Happy New Year!

Will and I are hoping that this year is even better than the last...and it already looks promising. With friends and family expecting big changes this year, from college graduations to weddings to becoming parents, we wanted to wish you all a Happy 2011. We love and miss you and are still expecting visits from you.

By the way, we had a great road trip across Spain and after hours of sorting through hundreds of pictures I've posted them in the Photo Gallery section. Our trip started in Burgos and ended in Madrid and the pictures are listed in that order so you can follow us along.

Love,
V & Will

Feliz Navidad!

The lights are strung down the streets of Vitoria and the human sized Nativity scene is now open to the public, there is no doubt that Christmas is nearly here. Though we thought we would be alone for the holidays, turns out we have two elves on the way. My brother, Junior, and his girlfriend, Diana, will arrive in Spain the morning of Christmas Eve to keep us company through New Year's Day.

As part of their visit, I've planned a road trip to Madrid and it's a pretty tight schedule. We'll head out from Vitoria December 27 and stop in Salamanca to visit one if the oldest universities in Europe, then Segovia to see one of the most well preserved Roman aqueducts as well as the castle that inspired the Disney version, then El Greco's favorite town of Toledo, past Don Quixote's windmills and into Madrid arriving December 30.


So in case we don't speak until the new year, we wanted to wish you a very Happy Holiday season from across the Atlantic. We'll try to catch up soon, but in the meantime we're sending warm wishes your way.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! XOXO

Ciao,
Vanessa & Will

Weekend in Milano

In lieu of the Thanksgiving break we would have celebrated back in the states, we took advantage of the 3 days that the Spanish have off in early December to visit Milan. It was a cold few days with a mix of rain and sleet, but we managed to stay warm with plenty of cappuccinos and wine.

The crown jewel of Milan is of course the Duomo, which is a massive structure that rises from the center of the city. The Gothic cathedral is one of the largest churches in the world, with an exterior covered in huge slabs of a pinkish colored marble. It was truly an impressive sight.

The highlight of the trip for us was the visit to the Santa Maria delle Grazie church. The convent's refectory houses Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper mural. Tickets have to be purchased in advance as only groups of 25 are permitted to visit at a time, and only for 15 minutes. The painting started deteriorating only 6 years after da Vinci completed it, due to a technique that he was experimenting with. It underwent a 20 year restoration (1979-99) and in effort to further preserve it, visitors must go through a series dehumidifying chambers before entering the room. We could have stood there for hours marveling at the fresco.

Ciao!

Exciting Press Coverage of the MIT CityCar

The CityCar has been in the news recently, both locally and back in the States. Here in Vitoria there was a press event on Friday that spotlighted a handful of Spanish companies that have signed on to manufacture key components of the vehicle. Back home the MIT Media Lab recently celebrated its 25 year anniversary and the CityCar was one of three concepts featured in a CNN story.

CNN Video
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2010/10/12/nr.mit.innovation.cnn?iref=allsearch

Press Articles
CBS:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20019763-501465.html

Noticias:
http://noticias.coches.com/noticias-motor/hiriko-ya-tiene-consorcio-para-su-fabricacion/29748?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BlogCochescom+%28Blog+coches.com%29&utm_content=FaceBook

CNET:
http://news.cnet.com/2300-11386_3-10005218-5.html?tag=mncol;txt

Laguardia's Medieval Charm

Being so close to Spain's prized Rioja Wine Valley, we're trying to make it around to all of the amazing little towns scattered throughout the province of Alava. This weekend we took a day trip to the hilltop town of Laguardia, a 13th century medieval walled village. It has a fully intact protective stone wall that encircles the entire town, with four entrance gates with massive wooden doors. From just about anywhere on the hill you get wonderful view of the the wine valley below.

Photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/DiazLark/LaguardiaSpain?feat=directlink