Home Again and Meeting other SYA Folks

Photo: Aidan, Ellen Wolff, and Kevin King after Juan de Lanuza visit



After traveling for 16 days, we were all glad to be back in ZAZ, settled in one place for awhile and enjoy the comforts of eating at home, not packing/unpacking, or negotiating trains, planes and automobiles.

When we returned to ZAZ, we were struck by the intense heat which, at the end of August, was over 101 degrees. The upside was that the humidity was low but the downside was that there was minimal air flow. We quickly purchased several fans to get the air moving, and fortunately, the crazy heat wave broke not long after we returned to more reasonable levels (80s and 90s).

Beside the heat, we were eager to connect with other folks and start making a community in ZAZ. Ellen Wolff, the SYA English teacher from Exeter, her husband, Kevin King and son, Aidan King returned from their excursions in Spain a few days after we did. We invited them to dinner.

Among the 56,403 books Kelsey has read this year, is a very cute series of "Melanie Martin" books by Carol Weston. Melanie is a 10, 11 or 12 year old depending on the book who travels to Italy, Spain, Holland and a few other places. They are great books especially if you're traveling to one of those countries; even Colin has enjoyed them. With the idea of having a mini-book club with my book-loving daughter, I have also read a couple of them.

In "The Diary of Melanie Martin: or How I Survived Matt the Brat, Michelangelo, and the Leaning Tower of Pizza," Melanie writes about making homemade pizza. Ever since reading this passage, Kelsey has wanted to make pizza from stratch, which we did for our dinner with the Wolff-King family. Colin, Kelsey and I made an afternoon of the project (just getting the right ingredients at the store was an adventure!) and were proud of the result...at least the dough part. The cooking part didn't go quite as smoothly but all told, it turned out fine.

We spent the evening swapping stories and sharing bits of information we each had collected about ZAZ, SYA, Spain, and Juan de Lanuza (Colin, Kelsey, and Aidan's new school). Occasionally, we stopped to breath. We were THRILLED to have another family with whom to share our year abroad and even one who has a similar background coming from the boarding school life. Aidan is also a peer of Colin's as he turns 12 this November. While he will be 7th, Colin is going into 6th grade. Kevin is an ESL teacher and is looking for similar work in ZAZ.

After our dinner, we went over to the apartment of Griffin Morse, the director of SYA Spain, for dessert. He was passing through ZAZ for about 24 hours, and then returning to Boston to bring the SYA students to ZAZ on the night of September 3. Griffin is a lively soul and fielded the endless questions we all had for him. He provided us with additional perspective on the year ahead and some of the upcoming trips which made it all more exciting and real. We had been living in our own little family bubble for the last few weeks and connecting with the SYA folks gave an infusion of new energy and enthusiasm.

Barcelona- Day 4 and the Last Day of Summer Travels

On our last day in Barcelona, we spent a considerably time trying to buy our return train tickets to Zaragoza using the Internet, only to discover that for some reason the Renfe website (the Spanish train company site) doesn't take American credit cards. The EU credit cards have a chip in them which our American ones don't -- perhaps that's the issue. After many attempts and some frustration, we wound up purchasing tickets directly at the station which took all of 3 minutes. Live and learn. For the future, the inability to buy online is a bummer as it will require us to go directly to the Zaragoza (ZAZ) Delicias station, and in-person costs slightly more than online purchasing.





Reluctant to visit a museum, Colin and Kelsey were keen on a more kid-friendly activity; their input took us to the aquarium. Even though Barcelona has many outstanding museums including Picasso, Dali and Gaudi to name a few, we figured over the course of the next year we would have several opportunities to check out the other 'must see' items.

Unlike the Boston aquarium that has live, open exhibits, such as the penguins, or shows, feedings and hands-on activities, the Barcelona one is exclusively tanks filled with sea life. In much of it, a moving walkway takes you underneath a large tank with sharks, fish, etc. The extraordinary sea life are swimming above to give the illusion of actually being in the tank. We hope that's the closest we'll come to swimming with sharks...ever!

At 7pm, we caught the fast train back to ZAZ (1 hour, 26 mins), no issues, no hiccups, no delays. It left on time, on the dot. The train was clean and almost luxurious compared to some of the trains we rode in Italy. In comparison to Italy, they validate tickets much like they do when you fly -- even requiring a pass through security. Italy still has a person that manually and randomly comes around to check tickets. We had just commented that a system that verifies tickets before boarding would make more sense over one where tickets are checked haphazardly. Voilà.

