Coney Island

The boys:

The girls:

The ride home:


We went out for dessert last night. A few blocks from home, "Ugly Betty" was being filmed on an East Village bench. Elijah screamed "beep, beep" for a few blocks at the crew since they were blocking the sidewalk. Nice crew.

Mystic, CT

2 notable events last weekend:

We went to dinner and a show with Russ and Holly Smith. Russ was David’s Young Men's leader and Holly was David’s traumatized (I fear) seminary teacher. We saw our new favorite Broadway show: In the Heights. The best part about it was that there was a Cuban grandmother who was always wearing a day dress (aka Mu Mu), loved her grandsons dearly, and had a sailor’s mouth. I was most proud that I perfectly understood all her Cuban swear words.

Second, we went to Mystic, CT to meet Hunt, Sarah, Max, and Elise before they move west. Elijah apparently gets carsick now, so that made for a pungent trip. We had a great time and will miss our closest family!







Surprise of all surprises, on the walk back to the car, we happened upon my Aunt Kathy and Cousin Kami and her family: Elliot, Lilly, and Preston.

Spain: The final days (days 8-11)

Day 8: Sevilla: Nice run along the river. David swam and I did a half-hearted work out. The hotel (you can barely see me in 1 of our 2 balconies that opened to a courtyard which had a restaurant and opera singer):


We ate lunch in a vine-covered pink courtyard

and then spent a good amount of time in the Alcazar—a palace similar to the Alhambra.
Significant facts about the Alcazar:
1. This is where Columbus’ trip to the Americas was planned.
2. Magellan and Amerigo Vespucci also visited here.
3. First painting of Native Americans hangs over the alter where Elcano gave thanks after the first circumnavigation of the globe.

4. In the garden there was a bush labrynth (like the one on Alice in Wonderland). We raced the center and of course I was the self-proclaimed winner.







The gardens of the Alcazar were so beautiful that we stayed too long—the central church of the city was closed by the time we got out.
The Gardens:




The outside of the central church:




We went to the Plaza de Toros, the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain.


Facts:
1. A good bullfighter receives one or all of the following parts of the bull: ears and tail. He must kill the bull on the first try with the sword. It’s stabbed with smaller spears before.
2. The bull meat used to be given to the poor. Therefore, the poor loved bullfights since it might be the only chance for them to eat meat. Now it’s sold in the market.
3. Before fighting, the torero prays to La Virgen de la Caridad (the patron virgin of Cuba whose day of celebration is David’s birthday).That night was probably my favorite part of the trip: a dinner theater with flamenco dancing. We ate tapas (some of the best food we had). The music was a chorus of guitars, voices, clapping, and stomping. The clapping was the most amazing. The timing of this hand orchestra was perfect; at times there were 7 people clapping at once, all at different times, but keeping the same beat. The flamenco was such a serious dance, almost morose. The men and women didn’t dance together; it seemed they each were making a personal statement.


Day 9: I ran then we left for Madrid. On this stretch of drive, David was proud he reached an all time high of 123 mph in the Mercedes. He’s lucky I was too lazy to do the kph to mph conversion and therefore didn’t realize how fast he was going. The highway was lined with farms of olive trees and sunflowers and we made a trip that was supposed to take over 5 hours in under 4. David's speed machine:
PS. A month later we got the 2 speeding tickets in the mail (200 Euros).

In Madrid, we first ate at the oldest restaurant in the world, according to the Guiness Book: El Sobrino de Botin.

Then we strolled through the Plaza Mayor,

and on to the Palacio Real. We saw only 50 of the thousands of rooms. It was my favorite art exhibit of the trip. The best room was the throne room which was covered in red velvet and accented with black marble statues and a beautiful ceiling.

Other sights:












Day 10: Visited a flee market and ate a Pollo Campero. We have eaten at this restaurant in 4 countries.

I was expecting The Prado to be like the Met, so I went through it quickly in hope of getting a taste of everything, but it was a lot smaller than I was expecting and I was done after 2 hours.

One of the main things I wanted to see in Spain was Picasso’s Guernica, but because I misread the guidebook, we didn’t make it to the museum in time. Instead, we went to a bullfight. After seeing the bullring in Sevilla and hearing about the meat going to the poor I thought it would be more humane than a slaughterhouse. Big mistake. I left in tears about 30 seconds into it. David stayed for the first slaughter; we skipped the last 5 and went to see a soccer game on TV.

The climax of the trip: we were walking in the Puerta del Sol. I usually keep my purse open because it gets so full. That night I had it closed. I heard the Velcro opening behind me and turned around to see a young, little man accompanied by two old women. I notified David who got in a shouting match with this tiny guy. Afterward, David said a few things I found quite humorous: 1) He regretted his self control—apparently he wanted a fist fight. 2) At one point in the shouting match, after David accused him of robbery, the man told him, “Maybe you did it.” Ironically, David was caught off guard, mulling over how it would be possible for him to rob his wife. Appropriately, the encounter ended with the two accusing each other of being “locos.” On the way back from visiting the Palacio Real again (it was after midnight, so it was closed of course), we saw the treacherous trio making rounds again and notified the police.

Day 11: Ran through the Parque del Buen Retiro, then flight home. Claire didn’t let go of David for some time. I could barely get close to her for a kiss!