The last week...getting it all in!

Hola! Well, we are just a few days away from leaving Barcelona, which means we are all busy trying to get all the sightseeing and favorites in once more before we go...

I treated last week as a fairly normal week- the kids and I went to the pool or park or played pretend at the house in the morning, had lunch and a nap, and then to school. I sat in my usual coffee shop and read (I have gone through 5 books in the last week...wowza). I just love the ladies at the coffee shop I go to near the school. We really don't have any conversation because they don't speak English, but they make food suggestions for me, and they always have my drink going when I walk in. We exchanged names this last week...so I think we are officially friends.

The family had some friends in town at the end of last week, so I had Thursday off, while they took the train to Sitges and played at the beach. I took the opportunity to a. sleep in! (I just can't seem to get enough sleep) and b. finally payed to go INSIDE my favorite Barcelona building- Casa Batllo- the Little Mermaid house. hehe. I liked it- but somehow it was disappointing to me. I have loved everything Gaudi so far, and maybe because I love the outside of the building so much, I was expecting something more- don't get me wrong, it was very cool...I also might just have gotten used to the craziness of his stuff....but I think I liked La Pedrera more. I also made an attempt to find souvenirs for people along the Ramblas...without luck...sorry friends, I think all the souvenirs will have to come from Paris- which I'm sure isn't a bad thing. I still need to buy a Picasso print that I like...hmmm, what else? I feel like I need to find something meaningful from Sagrada Familia for myself. I also finally went inside the big, open air market along the Ramblas, which was very cool- I got a huge bowl of all different kinds of fruit for 1 euro.

I had a busy weekend- Friday night I met up with a few of my friends for dinner. We had sushi-which I have not had in a forever long time and was delicious. Then we went to Starbucks and sat around chatting in the big comfy chairs...it was just like being at home. Then we went back to their apartment and chatted a bit more. They have all been here for a while (one for 3 years, one for 2 years and one for 1 year...and they are all leaving- going to the US in the next month) so we talked about how Barcelona is different and what we expected versus what it was, etc. We all said we had a hard time with the slow pace of everything...coming from the US where everything is just go, go, go...Haley was saying how she made a list of things she needed to get done when she first moved here...and this list, which would have taken 3 hours in the states to complete, took over a week here. People just don't rush or worry about time at all.

Saturday I spent the afternoon up at Montjuic. The hill (they say "mountain", but when you come from the northwest...it is a hill) overlooks the city and was the site of much of the Olympic games when they were here. I went to the stadium where they held the track events, went inside the arena where the gymnastics took place. I visited the Olympic swimming pool- which was holding the Eurogames when I was there...so I watched a few heats of swimming. This is also the location of the "Magic Fountain"- everyone I know that has been to Barcelona told me about this fountain- and I have lived here for 3 months without ever seeing it. I was beginning to think people were making it up. But, I found it. They do a show every half hour in the evening, with lights in the fountain and music. Everytime the water changed shape or color, the whole crowd would say "ohhhhh..." like it was the most amazing thing they had ever seen- truly magical...very funny.

Sunday I went back to the English speaking church- I'm sad I found it so late in my trip- they really have a great little community- and in typical Spain fashion, it was the last service until September because everyone goes on "holiday" for the month of August....I didn't realize church also stopped during that month. Then I met my Aussie friend at the beach for a couple hours, and while I promise I DID put sunscreen on, I still managed a pretty decent burn. Which just makes going to sleep in our hot stuffy apartment that much hotter! And last night I went back over to the girls' apartment for a going away party. Haley (who has been here for 2 years) leaves on Thursday, back to New Mexico, so she had a party to say goodbye. I asked what I could bring and was told that in Barcelona, when you have a party- going away, birthday, etc...whoever's party it is, is responsible for making everything...so to just bring myself. Most of the girls there are from Barcelona, so it was a lot of Spanish speaking...I had to get filled in on a lot of the jokes.

And now we are into our final week...we leave Friday afternoon and will be in our new apartment Friday evening. We looked at pictures of it today. We are trying to really prepare the kids for the change, in hopes it won't be quite so dramatic for them. We'll see....

My next blog will be from Paris...Au revoir.

