June 11, 2008<\/u>.\u00a0 Rocket left this morning.\u00a0 It only took us a few hours at the cargo section of the airport to realize we were in the wrong office (after getting a call from the right office).\u00a0 Then things went smoothly.\u00a0 They were actually going smoothly anyway, but we assume Rocket would have gone no where.\u00a0 It was all a very Spanish experience, with a touch of Catalan efficiency.\u00a0\u00a0 Anywho, he’ll be spending the night in Frankfort where, we assume, he’ll be fed frankforts and will likely drink beer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I went to what I thought was David’s last soccer practice and talked with Jose.\u00a0 He said he’d miss me, which is something no one has ever said before.\u00a0 It was nice that I had him to talk to.\u00a0 I still can’t express myself in Spanish or understand everything that is said, but I’m better than when I came, so…<\/p>\n
June 12, 2008<\/u>.\u00a0 It was finally a nice day today, and I went out on my bike intending to have an easy ride on some of the now-familiar roads that are pretty good next to Barcelona.\u00a0 I ended up getting caught toward the end of one leg of my ride by a guy with all the pro gear (bike, color-coordinated shorts and jersey, shaved legs, etc…) who wasn’t a pro but looked like one.\u00a0 We ended up riding and he showed me a greuling climb that I had not thought of.\u00a0 It was a good chance to practice Spanish.\u00a0 He asked me if I was Italian (maybe because of the bike, not the accent).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today was the boys’ school talent show.\u00a0 Joshua jumped rope with four others.\u00a0 Joshua organized that everyone wore red shirts and it was cute.\u00a0 I took a video and Anne took some photos<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n June 13, 2008.\u00a0 Friday<\/u>.\u00a0 We went to lunch for what is perhaps our last Barcelona lunch with our friends Dan and Amy at a very nice restaurant with great food and ran into at least two other parents from BFIS.\u00a0 Our friend Shelly called to tell us Rocket arrived safely in Denver and was very happy (super happy) to have a yard to run around in.\u00a0 He was jet lagged, I think.\u00a0 Thanks Shelly!<\/p>\n Then picked up the kids at school and drove north about 1 and a half hours to the Costa Brava to complete the important task of seeing Cadaques, which is supposed to be one of the prettiest places around Spain and famous for Dali and other artists.\u00a0 The closest hotel I could find, the Almadraba Park Hotel,\u00a0is about 14 kilometers away in Roses, which is famous for being among the ugliest places in Spain (overbuilt, ugly properties, full of cheap English tourists, …).\u00a0 In fact, Roses\u00a0wasn’t that horrible and the hotel is fantastic.\u00a0 The only problem is the weather, which is amazingly bad (another “beach” vacation) .\u00a0 In fact, the drive here looked like we were driving into a tornado, and driving through it everyone slowed to 60 kilometers per hour (from 130 or so) so you know it was a hard rain<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 Friday, the 13th.<\/p>\n June 14, 2008<\/u>.\u00a0 We had a reservation, required, to visit the Dali house in Port Lligat, near Cadaques, which is thought to be the cuttest place to visit, etc…\u00a0 We drove over to Port Lligat after a sumptuous breakfast at our most excellent hotel and found the place, arrived 15 minutes, not 30 in advance.\u00a0 We then waited and at 11:10 exactly entered the house with four others for a guided tour that included Dali’s studio, entry, bedroom, penis-shaped pool, and more.\u00a0 Dali put a bunch of fishing cottages together to build the place and it’s pretty cool.\u00a0 He built it for his wife and muse, Gala.\u00a0 Here are some photos.\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n We didn’t stick around after the tour and came back to the hotel over the\u00a0mountain pass like\u00a0winding 13 kilometer drive.\u00a0 We were told that if you get car sick, you might.\u00a0 Very exaggerated, at least\u00a0for us backwoods mountain folk.\u00a0 Anyway we were lucky since the weather improved enough for us to hit the fantastic beach next to our hotel.\u00a0 There was also the 25 meter lap pool, but I opted for a 20-minute or so swim in the very cool mediteranean water<\/a>.\u00a0 Once I got over the initial shock, it was nice.\u00a0 Anne swam in the pool.<\/p>\n June 15, 2008.\u00a0 We drove back to Barcelona, about two hours, after having our luxurious breakfast and enjoying the beach a bit more before moving on.\u00a0 Anne and I tried to get more packing done and prepared our eight boxes to be picked up by UPS tomorrow.\u00a0 We are pretty much out, just a few final things but there are plenty of moving parts.\u00a0<\/p>\n June 16, 2008<\/u>.\u00a0 I keep forgetting things since there are so many things to coordinate.\u00a0 I forgot my shaving brush over our week-end trip, and I went out the door with my bike forgetting my keys.\u00a0 Luckily Anne was on the way to Tibidabo, where I planned to ride, at a going away pool party for Joshua’s class.\u00a0 I stopped by in full biking regalia, and met the 8 or 10 moms who showed for the party and social hour.\u00a0 No dads.\u00a0 It looked like a nice event.\u00a0\u00a0 The pools here are not heated so the water was too cold for most of the kids.\u00a0 Joshua jumped in and out right away, getting nice and cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n