Some Drives To Remember

Renting a car in a foreign country and driving around that country can be a good thing or a bad thing, or both.  Just ask Roberto, our friend who did all the driving.  We had a love/hate relationship with the car on our trip.  We loved being able to drive around and see the country of Spain.  We could go wherever and whenever we wanted.  We did not love our car when it came to driving around small towns with very narrow, crowded streets that seemed unnavigable.  We also did not love the car when it came to paying the very high tolls, which as it turns out are well worth not having to drive among hundreds of trucks and people who drive like they have no respect for life!

We left Barcelona and headed out to Zaragoza.  I knew nothing about Zaragoza, never even heard of it until we started planning this trip.  Most people asked us "Why Zaragoza?" , except for the one person who said it was her home town and asked if she could stow away in my luggage.  The reason for Zaragoza is that it was the largest town near the Rioja wine region and our friends knew someone who said it was a lovely city.  Why not?  Turns out, it was a lovely stop.  BUT before we made it to Zaragoza we had to eat lunch....somewhere.

A common sight while driving in Spain...

Our adventurous sides lead us to a little walled city named Montblanc.  Had it not been for the restaurant outside the city being closed, we may never have found this hidden treasure.  When you look up charming and ancient in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Montblanc.

Forboding exterior

So inviting inside

Another noteworthy drive took us to a part of The Way of St. James or Camino Santiago.  TJ had researched this path and as we all got to pick a place we wanted to visit every now and then he chose this little town.  So after we tasted wine at Marqueses de Riscal and had lunch in Logrono, both note worthy but I have very little time to note.....we followed our Zara Gosa (our GPS) to this crossroads.

Along the road...

There is always a church to welcome you in every town.

Our driver, Roberto, crossing Ponte de Santiago

One huge reason I will never do the Camino Santiago, this is the communal clothesline  where all the hikers hang their stinky clothes after they wash them...probably while they were wearing them in the shower!  

It was finally time to say goodbye to Zaragoza and head south to Valencia.  We stopped along the way, of course, for some sight seeing, picture taking and just a bit of eating and drinking.  Our lunch stop was in Teruel.  Just one more cute town in Spain! 

 Note the shade seekers and the sun worshiper!

The view from our table!  I could sit and look at this all day!

Even the bottoms of the balconies were decorated with tile mosaics!

My other favorite drive brought us through Tarragona, you know...the place I have decided to  live!  Another TJ pick, which turned out to be an amazing stop!  The tour book said it was a mix of ancient Roman ruins mixed with cafes, friendly people and an active social scene.  Oh, and perennially sunny!  SOLD!   As we dusted the dirt of Valencia off our feet and headed north in the overcast sky it was as if the clouds parted right over Tarragona!  As we got closer and closer, the sun became brighter and brighter and the sky and the water ended up looking like this.....

ahhhh

We're so happy that we can't stop smiling!!!!

A Bike Ride to Remember

The trip to Spain was just amazing.   There are just too many great stories and memories to share.  I'm going to try to break it down into chunks....not only for your sake but for mine.  Maybe the trip will last a little longer this way.  In short, it was one of the best trips I've ever had the pleasure of taking, Spain is beautiful and the people are very friendly, hospitable and helpful (except for that one bus driver in Gava del Mar), and they are very tolerant of people who butcher their language.

Our first day in Barcelona was a marathon, we arrived at 2pm and walked around like zombies for a while, took a bit of a siesta and then walked around like zombies, well into the night, to get ourselves onto Spanish time.  Spanish time is a lot different than Sugar Land time.  In Sugar Land we eat lunch at noon, dinner at 7ish, TJ falls asleep around 8:30 or 9 and we are both in bed by 11ish.  Spanish time means lunch at 1 or 2 followed by siesta and then tapas at 7 or 8 and dinner around 10pm.  I really don't know what happens after midnight, outside of our apartment, because it was all we could do to keep everyone mobile long enough to finish dinner and meander our way back to our apartment.  It seemed like it took all week for us to figure out lunch, tapas and dinner times.  One thing is for sure, you can always drink...any time!

We decided to take a bike tour on our second day in Barcelona.  I love bike tours!  They are a great way to see the highlights of a city without wearing out your feet.  Usually the bike tour has a knowledgeable guide and a few other interesting people along for the ride.  Ours was no different.

We had originally planned to go on the 11 a.m. bike tour on Sunday (our first complete day in Spain) but none of us woke up until after 10!  Great way to jump right into Spain time!  We were forced to go on the 4 pm bike tour.  Best decision we didn't have  to make.  Turns out the 4 p.m. bike tour is more laid back and easy going AND we got to stop for tapas and drinks at the end!  Bonus! 

Here we are in front of Sagrada Familia

 Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
Yes, Gaudi was a genius!

We were able to see things we never could or would have seen if left to our own devices and all in 4 hours!  We only had 2 1//2 days in Barcelona so the bike tour was a very efficient way to see things and decide what we wanted to explore more on our own.  One of those places turned out to be the Palau de la Musica Catalan.  I knew from the outside that the inside was going to be amazing!  It happened to be near the Barcelona Cathedral which was also worthy of a return visit the next day. 

the ceiling alone was worth the price of admission in the Palau de la Musica Catalan!