Barcelona - Day 3

On our third day in Barcelona, we took the double decker, open-top tour bus which may sound cheesy but it was a good way to get an overview of the city. You're allowed to jump on and off the bus at any of the stops which provided us with the freedom we wanted; add that to the audio overview and guidebook on the sites, and it turned out to be a good fit for us.

Barcelona has so much to offer that we had to be choosy for our first time there. After beaching it, we wanted to get a taste of the cultural side and explore some Gaudi even though the extreme heat and extensive crowds were wearing down the kids (and um, the parents too). We tried to reinforce enjoying the moment and the incredible sites that could take your breath away.

Photos: Sagrada Família (Sacred Family) above and below





First on the list, the Sagrada Família, a massive, Catholic church that has been under construction in Spain since 1882 and is not expected to be complete until at least 2026. Considered the master-work of renowned Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), the vast scale and idiosyncratic design have made it a Barcelona highlight for many years. I couldn't get a good picture of it due to its size so in addition to our own photos, I've added one from the web to demonstrate its breadth. The unusual sculptures (our pics) gives a sense of Gaudi's definitive style too. We weren't able to make it inside due to the huge crowds but will table that for another visit.















After the Sagrada Familia and some city touring, we visited Guell Park which is a Candy Land of gingerbread houses and Dr. Suess-style landscapes (it was clear that Guell Park and Gaudi's work are the inspiration behind "Horton Hears a Who" and "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"). As its name suggests, the park was commissioned by Gaudi’s friend, Eusebi Guell around the turn of the 20th century, and was intended to be a garden city where 60 family residents could live healthily and peacefully. It turned out that only two of the houses sold (one of which was to Gaudi himself) and eventually the city of Barcelona bought the project. It's remarkable style included the traditional symbol of the park: a large, colorful tile mosaic dragon along and a central plaza overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Photos: Guell Park below


















































Photos: FC Barcelona vs AC Milan soccer game and honoring Ronaldinho

We capped the day off with the Barcelona vs AC Milan soccer game an exhibition match between these two rivals. The stadium held 90K spectators and almost every seat was taken. 90,000 people – that's 2x the whole city of Concord. Colin was beside himself before the game and couldn't stop talking about it all day. Hours before we needed to get ready, Colin was planning our time and strategy to get to the game. While Colin wore his new Puyol shirt, Parker and Kels also donned their new Barca shirts.

The game itself was a blast other than a initial snafu with someone else taking our seats and claiming we were sitting 'somewhere else.' We wound up having to call an usher to help us out in espanol to regain our rightful seats. No biggie in the end though, thank goodness.





Barcelona dominated the game and while the fans were passionate, it all -surprisingly- had a friendly feel, and they even cheered when Milan scored a goal. The Barcelona squad was unbelievable. David Villa, Iniesta, and Puyol were the starting stars. Their subs were Dani Alves, Messi, Pique, and Pedro. Xavi Hernandez didn't even play! Now imagine when they're all playing at the same time! At the end of regular play, the teams were tied. The fans clearly wanted overtime which would have meant 30 more minutes of soccer but they went straight into penalty kicks instead which always provides excitement. The Barcelona goalie held fast and they won the penalty kicks 3-1, and ultimately then took the game.

Also making this a special game was the fact that Brazilian soccer star, Ronaldinho, who played for Barcelona for years, had recently moved to AC Milan. He's well-loved by Barcelona (Barca as they call themselves) and they had a recognition ceremony for him at the end of the game.

Barcelona - Day 2

On our second day, we had a fantastic time on the beach. The water was warm and the kids had a blast playing in the waves. It was so nice to be able to cool off and relax at the beach.




Celia went for a run for the first time in two weeks despite the sweltering temperatures and received all kinds of funny looks (we have generally seen just men running in Spain so we have to show them what American women can do), but it felt good to run!

































That night we went to a Flamenco dinner and show. While Flamenco is considered part of the culture of Spain, it is actually native to the Andalusia region in the south. However, these shows in Barcelona have existed for decades and seemed authentic. We knew it was a touristy thing to do but we figured we ARE tourists and we wanted to see at least one Flamenco show while in Spain (we'll have to fit in a bull fight at some point too). With Colin, we had to make a deal that since we were going to the Barcelona-AC Milan soccer game the next night, that we would do something for Kelsey and go to the Flamenco show. In the end, he wound up enjoying the show as well.

The bright, flamboyant costumes and passion of the dancing intensified the experience.



