Day 94

Today was a lazy morning. We planned on staying in today, so we took it slowly. Sometime close to noon I did Hardcore just to get it out of the way for later.

We spent the day fooling around by the pool and getting our skin nice and toasty. Mikel is doing so much better from his ear but is still wearing those earplugs. He is truly a little clone of me, because when he's had enough pool time, he goes and lays under the sun to relax. Check him out:

Anyway, we got hungry close to 3:00 pm and had a very savory oven roasted chicken with a salad on the side.

After lunch I completed day 3 of Deepak's meditation challenge -still giggling at times- and read a bit under the shade. A bit later I got to CrossTrain with ease because it's one of my favorites. I love the flow of that class, specially the balance segment. I am not sure why, but I am deeply drawn to balance poses in yoga -not inversions mind you, but balancing ones-. I feel that it's when I concentrate the most and when I am more in tune with my breath. My mind is super calm and after the sequences my mood is lifted immensly. I am looking forward to those arm balance workshops I'll schedule for when we are done with our 108 days. Just hoping I can learn new ones and improve on the ones I can do already. Every day that passes we are one step closer! Still can't believe we're 14 days away...

For dinner tonite we'll be having some scrambled eggs with ham and fresh fruit. Hopefully I'll be able to finish my book tonite and go to bed at a decent hour.

Tomorrow we'll spend the day in Granada just walking about, bar hopping and souvenir buying. No clue when I'll do Strength and I don't wanna think about it too much -God, how I avoid that class-.

Sending good vibes all the way from Sierra Nevada!

Namaste.

Day 93

So this morning we were a bit sleepy because late last nite we had to make a run to the ER because my son got an earache close to 11:00 pm. We had him checked out, got the meds we needed and he's doing super fine today. Also had to get earplugs because there is no way I can keep him away from the pool, honestly. Anyway, we got up early, had a power breakfast and took off to see the Alhambra. What a wonderful way to start a Tuesday! It had been a long time since I had been to the Alhambra. Last time I went they were about to close the access to El Patio de los Leones (Courtyard of the Lions) to restore it. It took them ten years to do so and they have just reopened it last summer, so I had been wanting to go since then.
La Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's history is super rich and complex and worth investigating. If you ever have the opportunity to travel all the way to Spain, I highly recommend making the Alhambra a must see spot on your trip.
We got there at 10:00 am and you have to be very punctual, because in order to avoid huge crowds, visits to the Alhambra are time regulated. Once you go in, you have four hours to complete it. It might sound weird or inconvenient, but I think it's a wonderful idea because you get to see it all, take pictures and enjoy it without it being overly crowded.
Anyway, we went in and spent the next four hours with our mouths open and our minds blown. Jesus Christ is that place extremely cool! All of it! Every single corner is filled with beautiful carvings and mosaics. All the spaces were given serious thought so that it all flows and converges at the right place at the right time. Even though it was a super hot day, you find yourself super cool inside the palaces and courtyards. No photograph does it ANY justice: the detail, the perfection. You just have to be there -ahem Megaroo. Next trip fo' sho'-.
El Patio de los Leones is breathtaking after the remodel: every little detail was restored to perfection and the whole effect of the courtyard is superb. This is my favorite spot of the Alhambra without a doubt.
After completing the Alcazaba and the Nazaries Palaces, we headed out to El Generalife, which is right across from the Alhambra. El Generalife, which was the summer palace and country estate of the Kings of the Emirate of Granada, is famous for its gardens. It's like stepping into an oasis: they are a sight for sore eyes! And those fountains? Heavenly. My favorite spot of the Generalife is el Patio de la Acequia: it reminds me so much of my father...
I have attached a few photos I took with my iPhone; but I promise better ones to come when we get back home. Here they are:

Alcazaba

Detailed carving inside Mexuar Palace

Comares Palace

Patio de los Leones

Fountain in El Patio de los Leones

Patio de los Leones

Patio de los Leones

Patio de los Leones

Example of carvings

The little dude on his way to the Generalife

Partial view of the Alhambra from the Generalife

Panoramic view of the Alhambra from the Generalife

Insanely cool, yes?
Well, after having walked nonstop for four hours -it's a big, big palace complex- we were more than ready to sit and cool down while having lunch. We ducked in one of the many tascas you can find in downtown Granada. The good thing about the south of Spain is that you will have a pretty savory meal wherever you go. Another cool thing of the south is that for every drink you order, you get a free tapa; and those tapas are a pretty decent size, so you can have a full varied meal for a couple of bucks. Today we had beef stew, pinchos morunos (seasoned pork in a skewer), a pork loin mini baguette sandwich, Spanish ham montaditos with alioli and baby broad beans with Spanish ham. Now, so you can see how cheap this was, we had like eight drinks between beer and cokes and for all that we paid 20 euros, which is like 25 USD. Those portions were big, mind you: no need to order anything else. The picture below is for the baby broad beans. The rest dissappeared before I could even take my phone out of my bag.

