05/11/2011
04/07/2011
Teaching in Huaraz, Peru
We had the amazing experience of living in a Peruvian city of about about 100,000 people that is nine hours from Peru. Hardly anybody spoke English and we saw very few tourists. We spent our time volunteering at a local school where we were warmly welcomed, helped teach English classes and instantly felt a part of the community. Nate and Gavin spent part of their days in class with kids their age and also helped teach English to 3rd through 12th graders. Brock would tag along from class to class and at one point it was almost like a "Brock-O-War" as two groups were each simulataneously trying to lure him into their classroom.
We lived with a local family ...
and walked an hour to school while taking in the local sites and people.
Our time in Huaraz was very "backroads", we made lots of friends and it was very rewarding to see the kids patiently and successfully teaching English to the Peruvian children.
On our way back to Lima, we took the "Super Cama 180" which is a nine hour double decker bus ride with incredibly comfortable seats/beds, a bus-like flight attendant and a personal movie/tv. Definitely the way to travel!
Lima, Peru
With the help of some new local friends, we spent a couple of whirlwind days exploring Lima, feasting on the delicious cuisine, exploring the gorgeous churches, museums and the historic dowtown center.
A highlight was taking a boat out to visit and swim with the hundreds of sea lions.
We also saw tons of adorable little penguins.
Lima has a relatively new water fountain park. It is a "must see" if you go to Lima. The kids loved running through the fountains, seeing the various fountains lit up at night and also watching the spectacular light show where dancers, animals, shapes and scenes came to life amongst the mist and colors.
03/13/2011
Uruguay
Uruguay is so far what we consider the best kept secret of our trip. A country about the same size as Washington State with 3 million beautiful people…I am not kidding-the beaches stretch for miles and you can walk without seeing anyone else. We were in La Paloma-a sleepy town that filled up (by their standards) during this carnival week-the beaches were full of mate’ drinking people in their string bikinis. We visited several of the neighboring towns and it was refreshing to find these quaint, starbucks-free beach spots. This is an incredible area where you can swim while seeing dolphins not far behind you and also where the people clap and chant "Uruguay! Uruguay!" as the sun sets into the horizon.
Carnival was going on while we were there. The parade was hilarious as it worked its way down the street, people (kids primarily) would shoot this “puma” silly string/shaving cream stuff at all the participants. The poor beauty queens on their float were bombarded with the stuff. Apparently, everyone is fair game!
Our “guide” throughout the whole affair was Gaston. He helped us find a place to stay, gave the kids a two hour morning spanish class and set up their surfing lessons for the afternoon. He went out of his way to show us the "backroads" of the area, teach us how to clam, make empanadas and the ways of the locals. He is an amazing guy with a great family who made our trip to La Paloma such a blast.
We also, we spent a "delicious" two nights at La Vigna Estancia (just outside of MonteVideo) where we roamed the outdoors, ate wonderful organic meals and were hosted by a delightful family.
Brock's dream meal ... lunch served to him in a car!! (Colonia del Sacramento)
Glaciers Galore!
When we arrived at the Calafate airport we thought that there would be nothing for miles; just like Bariloche. I wouldn’t call Calafate a city but I wouldn’t call it a ghost town like Bariloche airport seemed to be.
I thought the glaciers would be a mountain full of snow that moved slowly. The glacier actually turned out to be a huge block of ice stretching for miles and miles. All together we saw two glaciers. The first one, the Perito Moreno Glacier, is one of the last growing glaciers in Patagonia. The second one we saw, the Upsala Glacier, is the biggest in the area.
We learned a ton about glaciers. Here are some of the facts:
- A glacier moves slowly in the direction of a lake.
- 90% of the glacier is under water so you only see 10% of it.
- The more compact (and the less amount of air bubbles) the more blue the glacier looks.
- The blue color that we see is actually a reflection of light.
- Glaciers and pack ice contain approximately 75% of the world’s fresh water: more than all lakes and rivers, groundwater and water in the atmosphere, combined!
- Ten percent of the Earth’s land area is covered by glaciers.
- If all glaciers melted, sea level would rise about 230 feet.
When we were at the Perito Moreno Glacier, we saw a gigantic piece of the glacier fall off. It was incredible to be there and watch the pieces fall and hear all the noises of the ice hitting the water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjrq4VSMSlY (14 seconds)
Hopefully, you can get a feel for how huge the glaciers are by these three pictures below. My Grandma and I are standing in the same spot for each picture and the glacier just keeps going and going.
We also went to Estancia Cristina during our glacier tour. I can't imagine living in the middle of nowhere like they did!
After hearing so much about glaciers, it was really cool to see them in person. Especially, with Weezie and Mike!
03/01/2011
Fishing, Horseback Riding and Rafting in and around Bariloche (By Gavin)
We went to Paso Flores (an Estancia which is basically a giant ranch) and it has so many things to do. We only stayed there two nights, though. I was really excited about fishing. We went in the afternoon. We drove over to the fishing area. On the way we passed awesome mountains, a beautiful view and some petrified wood. Petrified wood is like wood that has been sitting there for a long time and turns into rock.
We walked to the fishing area of the lake and we did lots and lots of throws. Instead of “lazy man fishing” we kept on throwing it, reeling it in, throwing it, reeling it in, throwing it…. We came at the afternoon and Dad always told me about fishing that they want to be fed in the morning or at dinnertime, not in the afternoon. We kept on reeling it and my hand hurt so I took a break. Right when I was going down, Mom said “Nate come over here” in a whisper. She found a fish…an actual fish… that was dead. I think Mom wanted to put it on a hook and say “look what Nate caught, look what Nate caught” But then Dad came over and said, “What are you screaming about?” and then he looked at the fish and it was too late to trick him.
While I was taking my break, Mom and I were looking for all different colored rocks that we liked. We found at least twenty that we liked and then we put them in the water and they were even cooler.
When Brock opened the backpack he was trying to look for crackers. All of Dad’s papers were blowing into the ocean and I had to go get them all… it was freezing… lucky for me. (Yes, that’s sarcastic.) Time was up and we didn’t get any fish but it was okay.
A little bit afterwards we went swimming and then we went on my favorite horseback ride ever. It was a big horse, not the little puny ones I usually ride. It was big and the real deal. We started going and it was really bumpy but fun. We passed so many animals – a bunch of sheep that were separate but if you say “bunch” really loud, they all come together. We also saw horses, cows and alpacas. One of the sheep bunch had a black sheep. The guide said look at that black sheep over there. We cannot use the wool. If we find even one little strain of black wool, we can’t use it. But, it is good for the sheep’s protection. We rode all over the mountains, up top and passed some huge rocks and were basically in the middle of nowhere.
