We applied to Japan very suddenly. We had talked all summer (nearly everyday with 400+ hours of research) about what to do next. When we found the Japan program we talked for a long time, but then decided that we could only talk in circles for so long. Let’s just apply. We had 3 weeks … More Our Application to Japan
Buckle up for the pinnacle of Immigration Office Stories. First there was TIE Card Hell where we couldn’t get started because there weren’t enough employees; couldn’t collect the card because the bus was on strike; and one of the cards wasn’t filled out correctly so we had to fight for a new one. Then there … More True and Actual TIE Card Renewal Hell
Saturday was “Hispanidad (Hispanic) Day” Dia de la Hispanidad. Aka the National Day of Spain AKA Day Christopher Columbus’s Arrival in Americas Day. That’s right, while Americans have Monday off for Columbus Day, Spain has no day off because they always celebrate it on October 12th. While America uses the second Monday in October Spain … More Spain Sunday: Christopher Columbus
Before coming to Toledo we spent two nights in a place called Cercedilla, and three more in Madrid. And then after Toledo we went to a little place called Alcala de Henares to finish up our trip. Cercedilla, Madrid and Alcala de Henares were all interesting in their own ways, but none of them really … More Toledo (and some other places)
If we had had a car, it would have taken just about 50 minutes to get to Segovia from Avila. But we didn’t have a car, so we had to rely on the train network. In some ways, it was nice to be on trains again. It felt kind of like the first time we … More Segovia
Back in July I started planning a secret trip for Chris. Well, actually, I had tried to plan the entire Bilbao/Northern Trip as a surprise for Chris. I ended up chickening out and thinking “I’m not sure on a couple things, I’d better get some help.” So I spoiled all of my surprises just to … More Ávila
I’m not even sure what we did this summer. The time blurs together and we were mostly just two sticky, hot lounge lizards trying to avoid the heat. Massive heat waves washed over Europe killing 1,400, although the island was mostly spared from the truly intense heat. However this year’s apartment doesn’t have air conditioning. … More Summer Short Stories (2019)
The perfect answer to a Spanish summer is a Spanish lager, but after nearly two years of living here, we still aren’t sure which we prefer. There are so many brands and styles available that it’s difficult to keep track of what we’ve already tried and which we prefer. So mainly to help ourselves, and … More The Great Spanish Beer Taste Test
San Sebastian’s last gift to us was food poisoning. But only for Chris. He woke up and suffered the all the symptoms associated with food poisoning, but since we had a schedule to keep (checking out, and getting a bus to our next destination) he decided to push through. While Kaeti went out and got … More Let’s go to France!
It’s actually just called ‘The Basque Coast”, but I like my name for it better. Our hike in Durango hadn’t been super long, just super vertical. When we woke up we felt fine, but later we discovered that our leg muscles were trashed. And of course we had planned a coastal hike right after we … More The Coast of Misery