The dancing is very focused on the movements of and sounds from the feet and is like tap but more powerful. One of the dancers sang an emotional song in Spanish and we would have loved to have a translation. We were all thoroughly entertained.








The video is one of the male dancer's. It's pretty dark but you may still be able to get a sense of the dancing.

Barcelona - Day 1

August 23-26

Barcelona seems to have everything -- it's a rich mix of amazing beaches, famed artists and architects (Gaudi, Miro, Picasso, Dali), crazy nightlife, and incredible cuisine. We barely scratched the surface on the Barcelona experience but it whet our appetites to go back and explore more. We're headed there again in late September when Celia's brother, Paul and his girlfriend, Kathy visit Spain.

We had a scheduled flight on Vueling for 11pm arriving in Barcelona around 1 am but when we arrived at the Pisa airport, we discovered our flight had been delayed until 2:40 a.m. The trials and tribulations of traveling. We made it to Porta Marina, our hotel in Barcelona around 5 a.m. and went to bed to catch some Zs for a few hours.

We were a little foggy after our crazy night but rallied and discovered in the daylight that our hotel was in a sketchy neighborhood with a less than pleasant smell in the streets. However, we were a short walk to the beach so we decided to give it a go and wandered down where people were playing both beach doubles volleyball, and soccer/volleyball (only using their feet and bodies rather than arms/hands to get the ball over the net) -- what do you call this game? They were really good and fun to watch especially for a former volleyball player.




Later, we made it downtown to Catalunya Plaza and the famous, Las Ramblas, the big shopping district. Colin was on a hunt for an authentic Spain soccer shirt that included the World Cup star over the Spanish emblem. Muy importante. Colin, Kelsey and Parker all wound up getting various flavors of the Spanish team's soccer shirts. Even after that, Colin had a continuous roaming eye for soccer stores and managed to spot and point out every one we passed during our entire stay in Barcelona.

Florence and Pisa

August 20-22, Florence

The Duomo from the top of Campanile



Florence is a friendly and walkable city perhaps especially to Americans as they seem to make up one of the bulk of the travelers. In comparison, the Venetians seemed hot and bothered by tourists, the folk from Florence happily speak English and provide tips and information. The Lombardi family who owns and runs Hotel Casci, where we stayed, went out of their way to make reservations, provide guidance and make us feel comfortable. It's amazing what a difference this type of service can make in your experience of a new place, and make you want to return.

Florence was founded in 59 BC when the Romans built an encampment on the banks of the Arno River called Florentia in honor of the goddess Flora. Florence is most well known for as a wealthy city in the 14th century run by the wealthy Medici family.

For our first of two days, we started our touring at the Piazza del Duomo. Not wanting to deal with the long lines at the Duomo, we steered toward the Campanile or bell Tower instead. After climbing the 414 steps (no elevator!), we were rewarded with panoramic views of the city.

Photos: View looking down the Campanile shoot and Climbing the Steps





Parker and I did the same climb 2 years ago when we visited Florence in 2008 for Parker's 40th birthday except, as it was March then, it was much cooler.

After the Campanile, we spent the bulk of the afternoon at the l'Accademia Museum where Michelangelo's statue of David resides. It's such a massive, impressive work of art, that it's hard to believe that Michelangelo created it in just 2 years after many well known sculptors of the day had refused to attempt anything with the huge slab of marble. L'Accademia also had an interesting exhibit that described Renaissance artwork through video highlights, which was sort of a mini art history class, and helped to keep the kids interested.

A good tourist can't go to Florence without doing shopping especially after getting a fill of sites and artwork. There are several open-air market which sell endless Pashminas galore (Celia's favorite), beautiful bags, leather jackets, and belts. We had saved our shopping time for Florence and picked up a few things here. How many pashminas can one own? Many, many, many. I also purchased a 'man bag' as Parker likes to call it; one of those unisex over the shoulder puppies which are very useful for traveling. I figure we'll be doing a lot of that this year.

Photos: Dinner out, Kelsey/Celia/Colin in front of Ponte Vecchio, Michelangelo mime outside the Uffizi, Gratuitous Gelateria shot (since we spent so much time at them)



At the market, we met Drew, a lovely Canadian who gave us the 'in' at a local restaurant (Ristorante Pizzeria Regginale) where we could bring our own yummy bottle of Brunello (normally unheard of to bring your own wine) that he had picked up in Cinque Terre.




