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November 17 , we are hiking🚶🏻‍♀️to La Ermita en el Puig .🥾 It’s an  emblematic hermitage of Xàtiva very close to the urban center. Meet at the academy at 10 with water, snack for a 3 hour easy/medium excursion (about 8 km on roads and up a the hill on well trod paths).

˝Grwama, wuk!˝ Lily cried as she pointed a pudgy two-year-old finger at the family in front of us. ˝Grandma, it’s a princess family! I want a dress like that! ˝ exclaimed Hero, her seven-year-old sister. I looked over to where the excitement was coming from, and indeed there was a rather regal family passing by what looked like a small palace. We moved closer to admire their elaborate attire: the lace, shining sequins, the rich purples, pinks, and blues under the lacy aprons on the front. Even the men had colorful headbands, elegant kickers over long lacy stockings. It was indeed from a fairytale. I smiled, thinking of my first time seeing the splendour of the Falleros parading by, and even after living in Valencia for a few years, the sight of the Falleros is still breath taking, but now I conceal it better. Not the case with my granddaughters. This was their first time in Spain and they were absolutely enchanted! The castle high on the hill with its banner waving, the noble palaces that lined the narrow streets of marble, were like walking into one of their stories of fairy princesses. Indeed, they had entered the magical land of Xativa, Valencia. The day before, we had spent time at the castle up the hill. A real castle!! California doesn’t have castles, at least not real ones. Of course, Disneyland has one, but it’s made of plastic. And there are too many people inside to run around. And it doesn’t have prisons and scary gargoyles and dragons. Nor does it have a view of the entire kingdom at its feet. «Look! shouted Hero, from atop the castle, the wind whipping her hair around excitedly, «that’s a dragon’s back! He’s sleeping and covered with trees, but I can still see him!» I looked over to the Creueta, the mountain next to the castle, and saw the rocky ridge going down the side of the mountain. Indeed! Seeing is believing. It had to be the back ridge of a slumbering dragon. Only in Spain! Today, when we left the house to feed the stray cats along the street, was when the two girls meet royalty. California doesn’t have kings or queens. We can only pretend. The land that is now ours had been part of Spain, and then Mexico, and now the United States. Royalty fascinates us! We stopped to admire the beautiful family; Lily and Hero with their eyes wide and mouths open in fascination. The family, pleasantly surprised with such a reception, scooped up both girls so that I could take of photo of the historical moment. As Lily, Hero and I continued our walk, they pointing out to me the fountains where the unicorns drank, which cats belonged to witches, and all the palaces they would live in when they became queens! Indeed, I’m not sure which is more true: Seeing is believing or Believing is seeing!

On Sunday we invite you to Bilingual Biking in Valencia!  November 3, we shall explore the Vía Verde from Xátiva to Manuela in Valencia. 🛣️💦This is a new route; in fact, it is still being developed! Meet at the academy (Sant Doménec, 32, Xativa) with your bike🚵🏼 at 10; wear appropriate clothing for this outdoor biking adventure; bring water 💦and a desire practice your Spanish/English. The route is about 25 km round trip and is not difficult 🤩On Sunday,  November 3, we shall explore the Vía Verde from Xátiva to Manuela. 🛣️💦This is a new route; in fact, it is still being developed! Meet at the academy (Sant Doménec, 32, Xativa) with your bike🚵🏼 at 10; wear appropriate clothing for this outdoor biking adventure; bring water 💦and a desire practice your Spanish/English. The route is about 25 km round trip and is not difficult 🤩

¡DarKha Senderismo Bilingüe🥾: El domingo 20 de octubre, ¡subimos a la  Creueta de Xàtiva! Nos reunimos en la academia (Sant Doménec, 32, Xativa) a las 10; lleva buenos zapatos para caminar, agua y ganas de explorar y practicar tu español/inglés. Esta «caminata» es para los fuertes, es bastante difícil. Subimos mucho pero no dura mucho tiempo. ¡Las vistas son increíbles! 🥾⛰️🤩

DarKha Bilingual Hiking🥾: On Sunday, October 20, for our monthly bilingual hiking excursion we will climb to the Creueta in Xàtiva! Meet at the academy (Sant Doménec, 32, Xàtiva, Valencia) at 10; wear good walking shoes, water and a desire to explore and practice your Spanish/English. This is a steep, but short climb. It can be difficult for those  who are not use to climbing on all fours! The views are worth it, though! 🥾⛰️🤩

¡Seguiremos leyendo hasta el capítulo 6 de nuestro Libro para el Club de Lectura Bilingüe! Estamos leyendo en inglés y español "Las aventuras de Tom Sawyer" de Mark Twain. Es un clásico americano. Dicen que es para niños, pero muchos adultos lo encuentran muy divertido. ¡Nos vemos en la Academia a las 7:00 pm! ¡Allí nos vemos!

