vacation, all I ever wanted

Okay, instead of all the grading I was supposed to do, I spent a good chunk of last night and this morning IM'ing with awesome sister-in-law (who now will need her own pseudonym, hmm), and I am absolutely beside myself with excitement about how this summer trip is shaping up.

Just two things, as tantalizing examples: MedievalWoman asked about whether this region was close to the Camino de Santiago. Lo, it is, and it looks like this:



But it only gets better. We're staying four nights in a bed & breakfast (more like an apartment, really, because it's a separate floor with its own entry, kitchen, etc.) - and, well, here it is.


Let me add that it's going to cost - for the three of us - about half what a night in an average U.S. hotel would cost (because it's in a town of about a hundred people). And within half an hour's driving distance we have the castle from yesterday's post, various medieval monasteries, and some of the world's most gorgeous hiking.

How am I supposed to get any work done now, with my head full of this?

Getaway

My week-before-last spring break trip to Madrid was mostly a scouting trip for a possible future summer study-abroad class, so I don't have a lot of great stories. (we walked a lot! we did quick sprints through lots of museums! we bought lots of guidebooks!)

There should be a much greater potential for stories, however, from the summer trip we're planning. This one will be mostly a research trip (and a family trip, since we stay with LWI's parents) but we always plan a fun getaway of some sort. This summer's week-long escape will include the following:



and best of all, a weekend in a tiny medieval town that celebrates a festival in which the entire town is lit only by candles:



How cool is that?!