Spain: Last I set foot in this beautiful country, I was 24 years old: adventurous, independent, curious, and soaking up the world like a sponge. 15 years later, happy to say i still have those qualities with me, I find myself lucky enough to revisit the country which is responsible for contributing to a portion of my DNA, and therefore a portion of mis hijos chiquitos' DNA tambien. Espana! Me encanta!
What made this trip extra special with sugar on top was my mama got to join us for a bit. 9 amazing days spent in Barcelona with her and my little buddies, exploring parts of the city that are so beautiful, so special. (Meanwhile, Pete was scaling the crevasses of Chamonix with his brother.)
Then Mama headed home and my three boys and I headed off to explore Costa Brava and the wine regions of Catalan. Could it be the company I was with that made it that much more...More? Most certainly. After all, it's my men we are talking about here. But, whether I'm 24 or...a bit past that, oh how I love me some Spain!
Then Mama headed home and my three boys and I headed off to explore Costa Brava and the wine regions of Catalan. Could it be the company I was with that made it that much more...More? Most certainly. After all, it's my men we are talking about here. But, whether I'm 24 or...a bit past that, oh how I love me some Spain!
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| My Baby Meets the Mighty Segrada |
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| My Mama |
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| The Drink |
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| Bari Gotica-A Walk Through our Neighborhood |
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| Good ol' Christopher Columbus. Always ready to point the way home. |
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| The International Language of Play |
Villa Viniteca-I have died and gone to Spanish Heaven!
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| Still in Spanish Heaven |
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| Iberico Ham-Tasting (100 euro/kilo ya'll! It's butter!) |
home to this little balcony scene. This
was our last night in Barcelona, and
this moment, I'm sure will stick with
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| Home Sweet Home-Plaza del Pi |
Taller de Tapas (The Tapas Studio). A treat! Our balcony sat over the entrance to the tapas bar. Our big ancient wooden door with a crazy medieval lock-next to the potted plant. Home Sweet Home Our living had an amazing view to the Plaza del Pi below-a quaint little pedestrian square with the Cathedral del Pi taking center stage. Some of my favorite moments were chatting with my mom on our little balcony and watching the kids go crazy exploring and playing.
Our living room had an amazing view to the Plaza del Pi below-a quaint little pedestrian square with the Cathedral del Pi taking center stage. Some of my favorite moments were chatting with my mom on our little balcony and watching the kids go crazy exploring and playing.
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| Strollin' the Art Scene with CeeCee in Plaza del Pi |
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| La Boqueria-Jet-lagged? Not a problem. Guzzle some watermelon juice while cruising the produce stands. Refreshment at its best! |
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| When in Spain do as the Spaniards do. Stay up ridiculously late and have a good time! |
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| I was not kidding about that watermelon juice. It became our obsession... |
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| ...and so did sangria. |
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| The Fountains of Mont Juic |
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An Afternoon with Gaudi at Park Guel
Oh, Happy Day!
Time to do a little shopping in peace.
 Seriously. What return flight? Costa Brava-You are gorgeous!  Salvador Dali is alive and well and living in Costa Brava.  |
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| A Medieval Stroll Through Pals |
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| The man behind Pete has taken siesta time to a whole new level. He has been asleep at this cafe table for approximately 2 hours. So envious! |
Thank God for Daddy...
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| Lunch is served. Seriously. How can you not go gaga over this place?! |
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| Chillin' at the Botanical Garden (Former palace of an exiled czar. Exiled! So punk rock!) |
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| Gazing at the Med |
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Kayaking the Med  |
 One cool thing about Spain is instead of going to bed, kids just swim.  |
| Another cool thing about Spain is should you overexert yourself when playing in the pool, there is always a cold glass of cava waiting in the background. |
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| Tarragona. Old, yes. Well made, sure. But will it stand the test of time of Wy... |
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| Tarragona Alleyways |
Montserrat.
Perched high up on a mountaintop, we found ourselves listening to a boys choir from Europe's oldest established choir school. Surreal!
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| Prayers of Montserrat |
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| And More Prayers |
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| Here are just few offerings to a certain Saint. (Yes, those are prosthetic boobs-just right of center.) What? You gotta thank somebody for looking so good. |
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| Sitges Carousel |
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| Mi Familia at Segrada Familia- They say construction should be completed in 50 years. (What's the rush?) That being said, the first Mass should be held in 2062. Come on modern medicine-get me to my 90s. I gotta witness this! |
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Sisters Something about this Cathedral. I can not get enough of it! My eyes actually welled up with tears as I stood in front of it. Makes me wish I had known Gaudi.  |
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| Although I never actually had the chance to sit down and enjoy the treats offered at this historic cafe, it still remains an obsession of mine. |
A Walk Through a Modernista's Dream World
The Eixample (Barcelona)
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| Look Up |
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| Something about fresh air and open space, just makes you want to hang out in your undies |
We thoroughly inspected Catalan. No leaf left unturned.
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| This is what five minutes of peace looks like. |
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| OK. So the next time I say to myself, "I have pretty good balance" I'll take a look at these pics. Keep that ego in check! |
Our LiLi Turns 1!
It's a Spanish Style Birthday fully equipped with a cable car ride up MontJuic in Barcelona.
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| One Going on Twenty-One Trouble! |
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| This is what I look like when I am happily surrounded by my men! |
After 3 weeks of sun, sangria, iberico ham, art, architecture, and that beautiful Spanish language, we are homebound.
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After all that, it is officially siesta time! Adios, Espana! Mi Amor! Muchos Gracias! Hasta que nos encontramos otra vez! |
