Spain Day 10: Flying Home

We stayed the night in a hotel in Barcelona and were up early to catch our flight to London. Some of us struggled more than others. Looking at you, Evan. 

The Spanish trip was amazing! I love the tradition, the architecture, the bakeries, the sangria, and the tiny streets. I love the influence of American brands like Carhart and Addidas (which Spaniards love), but the Spaniards need a little assistance in a couple of areas. 

1. For the love of God, allow the use of clothes dryers. Hanging clothes outside on a line like it’s the early 1900s is crazy to me. The clothes dry wrinkled and crunchy.

2. Why are you opposed to the use of wash rags? How do you clean your face without one? Is it because you don’t want another item to hang out to dry?  

3. Pillows - They make more than flat pillows and yet that’s all you seem to have in this country. A little fluff is ok. 

4. Spice - you can put spices on food. I promise it won’t hurt the freshness of your produce. 

That’s all. Where to next year? The globe is too big for us to decide. 

Spain Day 9: Madrid

Today is our last full day in beautiful Spain. We had another beautiful day filled with sunshine and cool temps. We spent the morning at La Reina Sofia, another art museum - this one houses modern art. This is not my thing, but La Guernica is here, and we said “When in Spain.” We saw several other pieces before I raised my white flag. The boys’ flags weee raised before they entered the first display.

We walked through El Parque Retiro where we heard live musicians, saw a magic show, and walked with all of the locals on holiday break. The boys found a park cafe and had beers and hotdogs. 

We took the metro to Bernabeu to watch the Seville / Madrid match. I was so pleased to learn Mbappe was playing tonight. He was injured earlier in the season, and it was questionable if he would play. We were in luck; he had a game! An assist and a goal. So exiting to see!

While not as flashy as Barcelona, Madrid has its charm. It actually grew on me the longer I was there. But I think I’ll still take Barcelona as my favorite. 

Spain Day 8: Madrid

I have survived the Spanish flu. I can count on one hand being this sick. I thought death was coming for me yesterday. The mystery meds Evan bought at the pharmacy have been my savior. 

The streets are super crowded today! Every person in Madrid is out - even in the cold - and that’s notable because Spaniards don’t like the cold. We started our day at El Prado, the famous art museum. 

We stopped at El Mercado de San Miguel for envoltini. This market was nothing like the food market in Barcelona, but it was decorated with lights and very festive.

I needed a nap. I started doubting my recovery, and everybody was willing to oblige me. So we all went home for siesta.

When we left the house again for our history and food tour, the streets were crazy crowded. You had street performers dressed in costumes to entertain children, you had groups of carolers with tambourines, you had singers with their guitars, and some type of show or activity in every plaza. 

Our tour was filled with facts and information about Spanish history. Galileo Galili, while in prison for claiming the earth was round, was sought by the sculptor of this statue to help with the physics behind the design. Until he intervened, the sculptor couldn’t get the horse to stand upright. Problem solved when GG did the math. 

Did I mention the crowds?

Our tour took us to three taverns where we sampled authentic Spanish food. Thus far, we have not found anything that we loved that is considered authentic Spanish food. Tonight we had gambas al ajillo - shrimp in garlic butter - that were terrific! 

The boys had icecream for dessert and now we are back home napping and hoping to be up at 0200 for the playoff game. But the rest of the city is still going strong. 

Spain Day 6: Madrid

We began today’s adventure walking through the streets of Madrid. It rained early morning, but it stopped about the time we decided to head out. 

We started with a self- guided tour at The Royal Palace; we saw about 20 of the 3,418 rooms. I was saddened to see the flag indicating royalty’s presence was missing; King Felipe is MIA.

Keagan was taken by the colors, ornate design, and ostentatious decor. It’s hard not to be. 

We crossed the street to see Cathedral Almudena, of considerable importance to the locals because it was blessed by PJP II and contains the effigies of their patron saint Isidro. 

We found the Christmas market in Plaza Mayor. I still claim Germany has Spain beat in this category. Very few items were handmade; it was mass production of junk. 

We crossed the city to see the Egyptian ruins dating back to 2nd century BC that were gifted to Spain after their support in saving Nubia from flooding. The Temple of Debod was disassembled, shipped, and reassembled in Montana Park. 

Strolling down and around Calle Arenal, we found a store that specializes in soccer gear. I think the boys could have spent 500 Euros here. They settled on 100 each. I bet we return for additional purchases before we head back home.

