Recovery, Torrential Rain and Babies

For us today was a chill day.

We went to bed at 5am and slept until 1pm and given everything are surprisingly rested.

Before John and Laura had to head to the airport all met for lunch. It got interesting though as there was a random and rare torrential downpour just as we all headed out. Being right next to a church with gargoyle gutters our street in particular was a small river! Somehow we all found each other and a taverna open on Sunday.

We returned from lunch to find a leak in the roof of our closet and about half our clothes soaked. Luckily the weather cleared and we wee able to hang dry them prior to packing. And our landlord was very accommodating which always helps.

With the rains passed and a rather cool afternoon upon us we had the privilege of taking an afternoon stroll with friends Enrique and Cristina AND their twin baby girls. 6 month old Clara and Cristina. SO cute! They were happy, healthy, smiling and smelled so good :)

Our group has started to shrink. James left immediately after the wedding at 6am. John and Laura flew off to Lisbon this afternoon. We leave next for Rome at 7am tomorrow followed by Mom and Dad bound for Barcelona and finally the Pratts all leave in the afternoon headed for Florida. It's only a wee but sad though since we'll all join back up in a couple of weeks to do it all over again for the Florida wedding!

The Seville / wedding chapter of this trip is closed. But it's not over yet. Now we're off to my favorite city - Roma!!!!

Arrividerci Seville!

Sara & Clara

Dad & Cristina 

Velma & Clara

La Boda de Dani y Megan!!!!

I still cannot quite believe this is all happening. I think part of it is because Meg's been living in Spain for the past 18 months and we haven't had as much exposure to the happy couple. It all seem so surreal. Just two and a half years ago, only two European adventures ago, I was sharing on this very blog about our trip to Seville and the cute guy Megan had a bit of a 'thing' with. And now I've just been to their wedding. Her Spanish is fluent, she clearly fits right into this community. How much can happen so quickly.

The wedding was perfect. I know there were many details that didn't go as planned or desired and yet it was perfect. Megan was absolutely stunning and a fantastic hostess. Dani the perfect image of poised, dapper and loving.

In total the event was about 10 hours long. It began with my family gathering to get dudded up in our dresses and suits. Then we met the Spanish crew and hopped on a private bus to the quaint country location of the wedding.

The ceremony was lead by friend, Cacho, who warmly welcomed us in English before sharing a very sweet summary of the cinematic love story that lead up to this moment. Then the mothers sent up and each poured some local wine, Spanish and Floridian, into one glass which the couple drank to symbolize their union. It was just so exactly as it it should have been. It makes me tear up to remember.

After the ceremony there was food and drink and cake and then a showing of the most thoughtful wedding present. Dani made a video of photos from both their last and managed to weave in a super cute version of their story. It culminated in well wishes from the state side folks who couldn't make it to Spain.
The couple enjoyed their first dance and after that the rest is a blur. There was much dancing and drinking and laughing and love.

We all rode the bus back around 4am to people yelling is Spanish, kiss the bride!

Sigh.

Just so honored and excited to have been able to share that moment with them AND the families.

Mom & Dad dolled up

On the wedding bus!

The international wine

So romantic!

The Family getting Crazy

All the ladies!

Parades

In total we are 12. This is a large group to travel together anywhere, through a mall or about a local town. Getting this many people paraded through Seville has been quite the production. Especially when you factor in Alan with his tendency to roam and his cane and brace from his back surgery 6 weeks ago and Dad in his wheelchair with his broken leg. Oh, and no cell phones :) we all have a limited number of texts but it's tricky for sure. Somehow we managed quite well and have always been able to find one another or stay together. Everyone's gotten to do what they want, felt included and yet had the freedom to break away as well.

I attribute this to several things.

1. Long term friendships. We all know each other about as well as possible.

2. Amazing hosting efforts by Megan and Dani even amidst their pre-wedding frenzy.

3. Excellent planning by Mom, John and Laura.

4. Communication. Duh.

Thanks to everyone who helped make things work thus far. It hasn't really felt like a big deal, but it kind of is! I say we rock!

Flamenco!!

Megan found us a legit place to go and experience authentic traditional Flamenco singing, guitar playing and dancing. It was mesmerizing. The beat and rhythm is so different than anything I'm used it so it was a bit odd but intriguing too.

We lucked out and a famous musician played guitar for the performance we attended and wow. The pick work was so intricate and he played for an hour nearly non stop.

