I've completed my second week of work here in Taupo. We only worked 4 days this week, rather than 6 as expected. While it is nice to have some time off to see the area, I'd rather have the money.

Tuesday, I walked into Taupo to pick up a book. I got Cathedral of the Sea, about the building of the Santa Maria del Mar cathedral in Barcelona (which I'd seen when I was there). I saw this book all over Europe, but never picked it up. When I got back home, I couldn't find it, so I was elated to find it here. After I went to the bookstore, I went to a cafe for the first decent cup of coffee I'd had in weeks. The old man busing the tables came up to me and started talking to me, asking the usual questions: "Where are you from? Why are you here? How do you like it?" Then he asked me what I was reading. I said, "A book about medieval Spain." He immediately responded, "Oh, that'll be about the Cathars then, won't it?" and proceeded to tell me all about the Cathars, a heretical sect mostly in Southern France and Spain in the 13th century. They were the focus of the Albigensian Crusade, called by Pope Innocent III (of course). I wrote a paper on The Song of the Cathar Wars by William of Tudela during my first semester freshman history seminar on Jihad and the Crusades. In fact, the book is set 100 years later, in the catastrophic 14th century. Still, I love the Cathars, so I was quite pleased to hear someone else talk about them (especially in a cafe setting!). Anyway, I love the book, despite its obvious misogyny (which is a punch in the gut every time you come across it--I just want to love something wholeheartedly, but people are always pulling this crap on me), and I'm reading it way too fast.

We had Saturday off as well, so I went up to a hot spring with Shan and a few of the guys. Unfortunately, it wasn't very warm, so we stood around for a while, then went to Huka Falls. It was absolutely gorgeous. Sadly, I left my camera in the room, so you'll have to be content with the picture at the Wikipedia link. Today, I'm making chili with the tomatoes I got at work. I've just realized, however, that the hostel's jar of chili powder is empty, and I really don't want to run to the store AGAIN, so we'll see how it turns out.