Oh, and another thing!

Something else worth noting now is the weather.  Travel books and general accepted knowledge tell you that the winters here are mild, with temperatures no lower than 40s and 50s (Fahrenheit).  Well, listen.  Today was freezing, as was yesterday.  I had been sort of regretting my decision to bring my winter coat, as it had been mild enough that I'd been wearing light jackets and sweaters.  But apparently we're heading into the coldest part of the year in July.  July and August, no matter where you are or what season you are in, are apparently the most intense months as far as weather and temperatures go.  And now I'm glad I have my winter coat.  I'm wearing my heavy sweaters indoors and layering up with my winter coat to go outside into the biting wind.  Maria and I are from the northeast in the U.S., so we figured we'd be fine handling what they call "winter" here.  Oh, we were arrogant!  "It'll be like the fall," we told ourselves.  Oh, we were wrong!  Luckily, I don't really mind the cold that much.  I just hope that we have more days like today: though it was cold, the sun was out in full force.  It's not like yesterday, which was just gray through and through.