Adjustments in Baking and Other Things

My corn bread recipe needed a little tweaking tonight.  It called for baking powder, but we only had baking soda.  Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I learned to substitute baking soda for baking powder by decreasing the amount by three-quarters.  Then I had to fiddle with the recipe because we are now living at 8,500 feet.  OK... baking websites, don't fail me now... over 7,500 feet, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of extra liquid to the recipe and increase the baking temperature by 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but I had to then convert that to Celsius, which meant turning the dial a little past 200 degree Celsius.  The jury is still out as to whether or not the cornbread will turn out...

We now find ourselves living in Bogotá, Colombia.  Our life adjustments now include learning a city that has streets that run north to south (the calles) and east to west (the carreras).  We are adjusting to the freedom of walking a few blocks west to parks, restaurants, shops, and grocery stores.  We are learning the ropes at a new school where we will be starting on August 16.  Our ears are tilting toward the Colombian accent and pace of life.  We have already eased into a new community of friends, at this time mostly teachers at our new school, but  of course we look forward to the Colombian connections as well.

We arrived on July 27 and spent several days acclimating to our new neighborhood and to the altitude.  We then headed off to Villa de Leyva, a colonial city founded in 1572.  It is known for its white-washed buildings and cobblestone streets.  Not far from Villa de Leyva is Puente de Boyacá, which was the site of a pivotal battle between the armies of Simón Bolivar and Spanish troops, securing Colombia's independence on this day 192 years ago.

We spent 3 days in Villa de Leyva...

On the way, the beautiful countryside north of Bogotá.

Our hotel during our stay in Villa de Leyva.

 We hopped on two of these busses for a tour of the town.  Before we drove off, we were offered a beer or a "Cola y Pola", which was a beer cola.  Kind of sweet , like a watery coke.  Good to try it once, probably will never drink another one again.

Inside the Luis Alberto Acuña museum where his paintings, murals and sculptures filled the colonial-style mansion where he lived during the last years of his life.

Casa Museo de Luis Alberto Acuña

The Plaza Mayor is one of the biggest plazas in South America.

So you can see, we have been adjusting to a lot lately, and we are loving it!  More pictures to come of our home and neighborhood, Ciclovia, and our school.

Here's how the corn bread turned out... tasty!