Wow

I just had to take a picture of this. First of all, wow. What a huge chandelier...at least 15 feet high and 10 across, if not more (I'm not the best at guesstimating dimensions). And see all those candle harbors? That is going to be an incredible sight when it's all lit up.

Second, you've got to respect the intricate and optimistic securing of the chandelier to the small datsun/toyota type truck. That is some kind of maynarding, which is a fond term in our family, named after my grandpa (or rather, after a name someone once mistakenly called him) for any hodge-podge, use-what-you-have, creative construction.

The guys who made and/or loaded the chandelier were all on the sidewalk next to me when I snapped the picture. They all cheered. I wanted to tell them how cool it was + that I loved the craftsmanship. I wanted to know how many hours it took + who designed it.

At the moment all I could say, wide-eyed, was "grande!"

Hopefully they knew what I was referring to. On the way home I came up with all sorts of sentences I could have said. Oh well. Maybe this time my picture really was worth a thousand words?

We made it...

all in one piece. We are enchanted by our surroundings! Our hosts have created a beautiful & peaceful place.

our bedroom

the view from our window

outside our bedroom door...the terrace (all the bedrooms open to this rooftop garden)

Maddy wasted no time writing about her day + neither have I (since here I am).

Smells: jasmine, gardenia, roses. Sounds: church bells, fireworks (not sure why), birds, latin american music, and (of course) Spanish language. Tastes: wonderful hot chocolate, pineapple cake. Thoughts: overwhelmed and tired but content. Tomorrow I try to begin to sprechen/parlez/hablar.