¡Hola amigos!

Thanks for the great comments and whatever other support you guys have given me! My mom and I flew out of our localish airport (almost missing the flight due to not hearing the boarding call!) and arrived safely in Toronto. A couple hours layover and then we were on our way to Madrid, Spain. Arrived in Madrid 10:something AM local time on Friday 10, and miraculously found our own way from the airport to Atocha train station, with help from several very nice people. Once at the station, it took two hours to find out that the train we wanted to take to San Fernando in southern Spain was completely full until the 21st of July, and so we had to purchase a transfer ticket to get there. Unfortunately, the train didn't leave until 7:30 the next morning. My mom and I are way to cheap (ah, thrifty) and too lazy to find a place to actually stay after we toured Madrid a little, so we parked ourselves on a lovely park bench and spent the night alternately dozing, reading, and playing Gameboy colour. At 5:00, we went back to the train station, met some very nice young men from Calgary, picked up our luggage from the lockers, and caught our train.

We arrived safely also in San Fernando after a transfer, my mom and I both dead tired. On the train my mom promptly fell asleep, leaving me to force myself to stay awake so that we didn't miss our stop. We are staying with my mom's German penpal who owns a couple of apartments and houses for rent, and so we are staying there.

It is devilishly hot, but there is a pool where we are staying and the ocean is never far away. We are about to go to Barbate's festival, and so I must cut this journal short (short? good one!). I will try and do another update tomorrow! Thanks again for all of the support, everyone!

Read so far on this trip:
Bloody Jack
Curse of the Blue Tattoo
and Under the Jolly Roger

These are all books by L. A. Meyer, and are very excellent historical fiction. Set at the beginning of the 19th century, the books follow the adventures of one Mary "Jacky" Faber, an orphan girl who manages to become a Ship's Boy on a Royal Navy ship. This is my third time reading these books and I highly recommend them!

¡Adios!