Last weekend we managed to squeeze in one final little bonus trip, down to Seville -- a beautiful, old city located in Southern Spain's Andalusian region. This was a spot that had been on our wish list since we arrived, but sadly had been pushed aside for what we then thought were more glamorous options...am I glad we finally went. Interestingly enough, it seems most southern cities have a few things in common: the people are friendlier, the weather is nicer, religion is a bit more present in daily life, and there is a grace/refinement to the general demeanor. Seville was no exception. Immediately, we were struck by the beauty of this city...the ornate details in the architecture, the horse-drawn carriages, the kindness of strangers. As much as I love Barcelona, the culture here can be a bit cold when it comes to common courtesy things. After coming off the bus in downtown Seville, we were standing on the street corner with a map trying to determine which way to start walking to the hotel, immediately someone stopped to ask if we needed help...something that has never once happened here in Barcelona. Additionally, I noticed everyone would make a path for me as I walked by with the stroller, whereas folks here in Barcelona will play chicken with you on the sidewalk most times, refusing to step aside. It was refreshing to be in a such a warm, welcoming environment, and immediately made such a lasting impression with us.
This trip also marked our first trip as a family of five (plus Grammie of course)! Jordi took his first flight, and as is the case since his birth, continues to be our angel baby. He was a champ, thanks to the trusty Ergo carrier, basically hung happily in his pouch most of the day where he alternated eating, snoozing, and checking out his new surroundings. We were lucky enough to have my mother join us for this adventure, and were thankful to have the extra set of hands and eyes.
We kicked the weekend off with our traditional airport breakfast: jamón ibérico, OJ, cafe con leche, and Estrella Dam. Claro.
This trip was sightseeing-heavy. Typically we do not pack this much in, because when we do we are usually left with whiny, exhausted, irritable kids; however, we pushed ourselves a bit see as much as we could see in the two and a half days we were there. Partly because my mother was with us, and we wanted to show her a good time, but also because this was a bit of a last hurrah for us...and we figured we could endure some over baked children pain in order to address that "now or never" urgency we have come to feel almost daily at this point. The outcome? We saw a LOT. The highs were high, and the lows were low (and loud). There were some fights and whining for sure, but overall I was pretty impressed with how well they (and we) held up.
Some highlights!
* The FOOD! The first day we arrived, we immediately dropped our stuff at our apartment, and headed around the corner to a restaurant we had passed that looked promising, called No Kitchen. It was incredible food -- we all shared anchovies in vinegar drizzled with olive oil, Spanish olives (of course), and an assorted plate of jamon and manchego cheese. For the main event I had Bacalao con tomate (dried, salted cod with tomato), Chris tried the ceviche, and my mother had a shredded zucchini with homemade pesto. To die.
After lunch we took a walk over to a nearby park, where the kids found some in-ground misters they thought were pretty cool.
* The Alcazar: ancient palace meets botanical paradise. This was our first stop the following morning. Originally a Moorish Fort, this is the oldest palace still used in Europe -- it is now registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You could literally spend hours wandering the thoughtfully landscaped grounds...each space with unique vegetation, architecture, layout, and purpose.
Just before heading inside, we refilled our tanks with some breakfast at an outdoor cafe...
After a long morning at Alcazar, we grabbed some lunch at a busy downtown outdoor cafe. Although the food wasn't quite as spectacular as the previous day, the gazpacho was excellent and so was the people watching. Once we finished lunch, we wandered in the direction of Plaza Espana, our next destination. Along the way Chris and I bought knock off sunglasses (Ray Bivs), and stopped off at a huge, gorgeous playground to let the kids run around and play on their own terms.
* Plaza de España is a huge semi-circular building built to showcase both a Renaissance Revival style of architecture and Spain's industry and technology. Each piece of this building's facade represents a piece of Spain's history, with each little nook along the interior decorated with a bench and mosaic representation of each major Spanish city.
Little aside: Chris has this thing with boat rentals. He's been on me for two years wanting to rent these dingy (and yes, I mean dingy DIRTY, not dinghy) little row boats in Barcelona's Ciutadella Park -- the boating "pond" is a bright green murky cesspool, literally the size of a swimming pool. I don't see the draw. So when we saw the boat rentals here in Seville, Chris's face lit up as I knew it would, and I said "Go for it. Just don't let them fall in, please."
Chris was psyched.