Second fishing trip: We went over and asked the guide, can we go fishing now? He said, “Well, I was just going to check my computer to see when it would be the best time to go fishing”. He went to check his computer and said “how about 6:30” so we planned on that. We went home, relaxed until 6:30 and then we got all our stuff and went into the boat. The man asked if we wanted to bring the dog. He said he didn’t really care because he brings it every time. We said yes and the dog jumped on to the boat from the dock.
He started going slowly in the boat at first and then he started going super fast. The wind was blowing my hair and then he actually taught us how to fish. (Not like Paso Flores.) It was fun because we didn’t have to fish, reel it in, fish, reel it in. We just did lazy man fishing. He showed us how to do it and started going slowly. We were hanging out, relaxing and then he told us if we hear the screeching sound that means the fish pulled and the dog goes crazy. We did it once to test if the dog really goes crazy and the dog jumped up. We were hanging back, relaxing…. and we heard a screeeech…. I didn’t hear it but everybody else did. I jumped up (because everyone else was) and ran to the fishing pole and started reeling it in. It was hard so I let Dad help. We kept on reeling it in. I couldn’t see it and they said “look!” it was huge. Bigger than any fish I have ever seen in San Francisco. And the first one I have caught since I was really little. It was 3 kilos… almost 7 pounds!! Fishing in Bariloche on the boat was a blast (of air)!
Rafting....
Mike and Weezie came to visit and we went rafting. It was really cool and I got used to the paddling and the rythm of the water. I liked the rapids the most and here are some of my favorite rapids: "Sambo" where when you went down the rapid you twirled the boat into circles. I liked it because we went around and around and we got kind of dizzy. I liked the "hippo" too. It was a three level rapid and I got splashed a lot. At the end, we had a dessert and it was biscuits with jelly and the biscuits were really good.
Bariloche Highlights (By Nate)
When we first arrived at the Bariloche airport (in Patagonia/Argentina) we looked out the window and saw nothing but trees… and dirt. I thought we would be sleeping in a tent camping for the next month and be really bored with nobody around. We drove for about an hour until we actually saw the town. It was beautiful because it was on the lakeside. Right now, we are just finishing being here for a month and here are the highlights of Bariloche:
"Colonias del Verano” (Summer Camp) – There are a lot of nice kids here. It is a sports camp where you play sports all day. They have a rock wall, a pool, tennis courts, futbol Americano and futbol (soccer), a giant gym, etc. The kids are all from either Argentina or Chile. The Chileans come to Bariloche to visit. (In Argentina they use “vos” instead of tu which they use most other places.) We are the only people from the United States at the camp. I learned a lot of new games that I can bring back to share with my friends. Some of the games are really fun because they are the kind of games that you usually play in gym class. The pool… we do laps…and more laps…and some more laps and then it’s lunch time. And then more laps. I am serious! The house… the kids at the camp are also making a project building a houseout of branches and sticks and leaves. Some of the older kids don’t like it so they try to destroy it but the leaves cover it up and it usually moves from place to place every day. The rock wall… great for climbing. The counselors… so much fun!
“Casa Numa” – The best place to stay in Bariloche!
It was our favorite place to stay because it is in the middle of nature. There are about twelve cabins and each one of them, almost every time has kids to play with. The manager, Gabi, lives right in one of the cabins and she is really nice. She has two kids and since we arrived they got a new dog and two new rabbits. Everyone has been interested in American Football. The cabins also serve dinner which is really good. The chef comes around every evening to take our order. I usually order the raviolis. The new dogs name is Numa so that’s why we call it “Casa Numa”. We have been to so many houses lately that we like to give them nicknames.
Playing in Nature - We went on lots of hikes here in Bariloche because, how could you not? Everywhere you turn there is nature and it is amazing how much space there is. There are thousands of hikes with waterfalls and lakes and great views. Or, you can also take a chairlift but that ruins the point because you are supposed to walk up. (On the really high ones you have to take a chairlift, though.) We also went kayaking on one of the beaches. The sky is the bluest I have ever seen!!
“Spanish in Bariloche” - Every morning we woke up at 7:30 to go to spanish school at 8:30. We made it as early as we could so we could get to the summer camp as soon as we could. The teachers were really nice and we learned a lot.
Bariloche has been very different from what I thought it would be when we got off the plane. Bariloche was a very fun part of this trip . I think the reason is because I stayed for awhile and got to know so many people. I feel lucky that I have so many friends around the world and I will hopefully be able to see them again soon.
02/25/2011
Buenos Aires, Argentina
After hearing about the freezing temperatures in Europe, we decided to head to South America for the remainder of our journey. (Timing was very lucky given the turmoil in the Middle East.) We flew to Argentina so the kids could continue practicing their Spanish and we could all spend some time in nature. Given it is summer in Argentina (Dec-March), we knew some places would be booked. We were surprised at how easy it was to get an affordable apartment in BA…until we understood why. BA in the summer is similar to what it would be like living in a dog’s mouth. Hot and humid. It was 42 degrees celsius on a couple of the days we were there-I think that equates to 150 degrees fahrenheit or thereabouts. I have never before sweat while taking a shower. I can now see why EVERYONE leaves BA and heads to the mountains or the coast.
Anyway, we made the best of it and had a chance to do some amazing things. The Sunday street scene at Boca (where you could sit outside, have lunch and watch tango performances) was great. Also, our guided boat ride to Tigre (pictures below) where we swam in the warm river and ate a fantastic beef lomo lunch made the trip memorable. The Malba Museum was perfect for us-a great modern art museum that was right in the kid’s wheel house. Some of the best meat I have ever had (beef lomo and chorizo) at La Cabrera. Just a real pleasant introduction to Argentina with some of the nicest people we have met so far on our trip-except for the evil cab driver who “rigged” the meter when he saw a family of gringos get in. The $10 ride to downtown became a $25 dollar (105 pesos) ride and then he had the nerve to give us our $95 peso change in fake bills. Like an idiot, I offered to tip him and he refused to take it…. at that point, I should’ve known something was up! Other than that, no problems at all and we were excited to be in Argentina.
