Hola Mi Amigos

Not much time to blog. The internet is mucho expensive in the Hyatt. We arrived in Santiago on Sunday afternoon and our hotel is very nice. The city is fun, the wine is wonderful and the food is amazing!! We leave tomorrow night and will be back in WI on Friday!
I will write much more detail when I return. Lots to tell you!
Ciao!

Dia Uno

First Day:

We arrived in Santiago around 745am. To get through the international terminal at the airport took patience. First we went though the reciprocity line where we had to pay our US fee for entering Chile. Then we had to go through immigration, next customs. Long lines but nice people.

Poor Jimmy his bag did not make it. Delta got an ear full. It was his carry on that they made him check at the gate b/c they were no longer taking bags that wouldn't fit under the seat. All room in the overhead compartments were full. Needless to say when we arrived Jimmy's bag was still in Atlanta. Good news....Jimmy's bag is here now. I am glad.

The people here are very gracious and speak good english for the most part. We are trying to speak spanish and they are very helpful when we try to converse with them. If we look lost on the street people will come to help you find your way and warm you about neighborhoods you should not walk in. Very nice.

Yesterday we took a city tour of Valparaiso. We saw the whole city and rode two funiculars (outside diagonal elevators). They are elevators on the hillside. Valparaiso is extreemly hilly. I saw avacado, lemon, orange, almond and olive trees. 

There are dogs and cats everywhere. They rule the city. Sara, you would love it and would want to take every one of them home with you. 

Today we went to two vineyards. The prettiest I have ever seen. We ate lunch with our tour guide Jose and he told us about Easter Island and Chilean customs.

One custom that is hard to get use to is.....little or no dinner. They eat big lunches and then have ounces. Basically, high tea, as in England, around 4 or so. It is hard to find a resturant open at 6pm. Most open around 8pm and we have been the only people eating at that time both nights we have been here. 

The food is wonderful. SEAFOOD!!!!!!!! My kind of place. Olives, Avacados and Seafood. My favorites!

We are off to Santiago tomorrow. I will blog more then. Ciao.

Hola from Valparaiso, Chile

Jimmy and made it in this morning. Boy are we tired. I am sitting in our room now and thought I would blog a bit while Jimmy is resting.

Everything is amazing. The sights, sounds, people. I can't wait to post pictures but that is way to complicated for my brain to do at this moment.

The flight went well. We had three flights, Madison-Detroit, Detroit-Atlanta and then Atlanta to Santiago. Flying into Santiago was breath taking. We flew right along side the coastline of South America and then watched the sunrise over the snowcapped Andes. I have never seen anything like it. Thank goodness for our seats b/c if we were on the other side of the plane our view wouldn't have been so nice. I am proud to say that I actually slept during the flight. Not comfortably, but I slept for several hours. 

Well, this is all I will type for now. I am hungry and tired!!

Ready - Set - Go...

Alright. I am sure all of you are tired of hearing about my trip to Chile, but I can hardly contain my excitement. My first trip where a passport is needed is making me jump for joy.

I think it finally hit me this weekend that we were leaving THIS WEEK. I am trying my hardest not to think about the .....plane ride (whisper). It is just so long. I hope I can sleep through it and be nice and relaxed.

I am packing some cards, trivial pursuit questions, books, magazines. I asked Jimmy if I should bring Jenga but he didn't get my joke.....hahaha....Jenga on a plane....that won't work. I was trying to be funny. What about Twister though? Pick Up Sticks?

Enough about the trip. Jimmy and I went to see Public Enemies last night. It was really good in my opinion. I like Johnny Depp, so it was a must see. Just a note that if you watch it our capitol building is in several scenes. Most of the movie was filmed here in Wisconsin. I heard a lot of extras were from Madison.

Siete dias

Buenos dias mi amigos. Que tal?

One week from today I will be in Chile. Muy bien!!

Ciao

Also, this post marks my 100th post on my blog. Wow...I never thought I would keep this going when I started blogging.

Speaking of not working.....

I went to a pre-Maxwell Street Days sale today with a co-worker and bought two cute tops. Maxwell Street Days starts tomorrow. State street bascially closes down and the retailers come out into the street for a huge sale. I am excited!! Time to shop til I drop. Poor Jimmy! =)

http://visitdowntownmadison.com/events/index.php?category_id=3123

Watching the world go by...

From my 9th floor office I feel like I am watching all of Madison go on with their daily activities. I do actually work but every once in awhile I gaze out of my window to watch Madison.

People going to school, going to the gym, getting a traffic ticket, riding their bikes. It is fun being this high but it does have a disadvantage. As I type I am watching the Betty Lou Cruise Boat take people on fun week day excursions around the lake. Hmmm....I feel a vacation day on my horizon.....

Not much going on today.

I did some research on Santiago and some museums to visit. Also, confirmed our hotel room in Valparaiso. But that is about it.

Keeping Keith Company update:
Keith left yesterday for his trek overseas. Not sure when he will have internet access. If you think about it give him a post or comment on his blog so he will have something to read when his internet is up and running. If you would like to make an actual post just let Sara or myself know and we can give you access to post. Or you can just make a comment without having access.

If you would like to send him a package please let myself or Sara know and we can give you his mailing address. We will also make a list of "needed items" for him as well. We will keep you posted.

bye bye for now

Shout Out

A shout out to Jen and Ryan. They are expecting their first baby near or possibly on my birthday! Congratulations Jen and Ryan!!

July already!?

Wow, time sure is flying. I cannot believe July 4th has come and gone. It seems so long ago that Jimmy and I were daydreaming about our trip to Chile and how far away it seemed to be. Now it is just around the corner, a mere 17 days away.

Having never traveled abroad I find myself being extremely excited and a little nervous.....but a good kind of nervous. Will a pocket size Spanish/English dictionary really come in handy? Do I truly need a travel pillow on the plane? How much cash should we carry down there?

If anyone has helpful traveling tips please share! =)

More of the house...

Auntie Gene, this post is for you....here are some pictures of the yard and some flowers. =)

Side yard with lilies:

Front porch:
View of backyard:

View of side yard:

Deck: Auntie Gene, you remember these chairs? Right?

My tomato plants:

The strawberry patch: Strawberries in the front, there was broccoli and cauliflower in the middle. Then spinach and carrots towards the end. They are both still growing.

So I am not a farmer.

Living on a farm for most of my life I have the impression that I can actually "farm" you know...grow plants and veggies. This summer I have learned a few things.

1. The broccoli was ready before it began to sprout flowers.
2. The cauliflower needs to be wrapped up in its own leaves to keep the floret white.
3. Bunnies eat everything and live under our deck.
4. Tomato plants can grow 6 inches in two days.
5. Have your twine or string ready to tie the tomato plants or you will be forced to use multi-color threads from your sewing kit. We have very stylish tomato plants =)

On a good note, I have lots of flowers and tons of strawberries. None of which I planted personally but are still growing quite nicely. We also just had our first salad with the spinach I planted and our carrots look quite nice but are still growing.

Cheers to a Great Week

Here are some final pictures of our fun week with mom and dad.

Just hanging out on the porch.
On Monday we went to Lake Wisconsin and Ginger and Aaron took us out on the boat. This is Joe looking off the back.

The sunset.

Dad and Ginger:

Mom taking in the scencery.