Wait- one more thing...I am starting to think about my bit of traveling after the job is over- I am planning taking 2 or 3 weeks to visit a few other countries. I am feeling a tad overwhelmed with all the options- I would love to get suggestions and thoughts from you guys! I was going to buy a Eurail pass, and just go all over the place- but they are sooo expensive-it is cheaper to fly places. So I think I am going to pick just a few spots and spend some time in each...so please, pass along your thoughts...thanks!

Disneyland Paris, Paris and my mom!

Oh, where to start. Well, I just got back to Barcelona after spending the last 8 days with my mom in Disneyland Paris and Paris. It was SUCH a fantastic trip...seriously, everything was just perfect. I was a little worried going into the trip, because I have been looking forward to it for so long, but I knew that even if everything was absolutely terrible- it would still be a blast with mom. So I guess I will start at the beginning...

The dads and kids flew out Friday morning, leaving me with some final packing up to do. (We had to completely pack up our apartment, as someone else had rented it for the week). I finished packing and fell asleep watching Ratatouille...to prepare me for my trip. Woke up VERY early Saturday morning and hopped on the train to the airport...the flight to Paris is really easy...luckily I checked right before I left- I was not flying into the major airport in Paris, but the smaller one, so I had to quickly figure out my transportation to the hotel I was staying in. I had one night in Paris by myself- mom didn't fly in until Sunday morning. I got a hotel on Priceline, so it was a little bit out of the center of the city (I had to take a bus, a train, switch trains, and then walk a km)...the area was a really cute residential area. There was a very cute patisserie close by that I had my dinner Sat night at, as well as breakfast Sunday morning.

I woke up on Sunday and caught a train to the OTHER airport, where mom was flying in. Timing was perfect and I was waiting for her when she came out...oh man, it was sooooo nice to see her! We started finishing each others sentences immediately. We hopped on the Disney bus to our hotel. We stayed in the Newport Bay hotel, which looks pretty identical to the Yacht and Beach Club in Disney World. We got in the line to check in...and they didn't have our reservation. I hadn't printed out my confirmation, because I don't have a printer, and somehow mom left hers sitting on the computer at home...so we tried to use their computer to get into our email- umm, the keyboard is different in France! The letters and punctuation was all in different spots...very confusing, and still wouldn't let us log in. FINALLY, she found the reservation- they had spelled my name wrong...it was under Patel. She saw that we were staying for a week and was like "ummm, you know our park is smaller than Disney World, right? Most people only stay for 3 nights...but you are here for a week...that is very strange". Yeah....kind of strange to hear from a castmember. So we got in the other check in line...and they had put us on the Admiral's Floor. Which was awesome. Meant we got a free breakfast away from everyone else every morning and they had little tea and treats for us every afternoon. We spent the first night exploring the hotels and Disney Village. We had dinner at the restaurant in our hotel...and went to bed at a pretty early time.

Monday morning we woke up bright and early to get in Disneyland early- the park opens at 10am, but if you are staying in a Disney resort, you get in at 8am...so we had much to cover in our magical extended hours. We did the Fantasyland rides, Buzz Lightyear and Space Mountain. The Space Mountain is a lot different than Disney World...it goes upside down...and shakes your brain around in your head so that you never want to go on it again. Yeah...we went on the ride once the whole time we were there. Since it was a National holiday in France, we were thinking Disneyland would be pretty crowded that day, so we headed over to Hollywood Studios at 10am, when it opened. We went on Tower of Terror, Rockn Rollercoaster, the tram ride, saw the High School Musical street show, Star Tours, etc. Pretty much did the whole park...except the Crush rollercoaster, because they said there wasn't a fastpass..and it was an hour long line (we found out later that it does have a fastpass...jeez, c'mon people...know your park!). We had an awful lunch...I made reservations at a variety of restaurants, but only for one meal a day, thinking we would do counter service for the other meal...we had one counter service meal that was gross and decided to stick to the sit down restaurants. We had dinner at Walt's on Main Street. SUCH a cute restaurant...each room is themed after the various lands, but very subtly...I made the reservations so we would be eating right during the daytime parade, and requested a window seat. So we ate our meal, overlooking Main Street, right while the parade was going by. Perfect. We stayed late in the park...caught the night time parade with all the lights and then the fireworks...which were special fireworks for the holiday- Bastille Day- it is the French Independence Day.

