Home Away From Home

*NOTE* Most of these upcoming posts will be out of chronological order as I am just updating everything at once.  Bear with me!

Since I have been living in Almería, I have not forgotten about my other home in Spain, Baza.  I have been back to visit Baza two times (three if you count when I first got here and went straight there).  It has been wonderful to go back and visit my old stomping ground and reunite with old friends.

An amazing vino del país meal that Arlette
and I had

The first time I went back was during the winter and I forgot exactly how cold it gets there.  I spent the weekend either huddled under the blankets of Arlette's couch, sitting under the brasero (a heater under a table with a blanket hanging around it) at another friend's house or sitting in various cafés sipping on hot coffee and eating delicious toasts with tomato.

I visited my old school as soon as I arrived and it was great to walk in and see all of my students from last year!  It had only been about 6-7 months since I had seen them last, but they all looked so much older!  I got a really warm welcome and they were completely surprised by my appearance.  I was really happy to see them and chat for a little bit until they had to get back to classes and keep on working.

Coffee with Salvador

I was able to see quite a few other people, including our neighbor from across the street- the priest.  He was so happy when I called him to say I was in Baza and he picked me up and brought me out to coffee.  We chatted about how new people live in my old house, how the summer went and about life in general.  He was such a good guy that always kept an eye out for us last year.

Medieval Fair in Baza

The next time I went, I stayed with a different friend and did even more catching up.  I had a lot of good food and great experiences.  One of the days, some of our spanish guy friends picked me up and we went out for (cheap!!) tapas and then we took a ride out to the pantano to see how the water had risen with all of the rainfall that Andalucía has seen this year.  After seeing the water, we drove up the mountain in a 4x4 and enjoyed the gorgeous views of the water and the surroundings.  I couldn't have asked for a better visit :)


Now I am hoping to visit one more time before I go home.  The guys have opened the pool at their country house and I'm ready to jump in now that the weather is warming up!

Loving the company & the views!