This stop marked the end of day two...we headed home, and got the kiddos tucked into bed. My mother was nice enough to hold down the fort that evening, while Chris and I headed out to grab a drink and some tapas at a local bar -- the oldest bar in Seville! The real deal tapas kind of place, filled with locals, where the bartenders wore bow ties and used chalk on the thick mahogany bar to keep tally of everyone's drinks. So wish we had taken pictures, but as is the case with all of these local dives, cameras don't mix.
* The Seville Cathedral (or in Spanish: Catedral de Santa María de la Sede) was on the top of the list the following morning. This site, although gorgeous (the pictures will never truly do this place justice...the Cathedral extended almost the size of a city block), was a little trickier. Ok, I'll say it -- the kids were miserable. There was a fairly long wait to get in, and once inside there was a lot to see and thousands of people, which meant we had to keep very close tabs on the kids by keeping them in the stroller. They didn't like that. I believe at one point someone ended up laying on the floor in protest, and navigating the double stroller around wall to wall tourists now tops the "Never Again" charts. So, a little stressful, not the ideal way to see it, but well worth the visit I'd say -- I believe the phrase used was, "Christopher Columbus is buried inside, damn it, we're going in!".
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| The tomb of Christopher Columbus |
Next stop....
* Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza -- the oldest bullring in the world, and still fully operational. While none of us could say we are bullfighting enthusiasts, and I'm not sure I could stomach an actual bullfight, we felt like we couldn't leave Spain without seeing a bull fighting ring. This place was interesting, and full of history -- I wouldn't have put it on my "must see" list for someone else visiting, but a huge piece of the local culture, never mind a visual stunner. The color contrast between the reds, golds, and blue sky was magnificent, the pictures we took were not edited or touched up at ALL, these are the actual colors. Incredible.
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| I love Mia's attempt at bull horns |
* The Architecture. Have to fit it in somewhere...it was beautiful. Just beautiful. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
After the bull ring we headed back to our apartment to gather our things, check out, and head to the airport.
Our flight was a late one, the only option was to fly either early in the morning or at 9pm, so we braced ourselves for some tired kids at the end of the day. Thankfully, all three kiddos slept the entire 1.5 hour flight.
And this entry wouldn't be complete without including Mia's plane exit.
The plane landed, and we were faced with the task of waking everyone up and getting them out of the plane and into the double stroller that was waiting for them just outside the door. Jordi was easy, I was already holding him, so I was able to quickly slip on the Ergo, slide him in, within minutes he had nuzzled up against my chest sleeping again. Evan was next...although sad and confused at first, he was able to be coaxed into getting up and keeping calm, and walked himself off the plane.
Then came Mia. Now, with all due respect to Mia, we had pushed them to brink this weekend, and it was WAY past her bedtime. She was exhausted. But: You don't. Wake. Mia. It's like waking a lion by pulling its tail. It never ends well. After a few gentle back rubs and whispers, she started to stir...then, refusing to open her eyes, she just starts thrashing around with her arms and legs, letting out screams, "NO!!! NO!!! NO!!". At that point I smiled turned to my brave husband and said, "You got this?" then made my hasty exit off the plane with the boys to get Evan settled and wait for the lion to disembark.
The sight of my daughter coming off this plane. Just classic.
I could hear the screams from inside the plane while I waited with Jordi, Evan, and the double stroller just outside the plane door. The screams continued. Minutes ticked by. Finally, after the last passenger got off, there was Mia standing in the doorway of the plane. Flushed, dirt smeared face and disheveled beyond words, she was screaming bloody murder and walking like she had taken one too many tequila shots. "MAMAAAAA!!!!" she screamed as she stumbled a crooked line down the plane's gate walkway towards the stroller. Poor kid was donzo. Oddly enough, as miserable as this sounds, we had to will ourselves not to laugh, the sight of her was just so classic Mia and definately spoke to the epic weekend we just had. But this dramatic scene had a happy ending -- one stroller ride, taxi ride, and carry up to bed later -- the kids (and us) were fast asleep in our own beds.
Mia woke up the following morning, with her hair in a bee's nest, hobbling down the stairs, then limping across the living room.
"Mia, what happened? Why are you limping, did you hurt your leg?" we asked her.
"I walked too much, my legs won't work anymore" Mia said matter-o-factly.
Now THAT my friends, is a sign of a good vacation.
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