Under the Tuscan Rain

New hotel, new breakfast offerings and machinery . . . this one offered several different kinds of breads for toasting and some lovely jams, and also some rolls that looks like they have chocolate chips in them, but in fact have raisins (or maybe dates?) in them, so tomorow I am forewarned.  But the coffee machines have consistently offered cafe au lait, so all is well on that front.  Thank goodness--caffeinated sponsors are the best sponsors.

On to Galleria dell'Accademia--a "quick walk" from our hotel--here we are to visit the David by Michelangelo!  The first look at David as we enter the room where he's kept is always a wow moment; he is huge, standing at seventeen feet tall, and also quite perfect in every way, in spite of the ways he's not actually perfect, if that makes any sense.  His hands and feet are too big for his body (their size anchor his body to be able to stand upright), and at some point in history, his arm was broken off and nailed back on, and he's no longer covered in gold leaf as he once was, but it is undeniable that he looks real.  He looks as if he fully plans to walk off the pedestal and go fight Goliath, and the look in his eyes is quite soulful.  He's breathtaking, and I'm so glad we got a time slot to go visit him.

Then, on to the duomo, where we got into a line and also a fight!  A rude family got rudely in the middle of our group, and our guide told them about their rudeness but they rudely refused to move on.  Ah, well.  Some people, right?  We did get our chance to look at the inside of the duomo, and it is, as is to be expected, as lovely as the outside, which is covered over with red, white, and green Italian marbles.  This church stands across from the baptistery and can be seen all over Florence, as noting can legally be built higher than the church towers.  After that, we went to the Uffizi Gallery, which I'd never seen before, to visit Botticelli!  We saw the Primavera and The Birth of Venus, both of which were painted in the 1400's, and both of which are simply amazing--definitely worth getting a museum pass to see them.  Once we decided to leave to grab our lunch, however, we got a little claustrophobic; the museum is designed to keep people moving in an organized path, but I definitely felt the tightness of the rooms and the wild goose chase for the exit.  I think I panicked a little, feeling the confines of the walking path.  Oof.  But we did get out--I was a little worried that I'd have to just move in to the gallery.

After finding an exit, our first order of business was finding some shopping--today, I found my shoes and my purse!  I'm done with my checklist now!  Woot!  But also, I met the designer of my leather purse, and a designer who insisted I choose a color of jacket, and he would select the style for me--he was all modern Italian flowered shirt and gold bracelets and funky glasses, and I had a LOVELY time trying on his selections for me.  He was gracious and fun, and I *almost* came home with a leather jacket, but I just didn't fall in love with it--you must fall in love with the big purchases, and alas, these things cannot be forced.  My purse and sandals, though, are definitely exactly right.

Now!  Siena!  Michaelann wanted us to visit her Dante language school and see Siena during the Palio, a race horse here with competing contradas vying for the grand prize, but oy.  It was raining a chilly rain here, and we had to be back on the bus by 6:00 to get back to dinner reservations, so we really didn't do much after hearing a speaker explain the Palio, which has an intricate organization; no visit to the shell-shaped square or the church there, sadly.  I really am bummed about this; I wanted to see Siena all decked out for her famed race!  Sigh.  I'll just have to come back next year!

Dinner tonight was a surprise from Michaelann!  We had pasta tonight, followed by gelato and a lovely walk home.  (Full disclosure--I did not have any gelato after dinner, as I'd sneaked out with Tammy, Tricia, and Maddy to go get some before dinner!  Don't tell!  But I am on a strict two-gelato per day diet, and I must stick to it!  So far, I've had pistachio, chocolate, salted caramel, and amaretto.  Stay tuned for more tastings . . . .)

And now I sleep!!  Tomorrow's a huge day--we ride for 5.5 hours to Milan!! Ciao, Bella!!

The Birth of Venus

Learning about the Palio

TWO kinds of pasta, thank you very much...

A Leaning Tower and Rounds of Pizza

Sadly, today we left the Cote d'Azur and got on a bus that drove us away from paradise and the rich and fabulous (I don't want to brag, but we passed by where Angelina Jolie delivered her twins . . . ) and put us on the road again.  Traveling by bus on the highway in southern Illinois is pretty picturesque, I will grant that.  God's country, we call it.  But after taking the road along the Mediterranean coast, past Portofino and Cinque Terre, the mountains, the azure blue of the waters, the yacht and villas . . . I might be forever spoiled for driving on 57 to Paducah.  Sigh.

