Viva las vacaciones..

The holiday season is in the air. Carrefour has been decked out in Christmas lights since Halloween, street venders selling roasted chestnuts are popping up all over, the chino stores are filled with 6euro Christmas trees and flashy ornaments, the nights are dang cold without heating, and I'm feeling my usually lack of holiday excitement. Lesson plans are being made to teach about the wonders of American Thanksgiving and I'm considering roasting some sort of poultry to celebrate the occasion after work next Thursday. My favorite part of all this madness: many weeks of vacation are headed our way in December and it is time for a very untraditional holiday season.

Due to a beloved Spanish "puente" in early December, I will have 6 days off work in a row. I know if I stay in Huelva province too long, I could go crazy breathing in the fresh arsenic air, so I am talking with some friends about exploring more regions of Spain. Up to now I have seen most of the western half of the country plus Barcelona and Madrid, but something tells me I am missing out by not seeing the east coast yet. Also, I found out I only have until February to renew my job contract in order to continue working in Spain next year. The time to do my "new location shopping" is flying past. I am happy with where I work this year, but I think I need to explore some new lands when next fall comes around. Right now I'm between Valencia, Murcia, Asturias, or a new location in Andalucia (maybe Malaga?).

Any input from Auxiliares/other Spain savvy readers on a good place to live = greatly appreciated..

Anywho, besides more travels in Spain, I am planning some international endeavors for my time off between Dec 17 and Jan 9. Right now, I am planning on going to Amsterdam at the start of the break, then possibly to Germany and back to northern Spain (Bilbao), then headin south for a week of relax in Huelva-land. My Christmas will probably be spent on some form of public transportation because there's something about me that has never quite appreciated a traditional holiday season.. Times like these really make me miss holiday times spent with my best friend, kayaking through the snow, digging my truck out of two feet of frost, enjoying the movies of Kevin Spacey and Will Farrell, and drinking good amounts of white zin.

Oh well. Let the games begin