After lunch we headed back home where we dropped dead on the terrace. Once I felt I had rehydrated and rested for a while, I got to Mountain Pose series. Now, Mountain Pose went super fine, because even though I had throbbing, tired feet, I did the movements facing the lake and the mountains, so it was super pretty and peaceful. For Pranayama, things didn't go so well. I found myself not being able to complete the holding of the breaths and sneaked in way more than one huge gulp of air. I cheated a lot! The meditation was cool, because I sat cross legged for it and kept my eyes open. It was more of a nice friendly chat rather than a meditation. I still have to do the Peter Sellers one, so I'll make up with that one.
For dinner we'll have some gazpacho and fresh fruit we got from the market today.
Today I feel super blessed and grateful to have been able to go back to La Alhambra after so many years. It holds a special place in my heart and there's nowhere else like it in the world. Tonite I am going to bed with a big smile on my face and an even bigger one in my heart.
Namaste.

Day 92

So today's Monday and it doesn't feel like Monday at all. Thank God for vacations!
Today we did pretty much the same as yesterday: lazy Monday spent poolside. I left Hardcore and Vitality for later in the evening because it was super hot today.
We had nice grilled steaks with chorizo and chistorra on the side. We have a brick grill outside, so Chef Andoni is making good use of it.

So, today Deepak and Oprah's 21 day meditation challenge began and I had signed up, so I got my email with the first meditation link in it. After lunch I settled down under the shade and put on my earphones (no one came and talked to me, thank God!). I clicked start and Oprah welcomes you to the meditation program. All that is fine and dandy till good ole Chopra starts talking. I had never heard Deepak speak and I don't know what I was expecting but I certainly wasn't ready for his accent. I mean, that's super duh of me because what other nationality can a guy named Deepak Chopra have but Indian? Duh, right? So he starts talking and I start giggling like an idiot because in my mind I could only see Peter Sellers guiding me through meditation in his character from the movie The Party. If none of you have seen that movie, watch it tonite: hilarious! And his accent? Spot on! So I tried to keep it together through the 15 minute meditation, but I couldn't really keep my cool. I'm afraid these remaining 20 meditations are going to be a hoot and can't wait to listen to him again. Epic fail is what that is.

Peter Sellers

Anyway, after my succesful mediation session, I did Hardcore first, rested a bit and then did Vitality. Anyone else out there hating the three bow pose part? Holy crap! My arms get super tired from stretching and pulling! I do like one part about Vitality and that is the circular rag doll. I could do that for hours! Feels so good on my back and neck. But that's about it. That and Shavasana. Ha!
For dinner we'll have some gazpacho and ham and cheese sandwiches.
Tomorrow we head to the Alhambra and will spend the day there. I will take lots of pics to show you later and some with the iPhone so I can post those tomorrow.
Hope you had good start of your week and we'll talk some more tomorrow.
Namaste.

Day 91

Cardio in the Andalucian mountains.
I am super proud of myself because I actually did the class even though every fiber of my being was telling me to stay under the shade reading my book.
Soooo today we woke up to a nice quiet morning. With absolutely NO CHORES to do, we had a leisurely breakfast outside and then slipped into our bathing suits, slapped some UV protection and did what we do best: nothing. Between sunbathing, swimming, playing, napping and reading, the day flew by. We had some grilled secreto Ibérico tacos for lunchies. Secreto Ibérico is a meat cut from pork that is only found in Spain. It is very tender and savory.

Spent the afternoon reading one of the books I brought with me. Turns out it's creepier than I thought, so I might be a little O_O during the night. Hehe...
Around 6:00 pm I decided that if I ever was going to do Cardio, now was the time. So I rolled out the mat and got on that crazy roller coaster ride. I honestly believe that I am doing the classes during la vacación because I am so far along the program that now I'm freakin' seeing it to the end. No matter what.
Later, I took a nice shower and am now feeling all loosey goosey. We'll have some cold cuts, cheese and slices of bread for dinner tonite.
Also excited because today the BBC revealed who is gonna play the twelfth Doctor Who. I am a huge nerd, I know; but a nerd who loves the Doctor and hopes the Tardis will one day show up in her apartment *sigh*
All right yogis, it's time to go back to that book and start hearing all kinds of strange sounds in the middle of the night. I'll see you all tomorrow for Vitality (gah).
Namaste.