After a quick lunch in an Autogrille (in Italy, this time!  We crossed the border into another country and also into chaos . . . It took us a minute to figure out how Italians want  us to order things [order, pay, hand a ticket to a lady, wait for your tray, and seat yourself--or stand at a hightop] and we brought noise and confusion to this little Autogrille.  But we got fed!  And then back on the road!

The road led to Pisa and her leaning tower!  Kinda!  We got a little lost in Pisa, as our bus doesn't fit through the arches of the bridge everyone else was taking, and Roberto's (the driver) GPS had different info than Paola's GPS had, so we went round and round a ton of round-abouts, looking for a way to get into the Pisa bell tower area.  You know that movie?  National Lampoon?  European Vacation?  Yeah.  It went like that.  "Look, kids, the leaning tower! . . . .  Look, kids, the leaning tower!" Ah, well.  The missed turns just elevated the excitement for the visit once we finally got to the right area.

Pisa's bell tower leans.  For real.  The kids were, surprisingly, a little surprised that it does--but we learned that it leans because it was built on a sandy foundation (huh.  Isn't there a rule somewhere about building on sandy ground?  Seems like I've heard that before . . . ), and it stood only two stories high for almost a century, and then engineers "fixed" it by building the next layers with tall heights on one side, to even it up, bu then it leaned even more, so now it actually has a bit of a banana shape.  But no worries!  The tower will stand this way for another hundred years, at least, in its new supports.  The kids had a great time taking their pictures, holding up the tower--I myself have a pic of my mom holding it up with ONE FINGER.  Other kids did cheerleader-style towers, some laid down and held it up with their feet . . . .  Our children are imaginative, for sure--I'm sure you've seen their social media with fresh posts.  :-)  No time to go into the cathedral nearby with  Galileo's experimental pendulum, as we lost some time and had to head on to Florence.

The road to Florence is scenic, too, and I found myself looking at all the abandoned castles with an eye toward fixing them up and living like royalty in Italy, but I'm not sure how I'll teach from my new turrets . . . .  And then we arrived in Florence--Firenze!  We had time to throw our suitcases down and walk to dinner at a pizzaria.  We got to choose from four different kinds of pizza:  margherita; ham, artichoke, olive, and mushroom; cheese and spicy sausage; or ham and mushroom.  At my table, we ordered one of each to have a little tasting, and, of course, they were all heavenly--thin crust, savory toppings, the best cheeses in Italy, and a quick wait staff.  They also gave us a caprese starter and an ice cream cake to finish.  Yummmm . . . .

And now off to bed, as we leave at the first light for two museums and a church--we'll be visiting the David tomorow!  Buona notte!

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

PIZZA!!!

Nous Sommes Arrives a Nice!!

Swimming pools, movie stars . . .

We are officially in Nice!!  I am SO EXCITED to see this part of France that I want to start here, but first things first--we started the day in the lavender fields of Provence after saying good-bye to Nimes.  Most of us were very excited to see the sites today, as all of us have seen those pictures in posters or on TV of the lavender fields before they are harvested--row after row of purple, waist-high flowers that smell like comfort and tranquility . . . If those things had a smell, that is . . . .  Today was nothing if not a photo op, so prepare for all of us to change our profile pic to selfies in the lavender rows.  We had plenty of time to get souvenirs, smell the flowers and organize several photo shoots after we watched a video that showed us all the steps in planting, harvesting, and distilling the blossoms.  It takes many hundreds of pounds of flowers to make the tiniest drops of lavender extract or oil, and the growing process seems quite laborious, which really does explain why perfume is pricey.  We helped out the Angelvin family today by cleaning out their gift shop--I hope your kids packed some soaps and perfumes for you to enjoy!  After leaving this family farm--which also produced honey, almonds, and chestnuts, we took off for le Cote d'Azur!

A "quick ride" to the French Riviera included a stop at a Carrefour, a place alongside the road that is similar to an Autogrille, but not exactly the same.  This place offered quick lunches and a little gift shop--where you can buy groceries like lunch meat and small meal supplies, but also t-shirts, books, a little medicine, a few personal hygiene products, a computer, an ipad, some snacks, ice cream, DVDs, and SO MUCH more . . . .  The kids are starting to really like these places.  They supplied themselves with everything they'd need for the trip down south.

