DAY 77: Day One of Marisa's Spanish Getaway!

My best friend, Marisa Kiefaber, otherwise known as "Kief" came to visit me in Spain!!! She was here for 10 days, and 10 days only, so Lizzy and I planned as best we could so she could see as much of Spain as possible.

FIRST STOP: BARCELONA!! 

Lizzy and I dropped the kids off at school and then hopped on the metro to the train station. Hopped on a train to Barcelona, and BOOM BABY! We were there!! 

Kief and Lizzy

Now, Kief is quite the traveling. She spent 5 months teaching children in Peru when she was 18 and spent her second semester Sophomore year at UVM studying abroad in Mexico. Her minor was in Spanish because, obvi, she's good at it! Right before she came to Spain, she had just finished hiking the Appalachian Trail, and before that did a road trip around the country. So yeah, my best friend is pretty damn cool. 

So when we were deciding how to meet up with Kief, I was fairly confident in her abilities not only with the Spanish language, but also in how she travels. We gave her the directions from the airport to the hostel (which was not close by, might I add) and told her we would meet her there. Truthfully, I might be nervous telling anyone else to do this. Fear of them getting lost would really worry me. But with Kief, I never worry. 

Sure enough, about 15 minutes after we arrived, she strolled through the door of the hostel!! I practically tackled her, I was so excited. And this sweet angel carried around a 40 pound bag of goodies for us from our parents! I could have kissed her!

We knew she would be pretty jet lagged, so we spent a pretty lazy evening in Barcelona. We walked around past one of the Gaudi Museums and came across the Barcelona Cathedral. We watched as these dancers spun around in front of it inside of these giant hoolah-hoops. It sounds really weird, but it was actually quite amazing to watch. 

We continued down to the water front and ate dinner and watched the sun set. We kept walking around- found a park, more cathedrals, more Gaudi stuff (more on that later), ate ice cream, got sangria. Typical mellow evening in Spain!

The one and only: KIEF!

DAYS 68-70: First Halloween, Cinchon, and Real Madrid Basketball

The school that the kids go to was making some repairs, and therefore the children were off of school for the day. Which meant that these lucky little monsters had NO SCHOOL ON HALLOWEEN!!!

Lizzy and her three munchkins came over in the morning and we all played basketball and UNO, of course. Paloma was the only one missing as she went to the nursery school that morning, but we were joined by my kid's cousin Felix (who is absolutely adorable). Lizzy and I made lasagna for the kids! But of course Marta refused to eat it because it had cheese in it (what a weirdo...) and Anna tried not to eat it because Marta didn't. Classic.  But Danny had 5 servings of it, so I would say that overall, it was a success!

After lunch, we watched Hillary Duff's first movie, "Casper Meets Wendy" which is the far less scary sequel to "Casper the Friendly Ghost". I had never seen it before, and in truth, I never hope to see it again. I know she's only like 10, but Hillary Duff sounds like she's on helium the whole movie. Who knew girl's voices changed so much when they hit puberty??

The kids had a fun time watching the movie, and afterwards, it was time to get ready!!!

So here's the rundown:

Lucas (mine) was Darth Vader.

Marta was Elsa from Frozen. 

Jaime was a Cowboy.

Paloma was a Fairy Princess. 

Danny was a Robber. 

Lucas (Lizzy's) was a Super Hero. 

Anna was a Princess.  

Lizzy was a Salt Shaker. 

I was a Pepper Shaker.

Anna and Marta

Oh my goodness gracious, they had so much fun getting ready! We even did some face paint makeup on the girls- they loved it! Pilar came home early with Paloma and waited with the kids while Lizzy and I ran to the park to set up the games. 

Of course, what Halloween Party goes without Pumpkin Carving?!? Angela had to pre-order us pumpkins from the grocery store, and although they weren't terribly big, they worked. We also had donuts hanging off strings, which for those of you who had miserable childhoods and don't know, this game is where you try to eat the donut without letting it fall to the ground while not using your hands. I got to say, Anna was quite the champ. She and her little friend dressed like Dracula really went for it. 

Angela tells Anna's friend, "Wow! You really look like a vampire!"

Anna says to her mother, "No he doesn't. He looks like Prince Charming."

