I didn't travel overseas until I was 21 years old but you, my lucky girl, only had to wait until you were 5 and a half! We just returned from a week in Barcelona and it was an amazing vacation. We saw so many beautiful sights (Parc Guell, Casa Batllo, Sagrada Familia), took day trips to breathtaking locales (Sitges, Montserrat) and ate so much good food (the Boqueria food market with always have a special place in our hearts--and our bellies!). Barcelona is a wonderful city and I am so happy that we were able to experience it together.
Even though you are still very young, you have always been very mature for your age and I could tell that you genuinely appreciated and enjoyed exploring a different culture. Traveling to Barcelona could not have been easy for you--we took an eight-hour red-eye flight during which you couldn't sleep very well (even though Daddy and I tried to make it comfortable for you by letting you lay across our laps), we landed at 10am in Spain but couldn't check into our hotel for a couple hours and had to kill time in slightly stifling 80-degree summer heat. You were definitely exhausted, jetlagged and a little airsick (there was a moment near the taxi stand where we thought you might hurl) but you powered through it and strolled down Las Ramblas with Daddy and me, taking in all of the sights, savoring your first taste of authentic Spanish tapas and posing for the (many, many) photos I asked you to pose for without a complaint.
That was the case for the entire trip: We explored a lot of neighborhoods and did a lot of walking in humid 80-degree weather but you continually impressed me with your stamina (and willingness to pose for picture after picture!). I mean, there were definitely a few times when you started to get cranky and I had to bribe you with ice cream to prevent a meltdown but for the most part, you were just as eager as us to see, do and eat as much as we could! The best example was when we went to Montserrat. We explored the base of the mountain for a couple of hours and started hiking higher up but Daddy and I thought you were going to get tired and suggested we turn back around. You wanted to keep heading toward the big iron cross you saw at the top of the mountain, though, and insisted that you wouldn't get tired. Daddy and I spent several minutes trying to talk you out of going any further, explaining that we could walk to the top but then we'd also have to walk all the way back down, but you were adamant--plus I also wanted to see the view from the top--so we said we'd walk to, for example, that far-off pile of rocks and see how you felt. When we reached that pile of rocks, we picked another far-off landmark to walk to and checked if you were tired when we reached it. We kept picking landmarks and you kept wanting to keep going every time we reached them so eventually, we actually did make it to the cross! If it had been up to Daddy and me, we would not have gone that far with you but you were so determined and the reward was one of the most incredible views we have ever seen:
I had so much fun being a tourist with you! You were so interested in all of the attractions, so eager to try all of the different foods and so cute while listening to commentary on your tour headphones:
Until our next adventure!
Love,
Mom