So then Nice!  We stopped at  another place that was good to our noses--the fragrance factory called Fragonard; today was definitely the day we all smelled our best.  No heat (a little thunderstorm, in fact, blew through) and we played in the perfumes for a good long time.  At Fragonard, we learned the distillation process and we learned about the profession of being "a nose."  A nose is a person who has studied for at least seven years to identify and mix different scents effectively.  To be  nose means, though, that one only works three hours a day, earning a good salary to support a living--in exchange for living a life with no coffee, no smoking, and no doing anything that might compromise his ability to be sensitive to smells.  I'm pretty sure some of the kids would love to learn to be a nose if it meant returning to Fragonard every and surrounding themselves with the heavenly notes of lemon, rose, lavender, orange, patchouli, lily of the valley, and so many more . . . .  I loaded up on gifts (for others AND myself . . . ) and can't wait to wear my new fragrances!

The Fragonard factory is in Nice, so from there, we took a quick bus ride to the block near the hotel, which turns out to be two blocks (or maybe three) from the actual coast!  The French Riviera!  Where all the movie stars gather for the Cannes Film Festival every year, and where the rich come to vacation and shop!  Fortunately, a walk along Place des Anglais--the boardwalk above the beach--is free, and you can walk there even if you're not rich or famous . . . .  After dropping our suitcases in our charming little rooms, we headed to a creperie and enjoyed a whole meal of crepes; a salad of crepes and goats cheese, walnuts, and a drizzle of mustard and honey, followed by a plate of ham, cheese, and egg crepes, followed by a dessert of strawberries and raspberries in crepes, topped with whipped cream.  DELISH.  After dinner, we had the opportunity to go visit the boardwalk or shop one more time before bed.

And here we are.  Tucked away in bed, ready for tomorrow's adventure in Italy!!  I want to post pictures, but alas.  The wifi (or weefee, as they pronounce it here), she is too slow.  I'm hoping to add pictures in the next hotel.

Bonne nuit!!

The lavender fields in Provence

The factory at Fragonard, France's premier perfume producer

Finally!!  We get to smell and BUY!!

Salad crepes--goat cheese on a bed of lettuce, drizzled with mustard and honey, sprinkled with walnuts and pine nuts

Crepes avec jambon, fromage, et un oeuf

Strawberry and raspberry dessert crepes

The French Riviera--The Promenade des Anglais

SUCH a beautiful night on the Cote d'Azur

Sur le Pont d'Avignon

As Paola says, "It's a bit of an early start, everyone . . . . "  What she actually means is, we're going to get up at the crack of dawn to get on the road, but really (and don't tell her), we don't mind.  Every day is a grand adventure!  New sights, new smells, new foods . . . .

We took our own coach bus to Avignon this morning, rather than having to ride a metro or take a city bus, and lots of kids (and grownups) were snoozing their way across the French countryside.  When we got there, we travele alongside the Rhone River, and I am fully convinced that my future self will travel on one of those river cruises--like they advertise on Downton Abbey!  The river is calm, clean, serene . . . Just babbling its way down the sunflower and lavender fields . . . .  Yes.  Am sure of it; one day, I will enjoy one of those trips.

We were wowed immediately by the picturesque walled city and beautiful bridge as soon as we saw them, and then we disembarked from the coach and proceeded to sing and dance about beside the bridge.  Really!  Apparently, there is a little song about this bridge, which Mrs. Stanley taught the students, and which is accompanied by a little dance!  I promise you this is true, and there is video of it--check out the Facebook feed of the HHS French Travel Club if you'd like to learn the song and dance for yourselves . . . .

Then, we entered the city gates and wound our way through Medieval cobblestone streets that led to the papal palace when there were two popes.  In the 14th century, Pope Clement V refused to move to Rome, as he was French, and then the popes who succeeded him stayed here, too, until Gregory XI moved the papacy back to Rome.  So the palace here is both impressive, ornate, and beautiful, as befits a powerful man of the clergy, but it's also somehow austere; there are little studies and chapels throughout the large halls of the palace that are there to provide quiet moments of reflection, research, and meditation for man who is responsible for providing religious leadership for an entire nation.

