An Old Dog and the Sun

This past weekend was nice and relaxing. We didn't have anywhere to be, so we just chilled in Solsona. A good night's sleep has been hard to come by since Carnaval and we've been fighting lingering colds and lethargy, so relaxing was just what the doctor ordered. I just finished reading Orgullo y Prejuicio (Pride and Prejudice) and its charm and humor come through just as well in Spanish as they do in English. In need of another book to read, I spent a little time on Friday afternoon perusing the shelves of the local, one-room library for my next literary adventure. I settled on La Mujer del Viajero en el Tiempo (aka The Time-Traveler's Wife). While I may not have chosen to read this in English, it is proving to be a good choice for Spanish practice. It is about a man who travels back and forth in time and often encounters himself at various ages. It is a good exercise in recognizing Spanish tenses and pronouns. So a good part of the weekend was spent cozily on the couch, reading. On Saturday we ventured out to a cafe to get some work done and treat ourselves to a chocolate overdose. I think I've mentioned that when you order a hot chocolate here, what you get is a cup of what is essentially hot pudding. It is thick and rich and oh! so delicious. To go with this, as if this cup of goodness wasn't enough, we each had a croissant whose ends were dipped in chocolate. Little did we know that they were also filled with chocolate on the inside. Nothing like a little weekend overindulgence.

On Sunday, so as not to fall behind in my training (and to atone for Saturday's chocolate binge) but not wanting to exacerbate my nagging cold, I just ran 6 miles, with positive results. This weekend I'm shooting for another long one - closer to 13 or 14 miles.

An unrelated anectode: there is an old dog that lives somewhere in the plaza. We see him often, sitting outside a bar that his owner must frequent, or around town. The way the old city is built, the sun doesn't reach the interior very often, but there are a few spots in the middle of the plaza where some rays make it to the ground in the morning. Every morning this old dog is let out and every morning he predictably makes his slow old way right over to the sunlit area of the plaza and flops down to bask in the warmth. Isn't he cute?!