ok, so i am assigning a reading list prior to this trip- i would appreciate that all of my fellow traveler's read hemingway's the sun also rises- it is set in both paris and spain- st. sebastian and pamplona- since i was in paris with each of the intended voyagers, and will travel to these places with them as well- it makes reading the book essential.....it takes place about the time of the civil war.. certainly no quiz involved- but an intelligent discussion of major themes would be greatly rewarded.......now that we have a car we can visit the town of guernica, in preparation for seeing the painting....from reading my guide books- lonely planet, rick steves and dk eyewitness- i beilieve that i may have to go into major alcoholconsumption training prior to this trip- it seems that drinking is all that is done in the towns that we intend to visit. i am very much enjoying my eyewitness spain book- i love the color collages of each town of note, as well as cutaway views of the insides of major buildings. these previews are so helpful in navigating....

i bought the spanish movie 'open your eyes' that tom cruise bought and made into 'vanilla sky' starring himself. it has english subtitles- so far i have picked up only the words hola, adios, amigo, and very few more.....i lack the language gene, apparantly, and though i will devote much time and effort to trying to learn spanish phrases, i have great doubt on my retention potential.......