Spain Part 8

Spain
Part 8:
Wrapping it Up
The Final Entry

I know, I know, I’ve disappointed those of you who have been following closely. But those who have a life, a home and a family know that time is short, and precious, and crammed full of laundry, etc. And those of you who write know that it takes a looooooong time and the pictures take even longer to format. I apologize for not getting back here sooner.

My final thoughts on Spain…

After a very, VERY grueling trip home (delays, missed flights, up for over 24 hours but got kicked back $1400 for our troubles – thanks!), we want to travel again. Soon. Our final days in San Sebastian were awesome. Our day on the beach was priceless. And the people we met along the way only reaffirmed our desire to explore this planet, though I am DONE with the Dutch language. Damnmit, people! Either spit out that loogie you keep hacking up or swallow! No joke – the language is a little much.

Would we return to the same cities? Barcelona, totally! San Sebastian, definitely. Madrid, ya, don’t think so. Barcelona is waaaaay too much fun and San Sebastian is so gorgeous. Just a jaunt on the soft, sandy beaches is enough to make you buy another plane ticket as soon as you get home. And the food? Well, raw funny lookin’ fish is not usually on my menu. Sushi yes, tapas no. Paella? Yes – watch out for eyeballs. And watch out for food that “isn’t but should be” refrigerated, a.k.a. milk, eggs, etc. No eggs for me thanks, I’m driving.

But I KNOW you are just DYING to hear my take on the fashion scene. Am I right or am I right? Right?!? The Spaniards definitely know how to use their Bedazzler. Rhinestones are aplenty as are colorful designs. A lot of black? Nope. Color reigns, the brighter the better. But where, you may ask, can you find European style shoes in the U.S.? Aldo is going to be your best bet, www.zappos.com is also a definite hit. I didn’t buy any shoes while I was there. SHOCKER!! To be honest, I was already sportin’ my black pointy toe boots and knew I had several euro styles at home. This trip just reaffirmed my need for MORE euro shoes. Wink.

But what about doing the motorcycle thing in Spain? (Many have asked.) Trust me. Terry was fogging up the window in the train as he stared at endless open roads. I think he’s already planning his trip. You know that when Jack gets of age it’s going to be "Adventure Trio Conquers Europe on Two Wheels". Nice. Need to start saving now.

The best part? Being with each other. Wouldn't trade our experience for any amount of money. My family rocks. My husband is the most awesome person I know. And Jack, he is loved more and more each day. He continues to amaze us. He's so cool. When we were at SFO waiting to see if our backpacks made it through the maze of plane changes, Jack turned to me and said, "I really had a great time in Spain." Nuff said.

Northern Spain countryside on our train ride to San Sebastian. Totally awesome.

Squid ink. SQUID INK?!?!?!?

Our day on the beach. Priceless.

Hey Jack, is the water cold?

Diggin' the scene.

Watching the waves roll in...and out...

He asked to be buried in sand...I swear!

A view of our hotel right from where we played.

We HAD to do laundry at some point. We were startin' to get a lil' stanky.

How could we NOT dine at such a fine establishment?

Came upon this shirt while shopping at Zara. I think there was a little something lost in translation. I looked like a fool taking a pic of a shirt, but it had to be done. Anyone willing to where it?!?

A little gelato, some pigeon chasing, it was all good.

Too cute not to post.

Up at 4AM to catch the train back to Madrid. One backpacker...

...two backpackers...

...and this gung-ho backpacker number three.

Jack totally dug our last hotel, complete with bunkbeds. OF COURSE we let him fall asleep on the top bunk that didn't have any rails...then gently placed him on the bottom bunk. A short nights sleep was had by all as we were up by 3AM to catch our 6AM flight to Amsterdam. Like I said earlier, we had missed flights, delayed flights, you name it. We didn't get into SFO till 7:30PM, very little sleep on the plane. How many hours were we awake? You do the math, I'm going back to bed.