The last time I was in Spain, I was a brand-new teacher in NYC, 40 or so years ago. I taught high school French, Spanish and Italian, so going to Europe was always essential for my professional development. 

And I’m European/American — all my grandparents emigrated from Poland — so going to Europe always fills a void in my life. The first time I ever glimpsed Europe from an airplane, at 19, I felt as if I were going home. Hard to explain, even to myself, but I’ll never forget that moment: as I looked down and saw Paris, I suddenly felt as if something deep inside me had finally been completed. I was home. 

This time was a bit different. I was invited to speak at several locations around Spain — but I hadn’t used Spanish in day-to-day conversation for decades. I needed practice! — so my first week in Spain got me acclimated, linguistically, and here are some of the beautiful places we got to visit:

And of course, some climbing here & there…

… followed by my first speaking gig, at a climbing gym in Madrid. I spoke to a whole gym-ful of motivated young women, all striving to be better, at climbing and a host of other endeavors:

Then my friend & I headed north, towards the Bay of Biscay (northern coast of Spain), for my 2d speaking gig. This is the lovely city of Burgos, site of a Spanish Gothic cathedral (very different from the Gothic style in the rest of Europe), which is a Unesco World Heritage site. 

And of course, en route, some climbing….

So much more!… Stay tuned here for Spain 3, coming soon….