Today is the four-year anniversary of our commitment ceremony, so that means I have to be nice to Glenn in this post, even though I recently learned that he doesn’t even read my blog. Between that and the large amount of happenings since I have had consistent internet access, I may not be able to be as snarky as usual. Apologies in advance.
At any rate, our trip from Rome to Barcelona went smashingly. I have found in Europe that airports are very accommodating to people traveling with small children as we have been ushered into every priority line at security checkpoints. This means that we got to actually enjoy a nice meal in FCO before we boarded at a mozzarella bar called Obita. Apparently, they also have a branch in LAX so I recommend you look for it if you are flying through there. The food was so good, it was hard to believe we were eating in an airport terminal.
Our hosts in Barcelona, Theresa and Pere, were kind enough to pick us up from the airport. It was nice to see wide, paved roads again, and also to have a driver who doesn’t attempt to drive at twice the speed limit. Tristan was so excited to meet our friends’ children, Joan and Alex. The three have become fast friends and enjoy running all over the apartment. Sunday and Monday were holidays in Barcelona so they have gotten in lots of bonding time. Monday (the day after Easter) is the day of mona here in Barcelona. Mona were originally tough little bagel-esque loaves with an egg and feathers on top, but through time, they have morphed into chocolate cakes loaded with little presents. The fancy mona in some shops sell for 1,100 euro. Our friend, Theresa, chose the thrifty route and baked three mona. Tristan was excited to gobble down more than his fair share of cake, and, from what I could hear from the living room, there was a good deal of excitement when Glenn got to change his diaper the next day.
On Tuesday, the kids had school again, so we took Tristan to see the Sagrada Familia. When a city has only one major tourist attraction, it gets pretty crowded, even in the middle of the week. We waited in line for about 45 minutes to get inside. We decided not to pay to take the elevator to the top which is a good thing because it turns out the next elevator wasn’t for two hours. The cathedral is pretty impressive as you can see from the pictures I took with my phone.
This one makes me think of carnivals and cotton candy.
Little known fact, the Sagrada Familia is partly made of white chocolate.
After taking in the Sagrada Familia, we hopped on the metro to meet Theresa for lunch near the Plaza del Catalunya. When lunch was done, we took a walk down Las Ramblas to do some shopping.
Tristan tried on a hat at the FCB official store, where we did not buy a 50 euro baby outfit, but instead opted for a more affordable water bottle for cousin Ziad, mini-soccerball for Tristan, and a Xavi postcard for Tristan’s newest friend, Xavier, who was born last Friday…or maybe Thursday…the time difference has me all confused.
We also got these little Euro sneakers for Tristan and a jacket for papa at Desigua (sorry no picture yet.) Also, if you were wondering, the economy of Barcelona is mainly supported by Desigual and FCB stores, which appear on every other block along Las Ramblas.
By the end of our shopping trip, Tristan had fallen asleep so we knew it was time to get some gelato and walk home. It rained on us a little on the way home, which was a nice break from the humidity.
Wednesday morning, we headed out to catch the train to Elciego in Spanish wine country. At some point in our journey, Tristan decided he was going to be a tremendous pain in the butt for the rest of the day; I think it was about 30 minutes into the train ride when the novelty of high-speed land travel had worn off. If any of our fellow travelers from car number seven our reading this, lo siento.
The landscape here in Elciego is gorgeous, a little like Napa only with higher mountains surrounding it. The little town of Elciego is not exactly happening during the week so we have spent a lot of time around the hotel, which thankfully has a pool.
Tristan had some fun with Glenn during a rare moment of not trying to break stuff or jump off the bed head first.
This is the front of the really beautiful cathedral in “downtown” Elciego.
Tristan found the tables outside of this closed cafe in Elciego a great place to hide. I should mention now that just about everything in Elciego was closed yesterday afternoon. We decided to eat dinner at the hotel only to find out that the restaurants don’t open until 8:30, so we had dinner at the wine bar.
This morning we took a tour of the vineyard surrounding the hotel. Thank good for the iPod touch which kept Tristan busy while we learned about wine production, as well as the history of the area, but mostly just sipped enough wine to get a little drunk before lunch. Life is a little bit better when you’re buzzed by noon. Lunch was followed by fun family time in the pool and a nap. We head back to Barcelona early tomorrow so I probably won’t be able to blog again until London or possibly San Francisco. In the meantime, treat yourself to a glass of wine in honor of Glenn and I being committed four years ago. Cheers!
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Tristan’s corner
“Elephant!” (while pointing at the rhinoceros in Barcelona zoo)
Tristan really enjoyed the zoo here and in Rome. It turns out that when you have a warmer climate than San Francisco, the animals can get pretty active, unlike the lethargic menagerie at SF Zoo.
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