Anna and her Prince Charming

The kids had fun carving pumpkins, but didn't care too much for the bobbing for apples. Angela's sister and 3 year old son came as well, and we had fun taking pictures of all the kids together with their pumpkins. 

As the evening drew to a close, we bribed the kids with candy to help us pick up the pumpkin seeds (god, we are awesome nannies...) and headed home. I returned to join Lizzy and her place before setting out for Halloween in Downtown Madrid!

We took the subway into Sol, and I swear, I have never seen more people with fake blood and sticthes in my entire life. There was a band of college kids heading to the bars, and they asked us what we were. 

"We are Salt and Pepper Shakers!" 

"Oh, I see! Wait, I don't get it, that's not scary..."

"Well, in the States, people don't always dress up as scary things. It's a night where you can be anything you want to be! Most costumes are just clever or funny."

"Right..." They looked at us like we were crazy. 

HEY! I'M FROM AMERICA AND YOU'RE NOT SO STOP TRYING TO STEAL OUR HOLIDAYS AND CHANGE THE RULES AROUND THIS IS NOT OKAY!

From Left to Right: Danny, David (cousin), Alvaro (Anna's friend), Anna, Lucas, Lucas, Jaime, Marta, and Paloma

Salt and Pepper's Here!

Phew. ANYWAY... Throughout the night, we got quite a few weird looks because we weren't scary. Whatever, I thought our costumes were inspired. We actually got the idea from one of the books that Lizzy reads to Anna every night by Kevin Henkes called "Chester's Way." It's about these two boys, Chester and Wilson, who do everything together. At one point, they show Chester and Wilson's Halloween costumes from the past few years which included Salt and Pepper, Two Peas in a Pod, and Mittens. So we thought we would do a Chester and Wilson costume because Anna loves it so much, but also because we really do come in a pair like they do. We bought cheap t-shirts from the grocery store and black and white felt for the letters from the cheap-o Chinese Store around the corner along with two army helmets. We covered the helmets with aluminum foil (your welcome Mom, for not saying Tin Foil. She's such a Chemistry Teacher...) and then stuck black felt to the top and the holes in the shaker. I have to say, I thought we looked pretty good!

Anyways, we had fun dancing and made sure to take our picture in front of the Madrid Bear eating the Strawberry Bush, which marks the center of Madrid and Spain! We had a really great day and night for our very first Halloween away from home. 

The next day, Pilar and Luis took the kids and I to Chinchon. 

Paloma and Luis in Chinchon

FUN FACT #44: Chinchon is a town right outside of Madrid with only 5,000 people. Neolithic remains have been found in the area which makes this place pretty freakin' old. The Plaza Mayor, or the Main Plaza, is used as a bull fighting ring during the month of October. When the festival is over, the temporary ring is taken down and the Plaza continues to be used as outdoor seating for restaurants and donkey rides for kids. 

Now unfortunately, because my phone was stolen, I no longer have the pictures from this day. But we had lunch at a restaurant right on the bull ring and then took a quick stroll to a play ground that overlooked the city. I have one photo of Paloma and Luis as we walked back down from the play ground back to the car.

The next day, Sunday, Pilar and Luis took the four kids plus Lizzy and I to a Real Madrid Basketball game! We had a great time- especially because Madrid kicked Valencia's butt. Again, phone is gone, but I have one picture of the court from our spot in the nosebleed's. (That was a fun expression to explain to Pilar and Luis...)

DAYS 62-63: Natural Science Museum and Angela's Birthday Hike

The weekend after Amsterdam, Pilar and Luis took the kids and I to the Natural Science Museum. Unfortunately, I no longer have pictures from that day, as my phone was stolen. But we had a really good time looking at all the cool animals and skeletons of mammoths and saber tooth tigers!

On Sunday, Lizzy and I joined Angela and Alvaro with the kids and a few of their close friends for a hike to celebrate Angela's birthday!! 

We drove about 45 minutes to a town called Manzanares.

The super giant goat we saw

FUN FACT #43: Manzanares is named after the river that runs through it, called the Manzanares River, which also runs through Madrid.

There was quite the crew of us- Angela, Alvaro, the three kids, Lizzy and I as well as two other families and their kids. We carried a bunch of food in with us and set up some of the moms and the younger kids with their own picnic area. Then me, Lizzy, Angela, Alvaro, their two sons Danny and Lucas and their friend and his father set off to go straight up the rock!

