A bit of shopping

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  Valencia, Valencian Country, Spain
Friday, July 29, 2011

Today we had class in the morning again and then a free afternoon.  I decided to use it to go into some stores, both near where I live and also downtown.  I started in my own neighborhood.  I bought a number of things for my classroom -- interesting Spanish signs, a map of the world with all the country names in Spanish (that will be very handy because Washington Academy has such an international population these days), a map of Spain with all the autonomous regions and provinces clearly marked (that will also be handy, for me as well as for the students).  Then I went into a little book store where I found a book about a Spanish woman who married a Muslim man and then got stuck in Afghanistan when the Taliban came to power.  She couldn't get out for a number of years.  It will give me something interesting to read before I go to sleep at night and also on our big bus ride tomorrow and again on Wednesday.  I might even be able to use parts of the book in my upper level Spanish classes.

After those purchases I used my bus pass to hop on a bus and go downtown.  A classmate had bought some very interesting earrings from a craftsman who has a store downtown.  I had the address, but it took me a while to find it because it is in a part of the city with lots of different streets all radiating out from the Plaza de Espaņa and some of them change name from one block to another.  After a bit I found the store, and it was wonderful.  Everything in the store is made by the owner:  leather bags, jewelry, belts, etc.  I finally decided on a pair of earrings, but I was there for quite some time looking at everything.  I didnīt have anywhere else I had to be, so I enjoyed looking at everything.  On the way back to the bus, I popped in another store and bought myself a lightweight shirt because I have been wishing that I had packed another shirt or two. It is very light weight, so I it wonīt be too hot and I should be able to wash it out easily in hotel sinks.  (Wed. we leave Valencia and then I will spend 12 nights in 6 different hotels.)

Tomorrow is Saturday, so we donīt have class.  However, I have to get up earlier than usual because we are taking field trips to Teruel and Albarracin -- two towns with Muslim history.  The professor told us today to be prepared to do a lot of walking.  I hope my sandals and my ankles hold up!  (I didn't bring sneakers, just 3 different pair of sandals.)  Vicente told me that he thinks it will be a 3 hour bus ride in each direction -- I hope he is wrong!  I'm glad I have my book.

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