Recoleta Cemetary where Eva Peron (Evita) is buried:
Exploring "El Tigre" Delta:
02/15/2011
Israel: A two week visit turns into a month long stay.
Our decision to go to Israel was actually pretty random. Mike had been there years ago and liked it, we wanted the kids to get some exposure to history and religion and the plane tickets were priced right. So, we decided we would head there for about twelve days. Whenever I asked people what we should do while there, they generally responded with a version of the same answer. "There is so much to do, you can't go wrong" or "oh, there are so many choices, you are going to love it". That was great and all but we needed some specifics.
With time, and with the help of a fantastic concierge, our itinerary was quickly outlined. Israel does an amazing job showing off its country. There is such pride and it is amazing how all the places make learning incredibly interesting and engaging. Some examples include “A Time Elevator” that walks visitors through a journey of the 3,000 years of Jerusalem’s history and feels more like a ride at Disneyland than history lesson, a stroll through the Hula Nature Reserve, an important resting and “refueling” place for migrating birds on their annual trip from Europe to Africa and back that starts with an engaging 3D movie, the Palmach “Museum” where guests walk from room to room as they are virtually recruited to join this army that was the "silver platter" that handed Israel to its people. The list of places to see and experience goes on and on. (Side note: This is one country where, in order to really appreciate it, you need to pay the extra money to get a guide. We did that several times (including the Dead Sea/Massada and Jerusalem’s Old City) and the kids managed to stay engaged for several 7-9 hour long tours.) Clearly, not an easy task.
We quickly realized that we could not do all we wanted to in just two weeks. Since we are so fortunate as to have the luxury of time, we ultimately ended up staying in Israel for a month and could have easily stayed longer. I can now say, “wherever you decide to go in Israel, you really can't go wrong". However, we do have our favorite spots and many of those are in the posts to follow.
Visiting a cheese farm...
01/15/2011
Petra/Jordan
A trip to Jordan was never on our radar but once we were in Eilat, “a lot” of people were venturing to Petra for day trips. Described as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage” and ranked as one of "the 40 places you have to see before you die” how could we pass it up? We passed through the Israel border under the usual scrutiny and were met by our guide Amin-a great guy who soon became a friend. As we drove through Aquaba, people waved and smiled from the side of the road. Everyone wanted to talk to us. We were invited into a grungy bakery where they insisted we come downstairs- personally I feared ending up in a Bundt cake but they were so nice they let us watch the pita process and help make some. I guess OSCHA doesn’t exist in Jordan as five foreigners rolled their hands in dough and made pitas…
We spent the next hours driving out to Wadi Rum-a Bedouin desert camp in the middle of the desert where we could’ve/should’ve stayed the night but instead settled for an amazing jeep ride through the most amazing desert with its tall dunes, steep cliffs and multi-colored sand. The amazing part was we were the only ones there and we had this spectacular area (where Indiana Jones and Laurence of Arabia were filmed) all to ourselves.
Next was a night at our hotel followed by a whole day in Petra. Petra is known for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BCE as the capital city of the Nabataeans- it is a symbol of Jordan and remained unknown to Westerners until 1812. It is truly spectacular to see an ornate city carved out of rock.
We spent the night on a “Petra by night” tour where we walked back into Petra by candlelight. Very beautiful but very cold at night in the desert air.
Club Med in Eilat, Israel
On a complete lark we decided to spend a week at Club Med, Eilat. Knowing nothing about Club Med except for its all-inclusive destinations (and the fact they were running a deep discount the week we were interested) we arrived with little expectation. We were amazed at how well run it was.
Club Med felt a lot like the Lair only with slightly older counselors. All the staffers were from different countries (a lot from Israel and France) and they couldn’t have been nicer. They would eat with us, play board games with us and stay up late while arguing with us as to whether or not most Americans are like those they see on “Jerry Springer “and “My Super Sweet 16th birthday” (both very popular amongst the staff).
We ate like royalty and had tennis lessons in the morning followed by windsurfing and snorkeling. The Club even had a high trapeze which is a lot harder than it looks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpD1-x4rs-E (Nate in action. 35 seconds)
There were plenty of other kids around so the Pola boys quickly found a whole new international gang of scoundrels to run around with.
Mud Huts in Tzukim, Israel (By Nate)
My Mom told us that we were going to the desert to make a house out of mud. I thought she was joking. But, apparently not. Before we knew it we were in the middle of nowhere looking at a fence in the dark and wondering how we were going to get in.
Rinat, the person in charge, came down and opened the gate for us and looked exhausted. We didn’t know why because it was only 8:00PM but on the last day we would be more tired than she was at 8pm. She made us a delicious dinner (every night, actually) and we learned about where we were and what we were going to do. Tzukim, aka desert, is an eco community that was founded about three years ago. 95 percent of the visitors are Israeli’s and don’t build huts. They come to stay for vacation. It normally takes two people three months to build a hut. Rinat came up with the idea of having us make a big playhouse so that we could do all the steps and see a finished hut. It tooks us three days to do three layers and the decoration layer.
First we started with a few stacks of hay and we stacked them up so they were equal and formed the shape of the hut. We put frames for the door and windows in the hay. We also stacked the hay in a way so there could be a mini window. And then we started making the mixture for the hay. The mixture is water, hay and earth. (A bucket of the mixture would cost $100 if we wanted to buy it.) My Mom and I were the ones who mainly put the mud on the house. It is a bit challenging at the beginning because it was our first time and you had to slather it on the hay. If you didn’t put it on right it would fall on the ground and if you put too much on it would be too heavy and fall. My father and Gavin were working hard to make the mixture and Brock was very busy burying his cars in the dug up pile of earth.
Here you can see a video my mom took of me showing the play house and how we made it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKnvNq4VrdA
Stage 1: Stack hay, put in door frames and create the shape you want.
Stage 2 Create the first layer of mud and fill gaps in hay with bottles.
Stage 3: Put on another layer and even out the sides and add the roof.
Stage 4: Put final (smoother and thinner) layer on, decorate and play!
I am really proud that four people (plus Brock for moral support and entertainment!) made a mud hut in only three days. If anyone ever goes to Tzukim, find a gate in the middle of the dessert. You will see two pathways – take the left one. Follow the path and you will find an area where it looks like people will eat. Walk around it and you will see a little hut with two people on it and a sun. It says “Kids Only” in Hebrew and English. If you are with kids, hopefully they can play there and enjoy it.
