Hello my lovelies! I’m back, I’m back, I’m baaaaaaack.  We actually returned from our trip to Spain a week or so ago, but I had so many guest blogs lined up I thought it would be the perfect time to catch up on some backend work, and perhaps even blog ahead a bit.  The blogging ahead part didn’t happen nearly as much as I thought it would, but life was begging to be lived.  If you didn’t catch the barrage of images from our trip on my Instagram, I’ve included a few more from my DSLR here.  They’re all from Barcelona, because frankly, I was still recovering from jet lag and forgot to use my DSLR the entire time we were in Gran Canaria.  International travel with a toddler in tow while pregnant is no joke, y’all.

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I can’t tell you how difficult it was to find green, red, and white outfits for every single game Orlando played in.  First world problems, I know.  This was right before the game against the USA team, so I went a little more toned down lest I offend my fellow Americans with my treason.  Cora borrowed a sombrero from our friend and voila! Mexican patriotism at its finest.  And in case you were wondering, yes we eventually lost to the USA, no it probably wasn’t as bad as you would think, and apparently the majority of the guys on the team were total egotistical jerks.  Therefore, Viva Mexico, the nice guys!IMG_8580

Cora ADORES our friend Rebeca, who was along for the whole trip to see her boyfriend, David, play for Mexico as well.  They’re walking in to the arena in Barcelona, which I believe was also the site of the Olympics when it was hosted there in 1992.  I was 5 back then, so I can’t say I remember the whole ordeal very well.  Anyways, it was such a huge help to Cora and I that Rebeca a) speaks amazing English AND Spanish and b) didn’t mind us tagging along with her and David’s family so we weren’t just another pair of obnoxious Americans in Europe. Nope, we blended right in with the crowd, I’m sure.IMG_8582

I have to say the architecture in Europe really makes the return to the United States a bit depressing.  Why don’t we put as much thought in to our buildings anymore? I’m sure the answer has to do with money, but nonetheless I enjoyed the grand scenery at every corner while in Barcelona.  This building was just to the left of the arena, but I honestly have no idea what it may have been used for during the Olympics, or what it’s used for now.  But darn it if it isn’t pretty.IMG_8586

See the tiny little guy dribbling the basketball in the center-ish of the photo? That’s my husband! At least I think it is, our seats weren’t the greatest for the USA vs. Mexico game, so just in case you thought we were high rolling VIPs sitting court side, now you know the truth.  It was the nosebleed section for us, which, by the way, I discovered is a phrase they don’t have in Mexico.  Our friends told us they say you’re sitting with the pigeons if you’re super high up, but nosebleed section was a new one to them.  Culture! Isn’t it grand?IMG_8594

After over a week and a half of basketball, eating, and sleeping, we FINALLY got to do some sightseeing on our last day!  I happen to love the cheesy tourist buses that let you hop on and off, so I forced Orlando and Cora to come along and bribed them with McDonalds.  Yes, we ate McDonalds in Europe when we could just eat that at home.  Don’t judge me, cheese plates, espresso, baguettes and Nutella don’t travel well.IMG_8597

Again, with the architecture.  We learned on our tour that this home, named Casa Batllo, was designed by Antoni Gaudi, probably the most famous architect in all of Barcelona, if not Spain.  I don’t know, Cora was pulling out my headphones every 20 seconds, so I’m pretty sure that’s what the tour guide said.  Anyways, the roof of the house is meant to represent the scales of a dragon, and the turret on the left is thought to represent the lance of Saint George being plunged in to said dragon.  Fascinating, no? I kind of wish Gaudi was still alive and could come visit the builder beige suburbs of America.  Pretty sure he would go right back to being dead fairly quickly.IMG_8604

La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s masterpiece that remains unfinished to this day.  There are far better photos of the entire project online, but these were the best I could get from the bus since Orlando spied the line to get inside and decided he didn’t want to get off.  It’s impossible to describe through photos or written word though, you really must visit.  I cannot imagine Gaudi taking on such an enormous project, and knowing that there’s no chance it will be completed in his lifetime.  At this rate, it probably won’t even be completed in my lifetime!IMG_8607

What is it about religious art that evokes such a sense of grandeur?  You can almost sense that you’re looking at something bigger than yourself, a story that is known and understood by millions of people, in a thousand different languages.  That’s pretty powerful if you think about it, which may be why Gaudi and so many other artists have devoted so much of their lives to commemorating it.IMG_8616

I don’t remember the name of this monastery in Barcelona, but I just thought the landscape and building itself captured the energy surrounding Barcelona so well.  Beautiful, pristine, and elegant.  I wish we could have spent more time there, but Orlando had been traveling for basically two months straight when they were finally knocked out of the tournament.  We debated staying a bit longer and possibly even traveling to Paris or Rome, but he just wanted to be home.  I can’t blame him, and once we ventured back to the homeland I had to agree.  It was good to be back.

For those of you who may be wondering how Cora did on the two transatlantic flights, she blew me away with how well she did!  On the way over she only slept for about two hours, but was happy to watch movies and play with her new toys the whole way.  On the way back she took a three hour nap and watched movies the rest of the time.  I’ve created a monster though because I stocked up on so many new toys and went through the “Close your eyes, I have a present for you!” routine so many times, she will now randomly tell me she’s closing her eyes and fully expects a present to be in front of them when she pops ’em open.  Oh well, we survived the trip and that’s all that matters. 🙂

XO,

A