Steve writing:
Today we left our apartment around 10:00 to go to the Science Park. We drove, but given how difficult it is to get into and out of the under-reconstruction store we're parking in, we decided we weren't going to drive again here if we can help it. No point in scratching the car somewhere else!
The science park was fun, but we probably left too late in the day for it without packing anything more than just some fish-shaped salty crackers for the kids and no lunch for us. So even though we didn't see all the park had to offer, we left around 12:30 having seen most of the stuff the kids would enjoy. That's where I first spotted the purple wisteria vines/trees that I became enamored of and pointed out every time we passed them for the rest of the trip!
At home by 1:00, we had our normal at-home lunch of PB+J sandwiches with apples, carrots, yogurt, and milk. Then we started a load of laundry (hooray for an apartment with a washing machine!) and headed out for a walking tour of Al Bayazin. We walked up a river at the base of the slope beneath the Alhambra, then up a looooooong steep hill that curved up away from the Alhambra onto the hill next to it. This led to the San Nicolas church that was not nearly as impressive as the view of Alhambra from the plaza in front of it. There we enjoyed listening to some buskers sing and play flamenco music while we snacked on cheese and crackers. This time I'd brought along some chocolatey snacks to give to the kids every time we paused our walk either to find directions or rest, and they were much less irritated / irritating as a result. We saw lots of beautiful houses and flowers and churches and alleys on our walk, and got all the exercise we need for about a week.
On the way home we purchased some Piononos, a dessert I was introduced to by our guide the last time I was here. Imagine cinnamon rolls soaked to sogginess in light syrup, then put flan on top. That's kind of like a Pionono. We ate them after our at-home dinner of spaghetti with peas and some sauce called tomatas fritas, that tasted a bit like marinara sauce but was much creamier (we couldn't find spaghetti sauce at El Corte Ingles when we went shopping our first night here). Just before we started eating, our host showed up to fix the internet, and (of course) it worked without him doing anything after I'd tried 50 times to do the exact same steps I followed when I started to show him the problem. Oh, well. At least we could use the internet finally. Then after dinner, we ate the Piononos, and I did the dishes while Rachel journaled about what we did the day before. We rested a bit, then headed out once again for a small but excellent Flamenco show. The kids did a great job (helped along by another box of those chocolate snacks), so we got to enjoy the show the whole time without feeling self-conscious about their behavior. Elliott spent the first song and a half either hiding in a corner behind my backpack or burying his face in my shirt, terrified for some reason. But when the female dancer came out, he began to watch and get interested as the show got louder and faster-paced. Amelia spent the female dancer's entire performance absolutely transfixed. Rachel had told her a lady was going to come out in a pretty dress and dance, and I don't think Amelia blinked through the entire performance! I figured the kids would fall asleep because the show didn't even start until after their bedtime, but they both watched and even started twiddling their fingers and clapping along during the male dancer's performance and the encores. The guy's feet were like machine guns! It was pretty great.
Then we came home, put the kids to bed, went to bed ourselves so we could have all our energy for the Alhambra the next day! And just before we fell asleep, Rachel said, "Hey Steve! Put your hand here!" And I felt baby girl #2 kick for the first time. A great way to end the day. Maybe she was inspired by the flamenco show. :)
Today we left our apartment around 10:00 to go to the Science Park. We drove, but given how difficult it is to get into and out of the under-reconstruction store we're parking in, we decided we weren't going to drive again here if we can help it. No point in scratching the car somewhere else!
The science park was fun, but we probably left too late in the day for it without packing anything more than just some fish-shaped salty crackers for the kids and no lunch for us. So even though we didn't see all the park had to offer, we left around 12:30 having seen most of the stuff the kids would enjoy. That's where I first spotted the purple wisteria vines/trees that I became enamored of and pointed out every time we passed them for the rest of the trip!
At home by 1:00, we had our normal at-home lunch of PB+J sandwiches with apples, carrots, yogurt, and milk. Then we started a load of laundry (hooray for an apartment with a washing machine!) and headed out for a walking tour of Al Bayazin. We walked up a river at the base of the slope beneath the Alhambra, then up a looooooong steep hill that curved up away from the Alhambra onto the hill next to it. This led to the San Nicolas church that was not nearly as impressive as the view of Alhambra from the plaza in front of it. There we enjoyed listening to some buskers sing and play flamenco music while we snacked on cheese and crackers. This time I'd brought along some chocolatey snacks to give to the kids every time we paused our walk either to find directions or rest, and they were much less irritated / irritating as a result. We saw lots of beautiful houses and flowers and churches and alleys on our walk, and got all the exercise we need for about a week.
On the way home we purchased some Piononos, a dessert I was introduced to by our guide the last time I was here. Imagine cinnamon rolls soaked to sogginess in light syrup, then put flan on top. That's kind of like a Pionono. We ate them after our at-home dinner of spaghetti with peas and some sauce called tomatas fritas, that tasted a bit like marinara sauce but was much creamier (we couldn't find spaghetti sauce at El Corte Ingles when we went shopping our first night here). Just before we started eating, our host showed up to fix the internet, and (of course) it worked without him doing anything after I'd tried 50 times to do the exact same steps I followed when I started to show him the problem. Oh, well. At least we could use the internet finally. Then after dinner, we ate the Piononos, and I did the dishes while Rachel journaled about what we did the day before. We rested a bit, then headed out once again for a small but excellent Flamenco show. The kids did a great job (helped along by another box of those chocolate snacks), so we got to enjoy the show the whole time without feeling self-conscious about their behavior. Elliott spent the first song and a half either hiding in a corner behind my backpack or burying his face in my shirt, terrified for some reason. But when the female dancer came out, he began to watch and get interested as the show got louder and faster-paced. Amelia spent the female dancer's entire performance absolutely transfixed. Rachel had told her a lady was going to come out in a pretty dress and dance, and I don't think Amelia blinked through the entire performance! I figured the kids would fall asleep because the show didn't even start until after their bedtime, but they both watched and even started twiddling their fingers and clapping along during the male dancer's performance and the encores. The guy's feet were like machine guns! It was pretty great.
Then we came home, put the kids to bed, went to bed ourselves so we could have all our energy for the Alhambra the next day! And just before we fell asleep, Rachel said, "Hey Steve! Put your hand here!" And I felt baby girl #2 kick for the first time. A great way to end the day. Maybe she was inspired by the flamenco show. :)
1 comment:
I am loving your posts! You do such a good job. Not too long, but lots of photos, explanations and intimate details. Thanks.
Randy is jealous.
Post a Comment