Ninth Week in Germany

One of the best weeks yet! We had the opportunity to visit our very good friends - The Thompsons - in Valencia, Spain. What an Adventure! We flew on Ryan Air which we had heard some horror stories about but had no problems what-so-ever. Our first evening there was so nice. The weather was great and we hung out on their wrap around porch and had awesome food. They are extremely gracious hosts and Rebecca always makes the best food. Our kids played really well together and they got out on the slip-and-slide right away.

The second day, Saturday, we went to Peniscula Beach and Castle. It was a great day at the beach. And, the views from the castle were breathtaking. It was one of the best days we have spent together as a family in a long time.

Sunday, we went to Church and then the Missionaries came over for dinner afterwards. It was so nice just hanging out with friends and chatting with the Mission guys, and of course great food again. Monday we went into the city of Valencia to the aquarium. It was really cool. I think the girls loved the shark tank best because you could walk through a tunnel and have the sharks swimming overhead. However, there was also a dolphin show. The girls had never seen anything like that.

On the way home, the Thompson's suggested that we check and see if there would be a bull fight that night. We stopped by the arena and got tickets. Rob and Becca were so nice to take our kids home and put them to bed so we could go to the Bull fight. I had a hard time with the first bull. I pretty much cried hysterically with the Spaniards turning around looking at the freaky American balling her eyes out. But, I toughened up for the second and third bull. We only stayed for three out of six. We caught a train back to their house where they once again had some amazing food waiting for us when we returned.

On Tuesday, Greg and I went to Barcelona. We started the day out with Greg saying that he didn't care what we saw while we were there, and we ended up packing the day full of cool things. We started out at La Rambla, which is a street full of street vendors, cafes, shops, etc. Then, we walked over to the Antoni Gaudi house, the Casa Batlló. I was so impressed by the architecture there. The balconies are wrought iron on almost every building which made it so decorative and unique. The cathedral is so interesting as well. They have been trying to finish it for years and it is still in progress. We ended our day walking through another quaint shopping area, where we grabbed a bite to eat at a little cafe. I saw a shop there that was called, "Happy Pills." I thought it was so clever because it was really a candy store, but they dispensed the candy in pill bottles much like you would get at a pharmacy, only bigger.

Wednesday was another highlight of the trip, the Lladro factory tour. It was truly amazing, watching the woman make all of the individual flowers that go into their figurines. We went back to the Thompsons house, relaxed for a bit, packed our things and took one more dip in their fabulous pools. The girls exclaimed on the plane that it was the best vacation. We are very grateful to our friends for making it so great for all of us.