That was then. By the time we had been away a month, we all missed Yaya terribly, and the truth is that all of us were eagerly awaiting her arrival. The only thing that compared favorably to our anticipation was actually having her here. The kids were beside themselves and had a very tough time saying goodbye, about the same way her son and son and law felt. Thanks, Yaya, for coming all the way to Barcelona and for being such a loving part of our lives.
Jill will also have an honorary place in the blog as our very first guest writer. I will warn you that she has chosen to be quite comprehensive in her recounting of her trip, so sit down and get ready for a good read - it's worth it and very Yaya. I have combined her and our photos together here.
Yaya's Blog Entry
Here I sit wondering how it can feel like my 10 days in Barcelona started just yesterday and that waiting for the trip to arrive seemed like it took 2 years? It now feels surreal that I actually had this trip….first they are all gone….now I am in Spain and taking the subways with my grandchildren and now I’m at the airport to go home. Barcelona is a wonderful city; Rob and Matt were wonderful hosts; but spending the time with Cory and Addy was the thing I remember the most. Walking to the subway with this little hand in mine and just touching Addy’s curly locks are the memories that come to mind when I think of the trip. I feel really blessed to be their Yaya.
My trip started on Thursday night, June 12th and I arrived in Barcelona on Friday morning fairly rested, greeted by excited shrieks from Cory and Addy (although Addy seemed overwhelmed at first and was even a bit shy) and a great big sign. It was grand. We then took the subway straight to the apartment - crowded but civilized! The apartment is quintessentially Matt and Rob – beautiful, huge, and in their practical tradition, absolutely everything is white…white sofas, white chair covers, white bedding. Unusual for a rental, let alone one with two toddler occupants. I spent my first hour unpacking treasures for Cory and Addy…..did I mention how adorable they are? The rest of the afternoon is a blur but I do remember going to their market; baking Robert’s Birthday cake and going to a wonderful playground and watching Cory and Addy be Cory and Addy. The kiddos have an umbrella stroller with a “buggy board” attached to the back so that one can sit and the other stand and the guys maneuver all over the place with it. Cory and Addy are quite adept at using it and I can’t imagine trying to get around Barcelona without it. Had a wonderful dinner and then bath time and reading, and am proud to say that despite a lot of tossing and turning on the plane, Cory and Addy fell asleep before I did!Saturday morning we had pancakes – something I made for them every morning I was there in Yaya tradition - and then went to the airport to pick up my friend Ginny, who had agreed to come be a critical helper with the kids while Matt took Rob on his four day surprise 40th birthday voyage (see below). She arrived at 10:00 and then Rob and Matt left at 1:00 – I’ll attribute that to their being efficient with time, but gosh it seemed like they just about screamed with joy as they ran out the door for a few kid-free days!
Ginny and I planned to take the kids on the double decker bus tour of Barcelona, which seemed like a great idea, but the kids melted down as soon as their dads left, so we all took a quick nap. Then we were off. And the bus tour…well, as anyone who has raised children will tell you, things never seem to go quite as planned. Our tour fell a bit flat because the kids entertained themselves by plugging and unplugging our earphones. But the resulting disjointed tour went downhill when Cory warned us that “my tummy doesn’t feel good”….and then promptly vomited all over Yaya as well as an entire row of bus seats. I am proud to say that my clean up operation was so discreet that other passengers were confused about why they needed to use their shirts and hankies to protect their noses from a powerful odor of unclear origin. After finishing the day with dinner, bath, etc., we all feel into bed exhausted!
Sunday we walked Las Ramblas (a famous strolling and shopping avenue inhabited mainly by Tourists and pickpockets) and then proceeded to take a subway, tram, and funicular up to Tibidabo, a fantastic mountain top amusement park. The kids had been once before, and the kids were beyond excited to go again, spending most of the morning singing Tibidabo to the tune of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang theme song. Unlike their first trip, the place was absolutely mobbed, and we had to stand in line for about 45 minutes to take what I thought was a pretty dull ride on a vintage 20s little red airplane but which Cory and Addy were positively thrilled to go on again. After a ride in the tea cups (which raised fears of a repeat performance from the bus) we went home, took a late nap, and hit the playground right before dinner. We had expected to do a little grocery shopping on the way home, but discovered that unlike Costco, all of Spain is closed on Sundays and we had to improvise by attending an outdoor tapas bar. While waiting for a multitude of tapas to arrive, Yaya managed to amuse the children and a large range of passers by with games of red light/green light and Simon Says. Kiddos were really good and we even stopped at a McDonalds for helado (Spanish for ice cream and perhaps the first foreign word Cory and Addy learned).