So in the best order I can come up with, here are some highlights of "a bike ride to remember"!

Barcelona Cathedral

Arc de Triomphe

Running club in the park next to the Arc......not part of the official bike tour!

Cool fountain near the zoo
Parc de ciutadella

Bull fighting ring, but no bullfighting. It is illegal in Barcelona now

Down to la playa and the Olympic park
taking pictures while riding a bike....a new skill

tapas and drinks, the perfect way to end the perfect ride!

The night did not end with our tapas!  Oh, no....it was only 8:30....time for drinks and walks in busy squares full of people dining al fresco or as they say in Spain,  "al aire libre".    There was no way we were calling it a night!  We learned a lot about Barcelona that day and we just could not let it end.  So... we walked a little more and finally headed "home" to our apartment.  Only to be greeted by a very sweet gift from our families to wish both couples a Happy 35th Anniversary.  We raised some really great kids!

First, there was balancing on a ball in the square!
A girl has got to have fun....



Oh, and I forgot to mention, I'm moving to Barcelona to run my new bar!



Thanks kids!!!!

We enjoyed our gifts on the roof  the next day!
Yeah, the weather was miserable....

Inertia

Remember this post on resolutions back in January?  While I did not make any resolutions, I was fully aware of some changes that needed to take place in my life.  I'll explain, with a little science lesson .....



Thanks Sir Issac Newton

I have been at "rest" for a while in a few areas of my life or maybe I have been in motion, at the   s-a-m-e  s-l-o-w  s-p-e-e-d, for several years.  I just did not like the direction I was heading!  Something had to be done and it took an unbalanced force, in the form of Lent, to move me in a different direction.  What started as a Lenten effort has once again become a positive force in my life.

Lent lead me on a quest to get a grip on my eating and drinking habits and rediscover my waistline.  It had been missing in action and recently disappeared all together.  I joined forces with my daughter as we diligently followed Weight Watchers during Lent.  I had definitely become lazy and undisciplined when it came to my diet.  My love of food and wine had chased my waistline away.  It is one thing to know in your head what you need to do and a completely different thing to put it into action.  I needed an unbalanced force!

Anyway, the point is, that with the help of WW and the cruel and unusual punishment I inflicted on myself when I joined Marathon Girl's 2013 Health Challenge for 6 weeks ( which could be a whole post itself), I have found my waistline....it's here somewhere!  While I do feel better and hopefully look better (because it would be sad if I had done all of the work for nothing) I still dream about Chick-fil-a sandwiches and drinking more than one..or two glasses of wine at night!  I am hoping that I can continue in this new direction and avoid any unbalanced forces to knock me back.  Of course, there is our trip to Spain on Friday....I'm sure there won't be any good food or wine there!  Right??!!  

Senora Kick My Butt

I have ventured into my fourth language class at Rice University (continuing education).  I may have reached my saturation point!  In an effort to expose myself to as much Spanish as I can before our 35th anniversary trip to Spain in May, I enrolled in Spanish 2.  Last semester's Spanish 1 class was a kind and gentle introduction to Spanish.  We plodded along learning the very basics and I kept up fairly well.  I was not at the top of the class but I certainly wasn't at the bottom.  I still can't say much except hello, how are you and I'm from.......and congugate a few verbs.  I  was  moved up to the next level and decided "what the heck?  I'll take it until we leave for Spain, at least I will be exposed to more Spanish and maybe it will help in our travels."   "What was I thinking???"  

I missed the first class, which was a big mistake.  When I showed up to the second class I felt like I had entered the Spanish Twilight Zone!  I think everyone else in the class studied Spanish in high school and college and are just taking this as a little refresher....    I feel like a non-mathematical kid stuck in Algebra 2, clueless!  "What is everyone saying and why can't I understand them?"   "No.... don't call on me!  I have no clue what the question is, much less the answer!" 

I will call my new professora, Senora Patear mi Culata.  Every Tuesday and Thursday night I voluntarily show up to class and get my fanny kicked!  Compared to my other language professors  she is a slave driver.  We have hours of homework every class.  I diligently do my homework and still feel very unprepared when I get to class.  She speaks rapid fire Spanish 90% of the class and I catch about 15% of what she is saying.  The volume of vocabulary is staggering to say the least.  It is like learning a foreign language!  haha!  I still get busted for using my French accent too, "Senora, that's a  French accent!  The "g" is pronounce "h" in Spanish."  She teaches university Spanish classes as well as the Continuing Education classes and told us that we cover in 8 weeks what her other classes cover in 16.  Thanks!  I feel so much better/worse.   She looked at me sympathetically after the last class and said, "Senora, is everything OK?"  I told her my head was spinning and I feel at a distinct disadvantage having never studied Spanish before, unlike the rest of the class.  She then surprised me and told me that she could tell I was "una persona intellegent" and assured me I was in the right level class.   Whew!   Now on to the hours of homework,  so I don't get mi culata kicked on Tuesday!

