Day 5 :Montserrat

The following day was a lengthy travel day as we made the seven hour drive from Madrid to our bungalow outside of Barcelona.  Before hitting the road, we connected with my mission bestie, Hermana Wendy Rivera Billings, who now lives in Alcalá, birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes. Not only are Wendy and I the same height, but we both have daughters on missions and we both named daughters Brooklyn. It was such a treat to connect, especially on market day where we got to enjoy all the colorful delicacies and products her town has to offer.

Talia, Brooklyn, and Brooklyn.

From there, we drove for a long while, then stopped in Zaragoza for a late lunch. While I enjoyed our brief visit, everyone was pretty hot and hangry, plus I think Jason wanted kebab instead of the bar food we picked up. If we went back under different circumstances, I'm pretty sure we'd all like it even more.

Zaragoza has its own version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

This is how amused everyone felt when I tried to get the group to smile for a photo. I think I would have been more successful if I'd waited until after we'd eaten.  :)

At least the tiles and the birds looked happy.

Our next stop was far more successful. At Brooklyn's suggestion, we visited Montserrat, getting there in the late afternoon just as the crowds were dispersing. This turned out to be perfect--plenty of parking, cooler temps, and a reflective feeling of solitude.

Here's a place to peer into the window of your soul.

Just glad we could share it as an entire family.

The surroundings were stunning. My humanities classes would label it romantic in the most mystical sense of the word.

Our only regret was that the funicular wasn't running.

Far better than a funicular was our discovery that we'd arrived just in time for Evensong where the boys choir was singing. This serendipitous spiritual encounter is one of my highlights for the entire trip. I've always felt that places of worship are best experienced as precisely that--a place to worship. And the music? Nothing short of heavenly.

Gosh, I love this man.

Thank you ever so much for bringing us here, Brooklyn!

Speaking of things that touch my heart, one of the things that I loved most about Spain was that there were well-labeled AEDs in public spaces everywhere, even Montserrat. Not only could you find them in every metro station, there was clear signage showing you where they were located. In an emergency, this makes all the difference!

While we didn't need an AED, we did need some more food by the time we finally arrived in Malgrat de Mar. Fortunately we found a cute little restaurant with a cast-iron skillet full of tasty mushrooms just for us.

Viva españa!

Day 4: Fuenlabrada

In order for blogging to work for me, two things have to align. I have to have both the desire and the time. Lately, I seem to be lacking in both. This morning I happen to have a little bit of time, though, so let me start there and perhaps the motivation will come.

Spain! It was increíble, and yet it already feels so long go. I want to capture the memories before they slip away.

Day 4 was Sunday. When planning our itinerary, we first decided where we wanted to be on Sunday, then slotted in the rest. And for Brooklyn, the place she wanted to be above all others was her beloved barrio of Fuenlabrada. As a missionary, Brooklyn helped  open the area to sisters, then finished her mission there. It seems quite appropriate that this would be the first area she returned to. Walking in the church doors, you could tell that this congregation loves their missionaries. Brooklyn was greeted with hugs and exclamations of joy and surprise. 

We were likewise to discover Elder Holman from our home Emigration stake serving there as well. Armed with awesome red hair and a smile, he recognized Jason from a mission prep class Jason taught.

For not understanding the language, Annika did pretty well participating.

As for Eli, well, he looks ready for a nametag.

After church, we all crammed into a tiny elevator for our lunch date with the Murillo family.

This darling family from welcomed us all ever so warmly. The father Carlos is a chef, so we certainly dined well! The Mom, Angela, was also so kind, taking me aside and telling me the most lovely things about Brooklyn. It's amazing how moms can bond over the shared love of their children, even across languages and cultures. Their son Ricky recently returned from a mission to Argentina, so he had plenty of good advice to share with Talia. Annika thought he was cute, but Ricky's currently engaged to Diana (pictured next to him), so she'll have to pursue a different crush.

Course 1

Course 2

Dessert was also delicious, but for Annika the best part was the kitty.

Afterward we went to a park where Brooklyn connected with her friend Mariana. New to the church, Mariana was baptized at the end of Brooklyn's mission.

But wait, the visits aren't over! That evening we ate rice krispy treats with Brooklyn's mission leaders, President and Sister Grow. And indeed, it certainly is a growing time for the mission with so many new missionaries coming and the expansion to include a Madrid East Mission.

 To all the people who helped Brooklyn thrive on her mission, whether members, friends, or leaders, thanks for loving our daughter. She loves you too!

