HE just left Europe and left a very bad taste in everybody's mouth.  The German Prime Minister has said that Europe cannot count on the US at this time and will have to do without  us!  The UK and Europe said they cannot share intelligence with us (cause Trump blabs!) and Trump refused to sign the Paris Climate Agreement!  HE showed up half an hour late for a meeting G7 had with African leaders to show them just how mush he gives a sh@#.  Of course HE says it was a "GREAT" trip and a "GREAT"success.  He's delusional.  He's the butt of jokes here as much as at home.   Can't we trade for Justin Trudeau??  xxoo me

Another Sunday, another mountain.  We went to Val Vaita on the backside of Mon Viso again and this time hiked up a much longer but gradual trail.  The signs posted at the trail head said 2 hrs 40 minutes but them sonsabitches that timed it were obviously younger and fitter than us.  It took us over 3 hours.  There were the usual eighty year-olds putting us to shame by looking fresh as daisies while we sweated and panted. 

xxoo me

It's blustery.  It's blowy.  It's thundering.  I love it!  Home from school today as it's a teacher workshop day.  I got to sleep in and watch American sitcoms on-line!  Tomorrow we have a family lunch to attend.  GP's aunt turns 80 and she's throwing a bash.  There will be over 50 of us and a 5 hour sit-down lunch.  Ugh.  I really hope it's not hot because air conditioning is rare and Italians don't open windows if they are sitting near them.  They may get some terrible affliction if they are hit by "un colpo d'aria" which translates as a "blow of air".  Evidently a blow of air can cause everything from a toothache to appendicitis but most commonly explains a neck or headache.  Have I mentioned that Italians are superstitious hypochondriacs?  Wish me luck.  GP and I may well be among the youngest people there....  xxoo me

Yippee ki yay!!  Today was International Day at our school.  An occasion to eat your way around the world.  Of course we always go...  This year we bought lottery tickets, the money going to charity, for two business class tickets to Istanbul.  We WON!  We never win anything.  If there are 10 tickets and we have 9 of them, we don't win.  This is flippin' amazing!  Look!  Even GP is smiling!! (sorta)   xxoo me

Last night we watched the semi finals of the Eurovision Song Contest.  Eurovision has been around for 65 years and is hugely popular even if most people in the US have never heard of it.  It's an International Song Competition and has actually produced some famous acts.  ABBA won back in the '70's.  It's wonderfully kitsch and over-the-top.  (In fact think of ABBA's outfits) The winners aren't necessarily the most talented but often the most outrageous.  3 years ago the winner was an Austrian named Concita, a bearded transvestite.  I am royally p**ed off by last night's results!  The best performance of the evening was a beautiful singer from Switzerland with a huge voice, singing an upbeat pop/rock song.  She was great.  10 acts were chosen to compete in the final on Saturday night.  Did she make it through?  Hell no!  But the obese guy from Croatia that turned to his right and sang in an operatic tenor voice, then turned to his left and sang like a castrated Justin Beber did.  AND the couple from Romania who sang a yodeling rap.  Yup.  She yodeled, he rapped.  The hunk from Israel who looked and danced like a stripper got through, cheered on by the majority gay male audience.  Oh, and the band from Norway with the so-so lead singer and the black shrouded musicians all wearing masks that were a cross between Darth Vader and The Death Eaters from Harry Potter.  THEY got through.  But the lovely, talented normal girl from Switzerland?  Noooooooooooo!  It ate at me all day.  I need a hobby..... 

Tomorrow is International Day at school.  The only day I willing go on a Saturday.  All the nationalities at the school are represented by a stand with yummy foods!  The US is shameful.  Really bad grilled hamburgers and hotdogs.  It's the kids favorite stand.  I go for the Indian and South American cuisine.  Yum!

Watching Trump threaten the ex FBI chief via tweet.  Classy.  This guy is an ignorant thug.

 xxoo me

Well I'm finally writing about last weekend's trip to Spain.  It seems a long way for three days but Blue Air, one of Europe's low-cost airlines, just opened a new route from Torino to Malaga.  We paid about 50 bucks round trip.  In fact we were on the very first flight.  We got cake.  I had two pieces.  So in Malaga, famous for sunny dry weather and long golden beaches, a stone's throw from Algeria for Chrissakes, it rained.  But even in the rain, we had a great time.  I love southern Spain.  The city has gorgeous architecture with a lot of Roman ruins and long palm lined walks.  There are tropical plants galore and tons of bars and restaurants with outside seating everywhere.   The Spaniards love to socialize and from what I've seen spend very little time at home, even in the rain.  We walked up to Gibralfaro Castle along a long and winding path to the very top of a high hill overlooking the city.  The castle, just ruins now, was originally at lookout outpost from way back in 1487.  That's some old ain't it!  Along the walk are gardens, fountains and little squares.  The view would be extraordinary if  thick great clouds didn't obscure it!

Looking down over the ever present Bullfighting Ring.  Bad Spaniards.

We spent a lot of time walking and stopping for a drink and a tapa or two.  The places were all busy and noisy and fun.  Dinners were in the beach area called El Palo, now home to restaurants and hotels but originally where the fishermen lived and still where the boats go out.  Very yummy fish.

El Palo

Park along the port

Cerveza!!

Big yummy grilled some kind of flat fish

  After two days we took the train to Madrid for one overnite.  We met in Madrid exactly 33 years ago May and have not been back together since.  We wandered around until we found my old apartment, (a dump), and went to Plaza Major where we had our first date.  Along our way we saw this poor guy.  We had also seen him at the train station hours before.  He was with a group of friends and was being tortured in the typical way they do there before his wedding day.  Mind you it was cold and yet again, raining.

He's wearing a neon green thong.

GP in the only 15 minutes of sun the entire weekend!

It was a nice weekend away though would have been nicer had the weather cooperated!  xxoo me

Oh!  By the way.  I am no longer blocked and am back to writing my daily emails to our two Maine senators.  However should I be put on some kind of no entry list and be stuck at Logan June 24th, does anyone have a good lawyer?

Malaga, Spain has an average of 5 days of rain in April and 3 in May.  We spent Friday and Saturday there.  It rained.

It's usually in the 70s and very very dry... 

More later.  Going to bed!  xxoo me