First Visitor in 2008

Hola Friends & Family!

We had our first visitor from the States in 2008 this week! A friend of mine, Dorca Ressler, was flying from Tanzania back to the US and stopped in Europe for a short visit. We had a lot of fun showing her around, and also exploring new areas with her. We hadn't been to Montserrat yet, a famous monastery built high on a mountain, so we went there one day. Unfortunately it was cloudy and drizzly that day, so I don't think we experienced the full majesty of the place since we couldn't see any views. The first picture is of Dorca and the kids walking toward the monastery. The second is the kids and I outside by some pretty flowers, and the third is the kids running around a circular design on the floor inside the entrance area to the monastery. It was very beautiful! While we were there we also were able to see the boys choir perform, which was very impressive. We rode a cable car up to the top of the mountain, so that makes any trip fun for the kids.

The second day with Dorca we rode the Bus Touristic around Barcelona and hit some of the highlights. Our first stop was La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's famous work-in-progress cathedral. We had not been inside it yet, so we went in and were absolutely amazed at the detail and amount of work involved in building this incredible work of art. The kids were actually REALLY into it, which surprised us both! They have a museum underneath the cathedral where they have replicas of the cathedral and that especially interested them. The next picture is of the kids at the Olympic stadium from the 1992 olympics. From there we walked to the cable car ride which takes you to the castle at the top of Montjuic, and the next picture is Jack & Dorca on the cable car ride. The last shot is of Barcelona and La Sagrada Familia from the cable car. We then stopped at Port Olympic for ice cream, and finally got off the bus to walk/shop through the Barric Gotic district back to the car at Placa Catalunya. It was a full day, but very fun and the kids did GREAT! We had a great time with Dorca on her visit.

Adios por ahora!
Love,

Tonya