Tuesday we went to Disneyland all day. We did all the classics- Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates, Phantom Manor (Haunted Mansion), Buzz Lightyear...several times...my mom is weirdly competitive about that ride/game. We had lunch at Auberge de Cindrillon...the Inn of Cinderella. It was a way too expensive, but very nice character meal. The price did include an appetizer, main dish, dessert AND drinks (yes, they serve alcohol in the Disney parks here). After lunch, I made surprise reservations for mom for a private tour. I looked all over the Disneyland Paris website and couldn't find any information about any special tours they do...I tried calling people, emailing around...finally, found a single sentence about the possibility of there being a tour. So I called the reservations line, they passed me around to a few different people...and finally it was made...phew. Well, I think that since they don't have it on the website and make it so difficult to find, no one has ever done it before. We walked in to City Hall to check in and they all looked a little concerned "what? someone is doing a tour...uh-oh, go find so and so that speaks English and have her learn the script really quick"...seriously...it was bizarre. So finally this lady comes out and says she is our tour guide and it is just the two of us on the tour. And then takes us outside, and points out the stores on Main Street. Points at the train station and says "there is the train station...because Walt liked trains"...took us through the different stores, pointed out the rides. I was realizing that with the little bit of research I did before the trip, I knew more about the park than she did. Every time she wasn't sure what to say next, she would tap the side of her head...it was funny. We asked several questions...some of which she knew, most not. She did tell us the story of the Phantom Manor though, which really helped the ride make more sense...it is quite a bit different than the one at Disney World...and the story is tied to Thunder Mountain, which is fun. I got to thinking that maybe I could do the English tours in the park on the weekends...so I got information about their casting center, and figure I'll go make a stop in when we move to Paris...I doubt I'll be able to work there, but how cool would that be! After the tour we played some more and then had dinner at the steakhouse in Frontierland.

Wednesday was our first Paris day...we jumped on the train- 45 min to Paris. We decided to do one of those tourist buses that you can hop on and off of all day...figured we would do that the first day, and then visit the specific locations we wanted on the second day. And that was a brilliant plan. We were able to jump off and take pictures where we wanted and kind of get the lay of the city. Our first stop was in Montmarte to see the Basilica-something or other. Now I realize this is my mom's first time in a touristy European city and she hasn't gotten used to the guys that try to sell you crap souvenirs on the street...but she has been to Mexico...I figured she could handle it. Apparently not...our first stop and some guys start trying to make us friendship bracelets...I say no- they won't accept no, so I let them make the bracelet- knowing that I'm nt going to pay them any money...well my mom gets suckered in with their "Hakuna Matata...ah, Miss America- your mom is so beautiful...." etc...and when they finish and say "15"...I;m thinking "okay, 15 cents isn't so bad" but out mom pulls 20 euros...and pays them for two friendship bracelets...the kind I we used to make at my birthday parties in 4th grade. Not going to let her live that one down for a looooong time. We had lunch at a little cafe along the Seine...quiche and croque monsieur...so cheesy and yummy. And then found a patisserie for a pastry later. Then we found a gourmet food shop and bough bread, cheese, fruit and macarons to take back to the hotel and eat. I am fairly certain I am going to gain 500lbs while living in Paris...I may never be able to return home. We made our game plan for the next day...make sure we hit everything we wanted.

Thursday we got up a little earlier and went to Notre Dame first...absolutely loved it. I suppose it has a lot to do with being Catholic, but just like the Sagrada Familia here in Barcelona, I just couldn't get enough of Notre Dame. It wasn't as big-wide as I pictured...and I'll be honest, the picture I had in my head was from the Hunchback of Notre Dame movie- the Disney version (every time I saw the church, I got one of the songs from the movie stuck in my head...I know, I know...crazy Disney girl). The inside was just amazing...I'll put more pictures up in my future blogs from Paris. I think that is probably where I will go to Mass when I'm there...

After Notre Dame we went to the Musee d'Orsay....then on to the Louvre. It is pretty unbelievable how huge the Louvre is and that all those paintings and sculptures that you have seen in pictures for forever are actually there. It is also crazy when you see all these amazing paintings that you haven't ever heard of or seen before and then there is the Mona Lisa...I know it is so famous, but next to some of these other pieces of art...I don't really get it. That is probably a horrible thing to say. :) After the Louvre we went and walked around the neighborhood we will be living in next month...the Marais. It is a great "stroll around and waste a day" kind of area...lots of great shops and patisseries and restaurants...really adorable. I'm looking forward to it. After that we went to find a couple of famous cafes that old famous writers and artists used to hang out in...had some coffee just to sit there and feel Parisian. Just about everyone spoke English, and the people that didn't speak much English, def understood what we were saying and were very nice and helpful. There wasn't any snobbery. We learned the few words in french that I use in spanish, and it was really all we needed. I REALLY enjoyed Paris.

