All is well

¡Hola!

Having trouble uploading my photos so will just write a little to touch base for now.
Have had a busy couple of months with a steady flow of visitors passing through the doors of our little yellow casita.

Subsequently I have been a bit of a tourist and taken a few snaps of the Catalan countryside which I will add as soon as I can.

I finished my CELTA course at the end of June and was really pleased with my results, and also knocked down first semester of my correspondence course with pretty surprising marks given my last minute attitude.

Towards the end of July I did a 10 day Vipassana meditation course which I can't really describe in a few words. Let's just say it was an amazing experience and has given me a great tool to use in my daily life. There are four centres in Australia, so if you get a chance, I recommend it to everyone. It's free- without a catch... you just have to open yourself to the experience and work hard. If you've been searching, this might click for you.

A couple of days after the course Marc and I headed off on our summer holidays with two Quebecans in tow (whom Marc met in Oz). We headed upto the Basque country first of all to see Marc's family and see some more of the countryside. A day trip to San Sebastian, partaking in the festivities of Vitoria's "fiesta major" (main festival) and meeting all but one of Marc's dad's 7 siblings, then we drove north for Bilbao and on towards the Picos de Europa. Asturias was beautiful with the mountains meeting the coast and lush green fields... then it was a three day hike in the Picos de Europa where I once again succame to some pretty nasty blisters. Being the hardcore Aussie that I am I marched on with the awesome peaks inspiring me to continue.

After the hiking we ventured west to meet up with my former Katherinian housemate Bec in Oviedo. The three of us continued west to THE most western point of Spain (photos to come) then down south to deliver Marc at his Vipassana course in Padrón, just south of Santiago de Compostela. Santiago is the finishing point of the famous Camino de Santiago that pilgrims have been walking for years. Bec and I actually went on a bit of an unplanned religious pilgrimage ourselves, with a "churchy moment" each day... involving a look in an old cathedral or church. In Oz anything pre 1800s is really old but I'm talking 9th century Romanic churches... yeah a bit mind blowing... those Catholics didn't leave too many hills in Galicia free of a crucifix.

Anyway, the weather wasn't all that kind to us...first there were bushfires, then the rain came which was good but we thought 2 days was sufficient... but it just kept falling. Ourense, León, Burgos, then here we are back in Corça.

Today was washing and regrouping day, then tomorrow we're off kayaking and Wednesday we're heading to France to do a bit of hiking in the Pyrenees. Thankfully the weather is much warmer here. As we were driving into Catalunya yesterday I realised I'm feeling a bit Catalan and felt a bit proud to be taking Bec to my other 'country'.

Well, more specific stories with the photos will be of much more interest I'm sure. Stay tuned.

Be happy!