Lizzy with Danny and Lucas at the top of the mountain

The plan was to make it to this giant rock that had the shape of an elephant. Alvaro led the way up the mountains as we passed many people rock climbing. When we got to a big overlook of the Manzanares city, we took out our lunches and enjoyed the view. Our break was short lived however and we were off again in search of the "elephant rock".

As we set off down the path, we stopped short. A huge, and I mean HUGE mountain goat was in our way. Like, this thing was massive. The boys were so funny- they got so quiet and were trying to sneak up and take a picture of it. We quietly took a little detour and kept going.

Anna and I singing our way home

Unfortunately, we were not able to reach the elephant rock in time for the sun set. So we turned around and headed back down the mountain. Anna and I sang "Frozen" and "The Sound of Music" (her new favorite) the whole walk back to the cars. We grabbed a couple beers to cheers Angela's birthday and then we were on our way back to Madrid. It was a lovely day back in the mountains, and Lizzy and I had so much fun.

The whole gang. Happy Birthday Angela!

DAY 61: Van Gogh and the Windmills

On this lovely Sunday morning, we woke up extra early to use the last few hours of our bike rentals. So we hopped on the bikes and meandered our way around a marathon track that ran through the city and made our way to the Rijksmuseum, which is the Netherlands National History Museum. It is here that has the famous "I Amsterdam" sign in front of it.

In truth, I have no idea where the "I Amsterdam" saying comes from, and when I looked it up, this was all I found. "'I Amsterdam' began as the marketing campaign for the Amsterdam Area and its business and promotional organizations, but quickly took on a life of its own, becoming a collective catch phrase for the city's residents, regardless of who they are or where they come from." 

No, the painting is not actually this big...

In any case, it is a pretty cool place in front of a beautiful building, so like regular tourists Lizzy and I went to take pictures there. Lucky for us, there was no one there because it was so early in the morning!! So we took our pictures as the sun came up and continued to ride around the park to find the Van Gogh Museum. 

Van Gogh's Self Portrait, pre-ear chopping

When we arrived, again, no one was there! Apparently no one wakes up before 10 on Sundays in Europe. So we sauntered straight into the museum with no line and began our tour of one of the world's most famous artists. 

FUN FACT #41: Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting while he was alive and did not become famous until his sister-in-law sold his paintings after his death. 

"Almond Blossoms"

It was a pretty cool museum. As you moved around the building and up to the different floors, you were able to follow the paintings throughout his life. It was really interesting to see the differences in his artwork as his life changed. Most people only remember that he cut off his ear, but in the grand scheme of the museum posters written about him, they mention it only once in one sentence near the end of the trip. 

"Irises in Vase"- my favorite painting

He was a very interesting guy, and for a man who only lived to be 37, he made over 900 paintings! His most famous, Starry Night, which he painted while he was in an insane asylum, is not located in this museum, but actually in New York City. Go figure. But we saw his famous self portraits as well as his famous "Sunflowers"and "Almond Blossoms" paintings. My favorite, by far, was called "Irises in Vase". In person, this painting is unbelievably gorgeous. 




When we finished with the Van Gogh Museum, we rode our bikes around the Vondelpark until we had to return them to our hostel. It was a beautiful ride- though a bit awkward as we had to ride around the marathon. After we returned the bikes, we went into the city and got a quick and cheap lunch and ate falafels on the banks of a canal. How picturesque. 

FUN FACT #42: Amsterdam has more canals than Venice! What is even better is that they actually form a cohesive network throughout the city- unlike in Venice.  

One of the many things that The Netherlands is famous for is its windmills. In Zaanse Schans, just an hour away, are a number of working windmills. We decided to catch a bus and see them!

When we arrived, the weather was kind of crumby, but the clouds parted for us as the sun set, and it was beautiful! We took a million pictures and enjoyed the scenery before returning back to Amsterdam. 

That night, we got Thai food for dinner, because everyone knows that Thai food is always cheap and always good- no matter what city you go to! A beautiful cinema was right next to our restaurant, so we looked up what they were showing. "Gone Girl" had just come out, so we decided to see it. It was phenomenal. I highly suggest seeing it if you haven't yet! 