After touring for a while, my group moved out of the palace and back to the square where I bought some art from the most charming lady who was tickled with my rusty French and who allowed me to take her picture when we finished with our transaction.  Noticing the knawing hunger and knowing we were lunching after a "quick ride" to the next city, I also used my rusty French to procure a little snack of pain au chocolat and a drink.  I am fully snacking freely here, as it is a little-known fact that there are no calories on vacation in Europe.  I absolutely intend to eat my weight in gelato and chocolate and pastries for the foreseeable future.

Then onward to the sea!  We coached to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a 9th century city known for its Romani (gypsy) population and it three Saint Marys--Mary of Clopas (who was at the crucifixion of Christ and was also maybe his aunt) and Mary Salome (the mother of James and John of Zebedee, and also maybe cousin to Jesus' mother).  Their relics are at the church in town, and legend has it that they arrived here with Mary Magdalene, causing the town to become a site for pilgrimages.

The church was lovely, and a mass in French was being performed, but after we emerged from the sanctuary, my mother got a bit of a lesson in the traveling Romani, or gypsies, who congregate here because their patron saint, Sarah, who is buried in the crypt of the church.  A Romani woman approached Mom to buy a medallion and got, as they sometimes do, a little more assertive than we are comfortable with, clutching at my mother's shoulder, but quickly and firmly, we assured her we were not going to buy a medallion and she abandoned her pursuit of us.  No worries.

After the church exploration, we were free to do as we chose--either go swim in the clear, calm, refreshing Mediterranean Sea or eat or shop or all three--so I chose to eat and shop (taking advantage, once again, of the lack of calories here . . . ) and had a lovely afternoon, trying out my French and gathering up treasures.

At 4:00, though, we were scheduled for an adventure--a boat tour of the coast and the Rhine River!  We boarded a boat and traveled from the coast marina over the sea to the mouth of the river.  There, for about two hours, we saw sights that included native rice fields, Romani and local fishermen's houses along the banks, squillions of herons, a tiny herd of bulls, and also the Camargue horses!  Being wrangled by a cowgirl!  The Camargue horses are both wild and domesticated here, and are a pretty shade of white when they mature.  They're a little smaller than most horses I've seen, and a little thicker in the legs and chest; when they're born, they're brown or even black, and as they grow up, they fade to a gray and then white color.  They're just lovely, and they seem happy in this climate, which is pretty dry right now, except along the river, and they roam all over the countryside, kicking up dust and eating the reeds and vegetation.

Following the boat tour, we came back to our hotel, got some ice cream as a treat from Paola and Mrs. Stanley (I got a cone of pistacchio, caramel, and tiramisu), and later had dinner (quiche, pork with roasted rosemary potatoes, and a dessert of apple tart).  And now I write to you from my bed, from which I will rise at 5:30, because we have "a bit of an early morning tomorrow."  :-)  Bonne nuit, mes amis!!

The winner of the day today is Adam Retivo who airdropped me the most gorgeous picture of the Camargue horses and their cowgirl!  I fully intend to steal it and post it on my Twitter when the Best Pictures Contest is over--find your winning photographs, travelers--there's a prize in it for you!!

And, finally, a selection of pictures from today--I hope . . .

Le Pont d'Avignon

Students are dancing to "Sur le Pont d'Avignon" (featuring my thumb...)

Enjoying the French Riviera

A cowgirl wrangling the horses and bulls that live on the Camargue

Adios, Barcelona; Bonjour, Nimes!!

Today's first shift for breakfast time was 6:45 a.m. so we could board our bus no later than 8:00 to get on the road to La France!  Today we leave behind the land of Gaudi and tapas and tortillas to see what the old Roman ruin of Nimes have to offer.

The view of Nimes from an ancient Roman tower

Our bus stopped at a truck stop/luncheon spot--these are very common in Europe and they are not your ordinary truck stops.  No.  These will offer lovely sandwiches (mine was jambon, beurre, et emmental, with a side of pain au chocolate) or plated lunches and allllll the other things you might need.  Car supplies, yes, but also gift shops and candies and bakery goods and SO MUCH MORE.  Really hoping we'll find ourselves at an Autogrille before we head home . . . .

