A Trip to Spain

It has taken me so long to get to this post!  I keep procrastinating because I don't have all the pictures, and I manage to keep myself frantically busy.  I also tell myself that I posted on FB a lot while in Spain.  But if I want to look back and remember I need to blog. So this is going to be a rough post.  But I just gotta get it done.  Before I forget everything!

My parents and I flew into Barcelona via Atlanta.  My itinerary said, "Non-Stop." Theirs said that we had a stop in Atlanta.  I called Delta to ask for clarification.  The woman said, "You have an equipment change."  Hmmm....what could that mean?  Well, it meant we had to get off and change planes.  Not exactly "Non-Stop" in my book.  But it was a short stop.  We just had time to get to our next flight.  On the trip I read, Shadow of the Wind, a famous novel set in Barcelona.  It was kind of dark and creepy, but had an interesting story.  It left me feeling like Barcelona is a place where dark and scary things happen.  Maybe not the best intro.

We got to Barcelona at like 9 am.  So I hadn't slept all night.  I was determined to stay up all day and beat jet-lag.  We drove to Mataro, about 40 minutes from Barcelona and had our first taste of driving in Spain.  Not super easy.  But thanks to Google maps, we made it to our Air BnB, even with a few wrong turns.
Our Air BnB was tiny, but cute.  It had all the essentials: AC, wifi, beds, a tiny kitchen (which we never used), a bathroom that was actually out in the patio in what looked like a former freezer, and ants.  And no parking.  So we spent a fair amount of time hunting for parking several evenings.

Also we were protected by San Roque, the dog bite Saint (see the wound in his leg and the dog...) So we didn't get any dog bites the whole time.  

On the first day (Wednesday) we went back into Barcelona with Dave and Atza and some of their friends. It was the closest I came to going into full HANGRY mode during the whole trip.  But we ate in an outdoor cafe (which we did for basically every meal).  Then we visited La Pedrera.  My mom took a great pic of me there.  But I don't have it, and I'm going to stop procrastinating because of this problem.

When you go to Spain, it is all about Gaudi, the famous Catalan Architect.  His work is crazy and fun.  I knew I was going to write an Art Docent lesson based on his work immediately!  It is all about the lines of nature with lots of interesting iron work and mosaic.

This is the rooftop of La Pedrera.

Mom and I with a bust of Gaudi in La Pedrera

When we got back to our Air BnB, my jet lag kicked in and I crashed out.  Then I woke up about 1:30 am and stayed awake for several hours.  Finally I crashed out again and got up about 10:00 am.  Weird!  I hated the jet lag thing.

Day 2 (Thursday) we started the Bus Turistico hop on/hop off tour of Barcelona.  Driving into Barcelona was once again an adventure. Restaurants and shops open kind of late there, so I was so glad I brought Lara Bars.  We toured around on the bus, getting off at La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's final work.  We had purchased a guided tour in advance, which was a huge plus.  Our guide was great and the tour was amazing!
We also grabbed delicious stuffed churros on our way back to the car.

La Sagrada Familia is an incredible work in progress.  The symbols and emphasis on Christ really reminded me of the temple!  I was moved to tears at one point.  It will be truly a wonder when it is finished.  

The mosaic work is so cool!  That is what we will do with the students for the Art Docent project. 

Then we went back to Mataro and had dinner on the beach.  We were the only ones in the restaurant.  Apparently you don't really eat dinner there before 9 pm ish.  We were there much earlier than that.  Then we went home and crashed out!  I ate a salad for dinner.  It had tuna on it.  We experienced this a few times.  It was interesting.  Also in Mataro, our waitresses spoke less English.  So it was fun to see what we would end up with. 

 I can't remember now which afternoon it was now, but my dad and I had an interesting trip to the store.  The little grocery store near our apartment was closed.  Not sure if that was just for the summer or forever, but there wasn't one near us.  So we went to a mall that also had a grocery store inside.  We were getting critical supplies like hand soap for the bathroom and an air freshener.  (Boy did we need it, the bathroom smelled like a sewer grate).  Anyway, all went smoothly at the store until checkout.  I had some bread and my dad had some licorice from bulk bins.  The cashier didn't speak English and was trying to explain that we needed more info to buy our bulk products.  I rushed back to the bin to get the number.  When I came back that still wasn't right!  Finally after a bit of chaos (the line was building up behind us) I finally figured out that the cashier was trying to explain that there are scales near the product, and I had to go back and weigh the bread and get a sticker there. I remembered that this was true in some Czech stores too.   An employee had come and taken my dad's stuff to weigh while I weighed my bread. We got a good laugh after it was all over.  I was glad I bought that food though!  It tided me over since my parents need to eat about 3x less often than I do.