All of this walking had us hungry, so we stopped with all the locals to grab a fried calamari sandwich. This was an hit! Only a glass of sangria could have made this better. 

We stopped for dessert because why not? These bakeries call our names when we walk past.

We are living like the Spaniards and returned home to nap during the afternoon rain shower. The boys napped; I did laundry. Then we headed back into the square for tapas and sangria. El Matador had a great sangria with pears. 

We made our way to the next bar for more sangria and more tapas and were surprised to hear Alan Jackson playing. A few streets are decorated with lights, but it was nothing like Barcelona’s Christmas decor. 

Sangria is our friend tonight. I hope he’s still friendly tomorrow morning. 

Spain Day 5: Hello Madrid

Today we bid farewell to Barcelona - after we “toured” Camp Nou. I use tour but basically we were ripped off. There was nothing to look at seeing how the stadium is under construction. We saw the museum with the shrine to Messi. 

This picture captures our current feelings about Camp Nou. Not a smile. Not a frown. More like what did we just pay for?

Before we caught the train, we had a delicious brunch at a small cafe on a side street - all made with fresh ingredients. My croissant with goat cheese was divine. Not one male commented on my goat cheese, they find it normal, and so this means they are now Europenized. 

The three hour train ride to Madrid was uneventful. We had WiFi so all was good. We have another super cute flat in Madrid with the most gorgeous wooden floors and door.

The city seems very quiet and doesn’t have the charm of Barca. There’s little to no Christmas decor. The metro wasn’t crowded; the streets have few people - except at the Wall of Wishes. Everyone seemed to have something they wished for.

We had an early dinner at a rooftop bar with delicious pork tacos and sangria. We went shopping at the local mercado because Keagan has to have fruit, Evan needed a bottle of wine, and Wes needed eggs for breakfast. I got laundry soap to do the laundry. We are just like the locals hanging our clothes out to dry.

At the Mercado, I found a bottle of sangria on the wine aisle for 1.29 euros. Evan thought for sure it would be nasty, but his wine cost 4.66. I’m betting his wine is nasty for that price. 

We are all in pjs ready for sleep and another day of exploring tomorrow. It’s not lost to me how lucky I am to be here and to have the opportunity to experience the wonder of a new place.

Spain Day 4: Barcelona

We started our day at Merkat de la Bocaqueria in the Gothic Quarter, the oldest part of the city, where we were delighted to find an assortment of food choices. 

We tried the shaved ham with cheese, empanadas, the traditional ham sandwich, a pastry shell stuffed with ham and cheese, and fresh fruit juices. Then we found a bakery and purchased cake stuffed with Catalonia cream. Delish! 

Our next stop was the Barcelona Cathedral. 

The boys wanted nothing to do with another church tour, but they played along since we buy the beer and food. We climbed the steps to the rooftop terrace. 

And listened to a tourist play the organ. 

From here we found the famous piece of the original Roman wall that every one must photograph. We window shopped as we walked the medieval streets.

We took the metro to Montjuvic Castle, which is now a museum, where we stopped for sangria. We discussed important matters like Keagan using “de nada” even when no one says thank you, our love for sangria, Evan’s need to hit the gym after drinking copious amounts of beer the last three years, the Spanish’s need for Sonic ice, and wondering how many bottles of sangria we can take back to the US. 

We took the metro back into the city to tour Casa Milo, considered to be Gaudi’s masterpiece, where he was again inspired to create by the patterns seen in nature - shells, beehives, leaves, sea creatures.

The terrace gave us a beautiful view of the La Sagrada Familia.

I feel like I have to come back when the scaffolding is down and the construction is finally completed. It’s only taken 100 years to build; I can wait a couple more to see it finished. 

We headed back to the market to grab a quick bite - hoping to order fish tacos but found that stall closed so we settled for spicy beef burritos and hamburger tacos. 

The boys ended the night watching a Barcelona basketball game. The boys knew just about every guy in both teams’ line-ups. 

Wes and I attended a flamenco show. I’m not sure how authentic it was, but it was impressive just the same. I know nothing different. 

Before we leave tomorrow, I had to see Casa Balto’s evening light show synchronized to music. It did not disappoint. Every section of street is decorated here with a different theme of Christmas lights. Tonight we walked every street to catch every design.