Barcelona: Day One

While in Barcelona we decided to rely on the public transit systems rather than rent a car.  This meant that the first task we had getting off the airplane was finding our way to a bus terminal that would put us in proximity of our hotel. Eric's Spanish helped a little, but some things were not making sense.  We soon found out that in Barcelona the favored language is Catalonian - a little different from Spanish - and so the adventure began.  We did find the bus, finally figured out how to purchase tickets and grabbed a map of the metro system as that was where we needed to go once the bus dropped us off at the main plaza down town.

Eric showing me how to use the metro:
All the tunnels and ticket stations look the same.
 I would get lost for sure!

The hotel was in the perfect location (once we found it).  Right in the heart of Barcelona.  I don't think we could have picked a better place to stay.  We got to the hotel early enough we had the whole day ahead of us.  We were excited to get out and get exploring.

Hotel Barcelona Universal: The perfect spot to stay.
We were right next to a metro station.  The Old City/Jewish Quarter was right through the block.  To get to Montjuic we just needed to jump on the funicular accessible through the metro station.  Many of Guadi's Homes were within walking distance. Las Rambles and the port were just on the other side of the Old City.

Web access and communication center off concierge desk.
This was pretty much our only way of communicating
with Tanner or home while we were in Barcelona.

Roof top pool and terrace: I wish we had spent more time here, but there was so much to see and do.

Fitness Room: We didn't need to spend any time here,
we walked at least 6-8 miles everyday touring the city.

Our room was nice and spacious and very comfortable.

Every morning we had a complimentary European
breakfast in the dining room.

The first thing we decided to do once we got unpacked was take an Old City walking tour.  This was a fabulous tour and a great way to start off our trip.  Our guide, Catherine, walked us through the old cobble stone streets and entranced us with Barcelona history and legends.  It was neat to walk streets that were so old, to see and touch history I had only heard about.  You could see time period after time period through the progression of the architecture:  Medieval, Romanesque, Gothic, Art Nouveau/Deco,  Expressionism, and Modern all mixed together and built on top of each other.  I loved hearing about the ancient cultures and their interactions with one another:  the Romans, Jews, Moor's and Christians, how church and state ran together and how it effected their politics.  This was a great tour to start our trip with.  It gave us a better understanding of the people of Catalonia and helped us get a feel for other things we wanted to see and do while in this beautiful city.

Placa Reial at the Fountain of the Three Graces 

Placa del Rei: The Oldest Medieval Square in the Gothic Quarter,
The Royal Residence of Barcelona for centuries,
Columbus' report to Ferdinand and Isabella
about the new world occurred on the steps of this square.

Santa Maria del Pi, named for the lone pine tree in its plaza,
boasts the largest rosary window in Europe

Font de Sant Jordi
in the courtyard of the Catedral de la Seu

Saint Eulalia
Heroine and Patron Saint of Barcelona

Wilfred "the Hairy", Count of Barcelona worked to defend the people of Barcelona and reunite them under the Catalan flag.

The winding narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter transported you from the 21st century to the 15th at Barcelona's height of power and trade.  These buildings rest on top of the first ancient Roman settlement, Mons Taber.  I don't think we could ever find the same route through the Gothic Quarter the whole week we were there.  If we found a shop or restaurant we liked, we had to stop because we would never find it again.  The only exception to this was one little bakery down one of these crooked winding streets.  In the late afternoon we could always follow our noses and find its yummy treats.

Following our tour we decided to walk through the old city streets and find our way to La Rambla.  La Rambla is a giant street with a park down the center where vendors set up shop to show their wares, street performers supply ongoing entertainment and lots of quaint restaurants have an endless supply of tapas.

Eric in the middle of La Rambla looking for Tapas

With our tummies full and our adventure well underway we were starting to feel the effects of our long trip.  After carrying our luggage across the city, up and down the metro lines and then walking the entire Jewish quarter, my neck and back were screaming at me.  We decided to retire to the hotel for a little siesta.  Most of the city was shutting down for that purpose anyway.  That is a Spanish tradition I could really get used to.

Monument built at the port of Barcelona
in honor of Christopher Columbus at the end of La Rambla

It is in the cool evenings that all the shops open back up, people come back out and socialize well into the night.  We strolled down the Rambles again into the Port of Barcelona where Christopher Columbus set sail for America and along La Rambles Del Mar then turned in for the evening still in awe that we were truly in Spain, and even more unbelievable, that tomorrow we were going to wake up and see our son run with the best athletes from around the world in an Olympic stadium.

Around the Horn: Our Trip to Barcelona, Spain

Tanner was headed to Spain.  He was part of the Junior USA team that would compete for Gold in the Junior World Championships.  This competition would take place at the Olympic facilities in Barcelona and would include 1856 athletes from 186 nations.  Eric and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see Tanner run in such an arena.  After the Junior National Championships when we knew for sure Tanner was part of this elite team, we started looking into the possibility of joining him in Barcelona.

Montjuic Olympic Stadium Entrance

Any of you that know Eric know he enjoys the anticipation and planning of the trip just as much as the trip itself.  To put together a trip like this in less than a month was a challenge for him, but it couldn't have turned out better!  A big thank you to everyone who helped us get there.  We wouldn't have wanted to miss this opportunity.