Now a few pictures of Tzukim:
Jerusalem
A trip to the Holy Land that nearly didn’t happen. Following the usual Pola Planner™ urgency, we started looking at hotel rooms 1 week before XMAS. Failing to realize that half of New York and a stadium full of Jeff Foxworthy loving southern Christian evangelists had booked all the rooms months prior, we were starting to look like Mary and Jesus willing to settle for a manger (with Wi-Fi preferably) to rest our weary heads…when our first XMAS miracle occurred-an available room magically reappeared on an internet site a day before we were to leave Spain and we grabbed it immediately. We were off!
Arrived in Tel Aviv at 2AM and our driver was nowhere to be found. The next morning another “friend” who told us to not pay for high priced guides and agreed to show us Jerusalem’s highlights couldn’t be reached. We were stuck…when the second XMAS miracle occurred-Super Ilan, the concierge, miraculously called us out of the blue and we cried to him that all our plans for XMAS week were gone. He went to work and within 2 hours had us set up with tickets and guides for all the Jerusalem “must sees” including the following which I will elaborate on briefly and assign a (1-5 yarmulke “ ᴖ “for each):
- David's Citadel excavation with a great light show (ᴖᴖᴖᴖ)
- Church of the Holy Sepulcher is also a must see-Jesus's body was laid after the Crucifixion, and the rock where the cross was stuck is also in here (ᴖᴖᴖᴖ)
- City of David/Hezekiah’s Tunnel-took a tour underground-not for the claustrophobics or “big boned” (ᴖᴖ)
- Wailing Wall-most moving experience for me and appreciated separation of men from dames (ᴖᴖᴖᴖᴖ).
- Other sites including 4 quarters tour-interesting but everyone was tired out (ᴖᴖ)
- Food-some excellent Israeli favorites for everyone (ᴖᴖᴖᴖ)
- Prices- The $USD not holding up too well ( ). (“no yarmulkes”)
Christmas Day
Imagine the difficulty in trying to find a XMAS tree in Jerusalem. What Liz and I feared would be a depressing reminder for the boys of what they were missing back home turned out to be one of the most memorable XMAS’s we will ever have. Everyone had been collecting and carrying with them gifts that each had collected in various cities along our journey…and although I was amazed by how much Nate and Gavin had squirreled away in their small backpacks…I was more amazed by the thought that went into each. Aside-I now have enough back rub coupons to open up my own spa when we return.
After the gifts we were opened from underneath the "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" we had to rush downstairs for our next personalized tour-Masada, Ein Gede and the Dead Sea.
- Masada-highlight of the tour-inspirational story and equally amazing architectural feat (ᴖᴖᴖᴖᴖ)
- Ein Gedi-nature reserve-cool waterfalls but too many Israeli’s in underwear (ᴖᴖᴖ)
- Dead Sea-lowest point on earth and fun to float-not fun to itch later. Must do once (ᴖᴖᴖ)
Mahane Yehuda
The Jewish shuk (shopping area)-sweetest fruits I have ever tasted and amazing collections of foods and goods- Gavin bought Super Mario brothers novelty yarmulkes (ᴖᴖᴖᴖ)
Third XMAS Miracle
As we were preparing to leave to Jerusalem, we had a rental car reserved for our trip to the desert to build mud huts. As the Hertz employee drove our car toward us, we knew we had a huge problem-the car was a Honda Civic….for our family of 5 with 3 huge travel bags and 6 other backpacks/bags of crap. We were in trouble! We had to be at our next place that evening and there were no other larger cars available. Liz was convinced we should take a bus….but I had a newfound faith after a week in Jerusalem…and said we could make it work. After an hour of Tetras-like precision, I had every bag placed inside the car-now if we could just fit the kids in. We were given the third Christmas Miracle and everyone squeezed in and we were barely able to fit in the car.
Barcelona
We ended up going to Barcelona about three times for a few days each in between other destinations. Our time there was a little bit fragmented but we still got to know the city pretty well.
La Sagrada Familia is well worth the 40 minute wait and not to be missed!
Lots of delicious food...
We all loved the Montjuic Fountain light show
And the zoo was actually really great, too.
We spent a lot of our time strolling Las Ramblas and seeing the Christmas lights and markets from open air buses and the sideawalks.
On one of the last days we motivated to take the train out of town to see the Dali Museum and were so glad we did. We could easily have spent a lot more time there...
12/15/2010
Guest Blogger.... Weezie! (On surviving a visit with the Pola Family!)
It is often said that what you remember about someone is not what they say or do, but how they make you feel. I mention this because arriving in Barcelona after a long flight and having caught an airplane cold, I went through the arrival gate to be embraced by Nate and Gavin with greetings of "I can't believe you are really here", hugs and kisses, and smiles and giggles -- a welcome that I am sure will last a lifetime. The beauty of it all was that they were as happy to seem me as I was to see them. And so our adventure began.
Liz, Nate, Gavin and I then went to the hotel apartment where I received another great welcome from Mike and Brock and a sampling of Spanish foods. Then off to bed and up bright and early the next morning to board the ship and start our Eastern Mediterranean/Egyptian cruise. Talk about something for everyone... this had it all (relaxation, kids-club, acupuncture, massage, rock climbing, Spanish lessons, entertainment, offshore excursions etc. In Egypt we rode camels and drove in jeeps racing over the sand dunes ... VERY FUN! Oh yes, we also saw the Pyramids and the Sphynx.
Together we celebrated Liz's 40th birthday, my birthday (number may be known to some, but not disclosed here), and Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving, we missed Cynthia and her family and thinking of them, we participated in our family ritual of holding hands and saying what we were grateful for. Brock, 3 years old, liked this so much that he initiated it at mealtimes for the duration of the cruise! The boys gave me the greatest gift of all ... each of them having one meal with me alone so that we could have one on one time, as well as family time.
After 12 days we disembarked back in Barcelona feeling full in so many ways (or is it weighs?). Four more days of seeing sights in Barcelona and then poof---It felt like I had just arrived and now I was about to leave. The highlight of it all was being together and seeing how much Liz, Mike, Nate, Gavin, and Brock were thriving and enjoying this unique and special time in their lives. I felt blessed and grateful to be included in a part of their adventurous journey and headed home with a full heart knowing that all is well.
Louise
12/11/2010
Port Stops: Sicily and Cairo by Nate and Gavin
(Gavin) On the cruise my least and most favorite stops were:
The least: Catacombs in Sicily….the most scariest place I have ever been to .. a graveyard. PS It
was Weezie’s birthday when we went there.