Then there was the singer, she conveyed so much emotion in her singing and facial expressions, all while stomping and clapping louder than I thought possible. And she had a way of rubbing her hands that made her clap sort of hush on completion.

The dancer was so graceful and elegant yet still incredibly athletic. How she moved her feet that quickly while maintaining her facial expression I'll never know. She did a sort of triple snap that had us all looking for her castanets. And her dresses! So beautiful and varied. She started off in black and white velvet, then switched to the blue you see in my photos and then finished in a lacy black dress with a vibrant blue shawl. My favorite was the blue, it had a crazy long train that she managed to manipulate like a prop. I surely would have tripped and busted my face :) Most of their performance was 'no photo' but there was a brief period where it was allowed. Check out Flickr for some more pics and video too!

FitBit Time:
Steps: 20,500 +\-
Miles: 10 +\-
Calories: 4,000 +\-

A Day Outdoors

Knowing that the rest if the weekend will be dominated by wedding activities and recovery (yay!) we opted to get the rest of our site seeing in today and it worked out well that it is yet another beautiful Sevillan day and we spent most of our day outdoors.

Plaza de España is mostly famous from being used in Star Wars but we learned it was created in 1929 for the World's Fair. This got me thinking about all if the other cool landmarks we can thank Worlds Fairs for, Seattle Space Needle, Carousel of Progress, St Louis Arch etc. Whatever happened to the World's Fair? I shall have to look into this matter soon.

While at the Plaza we discovered a variety of books in the shelves surrounding the plaza like a sort if free book trade. We enjoyed pursuing the selection and opted for a comic book.

We spent the afternoon reading in the adjacent park before bravely finding a new random spot for lunch.

When everyone else opted for siesta Jeremy and I got ice cream and sat by the Eiffel Bridge to sketch and make use of the travel watercolor set Jeremy bought for my birthday.

Tonight? Flamenco!!!

Book Swap

Plaza de Espana

Jeremy holding the fountain

Our Triana sketching spot

Triana

The original plan for today was Cordoba however it just wasn't meant to be. Between train schedules, sleep schedules and a general desire to spend time together in chill mode we all voted to skip the day trip and spend the day exploring Triana and then a traditional lunch complete with siesta (nap) instead. This is a small neighborhood in Seville fairly close to where Dani and Megan live.

We spent a couple of hours wandering the Mercado de Triana which is a small, permanent food market similar to a Pike Place or La Boqueria. We enjoyed juice, fresh bread and marveled at the variety and differences from our own selection at Publix.

From there we meandered through the area, shopping for souvenirs, traditional fans for the ladies for la Boda (wedding) on Saturday, popping into small churches and finally an AMAZING lunch at one of Megan's favorite spots. The food was SO yummy, even if our waitress was a tad grumpy. Jeremy and I managed a three hour siesta before we had a second delicious meal at a taverna a couple of blocks from Megan and Dani's and then completed the evening at the Cadillac Bar. This was especially apropos since Megan and I went to this bar with Dani and his friends during our first trip to Seville two and a half years ago. At the bar the entire family took over a corner where we enjoyed gin tonics, whiskey cokes and chatted about the upcoming weddings and how unpredictable life is. So much joy....word can't express.

A Rare Event

After our day of wandering Triana and our traditional siesta we did some laundry rooftop and then made our way toward Dani & Megan's for a late dinner which was tasty.

Photo Bomb by John!

The juicy part came after. We all paraded to Cadillac which is a bar Dani, Megan, the crew and I went to during our first visit to Seville.

Cadillac Bar

We all enjoyed a large beverage and sat around laughing and discussing the upcoming weddings until 2am. Yes. My entire family out until the wee hours of the morning, lively and having fun together. It was a delicious moment that is now etched on my heart.

The Gang!

Proof of my parents, in a BAR, at 1:30am

Oh. And then there was the walk back to Triana. It was so quiet! It felt a little like the zombie apocalypse! Check Flickr for a video :)

FitBit Time:

Steps: 11,500 +\-

Miles: 5.5 +\-

Calories: 3,000 +\-

Pillars of the Earth

Today I had the privilege of touring the Seville Cathedral with Velma. The rest of the family was there as well however Velma and I listened to the entire audio guide and looked at every chapel.

