I Heart Espana

Plain and simple.

My good friend from Madrid recently wrote that he worried Spain would be a bit of a letdown after Italy, but nothing could be farther from the truth.

The very first time I set foot in Spain was in 2002. My mom and I drove from Amsterdam to Madrid where she then left me to begin my studies as a teacher of English.

My original plan was to stay in Spain for at least 6 months and then move back to Texas.

Two years later, I was still living and working in Spain.

I've always felt at home here. It's hard to explain. There must be some Spanish in my bloodline, or maybe I was Spanish in a past life. Whatever it is, I know this is my home away from home.

I love the outdoor life. I love that at midnight you can walk down the street and find old and young out in the plazas eating ice cream and playing soccer.

I love the open spirit of the Spanish. They stop their cars for you, they laugh with you, they are friends for life. I love the food, the sights, the sounds, the literature, the history...it's just the place for me.

I feel at a loss of words for how happy I am to be back here. I realize this post isn't very eloquent, but that's okay with me.

We leave tomorrow morning on a train for a very small town outside of Valencia where our friend P is putting us up in his mountain home. He's a great friend and easily one of the best things to come out of the Turkey times.

And if I'm not mistaken, Mr. and Mrs. W should be in the air in a few hours in route to Madrid.

Todo esta muy bien.

I've made an album with some shots of our time so far in Barcelona. I hope you'll follow the link and enjoy.

Below are some shots of the major sights we've seen while here.

Sagrada Familia (The Sacred Family Church)







Casa Mila





Casa Batllo



Chris and Drums (yes, drums are a sight in this family)



Park Guell