Then!  On to Nimes!  We arrived at our hotel that is within viewing distance of the coliseum here--in fact, when I look out our hotel window, I can see it.  We dropped off our suitcases here and headed right there; after Paola led us around a circuit of the outside, we went in and were handed little devices that read to us the story of this structure.  In Rome, I would call the coliseum "the ruins," perhaps, but really, this arena is not at all ruined.  It's in fine shape for having been built in AD 70 in order to entertain the Roman citizen of France with the ordinary things arenas are used for.  Animals fights.  Gladiators.  Punishment of criminals with the use of lions and so forth.  The floor of the arena is now modernized and used as a music venue, but it once was covered with wood and a layer of sand--to absorb the blood of the animals and humans slain there.  Eesh.  Having climbed around on it today, I'm not so sure I would fight (literally) for a seat to watch (ugh) two animals chained together in mortal combat or two humans (truly!) sentenced to fight to the death.  But the organization and planning of this coliseum are quite perfect to easily move 33,000 attendees watch whatever they want in this structure.

Then, a quick walk to a temple--also Roman!  This one is the Maison Carree, the Square House, a temple dedicated to Gaius Caesar by Regulus, the son of a Roman man famed for his fighting for the Romans.  It, along with the arena, is one of the best preserved examples of Roman architecture.  The building is beautiful, and this area seems to be a little Roman, a little French, and a little tropical.  There are seals all over the town of the symbols of a palm tree with an alligator tied to it to honor the conquest of Egypt.  This coat of arms can be spotted everywhere, and I entertained myself this afternoon by finding as many as I could, capturing them on camera.

Dinner!  Tonight, duck a l'orange!  The kids were told the dinner would be duck--usually, we tell them it's chicken and then surprise them later--and some were trepidatious about trying it, but they all quickly discovere that it is, in fact, delicious!  I always scrape a little of the fat off, but I looked around and saw that the majority of the kids had cleaned their plates entirely--yay!  They might come home looking for duck in our grocery stores!  We had sides of a zucchini quiche-type thing and also some cheesy potatoes--delish!!  Then, the waiter brought us a dessert of chocolate flourless cake on a sea of vanilla sauce and I thought seriously about licking the plate clean.  But I did not.  One must remember one's manners . . . .

So today's winners are all the kids who climbed to the top of an old Roman tower with their brave sponsors!  If you made it to the top to get the money shot of the city below you, bravo, mes etudiants!!  That climb was STEEP and the tower was TALL.  We all checked ou Fitbits and health trackers after that--we had enough steps in for all the Herrin High School students!

Here are today's pics!  Enjoy!

Huh.  Okay.  No pics.  They won't upload.  Will try again in the morning . . . .  Bonne nuit,  mes amis!!

Zucchini Quiche

La Maison Carree with all the kids--and Paola

Duck a l'orange

Chocolate Heaven on earth

A Morning in the Clouds, a Night of Magic

All week long, we've been hearing about the serrated mountains that surround Barelona--they are majestic and spiritual and holy and our city guide is even named after them; her name is Monterrat.  Today was the day we trekked up the side of the rocky mountainside to go visit the monastery at the top of it, and even though it was cloudy today, the visit was no less magical for it.

The mountain is rocky, made of squillions of pebbles left from when this part of earth was covered with water.  Natural, these pebbles are pretty--reds and pinks and corals--but when they are polished, the reds turn into maroons, and then yellows, whites, and greens are revealed in the shiny columns and walls when they are finished.  By "they," I mean the monks and the construction workers who built a basilica on the top of the world here; the original basilica, built in the 10th century, was destroyed by Napoleon and then rebuilt in the 1800's.  The church is called Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey, and the altar features a blackened Madonna; her face has taken on a dark, lustrous sheen after centuries of absorbing the smoke of candles and incense, and she is beautiful.  Millions of people pilgrimage to see her to thank her for answered prayers.

As I always do, I sneaked away (this time with my mom) from the group to light a candle for my sister and to center my thoughts for a minute.  Churches in Europe are tangibly spiritual, if that makes any sense; one can walk in, smell the incense, taking in the ornamentation and canting and just feel closer to God.  After absorbing the prayers, tears, smiles, weddings, funerals, worries and fears of milions of people for hundreds of years, I just feel like prayers sent up here are louder or more powerful somehow.  We are lucky to be traveling on our trip here in beautiful mountains constructed by angels, and even though the day was entirely spent in the middle of a misty cloud, somehow, a clarity settled over us today.