Then we headed back to Disney and had dinner at another character meal...Cafe Mickey. They had some RANDOM characters...Smee, Sheriff of Nottingham, Tweedle Dee and Dum...not your usual characters.

Friday we were back at Disney. We had a tea planned for 3:30- it was a character tea inside the park...mom and I have done teas at Disney before...always a fun little event....umm, this was the most unorganized, most ridiculous "tea". It was basically a buffet of random stuff. They had eggs and sausage, hashbrowns (this is at 3:30 in the afternoon) and then a bunch of desserts that were really pretty gross. And pop...no actual tea. And then some more random characters came out...like Friar Tuck...what?! It was fun because we made fun of the whole thing, but so unbelievable that Disney would have that kind of event. Later that evening we had dinner at the Blue Lagoon, which is the restaurant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride...like the Blue Bayou in Disneyland. It was a great atmosphere and yummy food. We finished our meal JUST in time to walk to Main Street and watch the fireworks.

Saturday was our last day...very sad. We slept in a bit and did all of our favorite things at the parks. We made reservations at Walt's again for the parade, which was a great meal at the end of the trip. We went back to our hotel early to pack up. It was sad leaving the park...mom and I always have a hard time leaving Disney...as often as we go, it is still always sad to leave. And, of course, with her heading back to Seattle and me having another 3 months before going home...sad.

This morning was a bit frantic. The schedule they have from the hotels to the airports doesn't start running until 8am...which is the time I would have liked to be AT the airport for my 10am flight. So I woke up early with the intention of taking the train into Paris and going to the airport from there, so I would def make my flight....mom walked me to the train station...and then there wasn't anyone working to buy a ticket from...we waited and waited until finally, I missed the train...so we went back to the hotel and I just had to hope that the lines would be short at the airport or I would miss my flight! Luckily, all worked out. I got in to Barcelona, had a heck of a time with my luggage in and out of trains and up and down stairs...and then had to wait for a little while for the apartment people to bring our keys. Someone tried to steal out of my backpack on the train...which was a big "welcome back to Barcelona"...I got on a train, and took my backpack off and found the front pocket wide open...luckily I didn't have anything important in there....sigh. Frustrating. I have to say, Barcelona has been nice, but I'm def looking forward to leaving and going to Paris...but I'll have a Barcelona reflection blog after we leave.

So now I am sitting in our totally empty apartment- nothing here- with all the grocery stores closed (everything closed...it is Sunday, after all)...it is weird being back.

I'm in Paris!

Hey! I am sitting in my hotel right now in Paris...I know- you are thinking- Eryn, why are you sitting in your hotel writing a blog when you JUST arrived in Paris. My mom gets in tomorrow morning and I want to be sure I'm fully rested and ready for our weeklong adventure. But don't worry, I left the hotel to get dinner- and a yummy pastry. I think France in Disney World is going to be ruined for me now. We would go to France at the end of the night and pick up pastries for breakfast the next day...yeah, I just had one of the pastries we used to get...oh man, soo much better here.

From my last blog...Brady did, in fact, return from Sitges and we had dinner and then he was on his way home Friday morning for a crazy 4th of July weekend. I have to share a very cute story...Cory woke up from his nap Friday afternoon and he and I listened to some music in my room, and he asked me about the pictures of my friends on my wall, like he always does. Then, suddenly he stopped talking, turned to me, put his hand on my arm and said "Eryn, you a little sad your friend go home? I a little sad when my grandma go home". It was the cutest thing...he was telling me he knows how I feel.

I did a little shopping- Barcelona is having all these big sales everywhere for the next month, so I decided I probably needed to experience the "rebaixes" and made a few purchases. Then, stopped in McDonalds to get a McFlurry...I mean, it was the 4th of July- I needed to celebrate America. Then I went out to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, where they had red, white and blue baloons up everywhere and the poor waiters had to wear sparkly red hats.