 

The stadium was so big! There was a lot of excitement running through the arena
as preparations were being made for the races to commence.

About two days before we were to leave Portland and join Tanner in Spain, I threw my neck out.  I woke up on Monday morning, July 9th, and couldn't get out of bed.  I didn't know how I was going to get everything done to be on a plane in two days.  I couldn't have done it without my Mom and Dad.  They came to the rescue.  They ran me to doctors appointments, cleaned my house, and packed my bags.  My wonderful hairdresser, Callie, made time for me in her busy schedule so I could go with clean and styled hair because I couldn't wash it and dry it on my own.  On Wednesday morning, I was boarding a plane with some heavy meds and a prayer that I would make it through the next 18 hours.  Thankfully, the Lord was mindful of me.

The flight to Philadelphia was pretty rough.  There was a young family sitting behind us and all the other seats were full.  I tried to be patient as the child behind me kept kicking my seat, jarring my neck and my back. I couldn't get off that plane fast enough.  I was about to cry thinking of the even longer flight we had ahead of us.  Eric quickly took my mind off it as we tried to soak in some Philly culture before we left the USA.  We were able to do it all without leaving the airport:

Keri @ the Liberty Bell
an amazing replica made of Legos

What's Philly without a Philly Cheesesteak at Chickie's & Pete's?
Eric couldn't agree more - YUM!

We also took a walk down Constitution Hall - how clever!

As we boarded our second flight, I was calm (I am sure the meds helped) and prayed that all would be well on this very long flight.  We were seated in the middle of the plane on the longer row.  There was only one other lady in our row and she moved once the flight was underway.  I could lay down and rest my tired neck and back through the long flight.  The sleep we got on the plane was our night as we traveled over time zones. I was a seat hog and made Eric sleep sitting up, but he was so wonderful and didn't even mind.  He knew how much pain I was in and was willing to do anything to help me get better so we could enjoy our adventure.   We would arrive in Spain on Thursday morning and wanted to make every moment there count.

 A Tender Mercy:
An open seat was the answer to my prayers.

We LOVE Anderson Island!

It was nice to get away to Anderson Island for some R&R and lots of fun this Fourth of July.  We were able to spend some good quality time with Grandpa Sork.  He had invited us to come up for the week.  Eric had to stay home and work, but joined us for the weekend.  The weather was perfect.  We were able to play on the lake.  Austin, Carson and McKenna really enjoyed the giant tube Grandpa bought for them.  All three of them could be on it and Grandpa knew just how to pull it so Austin would flip off, but everyone else would stay on.  Grandpa really had it in for him.  

No wonder he wasn't too excited about water skiing, but he was a good sport and took a few spins around the lake on skis to show Carson and McKenna how to do it.  He even got behind the boat on a tube by himself, knowing how crazy Grandpa could be.  That takes guts!

Carson learned to ski while we were there.  He was able to get in and out of the wake, and he even picked up a few tricks from Eric.

McKenna got up a few times, but didn't stay upright for very long.  Eric was very patient and stayed in the water to support her while she was learning to get steady.  Just like Marsha would do for him while he was learning to ski.

One day we moved the boat out onto the Puget Sound and embarked on a grand adventure looking for Olympia and the farmer's market.  

All the inlets look the same, so we got to see more of the sound than we were planning on, but it was a beautiful day and no one was complaining, though we all agree that street signs would be helpful ;) 

During the ride we got to see amazing sights and lots of sea life. Sea Lions would come and swim right by the boat as we cruised along. The farmer's market was fun too and a delicious lunch of fresh fish and chips topped everything off. We made sure to check a map and count inlets before we left the market so we could make it back to our island.  

It is weeks like this that remind me why I love living in the Northwest.

Family Pictures

Even with all the excitement and hubbub this spring, we were able to squeeze in family pictures.  I am so glad we took the time to do this.  It has been almost 10 years since our last real family pictures.

A big thank you to Corrine Norton.  She did a beautiful job.  We are so pleased with how they turned out and glad we were able to get them done before Tanner left for BYU and his world travels.

Another Boy Cousin!

The Tippetts family is overrun with girls!  When a boy is bornthere is quite a celebration at the Sork household (who have supplied the boys for family reunions for years).  Danny was big news.  The Sork boys couldn't wait to give him a soccer ball and play with him.   Greyson is just as welcomed.  We were so blessed to have Tricia come from Arizona to visit us and bring Greyson with her at the end of June. We loved meeting our new cousin.  There was some good boy bonding going on - farting, eating and sleeping.  Greyson fits right in.  Of course Carson couldn't get enough of him (neither could I).  Thanks for sharing, Tricia!

Dancing Divas

Emily Young, Brooklyn Jackson, McKenna and Elizabeth Zundel

McKenna and her BFFs took a hip-hop class together this Spring and enjoyed moving to the beat with high hopes of making the middle school dance team next school year.  McKenna loved her teacher Renae at Dayley Dance Academy.  After such a positive dance experience, she decided that maybe she wants to branch out a little bit and try a different dance style in the fall, Contemporary Jazz.  I am glad she is enjoying dance so much.