The Most: The Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt. I mean real pyramids, not the 6’5” little pyramids. I mean the look up stone-by-stone, into the sky pyramids.
First, let’s start with my least favorite to get it over with. We walked in the Catacombs not really knowing what it was going to be. Dad and I thought it was going to be at least less scary than London Dungeon (but that’s a whole different story). We walked in about 50 feet and there were swinging doors. We walked in and saw our worst nightmare. Da a dum… We saw skeletons hanging on the walls and graves at our feet, real live skeletons…that were dead. First we thought they were fake and then Mom read us a part that said there were REALLLLLL. We were very freaked out but I kind of studied them… a little bit. The skeletons were very small and some of them were wearing clothes and I felt so sad for a little girl. After Mom read that part, we raced out of there as fast as we could but Dad stayed behind because he is a dark, dark man. A VERRRRRY DARK MAN!
(My Mom made me make the picture below really small because she is still freaked out by it.)
Now, the pyramids… one of the most awesome things I saw. We docked the ship for two days in Egypt. One of the reasons I didn’t want to go to Cairo was because we had to take a three hour drive each way from Alexandria. We took that long, long drive and then we came to one of the Pyramids… The Pyramid of Giza. It was so cool but everyone was saying “oh can you please buy this… one euro, okay 50 cents” but we ignored them all. Finally, we walked there and, oh my gosh, that was so cool. That was the first time I ever realized that inside the pyramid must be hollow inside. How do they do it? It is really a Wonder of the World!
We saw the Sphyinx. It was very cool. It was made out of rock but the texture was really cool. I didn’t get to touch it, though. It did look kind of like a lion-headed man. I thought it was going to be a lot bigger but it was actually small.
We went inside of one tomb. Before I didn’t notice anything and then I realized there were hyrogliphics carved into the stone and some of them were even painted. I wonder how they got them so high up since they didn’t have the same ladders back then.
Well, that was partof Egypt. Nate will tell you about the rest.
(NATE) So, after we saw the tombs, we took about a 40 minute bus ride to ride jeeps and camels. The jeep ride is a sand ride that we went on that takes you to all the camels in the middle of the desert. It was the best part because it was like going down a roller coaster on the sand. You would never be allowed to do that in the USA. The reason why it was so fun was because you went down the sand so fast you felt like you were going the speed of light. We had a race with all the other jeep drivers and we saw the dessert and a bunch of pyramids with the sun setting behind them. There was one sand dune we tried to go up but we didn’t get to the top so the driver tried again but then had to go around. Brock loved this ride. He was standing up pretending he was surfing.
The jeep dropped us off at the camel rides. Brock’s camel was named Mickey Mouse. Then we learned that they were all named that except Dad’s was Michael Jackson. And, guess what, there were 18 other Michael Jacksons. We rode the camels for about 30 minutes.
A camel ride is different than a horseback ride because the camels are taller and bumpier so if you fall you would get more hurt but less because you are on sand dunes. Future reference: when you get on the camel lean way back because if you lean forward you fall off.
I really liked Cairo. The camel ride, the pyramids and the jeep ride were my favorite part of the day but, honestly, we were excited to get back on the cruise and play with our new friends.
Cruising to Egypt WITH WEEZIE! (By Nate)
When we heard the news that Weezie was coming in less than two days we were literally freaking out, boucing on the chairs. When we went to the airport, which felt like centuries, I decided to make a sign and hold it up but Gavin wanted to just run into the arrivals to greet her. We were so excited! A few minutes later, as Gavin said, we realized she had as much luggage as all of us combined!!
The next day we left for the cruise. It was by far the best cruise I have been on. Before we scheduled the cruise, it didn’t look that fun for kids. It looked like gambling and poker and adult stuff. But then when we got on we saw it had a lot of awesome games and activities for children. When we were boarding, we only saw two kids who were just glued to their video games. Once we got into our state room and we looked on the balcony we met a great new friend of ours named Will. My mom said that she was pretty sure we would become good friends and we did. Their cabin was exactly one floor below ours so we never had any trouble finding them. There were actually lots of fun kids on the cruise.
On one of the nights they had a magic show. They called up for volunteers and I really wanted to be one. I got to go up and did a fencing act because I did take fencing once at Cathedral. I picked a card and put it back in the deck with out him seeing it. He threw the deck in the air and stabbed one card with his sword and it happened to be my card. The trick was really cool and I still have the card.
Twelve Night Cruise
A few pics from our really, really fun cruise to Egypt.
We were all looking forward to being in one spot for awhile. Or, at least, having our stuff in one spot and not having to pack and repack for twelve days. The cruise far exceeded my expectations - the boat had tons to do (sports, a gym, endless shows, access to the concierge lounge, mini golf, rock climbing) and our suite was spacious and really comfortable. The kids were thrilled with a chance to store up on American food and play at the "Ocean's Kids Club". They made a bunch of new friends and we hardly saw them when we were at sea.
Hanging around the boat:
Port of call included:
Palermo, Sicily > Athens, Greece > Rhodes, Greece > Alexandria (and Cairo), Egypt > Valletta, Malta
LOVED LONDON!!!
We got to London and immediately took the advice of friends and hit the town. We stayed near Westminster Park (Bayswater tube station) and hit the Duck Boat Tour to Westminster Abbey –which we visited the day it was announced that William would probably be getting married there-we tried to see as much as we could.
Gavin joined me on the London Dungeon Tour and it was pretty scary - he was proud to have lived through it! Meanwhile, Liz, Brock and Nate hit the markets. We went a little overboard on the half price West End plays - with different combinations of us seeing Oliver, Billy Elliot and what I believe is a new release - Les Miserables (which I loved even more than Cats when I saw it last year). The boys loved seeing so much theater in such a short time and it was a real treat to see the shows in some of London's most beautiful houses.
Liz, Brock and Nate went to the changing of the Guards-the rest of us would’ve liked to have gone but Liz wouldn’t wait for us to tie our shoes… The boys spent 3 afternoons at the Science Museum next to the Natural History Museum and I especially loved the Imperial War Museum-which did a great job depicting life in Britain during WW2 from a kid’s perspective. Ate a lot of greasy fish and chips and drank a couple of pints and had our first Chinese food since our trip began-only I stood up and knocked my head into some antique lamp which shattered all over the restaurant-I covered my head, more out of shame than pain and waited for the shrieking to end. As we were packing on the final day-Liz saw that the new Harry Potter Movie was opening and assumed lines would be around the block-we were all surprised when the boys went to the 9AM show and the place only had ten other people in it! The weather was crisp but clear and it made for a wonderful backdrop in a great city.