We will continue to read to chapter 6 in our Book for the Bilingual Book Club! We are reading "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain. It is an American Classic. They says it's for children, but many adults find it very amusing! Meet at the Academy at 7:00 pm! See you there!!

Join us on Friday , October 18, for a fun and engaging evening at our bimonthly bilingual Adult Immersion class! We will challenge ourselves and bond through Spanish and English by playing Word and conversation Games. Let's come together at the academy  (Carrer Corretgeria, 35, Xàtiva, Valencia) at 7:00 pm to create unforgettable memories and share plenty of laughter. See you there!

September 22 , we are hiking🚶🏻‍♀️to Cove  Negra .🥾 An archaeological site that was home to Neanderthal man! Meet at the academy at 10 with water, snack for a 3 hour easy excursion (about 8 km on narrow roads and well trod paths). El 22 de septiembre , hacemos una excursion de senderismo🚶🏻‍♀️a la Cova Negra 🥾, el yacimiento arqueológico del hombre de Neandertal. Nos reuniremos en la academia a las 10 con agua y almuerzo para una excursión fácil de 3 horas (aproximadamente 8 km por caminos estrechos pavimentados y senderos bien transitados)

It’s summer! Like Californians, Valencianos head to the water: the beach, a river, or lake. That’s what I did last weekend to celebrate the summer equinox. As I trotted down to the beach, I saw a green flag flying high above the sand. Noticing a sign below, I took a moment to read it. Being in Valencia, the sign was in Valenciano, allowing me to practice the language. Right below Valenciano was the Spanish translation in small letters. By comparing the two languages, I figured out I got the message correct: green flag; safe to swim; yellow flag, swim with caution; and the red flag, prohibited from swimming. Californian beaches have a similar colored flag system to help keep beach goers safe. Then, I noticed the third language on the sign below the Valenciano and Spanish. It was my mother tongue, yet ironically, it was the one I didn’t understand! I read the messages over carefully: Valenciano: Bones condiciones per al bany (conditions are good for bathing) Castellano: Buenas condiciones para el baño (conditions are good for bathing) English: Good conditions for the bathroom. For the bathroom? Why do they mention the bathroom? To make matters worse, the “Red Flag” warned that the “Bathroom was prohibited”! In Valenciano it was clear: “Prohibit el bany” (Swimming is prohibited). I could understand why swimming in hostile conditions would be prohibited, but the bathroom? I pondered the absurdity. Was it a punishment against English speakers for not speaking Valenciano? Or perhaps, during hostile conditions, the water backs up, making the toilets unusable… Still wanting to make sense, I used a technique I commonly employ with my students; I translated the statement literally from Spanish to English. I laughed aloud when I understood! Let me explain. When native English speakers go to the beach, we don’t bathe (which means to take a bath in a bathtub in order to clean your body); we swim. When Spanish and Valencian people go to the beach, they don’t swim; rather, they bathe. For them to bathe means to frolic joyfully in the cool salt waters. Swimming is a sport which one practices! It’s not a way to spend time with family and friends. Once clarified, I enjoyed a playful swim until the waves turned rough and the yellow flag went up. I took advantage of the break to run to the bathroom. Interestingly, on a beach heavily frequented by foreigners, I did not hear any English speakers in the bathroom.

New Book for the Bilingual Book Club! Get ready for "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain. It is an American Classic. They says it's for children, but many adults find it very amusing! Meet at the Academy at 7:00 pm! See you there!!

On Tuesday, August 20, for our monthly  bilingual hiking excursion we will explore Bolbaite! We won’t hike much, we will swim in the river and explore the town. Meet at the academy (Sant Doménec, 32, Xàtiva, Valencia) at 11 and please call +34 685 166 339 to arrange for a ride. Bring water shoes, bathing suit, picnic and a desire to explore and practice your Spanish/English. The entrance fee is 4€.  🤩🏊‍♀️💦 All who have a desire to meet cool people to practice their English and Spanish are welcome. Bring a friend!