Then, on to another church!  For a group on vacation on Sunday, we sure did get churched today . . . .  This time to La Sagrada Familia--a church still under construction since its groundbreaking in 1882.  It is designed by Gaudi, the same man who designed the park we went to yesterday, and it was definitely in keeping with his style.  A deeply devout man, Gaudi designed a church to be both used by the people and also to be an homage to the Creator.  In every detail, his love for his Lord is visible.  In the front of the church, you will find a cypress tree (symbolic of eternity) decorated with white doves, in the back, you will find remarkably modern sculptures of the Passion of the Christ.  The style is very Art Nouveau, and the result is, rather than having created the beautiful but ornate and polished church like the monastery, this cathedral is . . . touchable.  There are smooth walls, embellished walls, and textures all in between.  Gaudi wanted the people to come to Christ, and created a church that is both a glorious demonstration of his devotion to God and an invitation for the masses to join him in his love.  So.  Beautiful.

Then, a "quick walk" home to freshen up, and on to dinner!  Tapas!  Tapas is a tasting menu, meant, in the heat of Spain, to be an alternative to a meal.  The concept is, rather than toil over a hot stove to make food that is too heavy to eat in the sultry summer, one just has a little of everything--some cured meats, a little salad, some seafood, a bit of chicken, and a few summer veggies.  It's not a bad idea; maybe we'll adopt this philosophy as we head back to our own sultry country?  And then a little Catalonian custard for dessert.  A word about traveling and eating.  It is my own policy to try everything on my plate when I travel--even seafood dishes (I do not enjoy seafood--I *want* to like seafood, but oy.  It smells like catfood and looks like bugs.  I cannot).  So tonight, I did eat a bite of calamari, and I did eat my paella.  But.  When Megan Stanley passed a fork over that had an actual tiny squid on it, I was a little taken aback.  There will be no tasting of squids.  Ever.

Then--THEN--we went to the park where we were told there were magic fountains.  With open minds and charged up devices to record whatever would happen, we approached the fountains.  The crowds were HUGE; wall-to-wall people turned up to see this phenomenon, and when it started, it became very clear what drew them there.  At 9:25, music started to swell, and the fountains jetted up to the sky in tandem!  With the swells and beats of the classical music, the fountains turned colors and danced toward the sky, and it was truly, truly beautiful.  I took SO MANY pics of the fountains and put a video of it on my twitter, but really, you just have to be there.  So, those of you reading at home, take note.  The magic fountains need to appear on your to-do lists for Spain.

So here are the pics for the day!  Today's winners of the day are the members of pod seven (Madelyn and Tricia, Kenneth and Kristi, Adam, and my mother and I) because we (*hair flip*) are ALWAYS the FIRST to pod up.  :-)

Special mention goes to Kennedy Pasley and DJ McInturff, who have managed to find the most American moments on this trip even while embracing the language and culture to the utmost!  Yay, team!

Buses, Beauty, and Beaches

Breakfast in foreign countries is always a fun experience--what will it be?  Will we like it if it's not cereal??  Turns out, the kids were plenty hungry and tucked in to a breakfast of lunch meats and cheeses, pastries, cereal with yogurt instead of milk, and fresh fruit.  It's a good thing they were well fortified, because we were BUSY today!

Today began as a coach bus tour through Barcelona's different districts, and we learned the histories of several wars, an Olympian event, and the architects of this beautiful city.  We centered our focus on Antonio Gaudi's designs and love for Barcelona.  An extremely pious man, his work is as religious as it is ingenious.  We went to Parc Guell, his homage to his Lord's creations in the form of a free park for the citizens of Barcelona and his patron, who purchased a mountain and wanted a man with Gaudi's vision to make it lovely in its planning.  So.  Gaudi turned a wild stone mountain into a park with meandering paths--two story paths--one for walking in the sun, and the other, under it, for walking in the rain, set in a palm-tree and tropical flower background.  The pictures don't really do justice to the careful planning and meaning behind all his work--the paths are dotted with spherical balls, for example, that are rosaries; one can meditatively, literally, walk a path to forgiveness and peace here, and every time you see a palm tree sculpted into the mountain, a real palm tree mirrors it on this path.

And then there is the mosaic design in every monument there.  Colorful and sparkly, the mosaic tiles draw the eyes at every turn.  There is an open area, meant for sitting and relaxing, that is surrounded on all sides by a curved running bench--all curvy and colorful.  When you sit down, though, your body is curved into the perfect shape for relaxing--Gaudi designed maybe the first seating specifically made to support the lumbar and encourage a long look at the mountains around this city.  The breeze and the chance to rest our weary backs made this place perfect--plus, it provided a perfect place for selfies . . . .