Last week was a little crazy- we had to pack up EVERYTHING in the apartment...no, we aren't quite done with Barcelona, but when the guys rented the apartment for the 3 months, there was a week that was already reserved...this week. So, our apartment is now totally empty...the guys and kids are in Switzerland for the week....and I am in Paris. Then we return to Barcelona for ten days- with minimal stuff (we had some boxes shipped to our apartment in Paris) and then adios Barcelona.

It is kind of strange to think about leaving already. While I don't think I would ever want to move to Barcelona, it has definitely become familiar...when we were making plans for this trip, I thought 3 months sounded like the perfect amount of time to live in each city. But I think it is actually right in the middle of being too long to just have a vacation but too short to actually feel like you LIVE there. We are all finally feeling comfortable and getting into the groove of things...and now we are leaving.

I'll try to get a blog in during the week- I'm sure there will be lots of pictures. Mom and I are going to be in Disneyland Paris for a few days- we are staying at the Newport Bay Hotel- similar to the Yacht and Beach Club in Disney World. We are spending 2 days in Paris...cramming as much in as we can, and are going to look into a day trip to London- transportation is so expensive right now though, for just a day trip...so we are going to see if we can find a deal.

That's the plan...more to come soon.

I'm a blogging slacker, I know (Part 1)

Hi...I know, I know, I have been a horrible blog writer. In my defense, I had a bit of time there where I hadn't taken any new pics, and I figured none of you care to just read a bunch of words...you want pictures, right?! So then I decided I would take my camera around with me and get photos of all the normal stuff in my day...my room, the apartment, the kids school, etc...so you can see how I'm living on a day to day basis. So that will be part one of the blog. (Part one will also include a little outing I had with a couple of friends and a kids concert). My next excuse for not writing is that I have a friend in town! Very exciting...my first familiar face in 2 months. So Part 2 of this blog (which is actually a separate entry) will be about Brady's visit (although won't be totally complete, because he leaves Friday morning...don't worry, he is out on a sunny beach, not sitting next to me while I write a blog).

Part 1: Eryn's normal Barcelona life: Picture 1 is the entrance to my bedroom- the kids (and dads) made a sign for me when I first arrived. Pic 2 is my bedroom. Any of you that know me (I'm hoping most people reading my blog) might be surprised that my room is a tad messy. That is sarcasm folks. Actually, my room gets cleaned on a very regular basis- we have a housecleaner that comes every Friday, so I always pick up my stuff before she comes (I never understood why my grandma used to clean before the housecleaner arrived, but I get it now). Picture 3 is our living room...lovely white couches for the kiddos to get everything on (we actually got some covers to put on top) The big window on the side is actually a door that opens up to our balcony- there is another one on the other side of the TV...the kids are only allowed on the balconies if one of the grown ups is with them...the kids and I like to sit out there and read sometimes...and look at all the people walking on the street below (we are on the 6th floor...pretty high up). Picture 4 is our kitchen...all the cabinets look completely identical (white again) so it took us a while to remember where everything was kept. The fridge just looks like a random cabinet- we do hang our art projects on it though. And the washing machine/dryer- have I told you about this? It is one machine (apparently they are common in small apartments to save room)- it does save room, which is nice...but you can only do one load at a time...and let me tell you, between 5 people (2 of which are rolling in dirt at playgrounds on a daily basis) there is a lot of laundry...the machine is pretty much always going. The dryer function doesn't work like a regular dryer- there is no vent, so it is actually just throwing the clothes around in heat...basically bakes our clothes...which is why we can only partially dry them and then hang the clothes up all over the house to finish drying.
Picture 5 is my gym...well, just the entrance to. DIR- that is the name of the chain of gyms. It isn't anything special, but convenient and has a variety of classes. There is a really nice walk to the gym, a pretty church right outside the entrance..I have pictures of all these things, but really...you don't care. Picture 6 is the cute Tapas place right across the street from our apartment. There are tapas places EVERYWHERE....it really is about 80% of the places you see on the streets. I haven't actually eaten at the place across the street- the guys said they weren't thrilled with it, but I pass it all the time, and when I first moved here and didn't realize these kinds of places are everywhere, I thought it was very charming.
Picture 7 is the kids' school. Each day at about 2pm, we wake up from naps and head out to the train station and take the
train 8 stops (yeah, 8...could be a nightmare, but the kids are pretty good on the train) to their school. It is down this cute little alley with with a few other schools. From 2:30 or 3 until 5, I hang out in a nearby coffee shop (they know my drink...they don't speak any english, but are so nice...they try to explain the different pastries to me...they are great) and read. I have been reading fiction, but ran out of books, so Brady brought me a few of his marketing books...which will get me motivated to work on my projects...probably a good thing.

