This is My Forties

After all the hustle and bustle of overcoming sickness, unpacking bags, and sterilizing the post-apocalyptic disaster that was "Pukefest 2011"... we ran out of time for Easter shopping. Everything was closed by Wednesday. No candy, no white eggs, no Easter lamb. Not a big deal. We are not really Eastery people. We celebrate Easter as the arrival of spring, longer days, the end of winter. We enjoy family time, and allow our children the joys of candy spoils (that they are not normally allowed) and fun easter egg hunts to build "esprit de ninos"... give mommy and daddy an excuse to gorge on delicousness from our own kitchen and enjoy a little more wine than normal. Our boys don't believe in the Easter bunny. We do not associate it with any religious beliefs, and that's easy enough to do. But, I digress. Either way, Josh was gone and Tom is back in the states (we miss you, Tom!!) so it would have been pointless to do a huge dinner anyway. I was sa...

This past Sunday (Palm Sunday) marked the beginning of a very important Spanish tradition - Semana Santa (Holy Week). All throughout Spain churches prepare their icons, some of which have been around since the 1500's. Then after Sunday Mass they take these icons out into the streets, laden with gold, silver, candles, and deep red or purple cloth. Some cities have larger festivals, usually the ones with the oldest and most grandiose Catholic churches... El Puerto de Santa Maria is one of those cities. We found a great hotel called Hotel Bodega Real. It was right on the river and within walking distance to all the historical sites. We planned to visit a church, a castle, and a bullfighting ring. Construction of the Iglesia Mayor Prioral began in 1486... even before Christopher Colombus happened upon the Americas, and it was finished in 1504. Mass is still held on Sundays in this important historical and religious icon of the city. We stopped inside the Saturda...