11/22/2010
In Route
We are lucky enough (huge understatement!) to be going to some of the most amazing places in the world and seeing spectacular sights but today (actually, now over a week ago) was a different kind of "great day".
We woke up in The Latin Quarter in Paris on a Monday morning and knew we were taking a train to London at 12:30. We hadn't decided the night before if we were going to take a cab or the metro to the train station. I went down to look for a cab and there weren't any of the large ones around so we decided to take the metro. The kids did great... we have three big duffle bags, another smaller "catch all" bag full of the last minute stuff that inevitably tends to just get thrown in and then we each have our own backpack. Oh yeah, there is also Brock's stroller, his GIANT "baba" (pillow) and the halloween pumpkin basket he got in Nerja that he continues to fill with balls and cars from home and from the various places we go. So, needless to say, we have too much stuff. (But, after the next couple weeks when we go back to 'chasing the sun' we will get rid of a bunch of it.)
Although getting to the train was a little exhausting, it was actually a pleasure to see the family working together. We lugged our stuff across town and up and down stairs to get on crowded trams, made transfers, went through customs and arrived in our seats, with all of our stuff and an extra ten minutes to spare! As you can imagine, a feeling of victory!
This was another example of how it is not the destination but the journey (not to sound cliche) and yet another chance to be reminded just how NICE the French people are. Yep, you read that right. Since the first hour we arrived in France the people were nothing but friendly and helpful and generous. The storekeepers gave the kids gifts, the people in the metro helped us with our bags (yes, we looked THAT pathetic!) and pretty much whenever we pulled out a map the Parisians would stop to give us directions. Several literally walked us to where we were going.
11/14/2010
Pola's in Paris.... By Nate ([email protected])
My parents let Gavin and I each choose a city to plan and be in charge of. I chose Paris. I wanted to go to Paris because I really wanted to see the Eiffel Tower and some of the art museums. Paris is famous for the museums, you know.
On our first day, we went on the Paris metro for the first time. When we got off, we were at The Opera Plaza stop where everyone told us to start the double decker bus tour. Gavin was frozen on the top of the bus.
When we pased the Eiffel Tower, we decided to get off and go up it. (Took the stairs, of course.) The first floor was really fun because it has a history museum of the Eiffel Tower. There also was a "Folow Gus" scavenger hunt where you had to find the answers to questions about the Eiffel Tower. We learned a lot from it. Gus is the nickname for the architect Gustave Eiffel. When we went up to the second floor, there was an awesome view of Paris. I was sad to leave the Eiffel Tower.
We also went to a few museums. We went to the Louvre. Once we entered, I realized why this is the most famous art museum in the world. When we got the tickets, we got to skip an hour wait because Brock had a stroller. We were really glad about this especially because it was raining so hard outside. One of my favorite paintings was the Mona Lisa. I got a great picture of it.
That night, we walked over to the Tuileries Garden. From a distance, there was a part that just looked like a big hedge but when we went back in the daytime I could see little tunnels, leading, who knows where… I climbed through one in the front and ended up in the back of the maze so I had to keep going through it…it’s like teleportation holes. Gavin, Brock and I played hide and seek with some kids from Washington D.C. and one round took 30 minutes!
We also went to the Musee d’ Orsay. Gavin sketched a drawing of a sculpture at the museum. I walked around.
One day we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral. When we looked inside of it, it was gigantic. There was one rose window in the center that was definitely spectacular.
One of my favorite places was this awesome pastry shop. I ordered an almond croissant that was really good. We all ordered something but everyone voted mine the best.
We also loved a "tart place" in the Latin Quarter that had the most amazing quiche!
In our apartment, there was one bed (or we thought). When we looked up we saw the ceiling. But, when you looked from an angle it was a different color and we figured out it was a bed. At first we didn’t know how to get it down but then we read the instructsion and just yanked on it and it fell down. In the morning, we pushed it back up for the day.
I have to say that Paris is one of the best cities I have been to so far, if not my favorite.
Sevilla!
Sevilla is still the vibrant, friendly, beautiful city that I remember from when I was there one semester in college… we spent a week touring the Cathedral, playing in Parque Maria Luisa, going to a soccer game and wandering the streets. The absolute highlight was connecting with the family I lived with almost twenty years ago!
GOALLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRBiyHTlxYw
11/01/2010
Cooking with a Random Grandma in Frigiliana.... By Gavin
Mom and dad are going to school because they want to improve on their Spanish. Well, Mom said, "Gavin wants to do a cooking class" and I guess the teacher heard her because he said "Oh you want to do a cooking class" (in Spanish) "si" Well, the teacher told Mom that his mother in law would do a cooking class for us. So, Mom told me "Gavin, do you want to have a cooking class with my teacher’s mother in law? " uhhhhhh... I said.... Sure.” I thought it was going to be in Nerja but it was actually in a town ten minutes away called Frigiliana. Mom’s teacher met us at the bus and walked us to their house, where we saw the Grandma. “Hola” I said nervously and then she gave me a big hug... But I didn't even know her.
We went there two times so far. On the first day, we made tortilla de patatas. It is like an egg thing shaped like the inside of a pan with potatoes inside. It is really good. The next day we went there we tried to make two things. Gazpacho and Paella. We don't know how good they tasted because we just made them and are now riding back on the bus! But they look awesome!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG6bsVeaVMw
The grandma has eight kids those kids had 14 kids! So many kids! The cooking is fun and when I was done I wanted to keep on doing it!
Nerja.... By Nate
Nerja has a lot of nice places go. You can go to play sports or go to the beach or climb a hill to get exercise that leads to a beach. We have a nice three story apartment. On the first story there is a shared pool, kitchen and a great room to read books. The outdoor patio that leads out to the pool is great for doing art. On the second floor there is a bedroom for me and Gavin, and my parent’s (and Brock) bedroom and another bathroom. On the third floor there is a clothesline and a little shower outside. There is also a bedroom where I sometimes sleep in when it is too noisy downstairs.