Following the movie, we headed back to the hostel for the night and left Amsterdam early the next day. It was sad to say goodbye to such a beautiful place (with such amazing food!) but we missed the kids and it was time to return to Spain. 

DAY 60: Anne Frank House, Canal Cruise, and the Red Light District by LIZZY!

Going behind the Bookcase into the Frank family hiding space

This post is written by the classiest girl I'll ever know, Elizabeth Laura Appleby: 

October 18^th: Amsterdam 

After the night out, we allowed ourselves to “sleep in”. We woke up around 8 and made our way to the (free) breakfast. You may have picked out that we look for 2 things when it comes to hostels: cheap and free. This one provided free wifi and free breakfast… we were sold. We waited in a decent line for a breakfast that included sandwich meats, rolls, different kinds of fruit, cereal, NORMAL!!!! milk, and coffee. We ate as much as we could and went to rent bikes, which was on our checklist of must-dos in Amsterdam. The bikes were bright orange with interesting baskets to fasten our belongings onto. We got on the bikes and followed the canals to the Anne Frank house. We parked the bikes right in front of the house, and then saw the line… We walked to what we though the end was, and found that it continued for 2 more blocks. 

The Diary of Anne Frank

I had just finished reading The Diary of a Young Girl, and visiting the house was another thing on our checklist. So, after finding the end of the line, we began our 2-hour wait. We have gotten really good at waiting in lines… but at this point we had played Harry Potter character 20 questions so many times that we couldn’t possibly think of any characters we hadn’t done (and we know a disgusting amount… that’s what listening to the books-on-tape for 15 years will do to ya), so we have moved on to 20 Questions-Anyone-You-Can-Think-Of. I grabbed us some hot chocolate and we played for the next few hours… it really does make the time fly! We made friends with two girls behind us, and chatted until we reached the door. 

The pasted photographs Anne put up in her bedroom

The Annex was amazing, almost exactly as I had pictured it. It was surreal to be in a place where such an incredible story took place. The size of the rooms, the darkness, and the steep staircases took me by surprise. We winded our way through the rooms for about an hour and then stepped back into the Amsterdam light. Right next-door was a bagel shop (which is a big deal for us, considering our favorite restaurant is Burlington Bagel and you can’t find a freaking bagel in Spain). We sat on the edge of the canal and happily ate our mediocre bagels. 

As we were finishing, we saw that a canal boat tour was about to leave. We decided to take a tour, and got tickets at a nearby convenient story. It was a sunny day, so we hopped on the boat and listened to the audio guide speak almost every language you can think of. We traveled through the canals until we reached the Amsterdam harbor. The boat began making a really loud beeping sound and we realized that we were in trouble. The driver made his way to a dock, and tied us to a large metal pipe. He didn’t bother telling us what was going on, so Dee and I took a nap in the sun. After an hour of sitting there, people began to get pretty angry. Some carefully scooted along the tube, climbed up the deck and left, others hopped on another boat. Although frustrated, we were not in any hurry, so we waited another 20 minutes for the boat to be fixed, finished the tour, and hopped off.

Stuck on the canal cruise in the Amsterdam harbor

View of the canal in the opposite direction of the Red Light District

 At this point it was pretty late in the afternoon. We ditched other plans, and decided to go see the Red Light District. Another must see in Amsterdam. We navigated our bikes through the streets, and found our way there. Many people told us that we would be scared and lose our appetite by what we would see, so we were ready for anything. I have to say that it wasn’t as bad as I expected… although it was disturbing seeing the girls “at work”, there weren’t as many as I expected… maybe they were busy? We saw a woman sitting on a stool in a small room waving and winking at us. Behind her was another door, presumably to lead her customers to a more private area. Next to this woman's booth were many other booths- except they were all empty. (I wonder why??) Dee and I considered sitting around and timing how long each "session" took in one of these booths, but decided that might be a bit rude. 

Everything in this area seemed to have a theme (I’m sure you can imagine…) including postcards, t-shirts, posters, aprons and condoms. Other than the women behind the windows, the street and canal were actually really beautiful. We didn’t stay long, but we saw enough. 