Day 90

Woke up early this morning, loaded the SUV and headed to Granada. It's a five hour drive, and with an eight year old and a dog we had to make a pit stop in Murcia. Well, never stopping there again: nothing to see and what was there to see was quite meh-ish. We kept at it, skipped lunch and reached our destination at 4:00 pm.
Holy crap is this place gorgeous! The pictures don't do it justice! I am posting pics from the iPhone camera, but we're taking more with our Nikon. I can't upload those here because I need my computer to do so, but when we get back I'll do a special edition -oooo fancy- and post the good ones.

The property is on the mountains of Sierra Nevada just 20 minutes away from Granada. Right down in the valley is a gorgeous lake with clear turquoise water. With no neighbors in one kilometer radius, the only noise you hear are the cicadas and the birds. The house is gorgeously decorated and kept in perfect condition. My son immediately got into his swimsuit and swam the heck out of that pool. We plopped down on that gorgeous terrace and just enjoyed the stillness of it all.
Eventually I got to Yin, and thank God it was Yin today because I think I would have totally skipped yoga if it had been Cardio or Strength or whatevs. I rolled out the mat on the grass facing the mountains and just stretched ever so peacefully. It was so relaxing and delicioulsy perfect that I doubt Yin could ever be the same. Just lovely.
We are still out enjoying the scenery because even though it's 9:00 pm, there's still daylight out and I think it'll be that way till 10 or so.
Dinner? No clue, but whatever it'll be, it'll be accompanied by a nice glass of red wine. *I'm never leaving this place*
Hope you are having a great Saturday and I'll see you again tomorrow.
Namaste.

Day 89

Funky Freaky Friday with Balance and Hardcore thrown in there.
Today has been hectic to say the least. I have been running around all day and somehow I'm not done yet. I managed to do Balance and Hardcore in the morning and as usual, I loved the class; but today I found my thighs and calves BURNING like a mother. No clue why, but damn! they were screaming at me. There's one thing I NEED to do during Balance and that is to keep it together when Travis mentions that dancing yogi standing on top of a dwarf. For those of you out there that haven't found out yet, I am scared crapless by midgets. Of all the things that dancing yogi could have been standing on, WHY does it have to be a DWARF? Why? Dear God. This pic comes to mind when I loose it:

Ok. Moving on. We had a mild lunch today and kept it simple because I need to look after my stomach at least for today. That damn Colonel Sanders did a nasty number on me yesterday. We had oven roasted chicken with carrots, zucchini, onions and potatoes.

I spent the afternoon getting things ready and packing. If I forgot something, well *uck it!
For dinner I had a ham and cheese sandwich and a Greek yogurt.
Tomorrow we head out to Granada and it's like a five hour drive. We'll stop along the way for lunchies and plan on arriving at the house around four pm. I am bringing all my yoga paraphernalia and lots of books. I plan to spend my days lying by the pool reading and chilling. We'll go to Granada a couple of times and if we're in the mood we might go to Seville, but I doubt it. You're all coming along with me, so wish me a safe drive and I'll see you all tomorrow reporting back from Granada.
Namaste yogis!
PS Congrats to fellow yogi John Hodgins for reaching his 72 day milestone! Way to go John ;)

Day 88

It doesn't matter how willingly I approach Strength, it always kicks my butt. That sure is one fine strong class. My lower body can take it, but by the end of the class my arms are super tired. Each time I "suffer" less, to put it one way -but it's not actually suffering- but I don't think I'll ever be able to sail through this one.
There's a point in the class when Travis says that "Now we get out of the upper body to get into our lower body": it's right when we are squatting in straddle stretch. Well, I just don't get how we're getting out of our upper body by keeping our arms extended wide. My arms are SCREAMING at me to lower them down: shoulders burn and triceps are crying silently. But do I lower them? Hellz no! I just curse silently in my head.
After class and a quick shower we went out to run some errands and have lunch. We had a drink at lovely Mercado de Colón, which is a huge open space that has some shops, restaurants and bars. It's very close to home and the building is super cute. Here's the link for if you want to take a peek: http://www.mercadocolon.es/
Afterwards, we went to have lunch at KFC because my son just wouldn't shut up about it and we ended up caving in. I had a chicken sandwich because I was super hungry, but got an upset stomach all afternoon because of it. So today I can say that I totally regret having that sandwich.
I spent the afternoon doing chores with an upset stomach and skipped dinner all together. Want to let my stomach figure things out and be better tomorrow.
Tomorrow it's fun Friday with Balance and Hardcore. Sometime tomorrow I also have to pack our bags, load all the UY classes on my iPad and leave things at home all settled because we head out early Saturday morning to Granada for a week. Hellz yes. You are all coming with me: I'll still be writing the blog and doing the classes, at least that's my intention and I don't think my OCD would allow it otherwise. I'll post pics of La Alhambra and whatnot, so stay tuned!
Here's hoping you're all having a good Thursday!
Namaste.