Spain Day 7: Segovia

I had to miss this day trip because I had the flu. I was in bed for 36 hours trying to recover. Evan stayed back with me and was able to go to the pharmacy and request medicine for el gripe. I think I’m on the mend. 

Segovia is known for its Roman aqueduct with 160 arches, the Romanesque church, and medieval walls.  It also has a castle perched on a hill with views of the city. 

Wes: You didn’t miss anything. We have seen castles and walled cities before. 

Keagan: I think you would have really liked Segovia. It wasn’t like a big city. 

Me: 🤔

Beach Day 2

The gym.

Soccer tennis on the tennis courts.

Soccer on the beach sand.

Toes in the sand.

Football in the ocean. 

Pool time. 

Sunburns.

Pizza for dinner.

We are pushing repeat again tomorrow.

Beach Time

It’s the last summer hurrah before we go back to school, back to a routine, and back to the grind. We are spending it at the beach. While the drive here can be brutal, the views are totally worth it.

Some family beach traditions never die. The boys played soccer tennis in the morning and some footie on the beach in the afternoon. 

During the mid-morning rain shower, I went to the spa and got a massage. Then I spent the afternoon soaking up the sun with my toes in the sand.

After a great steak dinner, we came home to a full moon rising just over the horizon. 

Tomorrow we are on repeat. 

Back to the Big Apple

We antrakked back to The Big Apple today. While on the train, we sold our house on Edgewater and bought a house on Dixie Bee. 

As soon as we got back to the city, we headed straight for Chinatown! It was as if we were in a different country. The kids were leaving Chinese school. The vegetable stands were selling dried fish. The signs on the stores were spelled using Chinese characters. 

We ate dinner at Wo Hop on Mott Street.

We then walked just a few street up to Little Italy where we grabbed gelato. 

We walked along the Brooklyn Bridge along with every other tourist in town. 

We are back in the room - on the 40th floor - getting ready to watch the sunset. 

Tomorrow we pick up Evan! It’s been a lifetime since I saw him last!!

Boston

We mastered the unorganized mode of transportation that the US calls train travel. While nothing like the German system, the train was very clean and comfortable. We all enjoyed our four hour ride through Connecticut and Rhode Island. Upon arrival to Boston, we headed straight for the harbor and had a lobster roll in the Seaport neighborhood. 

After our real late lunch, we toured the Boston Tea Party boat and museum. It was a cute and highly interactive educational stop. Keagan disguised his appearance to “keep safe from the Tories” with turkey feathers. 

Wes threw tea in the harbor. 

We ended the day at Faneuil Hall for a quick dessert. 

Tomorrow’s plan is to learn more history and hopefully survive the warm weather without consistent use of AC. 

NYC Day 4

I’m finally used to the horns honking, the bad smells, and the diverse people, and of course it means we have reached our last full day in the city. We took the subway to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Because we were stationed in Germany when it happened, there are several aspects of that day in history that I missed for not being on American soil. I was transfixed by the museum. It was so well done! 

This tree was found in Ground Zero in 2001 charred and damaged, but it was uprooted and sent to a nursery. Once it recovered, it was transplanted at the 9/11 memorial.  It still carries the scars of the violence but serves as a symbol of hope and resiliency. 

From here, we took the subway to Coney Island. I was a bit skeptical of Brooklyn as the train got closer to the stop, but it ended up being a quaint and fun place. Think Virginia Beach-esque. If it hadn’t started to rain, we would have stayed a bit longer soaking up the sun and riding amusement park rides at Luna Park.

Speaking of rain. We had a few drops fall on us during our Big Bus Night tour. The rain fell like pellets anytime the speed increased above 5 mph. Luckily, the traffic was so bad, we rarely got that fast for too long. I wouldn’t have minded being soaked if our tour guide was actually any good, but he pointed out Macy’s and the Addidas store. I wanted history and facts; I can see the names of the stores on the buildings. Keagan was none too happy to be wet, chilly, and sitting on the top of a bus. I wish I had pics but I couldn’t risk drowning my phone. 

Tomorrow we are Amtrakking to Boston.

NYC Day 3

We started our third day in the Big Apple at Madison Square Garden. Keagan would have loved the tour even more if the arena had the basketball court down,  but it was prepped for a concert instead. 

After a quick sandwich, we headed to The Music Box theatre  to see “ Dear Evan Hansen.” This is the part of the trip Keagan has dreaded (art, music...they just aren’t his thing), but ten minutes into the show, he turned and whispered, “This is good, Mom.” Good does not do it justice; it was fantastic! Just fantastic! It will be the highlight of the trip for me.

We then walked through Times Square and ran into the Naked Cowboy and some naked girls. Keagan didn’t bat an eye; he just kept on walking. 

To clear our eyes, we walked to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It was stunning!  

Across the street was the Atlas sculpture. 

And to make my blood boil, we just had to walk to Trump Tower.

Meanwhile, Evan is either loving his time at Fordham and can’t find  the time to text us or he’s hating it and doesn’t want to admit it was all a mistake. Tonight his two word text to me was written in Spanish, and since he uses Spanish only when he’s in a good mood, I’m going to believe he’s having the time of his life.

The Ark

We can say we saw it. We can say we toured the Ark - along with thousands of other visitors on spring break. I can’t imagine doing this in the summer; the crowds are probably unmanageable. 

The most interesting point made about the animals in the exhibit was that many collected on the ark did not resemble today’s animals. Instead, they were descendents of dinosaurs. 

The attention to detail (water collection, use of moths as a food source, waste removal) was quite amazing. The living quarters were ornate considering the timeframe and the fact they were on a boat. I’m glad we made the drive to see it - even if the crowds in front of every exhibit were three rows thick.

Look at Keagan! He’s as tall as I am. However, I am not shocked considering how short his brand new pants are and the number of naps he’s taken this week.