At this point, the sun was starting to set and we were getting hungry. After stopping for some wine, we made our way towards our hostel, where we had seen an Italian restaurant that had caught our interest. We have made it a goal that we eat at an Italian restaurant in every European city that we go to… and this seemed to fit that goal. We (by accidentally) cut a couple waiting for a table and sat down. Apparently ordering just tap water is not an option, you HAVE to pay for a drink, so we opted for diet cokes and quickly ordered a pizza and a piece lasagna to share. Both were good, the lasagna definitely beat Paris’s, and we headed back home to get ready for another night out. 

After some wifi time, somehow one of our bottles of wine shattered all over the lobby floor... slightly embarrassing, especially since the sign on the door reads “no food or drinks allowed”. After

Us and our drunken friend....

showering, changing, listening to our favorite Britney Spears songs, and drinking some wine, we set off for the bars. We sat back and people watched as we enjoyed some drinks. The night was pretty uneventful besides making friends with some Dutch guys and watching a drunken older man hit on everything that moves, including us, multiple times. He even paid for a polaroid to be take of us, as long as he got to be in the picture! As you can see, he was a bit smashed. It was a pretty funny night, and although we did not get to dance, we had a good night enjoying Amsterdam’s night scene. 

DAY 59: Amsterdam

Like our trip to Paris, our flight to Amsterdam was at 7:30am, but unlike our trip to Paris, we did not sleep through our alarm. We took a taxi to the airport with plenty of time to spare and stepped on the plane bound for what has now become my favorite city in Europe. 

First off, let me just say, that as soon as Lizzy and I got off the plane, English was the first language we heard spoken by almost everyone around us. As we got into the city, we heard more Dutch being spoken, but almost EVERYONE SPOKE ENGLISH!! It was heaven on earth, I’ll tell ya. 

Secondly, I was immediately struck by the height difference. I am 5’6”. Very average height for a woman in the United States. Lizzy, on the other hand, is 6’ tall. Not so average for an American woman. Lizzy one time told me that her family got themselves extra tall toilets for a Christmas present for themselves. Definitely not average. 

What I’m getting at here is that while in Spain, I felt tall. Most guys were a few inches taller than me, but not by much. Lizzy was the tallest person in almost every room. So when we went to The Netherlands, I yelled, “LIZZY!! We are among your kind now!!” For the first time since middle school, I was once again the shortest person in every room, and also the only brunette. 

Anyway… upon arrival, we caught a bus into the city center. We had directions from the stop to our hostel 5 minutes away directly next to the Vondelpark, which was Amsterdam's version of Central Park. 

The hostel, named StayOkay hostel, was one of the best places we have stayed in so far. A 24 hour desk, free wifi in the lobby, free breakfast, and bike rentals, we were extremely happy. Our roommates for the first night were a few German girls who were incredibly nice as well as an older Scottish woman (who didn’t smell too good…) but was friendly enough. Lizzy and I both had some difficulty understanding what she was saying, but we hoped that was just because she was missing some teeth and not a reflection on all Scottish accents. (Otherwise, we would have some problems when we went to Scotland after our 3 months in Spain were up…)

After we locked up our stuff, we went for a walk around the city. We didn’t exactly have a big plan set for Amsterdam. Paris had all of these different monuments and historically significant buildings that we HAD to see, but Amsterdam wasn’t like that.

Directly out the front door of the hostel was an entrance to the Vondelpark. 

FUN FACT #39: The Vondelpark was open to the public in 1865 and is 120 acres. 

The Vondelpark is GORGEOUS! This is really my kind of park- it is very overgrown with really old willow trees and lots of bike paths and ponds. We walked around for a long time until we came out of the other side of the park to find a lovely little cafe. Starving, we ode red a couple of turkey sandwiches that literally changed our lives. This was the first sandwich I had had since arriving in Europe that wasn’t pre made and sitting in a display window for hours on end. It was on homemade brown bread with tomato mayo. If I could marry this sandwich, I would. It was that good. Lizzy and I still talk about it. A truly magical experience. Like if I sat in front of the Mirror of Erised, I would see myself eating that sandwich. It was that good. 

After lunch, Lizzy and I got lost in Amsterdam. Not the least bit stressed, we walked around aimlessly shopping enjoying the sights. 

FUN FACT #40: Heineken Lager Beer was first brewed by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in 1873 in the Netherlands and is still brewed there today. 