I absolutely love being in cathedrals, especially ancient and gothic cathedrals. The energy in them is indescribable. I'm eternally amazed by the engineering and the thought that the building I'm standing in was built hundreds of years ago, without modern technology, no cranes, or heavy equipment. Just men and ingenuity.  Also there was no electricity all of the ornate carvings that I marvel at today thanks to strategically placed lights was not seen by lay people and worshipers for hundreds of years. The artists who carved those pieces during construction added those details purely for the glorification of their god - talk about faith and service. I can't help but think about all of the lives the building has touched, not just through the obvious religious ties but also during the construction. Countless people earned their livelihood through the church, many of the ornate projects are the life work of it's artist. The main alter in the Seville Cathedral is the largest in the world and took just over 80 years to complete, this means that most men who started the project didn't live to see it's completion. We don't do that anymore, we don't have professions or even typically take on tasks that we don't think we'll live to see completed. Shoot we've become so used to instant gratification through texting, email, the internet etc that I can't really even fathom what that would look like. Like I said...I love cathedrals.

Seville Cathedral is technically the largest cathedral in the world, though it is considered to be the third largest in the world behind St. Peter's in the Vatican and National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in London (the technicality is that the other two churches aren't actually the seat of a Bishop therefore not official cathedrals). This church is so ornate, I feel as if I could spend days examining it and still not have time to appreciate all of the love and details it contains.

It was particularly special to enjoy this visit with Velma. I'm such a geek over cathedrals I typically have to get my travel companions to leave me for a day alone as no one else has the passion or attention span to stay for as long as I do. Velma however is just as much a geek as me and it was very cool to have someone to geek out with. :)

Ceiling of the main piece of the church - I love this.

The Alter - This took 80+ years to create

Jeremy's Cathedral Post

While I hung with Velma chatting about my more philosophical ponderings and wonderings about cathedrals Jeremy joined the rest of the family in a tour of the cathedral and then a hike up the Giralda for a stunning view of Seville.

Jeremy's thoughts on the Cathedral.

It's really cool something THAT old is THAT large and ornate. I especially enjoyed all of the wood and carvings in the choir. There was a massive structure in the middle that was actually a book holder to hold the book of hymns for the choir - they have to be some massive books. The stained glass was also really cool with all of the colors and how the light hit the stones. It's interesting too how some people devoted their entire lives to making the cathedral, that for them, making the church was their form of worship and a way to get into heaven.

The Giralda is a tower that was part of the Mosque that used to be where the Cathedral now stands, it was built to allow horses to climb to the top so it's one continuous ramp instead of stairs. Jeremy was a total crazy person and decided to push my dad up the tower.....CRAZY. He learned later that there are 37 'flight's of ramps to the top all about two people wide and he pushed my dad all the way and then all the way back down. Suffice it to say, he was a bit sweaty and sore at the end. The experience of being at the top was cool, but perhaps not worth all of the hard work to get to the top...

Selfie in the Giralda 

View from the Giralda

Jeremy's caption "it's puff puff pass dude, take it!" 

Jeremy's caption "ma'am you forgot to pay your bill...." 

Tapas look extra small next to Jeremy, but these were supposedly quite tasty. Jamon and Quail Eggs on toast.

The Gathering

After several hectic days of travel and hiking all over Barcelona today was a more chill day. We started the day early with a flight to Seville and by 1:30pm we had arrived at our Air BnB (which is amazing and air conditioned) and settled in. We spent the afternoon going to a local market, making ourselves a mini feast for lunch and...taking a nap!

By 5:30pm my brother John and sister-in-love Laura had arrived. Today was their big travel day as they came in via Philly to Madrid and then a train into Seville. My Mom and Dad also arrived today and we all met for dinner near our apartment. This is where the day got juicy. We had a table of ten, most of us just in from the US, gathered here in Spain to celebrate a marriage.

Velma, Megan's Mom, has been my Mom's best friend for 35+ years. This means that our families have been incredibly close my entire life. This table of ten in Spain was filled with some of the dearest people in my life and honestly it was like we brought the "Pratt Mutius" vibe with us. We created this little bubble of love, laughter and joy around us and we could have just has easily been in Orlando as in Seville. It was awesome. The only thing missing is Hannah, the youngest, who is on her way right now from Gainesville to join us. I will work harder tomorrow to articulate the warmth and joy that surrounds me here with my loved ones traveling, exploring and getting to be together under such extraordinary circumstances. For now I want to revel in it, experience it and go to sleep so I can get up tomorrow and have the super exciting opportunity to visit the Seville Cathedral with everyone.