Day 3 (Friday) We did more bus touring in the morning.  We got off at the old Gothic Cathedral and Las Ramblas (the place that just had the terrible terrorist attack).  My one beef with the bus tour, was that we didn't get nearly enough commentary.  There was lots of elevator music in the narration when I feel like I could have been learning more about Spain!  Thankfully I read a guide book on my flight over so I knew some of the things to be looking for.

 I strategically planned bathroom and food stops for us.  On Las Ramblas, I had us stop in at McDonalds so we could use the bathroom.  FAIL!  After we bought our ice cream, we went up to the third floor for to find the bathroom.  OUT OF ORDER.  Seriously!  But, no one ever wet his/her pants, so I managed our needs pretty well.  It is hard for me to switch out of mommy mode, so I occasionally asked my parents if they had put on sunscreen, needed to go potty, etc.  They were very kind and didn't get frustrated that I was trying to parent them.

We finished the day at the rehearsal dinner.  Atza's house or Villa, is insanely amazing!  What a beautiful setting for a wedding! (And only about a 10 minute drive from our Air BnB.)
The rehearsal dinner was fun, we got to meet the wedding party and Atza's mom for the first time (well, my first time).  Emily and Soren's train from Paris was late, but they made it just in time.
We drove Emily and Soren back to their Air BnB, (which was on the beach!) and then drove back to our apartment.  Finding parking that night turned out to be almost impossible.  Finally I started praying.  My dad gave up and was going to drop us off and drive around all night.  As we pulled up, one of the cars in our alley pulled out.  Parking!  Right in front of our place!  It was Divine Intervention!

Day 4:  Girona & the Wedding
We had seen enough of the city, so we headed to the smaller town of Girona with Emily and Soren.  It is beautiful!  Just the kind of Europe I love.  Little bakeries to get pastries and other breads, tiny streets, and an ancient wall that was from the Roman Era.  Girona has been through 25 sieges and has been captured 7 times.  

There was a little local market happening.  My mom and I were convinced by a cute craftswoman to buy her hair styling sticks.  I loved mine.  Somehow I can't find it now that I 'm home.  I'm sure it's around here somewhere.

Awesome musicians in front of the cathedral. 

Walking in the old wall.  I got a lot of steps in wandering around Girona. 

In case we needed to go potty, there was an old toilet available.  

During the trip I had been looking for a hat for the pool, etc.  I found one in Girona!  I bought it from a one handed man who then tried to sell me everything else he had.  I've worn the hat quite a bit!  (The one good thing about blogging weeks later, I can give you follow ups as I write. :)

The tiny old streets.  They filmed some of Game of Thrones in this town.  

Lunch!  While we were waiting for our food (waits can be quite long, especially the wait for your check after a meal), I went to a shoe store we had passed and got a great pair of sandals.  I think they will be comfy enough to wear to teach!  But they are also cute.  Double bonus! (And they say Made in Spain.  I love to buy local shoes!)

My lunch (and I shared pizza or something with my mom).

We got back from Girona in time to change, get ready and head up for the wedding.
(See wedding post).

Day 5:  Sunday in Mataro
The wedding officially went all night, so we went back in the morning after we got up to join the party for breakfast.  Churros dipped in chocolate aren't my usual breakfast menu, but it was delicious!   We finished breakfast just in time to drive to the Mataro ward.
We were too late to get anyone to translate for us.  Soren translated for Emily, but I wasn't close enough, so I just got to watch and pick out words here and there.  I got very interested in the little boy sitting with his mom in front of me.  He was around 10.  They came in after us, just before the sacrament.  The boy saved a piece of bread and showed it to his mom.  I thought it was weird.  Then I noticed he took 2 cups of water.  I was busy judging him in my head for taking extra sacrament when his dad came in to join them.  I'm sure he had been looking for parking (based on our experiences in Mataro.)  When the dad came in, the son handed him the bread and cup of water from the sacrament.  It was a sweet and simple gesture that reminded me of the true charitable nature of the Savior.  His love is extended to all, even to those who are late.  And it is usually through other people that he meets our needs.  This little boy taught me a beautiful lesson.

After sacrament meeting, we headed to the center of town for the Mataro Festival event of the day, the Human Castles.  It was the most amazing thing we saw in Spain I think.

Libby would be perfect as one of the littles with a helmet that climbs up to the  top of one of these towers.  I'm so glad that she isn't going to though.  Holy heart attack!  

While the weather was AMAZING the whole time we were in Spain, it got hot and muggy being crowded there in the center of town with hundreds of other people.  (And we were literally standing right next to the one team).  So we headed out for some lunch and the beach.  We stopped at Soren and Emily's so they could change, but since we didn't want to drive back to get our swim suits, we just put our feet in the ocean.

I love the way the sky and water look in this picture!  My first time at the Mediterranean!  

We went home to bed early again that night.  Jet lag is not my friend!