And, about the school: It's really nice. There is a basketball court, a playground, a running track, a slide and a little house. One day, I brought a special basketball and everyone was excited to see it. On other days, I brought different balls like a soccer ball and an American football. Recess is a really fun part of the day...just like at home!
The teachers really taught us a lot in Spanish. My fourth grade home teacher/music teacher/computer teacher/PE teacher taught us a lot of games and he really helped me learned Spanish. It was a small class but a really fun class to be with.
Nerja has an awesome beach called Burriana Beach. The beach has a little row of restaurants that you can go to and I have been to most of them. Some are okay and two are really good. When we
were at the beach one day, we met a family from Ireland. They showed us this restaurant that had a really big surprise when we got our drinks….
There are also fun little parks on the beach. The only other park I know of that is not on the beach is the rec center where you play sports. My favorite sports at the rec center are hockey and soccer. The soccer is really fun and I got an award! During hockey it just so happened they had skates my size and I was almost as good as everyone for my first time. And, for soccer, I wasn’t the best but I kept the team from getting crushed.
Most days for the last two weeks of school we would have a Spanish class. This teacher, named Sophia, would come to our house. She spoke a little bit of English and she would teach us Spanish. One day we asked her what else she did for a job and she said she said she was an artist. Since we love art so much, we asked if we could do some art while we learn Spanish. The next day she came and brought enough paints to last a year and more. She taught us this thing where you get a color liquid, make a drop and the colors smere and it’s really cool. Before we knew it was an “art talking in Spanish class” and we got to learn two things in one class.
I really like Nerja and everything about the town. The school was really fun, I made a lot of friends and learned a lot of Spanish during the six weeks I was there.
10/31/2010
This Trip... By Gavin
Remember when we started this trip, at the beginning of the airplane trip, I was saying I can't believe we are doing this...I can’t believe we are doing this… I can’t believe we are doing this…..like a million times, well I can't believe we are doing this!!! Before I thought Spain was going to be like Mexican food and Mexican backgrounds but it is the exact opposite.
It has been so fun because there was a fair in Nerja. It was sooooooooooooooo awesome because there are all these huge and fun rides. My favorite was this human bop it. It is like a ride where you go around a small circle and this really funny guy hits you on the head with a balloon. Some balloons are big and round so they are harder to get and some are straight so they are easier to get. Brock likes the balloons the best.
There is this cool place where you can play all kinds of sports... Hockey, tennis, futbol and basketball and they are even nice enough to let you play. Before I didn't want to play hockey and then I figured out hockey was so fun. It's roller skating not ice skating hockey. I was nervous at first but Nate wanted to do it so I did it. The first day I did it we played a game. It was harder because it was all the little people verses all the big people. I was a small person. Nate was a small person too, believe it or not. We started out slow since it was my first time playing. I was on defense first but then dad told me to get "my butt over to the ball" so I ran over there and ran and ran and skated and skated with the ball and then I took a shot. It was a long shot and the crowd went cccrrraaazzzyyyyy...just kidding there was no crowd. Do you think I made it?? Well, I DID...... not.... But, it was fun.
Spain is much nicer than I thought it was going to be. Well, so far...
10/27/2010
Morocco
We were apprehensive to take a long weekend trip to Morocco, primarily due to the concerns over aggressive beggars and/or fearing losing a kid…but when we heard that this weekend was the Ferria (fair) in Nerja-with music blaring right outside our window until 6AM, we decided we could take a chance and go. We decided against an organized tour bus trip-although it would’ve been easier and cheaper-because they only leave Nerja at 5AM on Thursday mornings and return late that same night. Liz looked up a highly recommended Moroccan tour guide (he led Bruce Springsteen on his tour) and we opted to stay a couple of overnights in the port town of Tarifa (as opposed to Algeciras which apparently is a bit of a hole). We are so happy we did-Tarifa is a beautiful little walled town with narrow streets and great food. We happened to be there on a not busy weekend-apparently the place gets very busy. We stayed in a small hotel room (the old man who ran it reiterated that “there were only 3 of us, right?”) So we had to do a little bit of staggered entry and exit. The fast Ferry ride over was indeed fast, but was so crowded that is seemed a little unsafe and disorganized. Due to the storms that had been hitting the coast, the seas were rocky and made for rough travel. I was reminded of the Seinfeld flashback episode where Frank was a cook in the army and prepared something that made the soldiers get sick…the scene was similar to that as one person would fill a seasick bag which would trigger another 2 or 3 and so on. We were fairly lucky with only one casualty. We arrived in Tangiers and were met by our guide-Said-who was holding up a “Pola/Karr” sign..which put us at ease. Liz had been to Morocco many years before and was bombarded by “hello my friend, do you have the time” as locals would volunteer to become your guide. We were asked a number of times by these very aggressive little men but Said or his assistant would shoo them away. At the time it was pouring rain and his umbrella and waiting van were welcomed. We first drove around the outskirts of Tangiers, which looked much like any other city town. It is a generally cooler environment as both the Mediterranean and Atlantic oceans diverge here-lots of breezes and beautiful ocean views.
We had an opportunity to ride donkeys and then later-the mandatory camel ride. The kids loved it.
We went into a beautiful coastal cave that was carved out by early Phoenicians to resemble the continent of Africa.
We later went to the street markets (meat, vegetable) which were stocked with only local Moroccan foods. Said took us into one area that is sort of “off limits” to westerners and we got a lot of puzzled looks but it was fascinating. Said took us for a big lunch, which we feared due to the universal fear of stomach “discomfort” after eating locally in Morocco. He brought us heaping plates of meat and vegetables and camel and goat cheese-all tasty. We waited for the stomach rumblings to begin but nothing…we were able to leave Morocco unscathed.
We then walked around the Kasbah. It was remarkable as families had lived there in the same units for many generations-they were all decrepit looking but some of the “wealthier” families actually had electricity and running water. We wrapped up in the evening and boarded the ferry back to Tarifa.
10/03/2010
ATypical "Day in the Life" in Nerja
We have been in Nerja for just over two weeks now and decided to stay in this small, beach town on the Costa del Sol for awhile. The town is about 20,000 people but can be 4 to 5 times that in the summer season. We rented a three bedroom place with a shared pool that is a couple blocks from both the beach and the local school in the "Old Town" where Nate and Gavin are going. It's a gorgeous town right on the water with lots of winding streets and cobblestone roads. You can walk across town in about 20 minutes.
