Barcelona

Barcelona had a different feel from Madrid... it is a bit more open and many more people speak English (which we found helpful). I think this is because there are many international business located there. The city itself was beautiful... many green and lush hills set on the coast line of the Mediterranean Ocean.

While my husband was in meetings most of the day, the children and I set out to explore the old part of the city. First, we visited the main Cathedral Barcelona.

Barcelona Cathedral Garden

Sarah and Thomas exploring the Cathedral Courtyard.

Resident Cathedral Geese

We then walked through the old area surrounding the church known as the Barri Gotic. It was filled with lots of winding narrow streets with shops and coffee houses... very old world and a step back in time.

A scene from the Barri Gotic

We then walked to the massive monument dedicated to who else?
Columbus!

We then found our way up the famous La Rambla which is a pedestrian zone filled with outdoor newspaper stands, flower shops and pet stores!

The highlight for me was the Barcelona's central market known as the Mercat de la Boqueria. It was colorful and filled with local charm. I found the most delightful chocolate!

The Entrance to the Market

Eggs!

Colorful Fresh Fruit


Later in the evening, we walked down to the edge of the Ocean.

We even gave the children the opportunity to dip their toes in the water!

After a beautiful sunset, my husband joined us for a lovely meal at the Marina.

What a great day!

We're back!

Today we have returned from a whirlwind trip through Spain and Portugal. We decided to follow my husband to a few cities he had business in... It was really fun and we are completely exhausted!

Sarah waving outside our little car outside of Barcelona!

A road trip in Europe is quite exciting... through busy cities and countryside dotted with provincial villages... very much like a trip through certain parts of America. The only difference? Well, the road signs are in a foreign language...there are little surprises like castles and Roman ruins just awaiting discovery... and there are other drivers that feel that a speed limit is just a recommendation! Wow... they can drive REALLY fast.

An old Castle ruin off the side of the road...

A play break while driving across Spain...

We had a great time getting to know a little more about some different areas of Spain...we drove across the central part ... east to Barcelona ... spent the day...and then drove west (yes, we crossed the entire country in a day!) ... to Lisbon, Portugal. We then enjoyed a couple of days in Lisbon... we found Portugal to be quite different than Spain and enjoyed learning more about the adventurous Portuguese...On our way home we drove north toward Porto and headed east through the Douro River Valley toward Madrid via Salamanca. I will post more on each, but wanted to update you on all our whereabouts over the past week.

This is a famous landmark on the side of Spanish highways.... we had fun seeing who could find the bull first as we drove along...

Tomorrow we await the arrival of my parent's! My dad surprised my mom (and us) with a trip to Spain for her birthday! We are excited to share a bit of our experience with them...

A Day Trip to Toledo

Today we braved the Madrid central city traffic in a rented van and headed south out of the city toward the historical city of Toledo.

View from our parking spot!

It was an amazing town set on a hill with cobblestone roads winding their way like spaghetti all through the town. It was truly a picturesque feast for the eyes.



We first happened to arrive at the Museo de Santa Cruz where we enjoyed original works of, El Greco. Thomas and Sarah enjoyed playing in the central courtyard.

Thomas in a rare quiet moment...

We then hiked our way up the hill to Toledo's Gothic Cathedral.

Hiking up the hill with Daddy!

The Cathedral in Toledo

We will be leaving the city of Madrid tomorrow and heading for Barcelona and then over to Lisbon, Portugal. I will post next weekend...

An old woman washing her front porch.

Until then...

I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!
May you find joy in spending meaningful time with your family and friends...

Adios!

Deeper Thoughts

Every day we walk past those in need. It has never been more poignant as when we walk through the city... there are poor everywhere... poor in health... poor in material needs... poor in spirit. They are begging... hand held out... on their knees...