Day 6:  Montserrat
On our last day in Spain, we decided to go to Montserrat, an amazing monastery in the mountains near Barcelona.  It is awesome!  We ate my favorite breakfast of the trip in a small town at the base of the mountain.  Then we took a train up to the monastery.  It was amazingly beautiful on the ride up.  And at the top.  And riding the funiculars up to the higher points where there were various trails you could take.
The highlight of that day was that many different choirs come through and sing during the summer when the resident boys' choir is on vacation.  We knew that our friend from Utah, Melissa, was in the SL choir that was slated to sing at 1:30.  We almost missed it!   It was so fun to see her, and to see how excited she was to see us!  What a great coincidence that we could be there at the same time!  The choir was beautiful, and it influenced my decision to put the Libby and Sarah in a children's choir starting this fall!

On the train!  I love riding trains.  I'll admit though, I was glad that we had a rental car for most of our getting around during the trip.  Parking was tricky, and even with google maps, navigating was sometimes tricky, but it was simpler to have a car to get where we needed to go.  

Usually it is a bit hotter in Spain during this time of year.  I was so happy we were there for this brilliant and slightly cooler time.  The weather was PERFECT!

A sanctuary for a Saint.  I forget which one.  

Riding up on one of the funiculars to the top of the mountain to walk on the trails. 

I think this is the other funicular.  It led to a path with monuments documenting the life of Christ.  It was pretty long and hot by the time we got to the end.  But it was worth it.  

 
I guess the pictures with Melissa were on my mom's phone.  But trust me, it was awesome to see her.

 Since it was our last night in Spain, we decided we had better have some tapas.  They were actually pretty expensive most places.  But we picked a winner in the center of Mataro.  They weren't too pricey.  But the wait staff didn't speak English, so we did have some trouble communicating.  It was quite good.  (I'm not sure if Spanish food grew on me or if I just got better at picking restaurants and ordering.  The first few days I wasn't impressed with the food, then in the last few days it seemed much more appetizing!)

It was extra awesome that we had a table right along the street until just before the parade of the Giants started.  These are puppets with humans inside.  They seem to be from various neighborhoods and schools.  Some have whole drum teams with them.  It was another enlightening cultural event.  Some were clearly organized by schools.  I can tell what phase of life I'm in when I thought, "I feel sorry for the mom that volunteered for this PTA position!"

By this point I was very done and ready to come home.  Luckily, the next day was our flight out.  What could go wrong?

Day 7:  Flying home

Our morning went smoothly.  We had gone to bed early again, so we were all up well before the crack of dawn.  We got to the airport 3 hours before our flight.  AND STILL ALMOST DIDN'T MAKE THE FLIGHT!  I had been so calm and chill the whole trip (except for my almost hangry moment).  But once I was maybe going to miss my flight home to my kiddos, I was freaking out [mostly] inside.
Problem 1:  Someone had stolen a windshield wiper from our rental car.  Just one.  I think it might have happened on the miracle parking night.  So it took longer than expected to return the rental car while they figured out how to charge us a reasonable amount.  (Originally the computer told them to charge us $120 Euros!)
Problem 2:  The Delta Line was long and we needed to check in luggage and get printed boarding passees.
I'm still thinking, ok, no problem, we still have 2 hours.
Problem 3:  SECURITY LINES LIKE I HAVE NEVER SEEN!  It took us 1.5 hours to get through security.
I'm thinking, ok.  We have 30 minutes to make our flight.  We can still make this. Then we turn the corner...
Problem 4:  YIKES!  We still have to go through Passport check?????
I was losing my mind.  But these nice people said I should ask if anyone else had a flight earlier than ours, so we could get to the front of the line.  When I asked, it turned out that a huge chunk of the line in front of us was on our flight.  And a Delta agent had come to let them know they would hold the flight for us.

We finally, finally, finally got through passport control.  Then we got to the gate, rushed down the jetway and there was a bus, not a plane.  But luckily the bus took us out to the plane.  We boarded (and then sat there for a long time) and finally took off.  Homeward bound!

But, I shouldn't even complain.  Emily and Soren were supposed to fly out that morning too.  And their flight was cancelled.  For 2 days.  They sat in an airport hotel in Spain waiting to get out.  It could have been much much worse! (Apparently there was a strike of the baggage handlers and some other airport personnel that caused the mess.)

We flew home without a hitch.  I did take some dramamine before our last flight from JFK to SLC because I got a little nauseous once we landed.  I slept through that last flight because my parents got upgraded and I had a row to myself.  Hooray!  

My re-entry to normal life happened in stages.  I got back to the US on Tuesday Night.
Wednesday afternoon I met my cousin Shelley to bring the kids back to my parents' house.  Then we drove home on Saturday (after spending a few days with cousins in Utah.)  It was so good to be all back together in Seattle.

Maybe my favorite picture from the trip! Absence makes the heart grow fonder.  Especially for them.  Then I started making them practice piano again, do research, clean up, etc.  Then they wanted to go back to Shelley's!   Ha!  

Travel is amazing (and amazingly tiring and hard sometimes).  There is no place like home!