Next pictures are from the little kid concert I went to. One of the friends I have made volunteers at a music school for kids. She invited me to their end of the year concert. The show was supposed to go from 5-7pm. We got there about 4:50...to do some set up...I helped her fold the construction paper flower crowns (oh I miss playing with construction paper!) About 5:30, I realized none of the kids had even arrived yet...welcome to Spanish time...where there is no plan. The show actually started about 6 and was very cute. My friend and one of her other friends and I went out to dinner after...they have both lived here for a while, so they have their regular spots...we went to a mexican restaurant that was great...had a burrito and guacamole...mmmm. And a mojito. Then we went to her apartment and ate popcicles and watched a movie...she lives right across from the cathedral that Gaudi was arrested at (picture in previous blog)...her little balcony looks right into a stained glass window on the side...very cool!! It was awesome hanging out with friends...like just hanging out and chatting...not some big meetup group. Her friend is a nanny here also, so we could laugh and compare stories, which is always nice.
So, those are the basics...please continue on to Part 2 of this much delayed, much too long blog entry...a visit from Brady...which includes a concert, and a trip out of town....

I'm a blog slacker...Part 2

Well, you made it through the first long blog entry, welcome to Part 2...a visit from my pal Brady. A quick background on Brady, for those of you who don't know...he was one of my neighbors on my Disney internship back in 2001, from CT, living in NH...he is really into music and traveling...so we have managed to stay in touch- visiting each other for random music events.

He flew in Saturday morning...I was a tad bit late picking him up at the airport...because I got lost- shocker...it really wasn't my fault though...I went to the right train station originally- they just pointed me in the wrong direction, and I got all confused. BUT, I made it. We took the train back to the apartment and headed out for a brief tour of the touristy part of the city. We walked along Pg. de Gracia, through the square onto Las Ramblas...glanced at the random street performers...were amazed at the number of animals being sold along the street (rabbits, turtles, fish, birds, ferrets, even some chipmunks...who goes to Barcelona and decides to buy a chipmunk?!), found our way through a side street into a really cute square (with palm trees, which never cease to make Brady happy) and sat down for lunch. Brady tested out his rusty Spanish, and found, as I did, that those high school and college classes just don't teach you how to actually have a conversation...who ever needs to know how to write it? We walked along the waterfront, through the marina...Brady caught me up on his various business ventures...he always gets me motivated to get working on my ideas. Then we came back to the apartment and he took a nap to try to recover from the flight, and prepare for our concert that evening. The kids were very interested in my friend that was visiting...they got home while he was napping and wanted to take a quick peek in.

He woke up and we headed out to the Pavello Olimpic stadium to see Jack Johnson, G.Love and Mason Jennings. While searching for directions to the venue, I discovered that this is where they held the basketball games in the 1992 Olympics...the Dream Team!! My life revolved around the Dream Team that summer- we taped the entire '92 Olympics, so we wouldn't miss any of the games....it was so cool to be at the stadium where they played. Unfortunately, the back of the tickets said no fotos...and we didn't want to risk getting caught with a camera, so we didn't bring it...only to discover the security was lame and we totally should have brought it...many opportunities for some sweet pics. Oh well. So, I'm not the hugest Jack Johnson fan...I like his music okay- it is nice background music...but nothing life changing. I have seen Jack play a couple of times and have never been overly impressed...this show was AMAZING. I'm still not sure how I feel about Mason Jennings...I knew 2 of his songs...the "Be Here Now" song I really like. And I big time heart G.Love...he is always a good time...I'll post my G.Love pic, just for fun. Then Jack came out and just put on a fantastic show...everything was just on. I think I never really got into Jack Johnson because his songs aren't heartbreaking enough...but there is something to be said for a songwriter that isn't a tortured soul (I mean, maybe he is...but somehow I just can't picture it) and is able to write songs that just make people happy. G.Love came out for a few songs...really added to the songs with his harmonica. Jack played 2 encores...for a total of about 6 songs. Our tickets were GA...which were for the floor. We got there for Mason, so a lot of the seats were open...we sat in a couple right on the side...and as the floor got more and more crowded, decided we wanted to try to stay in the seated area. Oh my gosh, you would never see the number of people smashed onto the floor in the US...the GA section went all the way up the stairs (such a fire hazard!) and the building was soooo hot. As the assigned seats started filling in, we snuck over to what appeared to be a VIP "I know someone" section...no one bothered us. We had empty seats all around us...the building was so unbelievably hot- I can't even imagine it being possible to breathe down on the floor...but we were fine- kicked back in a couple of seats...we realized the train was going to be a nightmare to take home, so booked it as quickly as we could out of there, and somehow beat the crowd, had a fairly empty train and made it home. Just really a stellar night, all around.