Stupidly, we didn’t realize that Heineken was made in The Netherlands until we got there. There were so many Heineken signs and restaurants everywhere!! We grabbed dinner and some drinks at one and hit the hay early.  Big plans for tomorrow!

DAY 54: The One-Man Cathedral

So today we went on a little excursion into the surrounding areas of Madrid with Alvaro and Angela. 

Alvaro mentioned a cathedral that was being built on the outskirts of Madrid made entirely of recycled materials. He was kind of laughing when he told us about it- he said how the one man who was building it became famous for his work a few years back when he was featured in a soda commercial. Since then, the man has had a few documentaries done about his work and his story is known throughout Spain. 

Angela kind of laughed about the story- neither of them had ever been there before. They knew where it was located, but insisted that this was a really weird thing to see and they weren’t sure if it would be worth the trip. I mentioned the idea to Pilar and Luis, who also laughed, and said they had not been there either but were eager to check it out. Apparently, this is one of those rare and strange oddities that everyone is intrigued by, including

us! So we decided to go.

So this Sunday morning, Alvaro, Angela, and Lizzy came by my place to pick me up and we were on our way to the One Man Cathedral!

FUN FACT #36: Justo Gallego Martinez was born in 1925, which now makes him 89 years old. In 1953, he joined a monastery, but was forced to leave in 1961 when he contracted tuberculosis. He made a promise that if he recovered from the tuberculosis, he would build a cathedral on the tract of land left to him by his parents. His prayers were answered and he has been constructing this cathedral ever since!!

The town that the cathedral is in is called Mejorada del Campo and is definitely not the kind of place you would want to walk around alone at night. The town was DEAD while we drove around looking for parking- but that is typical on a Sunday in Spain. 

Personally, I wasn’t expecting much. A small church with some stained glass or something. Nothing compared to what we actually saw. 

HOLY GUACAMOLE THIS PLACE WAS GIGANTIC!! 

No joke, it’s actually the size of a real life cathedral. 

FUN FACT #37: The outer dimensions are 20x50 meters (or 65x165 feet). The main dome is 131 feet high and 40 feet in diameter. 

So ya, this thing is pretty freakin’ big. 

The four of us honestly were in a bit of shock by the whole thing. It’s free entry, they just ask for donations at the door. Angela, and architect, was pretty concerned about the support beams and the materials used to hold everything up. Yet for some reason, we still thought it would be chill to walk around the balconies and rooftops of the whole cathedral. Typical. My Grandma would have had a heart attack. But I think my Grandpa would have volunteered his services to help make it structurally sound. That is totally something he would do. 

Anyways, we laughed and explored for a while. I couldn’t get over how the man painted some frescos on the walls, and yet didn't have coverings over the dome yet. His building methods are definitely a bit unorthodox. 

He even built a crypt under the church! Which seems a bit odd as I’m assuming no one is buried under there yet. Maybe he means it to be for himself… I mean, he’s gettin’ up there. 

After we made a few donations and got back in the car, Angela and Alvaro told us they wanted to take us to lunch to a city called Alcala de Henares. 

FUN FACT #38: Alcala is the city that Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, was born!

When we arrived at the city, we immediately knew that there was some big event happening. Many of the streets were closed down, we didn't see many people, and there was ZERO parking. Sure signs of a fiesta!

Every city in Spain has it’s own holiday, it seems, and this one was to celebrate Cervantes. Although Alvaro and Angela were a bit disappointed that we wouldn't be able to easily walk the streets and see the sights, Lizzy and I were pretty excited to see the festival. Everyone was dressed up in medieval garb and had their own tents selling things like smoked meats, cheese, and arts and crafts. The city was packed with people, and there was food everywhere. 

Alvaro and Angela paid for our entry into Cervantes’ original home, which was pretty cool. It was one of those very traditional Spanish homes with the courtyard in the middle. All of the rooms were kept in original condition as much as possible which was very cool. One room had puppets of Don Quixote characters, which immediately prompted Lizzy and I to sing, “High on a hill was a lonely goatherd, Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo!!” 

After we had some food and walked around a bit, we hopped back in the car and headed back to Madrid. We had a really nice relaxing only adult day, saw some interesting sights, and enjoyed great company.