Tarragona

This is a different trip. We know nothing about Spain. I tried to read a history of Barcelona, but I know so little about Spain, not much stuck. We know no Spanish. But our 17 year old is out guide and translator... That is different! She is quite good...a thoughtful guide and a confident translator. And she is not out only connection here. Her host mom, Trini, is also a host for us. Day 2, she took off of work and drove us out to Tarragona, a Roman city about an hour away. 
We started with the aqueduct.
I loved the flowers growing out of the rock in the top right corner of this photo. 
I was trying to capture the pigeons on the heads and shoulders of these great men. 
The Great organ doors to right corner! 
Ellie and turtles
Roman Wall and ashlar refuse between the cathedral and the Roman wall.
And old neglected church
a clever cache
the best little free library I have ever seen

Ellie makes ice cream art

In the evening, we went to our collective first professional soccer game: Barça vs Espagnol. We took the subway out and followed the crowd until someone shorted something. Ellie immediately realized that she was wearing a Barça shirt and we were going to Espagnol's stadium. She grabbed Phil's sweatshirt and covered up. We them ran into riot police and people lying on the ground, so we showered then. I began to worry. We found the right stadium door and went in, but they asked Ellie to unzip...and told her to get to rid of the Barça shirt. She asked if she could put it in my bag...no. She asked if she could go outside and hide it, and they said yes. She threw it on top of a bus shelter and ran back. The guard told us that the hooligans were like monkeys and would tear her apart is she had the shirt. 

I had serious doubts at that point, but we paid a lot for the tickets and Ellie was excited and undaunted. We went up to our seats, discovering that they were the very biggest and last row in the stadium. Behind us was air.
The game was great and exciting..Barça played with Espagnol, pressing forward, looking for openings, again and again. Final score, 2-0. 
At the end, riot police lined the pitch.
We left, slowly, and Ellie leapt in the air to retrieve her shirt. We picked up kebabs, missed the last train, and took the night bus, getting home after 1am.  Quite an adventure, and totally out of my comfort zone 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gaudi

Image
Today was Gaudi day! Ellie slept in Mataro so we got up and out early for an organized tour. We booked a last minute walking tour focused on history and architecture.  We started in the Gothic quarter This is where the old Roman gates were. The cathedral with its 19th century Gothic facade over the old 13th century Church. unicorn gargoyle  a weird person gargoyle. We went through the old Jewish quarter, El Call, and saw an old synagogue door with a cut out for a mezuzah. And then on to several Gaudi buildings. Even the under sides of the balconies were decorated, so looking up from the street was rewarded!  We ended at the Casa Mila, and met Ellie, had lunch, and took a tour of the inside. It was amazing! ...
Read more

Madrid II: with family

Image
We started the day with thrift shopping. Ellie needs a graduation dress. There were so many vintage shops... We probably stopped at 10 in 2 or three neighborhoods. We had a quick poke bowl and smoothie lunch as we all wanted something light and healthy.  After a break and rest, we went to the city park and did a little geocaching.  At 8:30, we met Charmian and John, Phil's first cousin from England, at a restaurant and had an amazing meal. Phil has not seen them in 30 years, and I had never met her. On the way, we saw a newly married couple leave a wedding.  Our Airbnb was tiny and cramped, but had the most amazing Olympic level security; 
Read more

Madrid to Barcelona

Image
Ellie woke up much better. We went out for coffee and to buy her a second new toothbrush. We packed up, left our bags at the hostal, and went out for churros and chocolate. Then we split up...Phil went in search of the Egyptian temple and Ellie and I were going to the botanical garden, but instead got her hair cut for tomorrow's graduation, and wandered around. We got some amazing recommended sandwiches to bring on the train. The rest of the afternoon is back in Barcelona. Our Airbnb is in someone's home and is lovely. This evening did not end the way I anticipated. Isabel, Ellie's counselor, who helped her escape from the Dursleys, invited us to dinner in Mataro, where Ellie lives, about 40 minutes outside of Barcelona. She invited Trini as well. We arrived in Mataro and it was Isabel, Trini, Lily, the other exchange student, Trini's daughter and boyfriend, and Isabel's husband and adult son. We waited through the town to a particular restaurant that se...
Read more