Another one of Spain's impressive city squares.
Quite an entrance for this castle, home of Ferdinand and Isabela, who received Columbus here after one of his journeys.
The castle gardens were the best part.
The gardens were full of orange trees. The orange tree is the symbol of Córdoba, and they're everywhere.
Some Spainish friends of ours invited us for a hike in the mountains one Sunday afternoon.
We found out the easy way that mountains make a great place for a mid-afternoon nap.
For our 4th anniversary, we escaped for two days to Ávila, a typical Spanish pueblo--that is, except for the ancient Roman wall that surrounds downtown. It's also home of one of the most famous Catholic mystics, Saint Teresa of Ávila.
Spain is big on nativity sets. This nativity was in a temporary building connected to one of the cathedrals in Ávila. The nativity not only included the manger, but also Bethlehem, the shepherds, the city of the wise men, and more.
Here's a shot of our walk along the city wall.
Welcome to Salamanca, home of one of the oldest universities in the world.
Check out this classroom. The wooden planks they used for desks make me think twice about complaining about the school lunches I had as a kid.
The library
Many Spanish villages have a city square like this one. Salamanca's square claims to be one of the best in Spain.
Alcalá de Henares is another old university town. We spent the day in Alcalá with friends. Here we're chatting in the courtyard of one of the residence halls. Not bad living for a university student, eh?
Here's another residence hall.