Our Little Stay in Rota, Spain

The academy would have been proud.  I'm certain the performance I pulled in the lobby of the Gateway Inn in Rota would have earned me Best Drama.  The clerk told me I couldn't stay because Juliette was under the age of 12 and I immediately went into the "ugly cry."  You know the one... bright red face, snot, hyperventilation, and where your nose seems to widen at least 2 or 3 inches.  It could have been the stress leading up to our travels, or perhaps the fact it had just been a long day, or maybe because it was midnight and all three seem perfectly reasonable reasons to have a complete emotional breakdown.  I even pulled the "you're going to kick me and my baby out in the middle of the night in a strange country" card.  Oh yes.  I did it.  It didn't work, but by the end of it I had one of the hotel clerks crying. 

But here's the good news and here's how I know God cares about the details in my life... I mentioned in the previous post that one of the women at the desk was on the phone when I walked in the door.  Guess who she was talking to?  Greg! (although you probably already guessed that).  How's that for timing?!  He had already made us a new reservation at a hotel in town, and yes, he is always that wonderful.  One of the clerks drove J and I in her own car to the front gate, helped us with our paperwork, they called a cab to come get us and told them where to take us.

Both of us were crying as we walked out to her car and she said "I want you to know there are nice people in this country.  You will see that the people at the gate and at the new hotel will be very helpful.  My cousin is living in another country and I would hate to know that she was in this kind of situation and people did not help her."

Our new hotel was very nice and had beautiful views of the harbor.  A family we knew in Georgia are in Rota and took great care of J and I as we waited to check in to our flight.

We had a great flight, sleeping most of the way in a sleeping bag on the floor.  I'm telling you, cargo flights are the way to go! 

Barcelona, Spain

Greg called one morning and said he found round trip tickets getting us to Barcelona, Spain for about $50 a piece.  Say what?!  Needless to say, I was ready to pack a bag and promptly the phrase “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain…” began running through my head.  We arrived at an airport about an hour outside of Barcelona, rented a car (for about $100), and stayed at a nice hotel (about $80 a night, including a free buffet breakfast).  We were just outside of Barcelona, so we had to walk about 5 minutes to the train station, then ride for 30 minutes or so into the city.  The weather was perfect and we were off to a great start!

 We arrived in the late afternoon starving only to realize dinner service didn't begin until 9pm.  What did this mean?  McDonalds was our first dinner in Spain!

I didn’t realize, but Barcelona is a very large city.  There is a little bit for everyone… art, architecture, aquariums, amusement parks, shopping, eating, drinking, and really the list could go on. 

   

We try very hard to keep a balance of “boring” adult sightseeing and child friendly activities.  We can stand in line for an hour to see the La Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi’s masterpiece with ornate carvings, breathtaking stained glass, and wild steeple tops…

 Inside of the Cathedral

Below are carvings on the outside of La Sagrada Familia depicting the birth of Christ and the Crucifixion

And visit Park Guell, while intended to be a garden community, only had 2 homes completed and was eventually turned into a public park…

only with the promise of “Fun World” (an amusement park on top of the Tibidabo mountain.  It has a real name, but Fun World is what Greg named it) being our next destination.  Honestly, Brady could have eaten cotton candy and taken a whirl on the carousel and he would have left a happy camper.  We also went on an airplane ride and the kids played on larger than life dice and dominoes.  There was an additional side the park that had rides for the older kids, but we didn’t pay for or venture that far.

 View overlooking the city

The best decision we made was to get tickets for the Hop on Hop off bus.  We were able to hear the history of the city and landmarks, while riding comfortably and getting off wherever we pleased.  The second day we visited the aquarium…

Were able to see the Christopher Columbus statue on Christopher Columbus Day!

He's in the middle between the boat masts.  I was going to crop it, but thought it was proper to have him surrounded by boats

And ended the day at Poble Espanyol, an open air museum of reproductions of various Spanish architectural styles.  Various craftsmen and vendors set up shops and sold their handmade goods.  It is a true pleasure for me to support people making things they love.  I love the sense of pride, heart, vision, and drive it takes to create.  There were glassblowers, ironsmiths, jewelry makers, and even a man making guitars!

All in all, it was a wonderful vacation and we had a great time as a family.  Barcelona is certainly a booming metropolis with a palpable heartbeat.