Coffee, Crafts & Conversation: July 2016

Monday, July 25, 2016

Spain || Week Two

Monday, July 18th

Adventure of the day: baking muffins with the kids, building a castle fort, cooking lunch for Mama and shopping in town. One thing I learned in the City Center today, body language does not need to be interpreted.

Makeup free. Sea-salty hair. Gap cap.

Tuesday, July 19th

Adventure of the day: hiking 4 miles with Marta & Albert and taking a slight (2.5 mile) detour... Tonight, I went to the Barcelona History Museum. The museum brings you underground where they have excavated an entire town with artifacts dating back to 15BC. It was incredible!

At the History Museum, located in the Gothic District, I learned that some of the first humans settled in this area - they have artifacts from 4,000+ BC.

Monestir de Montserrat

Wednesday, July 20th

Adventure of the day: Pajama Pamper Party with Marta while Albert was at a doctors appointment and then attending the mid-week church service overlooking the most beautiful mountain range!

Thursday, July 21st

Adventure of the day: falling in love. His name is GAUDI and he was an architect, painter, sculptor, creator, innovator, philanthropist and proud Catalan. The kids and I spent a few hours at the Gaudi Museum and a new friend took me on a walking tour of Guadi's Art throughout the city. We ended the tour by climbing to the top of the 2nd highest peak for the best view of the city lit by the sun setting.

Unfinished Church by Guadi

Two Guadi Buildings in Barcelona

Friday, July 22nd

Adventure of the day: taking the Telefèric de Montjuïc (cable car) to the top of a mountain overlooking the sea with beautiful panoramic views of the city. At the top of the mountain is a Fortress built in the 11th century that was upgraded to a castle around 1700AD.

Castle/Fortress

So excited for our cable car ride!

Saturday, July 23rd

Adventure of the day: Exploring Cadaques and hearing so clearly from God! This village is paradise ❤️

Playing in the Mediterranean Sea

Sunday, July 24th

Adventure of the day: admiring Marta play violin in the village while the sun set & assisting Albert sell lemonade!

"Paradise"

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This week I had a couple of really remarkable moments and had the opportunity to pray for two different strangers! To be across the world and in just the right spot for God to move is an incredible experience. Isolation and being out-of-routine is exactly what the doctor ordered to refocus my mind and life. #sograteful

much love!

Abby

Monday, July 18, 2016

Spain || Week One

Wednesday, July 13th

Adventure of the day: getting lost in the streets of Barcelona and ending up in front of the Cathedral.

Marta, Albert and I ventured into Barcelona on our own today which take about 20 minutes by train. We got off in the center of the city and started walking toward what we thought was the Museum of Ideas and Inventions. We walked 20 minutes in the wrong direction before we stopped and asked for help. With the guidance of a handful of helpful natives and Marta's interpreting, we made it past the Cathedral to the museum behind it.

Thursday, July 14th

Adventure of the day: biking to San Cugat City Center, admiring the Monastery, eating ice cream and drinking espresso with Marta. [Thank you, Brice, for the American Eagle backpack!]

Albert had piano class today so Marta and I took bikes to the Sant Cugat City Center which is centered on a Monastery that was built in the 6th Century. Marta and I found a cozy cafe and read for a while before heading back home by bike.

Friday, July 15th

Adventure of the day: going to an art store in Sant Cugart with Marta and then getting an amazing coffee. Also, taking the train to Barcelona and wondering the streets all by myseeeelf! [I did miss my stop on the way home but for a girl who has never used public transportation.. This is a big feat!!]

In the afternoon, I was some time to myself and decided to head into Barcelona and do touristy things - took pictures of every building, admired the sea and the sail boats, watched street performers with awe and popped in and out of shops. There is so much history and art around every corner!

Saturday, July 16th

Adventure of the day: going to the BEST market in Barcelona called La Boqueria. We purchased fresh fish (which had been swimming in the Mediterranean yesterday), veggies, fruit, beans and, of course, an espresso.

I learned the ins and outs of buying from this type of market - I completely underestimated the price we've paid to replace this experience with convenience.
Jorge, the kid's dad, took Marta and I to the biggest market in Barcelona this morning. He pointed out the different shops and types of food available. Afterwards, we went to meet Albert and his mom, Anna, for a piano recital.

Sunday, July 27th

Adventure of the day: venturing into Barcelona for church in the morning, beach in the afternoon, and then traditional Spanish dinner with extended family.

It was an hour commute and 7,000 steps, but I made my way to International Church in Barcelona for a 10AM service. I got a little teary eyed toward the end of the service feeling like I have a community to belong to in Spain! I had been speaking to Brice about feeling all alone so I'm hoping to make some connections here. ICB is a lot like Passion Church with enthusiastically welcoming atmosphere, great worship and an inspiring message. In the bottom picture, it's the Mediterranean Sea on the left, the city of Barcelona in the background and a sailboat port to the right. ⛵️

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Adventure: Arrival, Local Parks & City Center

(If you are new to Coffee, Crafts & Conversation, here is the basis of my recent posts: My next great adventure is beginning on July 10th, 2016 when I'll be flying to Spain for the summer. July & August will be spent with a wonderful family serving as their aupair and the last month I'll be hiking El Camino de Santiago [which is a 500 mile pilgrimage] through the country with a friend.)

Flight Itinerary

I said my final goodbyes on Sunday morning, 7/10/16 and left for the airport at 11AM. Made it through security with only one minor misunderstanding - long story short, TSA gained a brand new swiss army knife (sorry dad) and they now know I wasn't hiding anything else!

My flight from MSP to NYC took off at 1:30PM CST and the flight from NYC to BCN took off at 10PM EST. I felt SO blessed when I realized that my seat-buddy wasn't flying with us so I got both seats in the row to myself! It was ideal because I was able move to the window and stretch out for the entire over-night flight! #favor
We landed at 11:30AM EUP timezone on Monday, 7/11/16.

Barcelona!

After getting my passport checked, I gathered my bags and headed towards the exit to meet my new host family... Anna, Marta and Albert where in the front of the crowd waiting with a bouquet of candy flowers and signs with my name! They are such a warm and welcoming family!

Made it!

Anna suggested I stay up all day in order to avoid jetleg so after lunch, we took a car ride to see the city from the mountain top.

Albert, myself and Marta

Barcelona

I wish you could see the vintage flats,

colorful buildings, fast motorbikes, lush

green mountains, and the perfectly blue ocean.

First Full Day

Our big adventure for my first full day in the country was visiting a local park! Parks are ALL the rage in Barcelona with some pretty impressive arrangements. Albert and I visited one near the house while Anna and Marta ran an errand.

We met a new local mom from Oregon with two young daughters whose husband recently accepted a job with HP Corp in the area and two other aupairs.

After the park, Anna took the kids and I to the City Center to explore and get ice cream! It's walking only in the City Center between shops, movie theater and restaurants. The streets are narrow and old, built centuries ago with such careful craftsmanship. The character & beauty is unparalleled. As the main focal point of the City is an old Cathedral built in the 9th Century (front is pictured below). Monks lived on the complex up until the late 1800's and now it's used for Mass and tourism.