Monday, Santa Eryn, took over for the day and gave us a much needed break. Ginny and I had a bike tour scheduled for 11 o’clock and left the house around 10am. The kiddos really like Eryn and are used to her taking over, so there were no issues with that transition. The bike tour was a marvelous way to see the city. If I lived in Barcelona I would definitely have a bike. There are lots of bike lanes on many of the streets and there were only a few times where we actually rode along with the cars and scooters. (Note: Lots of scooters all over the place with often more than one person on a single scooter. They also have bikes available on locked bike stands throughout the city for residents. You use a code and can get off and on whenever you want. ) Barcelona is just beautiful…it has so many incredibly beautiful buildings with quite the mix of old and new. It also seems to have a real appreciation of art & architecture and real pride in the city. The 1929 exposition and then the 1992 Olympics were both instrumental in adding incredible buildings and tourist attractions to Barcelona and the artist Gaudi has imprinted his art throughout the city. I’m no expert, but he was absolutely a master …even if his art is a bit modern for my taste, his ingenuity and structural genius are remarkable. Had tapas after the tour with the 2 German women (mom and daughter) who comprised our group and after that experience we had about had our fill of tapas. They are really wonderful but they remind me a bit of sushi….fun to taste but not very filling and expensive for what you get. Did a lot of walking around and a bit of shopping and just cruised Barcelona at our own pace. There is a rather tourist oriented street called Las Rambles where we fit right in….lots of strange street performers who act like statues and then suddenly move..some rather weird.I am famous for my ambition (Rob and Matt might even say over-ambition), but I must confess I had miscalculated how challenging it would be to take care of the kids in a strange country and city, and I could not have managed the kiddos without Ginny’s help. Luckily, the apartment was just a block from the subway line and we got really good at using them and figuring out the stairs and elevators. Cory and Addy are quite used to using public transportation now, and were real troopers. It seemed as a general rule that they did very well when we were out and about and fell apart when we got back to the apartment. Hard to tell all the different aspects of this phenomenon….but it made for lots of time out and about! Cory became quite the map reader helping us whenever we appeared lost. He really loves to help.
Tuesday – June 17th. Took the kids over to Las Ramblas because I wanted to have their picture made into an etching by one of the many street artists there. Cory was particularly afraid of the many living statues lining the street, except for one soccer player….he even had his picture taken with him. Then the kiddos went off to school with Eryn and we went back to explore more of Barcelona. There was a great market where we eventually had lunch after much gawking at fish we could not identify and even some fruit we weren’t sure of. Some of the displays were beautiful and hard to imagine picking off a fig or apple for fear of messing up the arrangement. We spent a good part of the day at the special Gaudi church, Sagrada Familia. It is famously still very much a work in progress, with many of Gaudi’s original plans having been destroyed during the civil war here. They say they are actually ahead of schedule because of technological advancements, but being done by 2028 hardly seems fast to me.
Weds. The morning we found another playground and watched the kids climb all over the place and then off they went to school and we did a few more touristy things. Somehow we didn’t really see a lot of the “hot spots” but thoroughly enjoyed just walking. We to the main Cathedral in the city’s very old Gothic quarter and was once again amazed at the detail and architecture. The guys returned that afternoon and the kiddos were SO glad to see them. I think they have been a bit discombobulated with me being here, then Ginny and then daddies leaving. ….but they are the sweetest little things and can be so loving that the rough times are greatly diminished with a sweet touch or a happy face. It was great to see Rob and Matt again and we had a very nice dinner together of steaks and salad from their local market.
Thursday. Had the morning with the family and then off with Rob and Matt to explore more of Barcelona while the kids took their naps (under much protest) Took the cable car up to Montjuic and had a wonderful view of the city from above and then walked through a lovely park and went to Poble Espanol, and old reproduction village built for the 1929 worlds fair. As we headed home, we got a call from Eryn that the school was having a special music program and parents were invited. So instead of going home we met the kiddos at the school. This was a real highlight of the trip for me. Cory and Addy were really excited about us being there and it was really grand to see them singing and dancing around. Cory, in particular, has been having some difficulties with school. I suspect he thought it might be like his “school” in South Orange where he had some great friends, but here he is the oldest in the class (most three year olds go to the government schools here) and really can’t communicate with the other kids because of the language barrier. Also, he is ready to do more than the parallel play that the younger kids are still doing so I think he gets a bit frustrated. But this night he was all smiles and excitement….which he can do in spades!!! Addy was having fun too…she just goes with the flow most of the time……except when she doesn’t….then watch out!!! The kids were definitely having a blast and continually looked at us almost to see if we liked what they were doing. We all danced and smiled a lot that evening. After slipping out of the “party” before the dessert was served (now about 8:00 and no dinner yet) we put them down happy and excited about the fiesta. Went out to dinner with Rob and Matt that night at a very nice place near their house. The interesting thing about their meals is that there are few vegetables (if any) served with entrees and you have to specially order salad as an appetizer if you want any leafy greens. Seems they have missed that level in the food pyramid.
