my eyes to swell shut,

we would have never wanted to leave this Quinta and return to the (beautiful) stone city of Salamanca.

Caballos, catedrales y castillos

Paul made it into the Salamanca newspaper by running 6 kilometers!

Do you see who got 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place among the Team Tongen participants? The JMU students were stationed along the course to cheer on the runners. Every time Paul and I came to friendly faces, he would sprint ahead! As for Micah, he even ran faster than the female JMU runners!

The same day as the race, we got to go horse-back riding!

Meet Trueno, our trusty horse.

"When I grow up, I am going to be a knight. First, I'll need a horse." - Sam

After seeing thousands of pig legs hanging in stores (and eating nearly another thousand portions of pork, ham, bacon, etc.) I FINALLY got to see living pigs in Spain.

The Iberian pigs eat acorns. I have been told that their meat does not have bad cholesterol. It is a good thing, considering how much jamón ibérico we have eaten!

Paul did a great job riding a horse solo for the first time.

Who is bigger, Micah or the dog?

Trotting along

Micah wants to live on a farm when he grows up.

It's a good thing these guys knew how to speak Spanish to their horses.

The province of Salamanca has beautiful cowboy land.

Anthony did a great job as the photographer!

Bull-fighting is still very much a part of the culture of this region of Spain.

Mark and Laurie came to visit us while Mark visited and gave a talk to neuroscientists at the University of Salamanca.

I got to see more of the beautiful University

thanks to this loony tourguide. Can you see the victory marks by doctoral recipients?

Here is just another view of the main university building.

We had a great time being foodies with our friends! Warm weather in Salamanca is fun as the restaurants fill the streets.

These guys are still willing to run a button-hook; they run ahead of me, turn around and smile!

Wisteria in Salamanca.

Have you seen something built by the Romans lately?

Right after I took this picture, a guy came out of this house talking on his cell phone to remind me about the collision of ancient and modern.

Laurie and I found a park I had never visited,

a cross-shaped window in the Marquesa's tower,

and The Last Supper.

I am glad that Laurie gave us the excuse to finally visit the spectacular San Esteban Monastery next to the boys' school.

Calligraphy is very important here -- Paul and Sam's handwriting has gotten quite good, thanks to rigorous Spanish handwriting training.

Mary Magdalene is on the side of the stairs.

I don't see this socialite becoming a monk.

Since the boys didn't have school on May 1st, these two came with Mark, Laurie and I to Segovia.

One of the most fun parts of the royal gardens is imitating the statues.

I am so glad that I got to show these guys the Segovia Aqueduct. They were rightfully amazed by the engineering.

After quite a bit of discussion among themselves, Micah and Paul figured out why the aqueduct is sloped.

Do you ever feel really small?

It is hard to talk about anything else when there is a roman aqueduct in your view, but this carousel was by far the coolest I have ever seen.

These boys have been such good sports with me taking so many pictures!

We were walking along the road and saw five steps leading up, out of our way. We took them and came upon this spectacular view.

I am thankful for time with these two friends!

Who will win Cinderella's heart?

What happens when you have smiled for oh so many photos?

Segovia Cathedral

We got to see the walls of Avila for the first time.

I don't think these Valencianos are going to scale the medieval walls today.

We couldn't let Mark and Laurie leave Salamanca without seeing it lit up at night with some gelato!

We also had the fun of a quick visit from Grace.

My new friend Grace was our 10th, and final, guest here in Salamanca.