London

At the end of May we finally made the trip to London a reality. We had been meaning to go during Holy Week to visit Valentina, Miguel, Tomas and Eva, but decided to try for late May. I think it turned out to be a good decision, as we enjoyed cooler weather just when Madrid was starting to heat up! Fede's sister, Valentina, and her husband and kids have lived in London for five years now. After visiting them, and enjoying what London has to offer (extraordinary museums, amazing parks, culture), I can see why they like living there!

On the first day there, we decided to do visit the must-see places, Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guard, St. Jame's Park, Westminster Abbey, Parliament and Big Ben. We had a lovely picnic at St. Jame's Park and then slowly made our way back. The kids were really amused at the differences between the Metro (subway) in Madrid and the "Tube" (subway) in London. The big difference being that the London Metro has fabric seats (so impractical and probably unhygienic!)  and the cars are smaller and rounded compared to Madrid's system.

The last time we were in London was in 2007, when Antonio was 14 months old and of course, he didn't remember anything, so it was really fun to take the kids to all of these terrific landmarks.

On day two, we took Valen and Miguel's advice and visited the London Transport Museum --it was awesome. Antonio, who is pretty much obsessed with anything having to do with Metro's, buses, planes, motorcycles, and rockets, had a grand ol' time. Francisco and Alejandra also loved it. It was actually really interesting to learn how the underground system evolved and met each challenge with a solution. They have a complete collection of old subway cars, double-decker buses throughout the decades, horse-drawn carriages and of course modern models of transportation. They also have one of the best gift shops I've ever seen.

From there we planned on lunching on a delicious "crispy duck" at a Chinese place, but as we passed by Covent Gardens the intoxicating smell of the outdoor farmer's market took possession of our senses rendering us helpless against the Indian aromas, Polish sausage, nutella-stuffed crepes, and such. We camped out there for a while, watching the street performers as we ate the best carrot cake of all time.

A big part of our trip were the parks. We just loved hanging out with the kids at St. Jame's, then Hyde Park and on the final day we went to Regent's Park. The cousins, Tomas and Eva, had school but in the afternoons and weekends we were able to go on outings together.

Being that Antonio (6), Tomas (5), Alejandra (4), Eva (2), and Francisco (2) are so close in age, it means a lot to us that they are able to see each other while we're in Europe. As you can see, they have a really good time together. It is really amusing to hear Tomas and Eva speaking a British English, while our kids speak American English, but then when they all speak in Spanish it's with a Colombian accent! Right about now, this whole globalization thing really starts to hit home :)

Tomas, with his beautiful smile, made for an irresistable subject!

And well...Francisco is our perpetual clown and the camera seems to gravitate towards him too!

Within Hyde Park we find a fun kids' park for them to play.

Another day we visited the Museum of Natual History- another great decision- wow what an incredible museum. And, I'd just like to take a moment to congratulate the British for having the brilliant idea of making their museums FREE. Yes, you heard right, these museums --these Jewels- are free!!! Talk about a great way of educating the general public and sharing the wealth! The museum is really too big to enjoy in one day, so we had to go quickly through sections that deserved more time. Amongst the things that most stand out are a life-size dinosaur skeleton, a life-size recreation of a blue whale (above), the cross-section of a 1,300-old sequoia tree --huge!, an earth-quake room, and an extraordinary collection of rocks and minerals. I could have stayed in that museum for a week I think.

Here we are at Regent's Park, where we spent the final day having a picnic and taking a pedal boat ride.

The kids were delighted to put on lifejackets and jump in the boat. Certainly the highlight of the boatride was when Miguel and Valen's boat got stuck in the shallow rocks along the edge of the lake and The Martinez boat had to go rescue them by throwing over a rope and furiously pedaling backwards! Meanwhile, their boat was positioned in just such a way that water started to quickly fill the floor of the boat and for a split second we thought that they would actually sink! Luckily though, the drain was soon unobstructed and everything was fine. Still, it was our little adventure at Regents!