A Taste of Texas

We have been home for two weeks in a row!  Guess that means I should have written a blog or two during that time, oops.  It is spring in Texas and that equals outside time in my book.  In spite of the yellow film that covers every surface and causes my eyes to burn and my nose to run, I have spent a good part of the last two weeks outside enjoying it while it lasts.  Before too long the temperatures and humidity will be above my comfort level and I'll be forced to be more creative with my free time.  For now it is golf, walking, running and patio season. 

Another thing that spring in Texas brings is bluebonnets!  This year is a particularly good year for the state flower and TJ and I went on a little road trip last Sunday to check out the scenery.  It turned out to be a very nice afternoon so I thought I'd share some of what helps us like living down here....for part of the year.

Before you get to see the bluebonnets here is a typical Texas scene that we happened upon when we took a wrong turn!
Maybe it was a right turn.... 

"You talkin' to me?"

After our detour we found an interesting store surrounded by bluebonnets.  TJ had to restrain me from buying a piece of large ironwork.  I loved this place!  Goes to show the saying, "if you build it, they will come" is true!  They came!

So much to see....

Windmill anyone?

We decided to drive on and find a field of bluebonnets that did not have about 50 people in it taking pictures of their cute families.  We were looking for our "own" field.  So on we drove.  TJ has always been known for his frightening (for his passengers) ability to drive and still see a hawk a mile away or a remote bluebonnet field behind a locked gate and remain on the road... sorta between the lines.

He saw this field from the road....wait...who is driving again?

We ventured a bit farther and found the perfect scene!  We found it because TJ has never been one to go with the main stream and he decided we needed to "explore" off the beaten path.  Yes, there are some very well traveled roads that are known for their bluebonnets and on a nice Sunday afternoon in peak season there will be people in every field taking pictures.  Glad he likes to explore....sometimes.

A very nice patch of bluebonnets and no cars passing by!

So many!!!!

An Indian Paintbrush among the Bluebonnets

 After I took about 100 pictures of the wildflowers we were getting very hungry!  What else would make this day perfect?  The only thing we were missing was some real Texas BBQ.  Where were we going to find that out here in the middle of nowhere?  We followed along and low and behold what should we see but a cute little tin building with flags flying.  I asked TJ to pull over so I could get a nice photo of the flags when he said..."They might be serving BBQ today."  And guess what?  They were!  Cutest most stereotypical place ever!  The food was pretty good too! 

We brake for BBQ!
Not much from the outside, right?

totally cute inside!

I'll bet there is some boot skootin' boogying that goes on here!



They were so happy we stopped by that they invited us back!
No, that is not our motorcycle!!!



And that, my friends, is your taste of Texas! 

Y'all come back!

Turning The Page

It is Spring!  Time to turn the page on winter and greet the bright green trees, tender grass and blooming flowers.  I have been waking up to the sound of busy birds chirping outside my window.  It seems like there are more people outside lately too.  The longer days have something to do with this I suspect.  I love daylight savings time!


Two weeks ago we turned the page in a chapter in many lives.  We said goodbye to my mother-in-law.  For the last five years or so I have thought of writing about my mother-in-law and resisted, she had Alzheimer's.  As my cousin said so eloquently in her card,   
" Alzheimer's takes our loved ones from us even before God does."  We watched an intelligent, vibrant, involved, energetic woman slowly lose herself.  Over the course of ten days I went to two funerals for Alzheimer's patients, my unlce's and my mother-in-law's.  What a cruel disease.  Both people were true forces in their lives and lived them to the fullest and both became shadows of themselves while dealing with Alzheimer's.  We are turning the page to the next chapter without them.

I learned a lot from my mother-in-law.  One of  the biggest things I learned from her was how to entertain.  I met her when I was 19 years old and had no idea how to cook for a family or throw a party.  My family was never big on "entertaining".  My Mother still plans for weeks when she has bridge club at her house and a party would take months of stress and planning.  Our house was never "that house"... the one that always had something going on and people visiting and hanging out... my husband's house was.  I always wanted to have "that house".  I learned how to cook a beautiful meal for a large group from my mother-in-law.  She did it with such ease....and sometimes chaos....and I loved it and learned by watching and helping.  She loved to have people over to the house.  She welcomed me and I thank her.  She taught me and I thank her.  She loved our family and we loved her. 

This weekend we celebrate Easter.  It kind of puts things in perspective.  We will celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection.  We have eternal life because of His death and resurrection.  We are able to say goodbye to the people we love with the faith that they will live in their heavenly reward because of Easter.  Happy Easter!

Spring! Snow! Sunshine!

Rather than leave the blog blank for a week, I am posting a few pictures for your viewing enjoyment.  I have no profound thoughts other than if you ever doubt there is a God, go to the top of a mountain in ski season on a bluebird day and take it all in.  Truly majestic!  Maybe that is the reason I enjoy skiing. 

Steamboat....we're here!

Just a bit of snow!

enjoying the view at break time

He's cute!  Maybe he'll ski with me....

Just playing in the giant snow bank in the driveway....because it's there.

Back home, the trees are budding with leaves and the wind is blowing like it always does in Texas in the spring.  Best of both worlds if you ask me.  Hope your spring is full of sun and smiles.