Semana Blanca

In Spain, some children in grades 4-7 have a ski week called Semana Blanca (White Week) during the winter depending on their school's schedule. Many Euros and a couple of suitcases later, Colin and Kelsey joined their school and classmates during the last week of January/first week of February for JDL's Semana Blanca.

Photos: Skiing at beautiful Cerler with the Pyrenees in the background. We were surrounded by breathtaking views. Cerler is a stone's throw from France and is also one of the highest points in the Spanish Pyrenees. I wasn't able to get any pictures of Colin and Kelsey as they were busy with their school.



They stayed in the town of Benasque and skied in Cerler which is a short but extremely steep climb up a curvy road to the ski 'pista' as they say. Bright, sunny days filled most of the week although it became increasingly windy and part of the mountain had to close one day due to high gusts.



Celia tagged a long separately, not necessarily with Juan de Lanuza's blessing, to ensure the junior Chases (especially Kelsey) were in good order. JDL was gracious with their extra guest and had Tracey, Kelsey's chaperone ride in my rented Audi. Our 3.5 hour drive to Benasque gave Tracey and I a chance to download all the scoop regarding Kelsey's processors, FM system, batteries, etc. I knew Kelsey was in good hands once Tracey was up to speed.



Colin had a room of 4 buddies although one boy went home after the first day so Colin wound up sharing a room with his two good friends, Joaquin and Alex. Carmen, Alex's mom, told Celia after the kids returned home that Colin was 'muy divertido' (very funny). Needless to say, Colin had a great time with his pals and enjoyed the 5 days of skiing.




Kelsey roomed with Sofia, her good friend whose Dad is British and Mom is Spanish. Sofia has been a wonderful buddy for Kelsey, often interpreting for her. Unfortunately, Sofia got sick midweek and returned home with Celia on the Wednesday. Kelsey's other friend and would-be roommate, Alba never made it to Semana Blanca as she got quite ill the week prior to the trip. Despite losing her two roommates, Kelsey wanted to stay the week, and she had a very good time. We were very proud of her independent spirit and stick-to-it-ness. The kids enjoyed full days of skiing and busy evenings swimming, shopping, playing and more. True to the Spanish schedule, they didn't eat dinner until about 9:00 p.m. which meant late bedtimes and short nights.

Monasterio de Piedra

Photos: Around the gorgeous grounds of the Piedra




At the end of January, we rented a car over the weekend and headed for the Monasterio de Piedra which is only about 60 miles south-west of Zaragoza in the eastern part of Spain, and is reached by a windy road through the Spanish countryside.




Recently, we have been renting cars on the weekend to give us more freedom to explore; with a car, we are able to easily access the many interesting places near Zaragoza (located very close to the Pyrenees).



Although the monastery itself may be worth a visit, it was the lush setting, full of waterfalls, which made our trip exceptional. While the monasteries around Spain are lovely and peaceful, we have seen our share over the last few months; we promised the kids that we wouldn't focus on touring the Monastery but rather hiking outdoors. Lacking green space in Zaragoza makes us all the more appreciative of it when we have it!





The pathways led us through a huge variety of waterfalls from impressive descents, to smaller crescents and sparkling streams fanning over grassy banks. One waterfall hid the entrance to a cave of dripping stalactites. This is a wonderful location!












The drive home was a photo-op as well with rolling countryside, and gorgeous views.


Photo: Scene from the return trip, which looked typically Spanish with an olive grove, mountains, and una casa antigua.

Feast at Joaquin and Nines' House

On a Saturday afternoon in January, our friends Nines and Joaquin invited us to their home for a real, Spanish feast.

Photo: Around the dinner table. From left: Joaquin, Nines, Jay (fellow American who's lived in Zaragoza for over a decade), Eric (Jay's son), Parker and Celia




So much food...Beef roast, bread, fish, shrimp, salad, roasted red peppers (pimientos)...all washed down with plenty of wine!

Photo: Also, at the table with Gemma in the right hand corner and Colin and Kelsey







Photo: Nines and Joaquin


We met Nines and Joaquin through our friend, Gemma; Joaquin is the owner of Monumental, a local cafe/bar just down the street from our apartment, and it's the meeting place for a regular Wednesday night get together for a group of English speakers (mostly Irish and British folks).






Photos: Nines and Kelsey dancing



In general, we have found that Spaniards are reserved in reaching out to new people. However, if you make an effort and reach out to the them first, well...watch out! The welcoming and generosity is usually enormous. Nines and Joaquin have consistently been warm and open with us, and the kids as well as extremely patient while we bumble through our attempts at speaking Spanish.