Regent's Park had an amazing sand park for the kids where we spent the rest of the afternoon.

How cute are they? First thing in the morning they would pile up on the couch to watch cartoons and their sleepy faces made for a great shot.

We end with one final shot of yours truly walking across what is perhaps the most famous crossing in all of London if not the world: Abbey Road! This is exactly where the Beatles crosses all those decades ago. And, what is very amusing, is that tourists are always crossing here (yes, some without shoes) and taking pictures, much to the annoyance of Londoners who are desensitized to the importance of this place for us tourists!!

A final thank you to Valentina and Miguel for their tremendous hospitality. We had a wonderful time and hope to be back again!

Avila

So, I am still trying to catch everyone up on the last two months. In early May we took a day trip to nearby Avila with our dear friend Luisa. It is a short trip by train and a really beautiful little town. Made famous by the great St. Teresa of Avila, this is where she lived and had her convent. Avila is also known for the incredible towers and stone walls that surround the town. They are arguably the most well-preserved in Spain, and perhaps all of Europe. It is clear that the people of Avila have done much to care for these ruins and we were left in awe by their size and excellent condition.

Apparently, Avila is one of the sunniest places in Spain and it seems like a really nice place to live.

The Cathedral, like so many others we've seen, is beautiful and well worth seeing. In addition, we happend to go on the second most important day of the year in Avila. On the Saturday that we were there they were commemorating their patron Saint Segundo and so we got to see a pretty cool procession with these "big-headed" dolls, animated by people. The kids loved it!

 We took a little tourist train that takes you through and around Avila, while it tells you a brief history and gives you an explanation of the monuments. We are big fans of these tourist trains, as it's the fastest and easiest way to get an idea of the town while toting three kids!! We also visited a beautiful church (seen above) that had a neat crypt below the altar.

Lamentably, we just didn't have enough time to see everything in Avila -including the relic of St. Teresa. We loved visiting though and perhaps we will go back soon!

Next post: London! (and I promise this will be ready in a day or two!!)

Missing you all very much,
-The Martinez Family

Rewind: Holy Week in Torreciudad

The evening we arrived with Torreciudad in the backround

I know...I let it happen again: two months have gone by and no post! But by popular demand, we're back and I will do my best to update ya'll on everything that has happened since that time. Aside from being busy (which we always are), we had the most magnificent Holy Week trip of all time, and the prospect of blogging about it was so big that I wanted to do it justice and I kept waiting until I would have the time to do it. Well, that "time" never came, so in the words of GK Chesterton, "If something is worth doing, it's worth doing badly."

Back in April, I contacted one of my dearest friends, Mercedes, who invited us to come celebrate Holy Week in Torreciudad with her family. Torreciudad is a very famous pilgrimage site in Northeastern Spain, where her family has a place. We jumped at the opportunity and on Holy Thursday we hopped on a bus that took us to Zaragoza, from there on another bus to Huelga and still another bus to Barbastro. All said, it took about 7 hours to get there and then Mercedes' husband, Sergi, picked us up and we made the 20 minute ride to Torreciudad. The sight of the Pyrenees Mountains in the distance, the cool mountain air, rolling hills, and the magnificent tones of green, did us a world of good, as we were getting a little sick of city life. 

At Torreciudad Shrine the day we arrived

When we arrived it was already time for the Mass of the Last Supper, where we met up with Mercedes. It is impossible to describe the joy at seeing her and her family, so let's just say that our happiness was overflowing. The kids were delighted to be in outdoors and Mercedes and Sergi have three kids too, so between us there was a lot of fun and play at all times! That night, after we put all 6 kids to bed and left them under the watch of Mercedes' parents, we went out for dinner with them and just caught up on life -it was a great time.

St. Josemaria's home and the plaque outside which documents the dates when he lived there.

On Good Friday, we took a trip to Barbastro, which is the hometown of St. Josemaria Escriva. In the picture to the left we are standing in front of his home and his birthplace (back in 1909). The building has been totally renovated, save for the back row base columns, which are barely visible. It now functions as a Center for the Women of Opus Dei. It is a charming building, as is the town of Barbastro. Mercedes' parents, Merce and Diego, accompanied us too and were great tour guides!

