Portugal

 Hi, everyone!  This is Margaret, Benji's mom.  Benji is taking a little break from his blog so I am going to tell you about our recent adventures.  What you see above is a very typical meal in Salamanca:  salad, ham, cheese, several varieties of cured meat, and tortilla española.  Tortilla española is a fantastic firm omelet made with eggs, potatoes and olive oil.  Benji loves it!  The above was an actual dinner prepared for us by our host-mom, Beatriz!

 See the frog on top of the skull?  You are lucky, because it is much harder to see in person, being way up on a carved archway at the University of Salamanca.  Seeing it brings you good luck in your exams if you are a student!  The frog has become a symbol of Salamanca.

 The Plaza Mayor now houses the big annual Feria del Libro!  ¡Por las noches los vendedores de libros no están allí, pero cada día la plaza está llena de gente leyendo y comprando libros!  ¡Es muy emocionante!

 Okay, here begin the pictures from our visit to Portugal with our friends Maggie and Kendall.  Here you see Maggie, Benji and Kendall pumping water by hand from a tributary of the Rio Douro.

 And here's Benji with the prize: water!  In the past, this water would have been carried up nearby hills for family use.

 The old castle and cathedral of Miranda do Douro, a town in a *very* remote part of Portugal, the northeastern corner.  We found that every self-respecting castle and cathedral were to be found on top of the nearest mountain or cliff (or hill at least!).

 Benji buffs up in Portugal!

 A beautiful old cathedral and the Museo Grao Vasco in Viseu, Portugal.

 Across the plaza, Viseu's beautiful NEW cathedral!

 While enjoying a gelato in Viseu, we listened to these traditional Portuguese musicians jamming in preparation for a performance (perhaps related to the big wedding we saw going on at the new cathedral).  They were assisted by lots and lots of cold beverages.

 They call Aveiro the Venice of Portugal.  We loved it, especially the gondola ride!  The local sweets were very interesting--really more like bread inside, not sweet, but with a powdered sugar coating.  Sea salt production has been very important in Aveiro's history, and the gondola company gave me and Maggie each a bag of sea salt in celebration of Dia de la Madre (una semana antes de nuestra Mother's Day).

 We took advantage of the fact that Aveiro is about five miles from Portugal's Atlantic coast to visit the ocean.  As you can see, Benji didn't enjoy it at all!!

 Back in Spain, Kendall and Benji check out Ciudad Rodrigo, a walled city (on, you guessed it, a hill).  This town defended itself against instruders using its location and incredible fortifications from the 12th century (that's the 1100s!!!) until 1812.  It is still a thriving little town, just with fewer battles.

 Maggie, Benji and Kendall prepare to approach the castle!

In the distance, you can see a bullfighting ring.  We're not sure if it is still in use.  Bullfighting has been outlawed in some parts of Spain.  This picture was taken from one of the lookout points in Ciudad Rodrigo's awesome surrounding wall.

That's it for this time!  Thanks for reading.  Hopefully, Benji will be back at the helm for our next entry!