The second day we went to the historical Ponte Vecchio, the only one of Florence's many bridges that wasn't destroyed and then rebuilt by either the World War II bombings, or the 1966 flooding of the Arno. In the afternoon, we endured the long lines for the Uffizi to see Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus,' and among many other famous Italian paintings and artworks.




We had hoped to make it to Galileo's Museum of inventions but we wanted to leave a few hours for Pisa before catching our flight back to Barcelona where we will spend 3 days and see the Barcelona FC vs AC Milan soccer game on August 26.


















Later August 22, Pisa
Pisa is sort of like the Grand Canyon in the movie, "Vacation" where Chevy Chase drives up and snaps a photo and then wants to move on. It's a great picture spot but not much else there. Who would ever go see the straight tower of Pisa? Nevertheless, Colin and Kelsey really got a kick out of it; when you look at it from the bottom, you can see how much one side has sunk into the ground...pretty amazing.

Cinque Terre Day 4

On our fourth day, we followed up on a tip from a friendly German family we met at LCM and took a ferry to Portovenere (not part of Cinque Terre but in the Ligurian region) for a change of scenery. Once Lord Byron's grotto, an imposing castle sits at the took of a hill and when perched at the top, we could see why Byron choose this spot. His fortress not only allowed him to see potential incoming attacks but provided a 360 degree view of the surrounding Sea and small islands.

While we had a great stay in CT, after being out of the country for almost 3 weeks and on the road for about 10 days, we were all yearning for the comforts of home, and missing friends and family. As a family, we've talked about how our year abroad will be filled with adventures and growth experiences, yet we may also face challenging and possibly frustrating times.

Sometimes, during a lull, we'd play a silly game like the ditty that Kelsey taught us from her softball days:

Lemonade (da, da, dat)
Crunchy ice (da, da, dat)
Sip it once (da, da, dat)
Sip it twice (da, da, dat)


Lemonade (faster)
Crunchy ice
Sip it once
Sip it twice

Turn around
Touch the ground
Kick your boyfriend (or girlfriend) out of town (with appropriate body gestures)
FREEZE (everyone freezes and first one to move is out)

Kind of goofy but is a distraction and gets a giggle



Photo: Kelsey and Elle, the kitty we befriended at LCM (belonged to the owner). Kelsey was especially keen on Elle as she's big into the fiction series on cats, "Warriors." She has read and re-read the "Warriors" series.

Cinque Terre Day 3

On our third day we took a beautiful but rigorous hike from Riomaggiore to Vernazza. It started out innocent enough, relatively flat and even paved but after passing through 2 of the 4 towns we hiked, they weed out the lightweights and leave the real climbing to those who have lived in New Hampshire. It reminded me of Highway 1 in California with sheer cliffs on one side and the water on the other. Breathtaking.

Photo: Beginning of hike















Photo: Coastline and rock diving area outside of Riomaggiore (1st town)














Photo: Town of Manarola in the background (2nd town)














Photo: Town of Corniglia (3rd town)
















Photo: Vineyards on the steep cliffs throughout the hike




















Photo: Coming into Vernazza (4th town)

Cinque Terre Days August 15-20, Days 1-2

View from La Corte Maggiore

August 15-20 from Colin and Celia

We just finished up our time in Cinque Terre and are now off to Florence via train. We stayed in an apartment at La Corte Maggiore (LCM) located in a town just outside of the Cinque Terre, La Spezia, which is the biggest city near Cinque Terre. LCM was a lovely estate up in the hills of La Spezia providing a breathtaking view of the mountains, red roofed homes below and the Ligurian Sea and coastline. The town itself was nothing to write home about but offered a springboard to Cinque Terre by way of an easy 15-20 minute train ride. We all enjoyed a breather from touring sites to more down time at the beach and staying in the same place for 5 days. Renting an apartment allowed us to fix a few meals at home and mix up the nightly ritual of dinners out on the town.

Kelsey in front of LCM Pool with view of Ligurian Sea and city

Cinque Terre is part of the Italian Riviera and the 5 (cinque means 5 in Italian) remote but beautiful towns are all built into the hillside and are only a few miles apart from one another although primarily accessible by train or foot.


We visited all five towns, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. I would have to say Monterosso, the beach town, was my favorite (Colin).






Pictures of Monterosso (Parker looking out at the beach and Colin and Kelsey on the main street next to the beach)























Vernazza, the most scenic, also offered the liveliest atmosphere.

Pictures of Vernazza nearing sunset looking out at the beach/Ligurian Sea and Chase family in front of town with clock tower in background