Being Good Friday, we found the town in the middle of a religious procession. These are very common in Spain during Holy Week, especially in the south of Spain, where they are a BIG deal. It is the "Co-fraternities" that orchestrate these processions, and men, women, young and old alike form a part of the spectacle, complete with music and images of Our Lady and Christ on the Cross. In case you're wondering why they cover their heads, it is supposed to be symbolic of the penitent sinner. The experience was magnificent and breathtaking as we waited in the Cathedral for the procession to enter in a mix of solemnity and thunderous drums. As soon as it was over, a black thunderstorm moved in and it began to rain and hail --it was rather appropriate for a Good Friday and we headed to Mercedes' grandparents' home for lunch.

Ok. I know what you're thinking: Aren't we supposed to fast on Good Friday? Well, yes, but Mercdes' grandmother made this spectacular dish and it was really our only meal of the day :) hee hee...it was so good! And the company, wonderful as well. Above to the right is Sergi, Mercedes and her grandparents followed by other relatives.

In the evening we went back to Torreciudad for the Veneration of the Cross and Way of the Cross, which was outdoors and it was chilly! The view though is unparalleled. The kids played the whole time, picking up rocks and splashing in the puddles.

Mercedes and Sergi's kiddos: Santiago (4), Helena (3), Dani (6 months) -not pictured. Bottom pictures: Diego and Merce (Mercedes' parents); Mercedes and Sergi.

I think this collage captures the spirit of that day: kids playing, friendship and good times. It was really a little slice of heaven being there :)

On Holy Saturday, we took a day trip to the nearby villages of Arasanz and Ainsa. These two beautiful and ancient villages are just 40-50 miles from the French border. Above we are in Arasanz and in the background you can see the rectangular lookout tower, which we were able to climb, that served as part of a chain of lookout towers to defend the border from enemies. This tower is 1000 years old -a drop in the bucket! haha

In Arasanz we found our home ("Casa Martinez" in the background), well it's not much, but if Fede doesn't get a job after his MBA, we know where we'll go!

From Arasanz, we drove a little further to Ainsa- which is a little bigger and absolutely lovely. Everything is made of old, rustic cobblestone, with a tall "aqueduct" looking fortress around the village. Just being somewhere that is so old and historic is inspiring to us 'New World' folk. Above the kids played on a see-saw; Mercedes and I --eleven years later we first became friends in Pamplona-- a bit older but just a lovely!

Pictured above is that fort-wall in Ainsa and below-right is the tower of Arasanz. In between are the kids making faces for the camera! That night, Mercedes' parents did us a huge favor and watched all 6 kids so that we could go to the Easter Vigil Mass just as couples! (imagine, no kids!!). It was absolutely the cherry on top: one of the most beautiful Masses I have ever experienced.

On final morning in Torreciudad, we went to see the dam up close that surrounds Torreciudad.  This man-made dam contains much of the ice that melts from the Pyrenees and it is always a fierce aqua-blue color. From there we were off on the bus to Zaragoza, to see the Church of Our Lady of the Pillar. This is one of the most ancient pilgrimage sites in Spain and the only one that can claim to be founded by an apparition of the Virgin Mary, while she was still alive. The belief is that the Apostle St. James was having difficulty proselytizing the people of the Iberian Peninsula and so Our Lady appeared to him and gave him a pillar on which to found a church for her. This pillar still exists inside the church and can be kissed. We found Zaragoza to be a terrific city in the little time we were there.

On our day outing in Zaragoza.

We just want to end by thanking Mercedes and Sergi, as well as Mercedes' parents and grandparents, for their incredible hospitality during Holy Week. We really felt right at home in their company it was one of the most memorable trips by far. So, next post (which I promise will be in a few days) I will tell ya'll about our little trip to the town of Avila, the city of the great St. Teresa of Avila.

Goodbye for now!