Sol y Nieve

The Brewsters are spending an awful lot of time these days body surfing in addition to a new sport: medusa catching (medusa means jellyfish in Spanish).  Literally everyone at the beach has a net that the kids use to catch medusas while they are swimming and then bury them in the rocks.  Not very animal friendly but it gives a feeling that everyone is in it together protecting each other from the stinging in the sea.  By now, 4 out of 5 of us have been stung and for some, on multiple occasions with scars to show for it.  But I think we can say with confidence that none of us are allergic to jellyfish.

Our most recent adventures include finding some Roman aqueducts nearby, going to the infamous Friday market where you can buy practically anything and visiting the Sierra Nevadas last weekend which is known for its “sol y nieve”(sun and snow).  We decided to escape the heat for a bit and took a bus to Granada and then up to the mountains where we hiked, rode the chair lift and gondola, threw some snowballs and enjoyed the culture of a Spanish ski resort in the summertime.  The resort is built entirely into the hillside which provides an amazing view of the sunset over the Granada valley.  Our trip home included a layover in Granada so we were able to walk around the city for a bit and grab some dinner.  The kids are relieved that we are not living in a bigger city but George and I fell in love at first site with Granada and can’t wait to return.  The international scene, University energy, and old European architecture were captivating.

We returned to Almunecar to find that we are ready for school to start.  There is only so much beaching and hanging with your family without knowing a single other soul one can do.  The kids are ready to make their own friends (even if they can’t communicate with them yet) and we are all ready to create our own daily structure.