Then, we boarded our (new) bus with (actual) air conditioning to look at another mountain--Montjuic--to check out THE most stunning views of the city of Barcelona and the harbor here.  The city view we saw had a "magic" fountain at the bottom that performs to music and changes color, while the harbor featured areas for industry, cruise ships, and sailing, and both views offered cool breezes and more chance for selfies . . . .  This same area also boasted the Olympic arenas from 1992 (which I remembered watching) and the International Expo of 1929 (which I do not remember).  Pics at the bottom reveal these views.

After the park, we returned to the hotel for a quick lunch (a baguette with a kind of tomato spread and cheese with a lemon ice drink) and a change of clothes for our day at the beach!  The kids were superexcited to go to the Mediterranean Sea for a cool swim, which is good, because it took some effort to get there--seven subway stops and a "quick walk" (a word here about "quick walks."  The kids are getting used to the pace of walking five or six city blocks to get to a metro station, and their hiking along with no complaints tells me they are game to try just about anything we put on their agenda.  They are CHAMPS at touring and city living now!).  The heat of the day was pretty sultry until we came out of the subway near the harbor, where we found the breezes strong and the air a good ten degrees cooler.  The sun shone down on our midwestern shoulders, and the cool salt water and pebbly beach sand under our feet were restorative in the way only beaches can be.  Also!!  Maria was here!!  How lovely to see our friend!  We spent a refreshing afternoon in the salt and sand, and then came home to have a quick shower and a quick walk to dinner.

Dinner was a bit of an adventure!  Perfectly in keeping with the beach day, our starters included a tuna dish and a seaweed salad and some fishy hush-puppies, and then the tomato bread with egg toppings, and THEN fries with some spicy sauce on top.  Whew.  So much food!  So much STRANGE food for our tourists--but the kids are getting brave about trying new food--and this makes us happy.  We did not travel eight hours by plane only to eat what's in the fridge at home!  The entree was a tortilla of our choosing, which turned out to be more of an omelette, and was pretty yummy.  I, for one, always come back from a beach RAVENOUS, so everything is pretty yummy to me . . . .

Back home now!  Here are some pics so you can see what we were up to!

P.S.  You will find the adventurous Cole Shelton and Matt Warren pointing the way to new horizons.

P.P.S.  Adam Blake was a winner today, as I spied him enjoying a lovely book after touring all day!  Yay, readers!

P.P.S.  Happy, happy birthday to Adam Restivo, who spent his b'day in Barcelona!!  Welcome to adulthood!!

Hitting the Ground Running

We're HERE!!  Finally!!  And, in French Travel Club fashion, we wasted no time in getting started.  After our flight and getting our passports stamped and picking up our luggage, we found our hotel, got some cash, a quick snack, and we headed to the metro.

Our fist stop was the Mercat St. Josep, and old and gorgeous market full of fresh, colorful foods--you can buy fresh fruit smoothies (which I did, mango and pineapple, would recommend) and also fresh meat like tripe and tongue (which I did not, and still have no regrets).  The place smelled, by turns, like a garden, candy shop, bait shop, and grocery store, but the browsing was fascinating; we heard people buying and bargaining and getting supplies for what I'm sure is a lovely dinner, but mostly I enjoyed sampling the candies and people-watching.  The market is on an avenue called a ramblas under these tall shady trees, populated with tourists, flower shops, souvenir shops, and artisans' booths.  Could have spent more time there, but we were off to the Christopher Colombus statue by the sea and then to dinner.  

We're tired, our feet are sore, our traveling clothes are sweaty, but we are a happy bunch, replete with a steak dinner (with sides of stuffed zucchini, baked potato, and dessert of flan), and ready to shower, rest up, and head to the beach tomorrow!!

Below, in no particular order, because I cannot seem to make my tablet behave, are pics of the market, our hotel, and dinner!

P.S.  Logan Craft, it should be noted, ate ALL HIS DINNER (even if it wasn't Chick-Fil-A or McDonald's) AND he saved D.J.'s life.  Logan wins the day.

P.P.S.  Marlee Russell gets honorable mention for today, as she was given THREE ice cubes for her soda (a treat from Mrs. Stanley for the group!!), while my mom was only gifted with ONE.  Clearly, Marlee had the better karma going on today.