The next day we got up and headed out to the main train station to rent our car for our trip out to Costa Brava. Boy, was that a good time. The lady checking us in didn't speak great English, so communicating what we wanted (especially about insurance and such) was a challenge. After going through our options and making some decisions, our grand total was ridiculous...waaaay more than it should have been, not even including gas. So, we decided to look around, found a bus that would take us to the town we were going to...and headed out for 9.85 euros...quite a price difference. And we didn't have to worry about getting lost. Brilliant. We got into Tossa de Mar and found the hotel...changed into our swimsuits and took the 5 minute walk to the beach. This town is gorgeous. Such a picturesque place...the coastline is all rugged and rocky, the water was just so blue, the town is all little white beachside village buildings, there is a castle bordering one side of the beach. It really was exactly what I wanted for a couple day side trip out of the city. We got to the beach, got right in the sea...it was cold, but perfect. And really salty- you almost just float without any swimming effort at all. We went back to the hotel, showered and took a little siesta until the big futbol match started.

Spain made it to the finals of the Eurocup....very exciting...with soccer as popular as it is over here...everyone was so pumped for the game. We wandered around, through the little cobbled streets (seriously, the cutest town) searching for the perfect bar to watch the game. We found it. People had Spanish flags on as capes and so many noisemakers and chants...when Spain won...oh man...the excitement was ridiculous. It was so much fun. We enjoyed a couple Estrella Damm beers...then headed out to a bar on the beach for a couple more and to laugh at the craziness going on around us...cars honking, fireworks going off...then we headed back into the streets and somehow managed to find our way in this tiny little bar that was sooo cool. There was one couple and the bartender inside...he had records and was playing all kinds of great songs. We were talking about Jimi Hendrix- and how he saw him "oh at least twenty times...for like $2" and the couple were telling us about going out and seeing the Beatles...and how they used to put like 5 great bands together on one bill. Just a really fun conversation...all enjoyed with a couple more beers. Needless to say, we might have done a little bit of stumbling rather than walking, back to the hotel.

Neither of us felt particularly great the next day...decided no more Estrella Damm for us. We woke up to really obnoxious spanish music outside at the pool at 10am, apparently for water aerobics...We spend the day on the beach. Found the couple from the bar from the night before, as well as a few guys from the soccer bar...such a small town, we kept running into the same people. Then we went and explored the castle..found a little private beach, that turned out to be public. Went back for a siesta in the early evening and then back out for dinner. There was a little carnival going on that had some pretty entertaining rides...my camera battery died, so I'll have to get some pics from Brady when he gets home...there was a great announcer at one of the rides that def enjoyed his job.

Next morning we got back up (again, at 10 due to the same water aerobics music)...went to the beach for a short while, found an English newspaper, and sat outside at a restaurant for lunch and read the paper, then headed back to the bus station and back to Barcelona.

I was back with the kids today...who by the way, can't get enough of Brady...they think it is hilarious that he sleeps all the time...seems like he is always sleeping when they are home. Brady went out to do the tourist bus...see all the major sites. And then is taking the train out to Sitges (the little beach town where my bag was stolen)...he booked a hotel out there for the evening and is going to hang at the beach tomorrow and meet back at the apartment after I finish working tomorrow...although I won't be surprised when he doesn't show up and decides to just stay in Sitges another night...I think he is going to like it out there.

And that brings me up to right now...are you all feeling caught up? It was long, I'm sorry...thanks for sticking it out and getting through it all....you are a trooper. I promise it won't be so long between blogs again.

I miss you much. Keep in touch. Here is a video from the bar during the soccer game...