There is a man that sits on the sidewalk not more than a block away... every day he sits and asks for help. He has no arms... I believe he was born without them and has very small malformed hands that protrude out of the stubs of what would be his arms. We have dropped coins into his box...He smiles at us. Thomas waves every day as we go to the store. Yesterday... Sarah thought about sharing Christ with him (we brought some tracks in Spanish). My heart aches as I walk past... with my beautiful family and blessed life. I don't know anything about this man... and certainly will not pass judgement. OR, what about the old woman in black sitting at the foot of the church stairs... she sits with such a sad face... hand held out... I wonder why??? Does this man have anyone to care for him? Is this old woman lonely? What an awful place to be in this world... is my heart felt feeling.

I was reading in Exodus the other day... and a passage struck me with great quickness. "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? " (Exodus 4:11)

Certainly, life is not "perfect" for anyone... we all struggle and are poor in one area or another. Yet, the matter of fact is that God has sovereign control over everyone of us.

So, here I am... this is my place in this world...what is it that God wills for me in this life??? God has blessed our family so richly... not only for our own good, but for the good of others.

So, as I navigate my way through this blessed day... I will remember this very thing and remember the smile that we share... the money that we share... the wave from a little child that is shared... is a blessed gift from a heavenly father who aches for this world to be perfect and whole again.

The Palacio Real and Cathedral Almudena

Thursday we enjoyed a fun filled day of touring the Royal Palace and neighboring Cathedral.


Sarah and Thomas both enjoyed the Royal Armoury where we saw all of the beautiful suits of armor of Carlos I and Charles the V as well as various others, (even for children and horses); swords of Cortes and Fernando the Catholic; and interesting examples of early guns and war artifacts. Thomas truly enjoyed this moment in time as any boy would!

The Royal Palace from the Plaza De La Armeria

We then toured the main Palace filled with amazing fine art pieces and decor and beautiful frescoes on the ceiling... we toured the Royal Throne room and lavish Dining room that sits up to 160 guests! Imagine such a table...

We then made our way to the Cathedral Almudena.

View of the Cathedral de la Almudena from the Plaza de la Armeria

This is the first time my children have been in a European Cathedral. Sarah was struck by the the grand scale... and the fact that there were confessional booths. We had an interesting discussion about our great High Priest and his saving work on the Cross...

Of course Thomas enjoyed the echo of his voice...
Silencio!
We reminded him throughout our tour.

We returned after our busy day to this building, our home away from home.

Our window is on the right hand side, 2nd story up!

The Mercado de la Paz

Today was a very quiet day... we took it easy after our big day at the Prado. The children and I enjoyed a nice lunch with Daddy at our new favorite Italian place... then off we went to the market to pick up a few things for dinner.

There is a large supermarket in the local department store called El Corte Ingles, but today we chose the local Mercado de la Paz to do our shopping. It is so colorful and interesting. There are plenty of choices and everything is very fresh!

Wonderful Produce

"Look Pig Legs!" This is Thomas' favorite line... we see them everywhere...
Jamon is a staple item in most Spanish homes.

Roast Suckling Pig Anyone?

Sarah about had heart failure when she discovered this in the meat case... poor thing.

Museo Nacional Del Prado

Today is the day of longing fulfilled!

My daughter has been literally chomping at the bit to get to the Prado. I know, she is only a wee 9 years of age... but, she has been literally fascinated with fine art at the age of 10 months or so. I remember walking into a woman's home, when we lived in Japan, when Sarah was barely able to walk... and, she had a beautiful oil painting of fine quality ... floor to ceiling ... and my Sarah... looked and actually was breathless and admired the painting. The woman was most impressed ... but I just wondered in my heart ... is that for real??? Well, it was.

Sarah has enjoyed fine art museums all over the world. Her favorite thing to do in a Museum is to sketch her favorite pieces. She sits with her sketch book and draws them with her crayons... It just brings me joy to watch her... she is so happy!


Today we saw many works of art... masterpieces... it was amazing. Works of Goya, Velazquez, Rubens, Rembrandt, Ribera, El Greco and Bosch... just to name a few.