A Typical “Day in the life” in Nerja
· 8:00 AM Get up, hunt for uniform shirts and feed the kids
· 9:00 Walk Kids 6 minutes to their little Catholic school (Tablazo). I can hear the collective moans of Liz’s ancestors whenever the boys sing “Jesus Cristo esta Viva en mi Corazon"
· 9:20 Exercise - usually a run to the beach
· 10:00- A quick swim in the pool at our place
· 10-11-Liz and Mike do some work-try to figure out this blogging business, plan next legs of trip (Cruise with Weezie to Eastern Meditteranean for Liz’s 40th November 23rd-Wahoo!)
· 11:00 Grab café con leche and pastry-effectively eliminating all benefit of previous hour of activity
· 12:30 Mike, Liz and Brock go to lunch at one of the local Tapas places ("La Cunaos" being one of the favorites).
· 2:00 PM-Pick up kids from school
· 2:30 PM-Walk home with kids and pick up fresh fruit or pastries from local stores
· 3:00PM-Liz makes lunch for the kids –pasta or tortilla Espanola (egg/potato omelet), fruit etc.
· 3:30 PM-Kids do homework-mostly Nate. Gavin reads.
· 5:00 PM-Swim in pool or head down to the beach
· 5-7 PM-swim in surf, play paddle tennis, collect rocks, play volleyball, body surf
· 7-7:10 PM-shower off and head home from Playa Burriana…about 10 minutes up a path and around the corner.
· 8PM-Dinner-either at Beach restaurant or back in town (usually 4 nights out and 3 nights eating at home). Dinners at home followed by walks into town for ice cream. (Are you picking up on the ‘eating’ theme?)
· 9:30PM-Play games-Dominos (slapping dem Bones baby!), Yahtzee etc.
· 10:30 PM-Kids off to bed to read (me love dat iPad, you betcha)
· 11:00 Bed
10/02/2010
Granada
Granada is spectacular. Just gorgeous. The town is lively and the people are strikingly friendly; especially on contrast to alicante. We were going to take a bus from alicante to Granada and then decided to rent a car for the month instead. We picked it up at the train staion and drove it back to our apartment on calle rafael torress HOPING all of our stuff would fit. It barely did and we were off to Granada leaving behind "Shelley" from Maria Bonita and our newly found favorite bakery Donta (or something like that) and it's amazing white chocolate croissants and pumpkin surprise.
The ride from Granada was just over three hours and we headed to the mountains. Not much in btw towns. We decided not to take the coast and just to get there faster so we went via Lorca. We had gotten our hotel on line a night before and chose it basically for the hotel and a little bit of amenitities. Got a good deal for four nights. Decided to leave one bag in the car to diminish the chaos in the room. Got there and the room was cozy but clean and pretty nice. Two twin beds next to each other and the other against the window. Was going to be tight but would be okay. Decided to hit the pool which turned out to be an ice cube..like literally snow water..or at least for the first few minutes and then it was okay. Especially given how hot it was outside.
My personal favorites og Granada included the tapas hopping on Calle Navas, the streets of Albazin, our dinner off the river, and at a distant lead...TAPAS HOPPING! What's not to love about a surprise, full size treat with every round ordered. As Mike said, he was happy to do his part as were the kids. Gavin quickly joined in the adventure of eating, Nate was an excellent sport given he didn't like many of the things that were served and Brock was happy to try everything, polish off the olives and drive his two inch toy car aound the tables and floors of cafeterias, bars and restaurants.
Mike loved the Alhambra and I enjoyed it, too. Great tour guide who made it interesting, beautiful grounds and detail and a very friendly, international group on the tour including people from Greece, Singapore and Los Altos! Many complimented all the boys for their terrific behavior and patience and one said we should get a discount for Brock as he swept the Alhambra floors for the last hour (of three) while pushing his car around...this time it was the little orange one.
Nate wasn't so Keene on this town. Maybe it was too big or too hot. Maybe it was the hotel or lack of parks which we didn't find until the last day. Gavin liked it. Probably a combination of the tapa hopping AND the all the toppings you can fit, yogurt for 2.50 euros!l
Personally, I could see living here one spring, would want to do it after the snow and before the blazing hot summer. I love the energy, friendliness, strolling non hurried mentality. People are walking and enjoying each other vs staring at their cell phones. They stop to chat. They wait in line and aren't impatient about it. The meet for cafe..constantly. Multigenerations go out together. Packs of 70 year old women meet for dinner. There is a sense of community and interaction.
4 days in Granada was about right...probably because of the small hotel room. The pool was fun, despite the initial freeze zone, paco at the bar was a sweetheart and the kids had fun playing with a girl from Morrocco at the pool. She wanted to play with them so badly that she slowly got into the pool with all her clothes on!
On our last day, we were going to tour around the city again on the open air bus but decided to go to the ciencias museum instead. It was amazing. We spent eight hours there. Taking our time, see the many great exhibits, having lunch, playing the outdoor chess and puzzles and just not rushing. Went to the bird show (where the falcon escaped to a neighboring roof) and up the tower for great views, too. I think this place is really impressive... an acad sciences, exploratorium and discovery museum all in one.
The second to last night in Granada, we went online to places like bookings.com and idealista to reserve a place in Nerja, our next destination. Decided we wanted to go back to an apartment and the freedom of our own kitchen. Chose a place in the center of town and crossed our fingers that we would like it. Packed up our stuff, which is really not that fun to do, and looked under the bed four times until we found Nate's red crock. We then closed the door, took the room key out of the socket (where it keeps the lights on) and headed down the glass elevator one last time. We were ready to go, programmed our newly purchased gps and had everything... Or so we thougtht!
And, of course, you can't go to Granada with out visiting the Alhambra:
Alicante
Our week in Alicante is probably best described as a "transition" week. We arrived in this, not well know but large city in Spain that is a couple hours south of Valencia around 8PM after a long travel day. The kids did great but we were all exhausted. Went to bed and slept until about 2:00 the next day which catapulted us into "Spanish Time" and we were immediately ready to live the life of late nights and siestas. Nate Gavin and Mike started spanish class (at 11AM!) and Brock and I scoured the streets to find a place to get new cell phones, find the market and get situated. Our teachers were great, the kids loved the esplanade and the Mundo del Ninos but the city was bigger than we wanted and Nate and Gavin were eager to travel and see more places. We stayed in Alicante for a week, enjoyed the beach, the great teachers and the chance to get settled in an apartment before heading off to Granada.