Friday – Off to the beach town of Sitges for the day. After a 45 minute train ride, you step off into a lovely resort town where there are miles of lovely beaches. Cory and Addy were in heaven….actually I think Addy should now be referred to as the ” Sand Goddess”…that child just rolls in the sand and is covered and you would think she was swimming in chocolate instead of grains of fine glass! Cory loves the water and would throw his ball in the water and then yell…”COME BACK HERE” and be thrilled every time the waves returned the ball to him. We rented umbrellas and very nice chaise lounges and then just baked in the Mediterranean Sun. The kids are slathered in sun screen (Addy calls it sun screamer) and are happy little clams for hours. I got quite a bit of sun and even though I know the truth, I think I look healthier with a tan!!! All I can remember from the moment we left on the train is that it took Rob and Matt about an hour to get the send out of the kids’ hair in the bath. Sat – Ginny said goodbye, went to catch her plane, and we went to a marvelous public (!) swimming pool overlooking the beach area right near downtown Barcelona. It was a nice to have the cool water without the sand this time. Both kids just love the water and Cory was quite proud to show me how he can no go totally under water. It’s interesting to watch the kids and think about what they show interest in now and whether those interests will continue as they get older. Cory is SO enthusiastic about singing and dancing and swimming and playing ball and climbing on anything that resembles a jungle gym. Addy is also very musically inclined but much more restrained with her enthusiasm and looks like she is always sizing up the situation. She’s a real contemplator and remembers words and songs much better than most other children I know. It was grand to be with them in this day to day way and see them just being themselves. That night, after getting the kiddos down we went to a fancy restaurant that Robert found to celebrate Matt’s birthday.Thinking back on this trip now….(I’ve continued to write after being home for a day to this blog entry…) I’m really amazed at how wonderful it is to share this time with this, my wonderful family. The guys are fantastic dads and Cory and Addy are just the most loving and joyful children (although at times very normal and cranky). They may not remember anything about this trip but I feel that these children will definitely carry the love and caring that surrounds them every day around in the psyches.
Sun – Up and at em…In the morning, Matt took Addy and Cory to the beach on his own while Robert and I went to a Gaudi Museum. It was pretty spectacular - only one place in the whole house had straight lines. Then Matt came back with the kiddos and we went to “Paint the Town Red”….which Robert kept saying and the kiddos didn’t’ quite get but began to repeat. We walked all over the water front and saw a good bit of the celebration for Saint Juan Day…which actually was being celebrated the next day. Didn’t really know what it was all about but saw a little parade and booths of all sorts and generally took in the festive atmosphere. Kids got to paint some masks and dance a bit with a street band and enjoy just being with their dads. Had a tough time at the end trying to find Pizza for dinner and when we finally did find a Pizza Place they only had 2 kinds of pizza, both unacceptably laden with meats and vegetables, so we settled for chicken nuggets and fries and balloons for the kiddos at a McDonald’s-esque restaurant and then walked home for the end of a very full day. I have to say….I was really exhausted this night….we walked ALL over the place. I wanted to have a buggy board ride. We put the darlings to bed and then ate Russian pierogies that Matt and Rob found at a local Russian market for dinner that were delicious…and I wasn’t even hungry! 
Monday after a morning of chocolate chip pancakes and a trip to the local coffee place to get “American coffee” –very mild in comparison to Castilian coffee) we all took the train to the airport. It was really hard to say goodbye to the kiddos but we made a point of saying that I would see them in Paris. I had a very easy ride home started this blog until my battery went dead and then and watched 3 movies and read a book. Linus, their dog, was beside himself when I walked in the house and didn’t stop going in circles until I went to bed……then he barked a few times during the night to check on whether I was still there…..threw my pillow at him the 3rd time! Now it is back to work and looking forward to seeing them all again in Paris at the end of August. Sure wish the 2 months would fly by as fast as my 10 days in Barcelona did!
1 comments:
nice, very nice.... it is almost like speaking to JIll. I lve it. Glad she had fun and I am sure you were all thrilled to see her!
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