We saw Jesus, Crucified, in all different styles. Wow. It was very contemplative as we were reminded over and over the pain and suffering Christ endured... for us.

We also saw Mary breast feeding Jesus... and squirting milk out of the free breast to those awaiting (Holy Milk???) That, was kind of creepy to me.... fine art, yes... I obviously need to brush up on my religious art interpretation. We saw many other Bible figures depicted. Sarah's favorite painting was that of the scene of Abraham ready to sacrifice Isaac.... it was a very moving piece.

My favorite was the painting of Les Meninas (which I have shown previously) by Valazquez and also his depiction of Christ, on his Crucifixion... as well as Jacob's Dream, by Ribera.


Jacob's Dream, 1639


Christ on the Cross, circa 1630

We spent a good six hours in the Prado. It was amazing!

My husband treated us to a wonderful meal out of Tapas! (Spanish fast food) In Spain, the main meal of the day is early, around 2:00pm or so. Then, one must wait for a restaurant style meal until much later in the evening, 8:00pm or so. We opted for Tapas served between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. It is actually little plates of food that are kind of like what we might think of as appetizers. It was really very tasty!

Tomorrow we are taking a rest... for my dear son's sake :) Perhaps we will make a trip to the central park and enjoy a bit of play and running about...

Christopher Columbus!

Today we toured the Christopher Columbus square (very near our home away from home). We enjoyed the massive Spanish flag (which would not blow in the wind for my photo!) and the tall statue recognizing Christopher Columbus and his major discoveries for the country of Spain. Sarah and I discussed the importance of Columbus and the historical significance in our own lives... it was exciting to be in the country that commissioned the grand expedition that lead to the discovery of our very own homeland!

Thank you Christopher Columbus for having such strong faith in God
and in your great perseverance in seeing your vision to reality ...

Thank you Queen Isabel for having faith in Columbus...

Around the base of the statue is the story, carved into each of the four sides,
of the history of Columbus.

We then made our way down the grand Paseo de Recoletos, toward the Prado Museum.

Plaza de Cibeles, this is one of the many grand statues that grace the busy traffic circles...

We discovered that the Museums are all closed on Mondays... so we enjoyed the architecture of the historic building (built 1785-1811) and toured the attached Botanical Garden...

Autumn in Spain

Carlos the III, King of Spain 1759-1788

Tomorrow we will see the inside of the Prado!

I found the Prado's main website and is very well done. For those who are interested in learning more... go to this link: http://www.museodelprado.es/en/en/welcome/15-masterpieces/

You can then view 15 works of art and hear a narrative description of each piece... spend some time today and learn a little about the art works and about what we will (hopefully) be viewing tomorrow in person!

Tomorrow the Prado!...Wednesday, the Thyssen!

A Cross-Cultural Day

Today we took a one hour train ride out of the center of Madrid to a quiet suburban area northwest of the city. We met up with my husband's co-worker, and enjoyed a traditional two hour Spanish lunch.




We enjoyed all sorts of interesting foods, including Squid in Ink sauce (which my husband says was fabulous)... Steak, Spanish Tortillas (in Spain Tortillas are omlettes made with sliced potato throughout) homemade Croquettes and various other specialties. I felt like I had gained several pounds just after eating this one meal!


Sarah and Thomas enjoyed playing with the twin, 10 year old, boys (one whose name is Thomas), son's of the co-worker and her husband, who so graciously entertained us for the day.


They played soccer and board games with Sarah and our little Thomas enjoyed playing with the many cars the boys had stored away. They also gave us lots of advice on restaurants and museums. It was interesting for us to get a sense of what the "average" Spanish family lives like. They had a very nice home... a large back yard with a swimming pool and a beautiful view of the mountains. Very Mediterranean.


We arrived home late, with many loaned items to use while we are here for the month... one of which Thomas will enjoy much as we play at the park tomorrow!