Day 3: Segovia and Ávila

We haven't even been home from Spain for a month, and already it feels so far away! Boo. I'm hoping that resuming the travelogue will help me better remember and cherish this special time together as a family.

So on our third day in Madrid, we took a day trip to Segovia. I accidentally missed the exit, but it was pretty fortuitous because this back entrance into the city was so scenic. 

Speaking of driving, my experience navigating the roads in Spain was actually great. I was really nervous about being added to the rental car agreement, but knew that we needed an extra driver since Jason would be working a lot at night and very tired. In general, I found the Spanish highways to be so much more civilized than our U.S. interstates--you just have to like roundabouts. People drove slower and were more patient. Frankly, driving in Salt Lake can be savage.

Back to Spain, I pulled over to switch drivers with Jason in Segovia and discovered that I'd pulled into free parking right at the base of the castle. Perfect!

From there it was a lovely scenic walk through the woods to get to the old town.

They're all my favorite.

Annika found an abandoned bird's nest. Positively germ-free, I'm sure.

Love this beautiful Hermana ever so much.

Four years of high school Latin and I could finally read a sign!  Water is the stuff of life.

We began our trip into the city by walking through the Jewish quarter.

Sure love this gorgeous gal as well!  I think she was pretty excited to be sharing this special place with us.

As we drew close to one of the plazas, we discovered an entire crowd of people gathered to watch a puppet show. Naturally we joined in!

In case you are wondering, this dragon not only breathes fire, but can tinkle as well.

The decorations on the exterior buildings were stunning.

This fun park was regrettably also the place where Brooklyn lost her Owala. Ah well, if I had to be a water bottle, I wouldn't mind living out the rest of my life in Segovia.

The famous aqueduct! I knew this remarkable feature was coming, but it was even more amazing in person. And to think, this aqueduct was constructed by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago and is still standing!

As for Annika, she seemed just as intrigued by this statue along the way.

Absolutely remarkable. Good thing Spain doesn't have many earthquakes!

More street performances.

Okay, this performance was one of a kind. Hundreds of people gathered to watch this man perform acrobatics on a moving excavator as opera played on loudspeakers throughout the town square. Performance art at its best!

Abierto 25 Horas--Wish I had 25 hours in my day too!

Earlier that morning we'd bought tickets to go through the alcázar, or castle.  Our timed entry let us waltz right into this fairy tale without a glitch.

Turns out knights were shorter then. We would have fit right in!

It is believed that Columbus would have approached King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella at this very spot.

You can't really tell from this photo, but the people in the painted mural at the end of this room have pretty creepy black eyes.

Peeking through the crenellations.  If you can, zoom in and see how Jason and Eli are postured identically.

Scenic overlook.

Cute Talia with a cute backpack that we picked up at Decathlon.

Handsome hubby.

Happy family.

But hey, know how to make a happy family even happier? Add sugar! Brooklyn suggested we try this amazing bakery called Limon y Menta. While there, we had to try Ponche, the local specialty. Here's how AI described it: "The Ponche Segoviano is the most famous pastry from Segovia, Spain. It is a moist, lemon-infused sponge cake layered with sweet egg yolk custard or pastry cream, wrapped in marzipan, and topped with a distinctive criss-cross pattern of caramelized sugar." Um, yeah. If I could teleport, I'd go purchase another one this instant.

The little charcuterie board we purchased from the Flying Tiger was super helpful in splitting our treat into pieces. Amazingly, we were able to get it home through airport security mostly in tact! (They kept one of the knives but let the rest through.)

We took a different path on our way out of town and discovered these delightful wildflowers. Whether you are a daisy or a poppy, you are beautiful!

Thank you, Segovia, for sharing both your remarkable past and vibrant present. I hope we'll be back in the future! In fact, while walking near the aqueduct, Annika asked me, is this a place I can only go once in my life? No, sweet girl, the future is yours for the taking.

And just because the best part of family is silliness, here's Eli being tortured by his sisters. The crazy thing is that he's so good-natured that he lets them do it!

Oooh, I adore this family!

Ávila is known for its fantastic city wall that encircles the town.

Here we are searching for the entrance to climb the wall from the top.  Little did we know it would be through an old butcher shop!

We didn't visit the butcher, but we did visit a very friendly baker to snag some dinner pastries.

A little dry, but I pretty much adore anything I didn't have to make.

If we'd had more time, it would have been fun to peek inside the cathedral.

Peace out for another great day in Spain!