PS - My dad basically broke his leg about a month before they left for Europe. He's okay, the wheelchair was loaned by Megan's friend to allow Dad to participate in more activities without risking the healing process. But it's still fun to poke fun at him.... ;)


FitBit Time
Steps: 17,000 +/-
Miles: 8.5 +/-
Calories: 3,500 +/-

Birthday Surprise

Yesterday was Megan's birthday and Mother's Day here in Spain so we had a busy day with locals.

It started with Dani getting everyone churros and chocolate for breakfast which Jeremy didn't mind one bit. During breakfast Megan had trouble with FaceBook, a comment notification showed, then disappeared then came back...so weird ;)

Then we went to Dani's mom's house to deliver flowers and wish her a good day. She opened the door singing happy birthday to Megan in English which was adorable. She gave us a tour of her home which was amazing, like a museum full of art and interesting artifacts.

From there we were to meet a couple friends for lunch and Dani began telling us how the restaurant has mostly meat and has a reputation for poisoning people, Meg was getting a little worried...then, while she was stressing about the restaurant quality he asked if we could cram a friend into the mini with us. When we turned the corner to his home all of their friends were there to surprise her with a BBQ. Turns out the FB comment earlier was a friend who didn't know it was a surprise and everyone scrambled to have her delete it, just in time :)

They had fantastic food, many dishes were vegetarian for Meg. They surprised her with a cake and gifts too. It was really sweet. It was awesome for me because I got to witness first hand just how awesome her Spanish has gotten. It was a complete role reversal from last year when we came and she first met Dani where I was translating for her, she was having full conversations, some I couldn't follow at all, I was so proud! It's so crazy that its been a year since our last trip and now she lives here. :) everyone was so nice and most everyone either spoke a little English or was willing to be patient with us. The host had a really cool house, he built I himself and its surrounded by gardens and orange groves. On top of being really handy he also sews and makes bull fighting costumes. I'll put some of the pictures on Flickr.

After the party we went back to Dani and Megan's and relaxed and Facetimed with our moms. We also realized that our plan to rent a car wasn't the best a d changed plans around a bit. I'm writing this on the train to Cordoba where we will spend the day and take a return train (45 min each way) to Seville. Tomorrow we'll take a train to Cadiz and spend a couple nights there as planned. All we're really skipping is Ronda but we eliminated the stress of finding a safe place to park overnight in the cities, etc. So, today we'll see the Arabic architecture, mosque and castle in Cordoba. :)

Tapas, Friends & Saints

We had one of those naps where you become dead to the world, it was amazing. Then it was up and out to wander Seville in search of tapas. We jumped from one place to another enjoying tapas (small appetizer sides dishes meant to order many and share) and beers as we went. Megan was telling us about Holy Week and the Passeos where a church will put their saint's statue on a float of sorts and people will carry it followed by a band and a procession through the city. She had just finished the story when we were walking past the cathedral and heard live epic sorts of music a block or so away, upon following it we found a small Passeo with a live marching band just leaving their church with their saint, it was a cool sight. Dani says there will b many small parades like this for the May Crosses and we happen to be lucky enough to catch this one.

The tapas was yummy as always. We at a great variety, had beers and eventually met up with Enrique, Cristina and Cacho who I know from my trip to Seville last year and had one last drink and caught up a bit.

It was just good to see Megan (and Dani) face to face and catch up. It's also good to be back in Spain. It's been awhile since I traveled with someone for whom it's all a new experience. Watching Jeremy take in the architecture, language, food, customs and general vibe was fun and both reminded me why I love travel and also how I feel so at home in Spain and Italy, it's become so natural for me to wander the old cobblestone streets and communicate in different languages, I missed it. It's so nice to be with locals (yes, I consider Meg a local), our true test will be Monday when we pick up the rental car and drive to Cordoba' :) but first tomorrow we must make sure Megan has a superb birthday.

Safely in Seville

After a 'fun' lesson in RyanAir's definition of Customer Service we made it to Seville with relatively little trouble. Megan and I had a hug and chatter filled reunion. Meg and Dani took us to a tapas feria to reunite with the friends I made last year and I discovered that my inter language communication skills are alive and well. We just finished a siesta and are preparing to meet friends for dinner.

Park Day

We went to Plaza de Espana today, seems it was used in some scenes in Star Wars which obviously had Megan excited :) It was really pretty with this moat type body of water that you could rent row boats and go around. It was a huge space! I think I got some great panoramic of it.

We then spent a couple of hours exploring Parque de Maria Luis which was so lush and full of various shades of green and different textures that we kept stopping to just enjoy the sights and smells. We finally gave in and Megan found us a 'lovely space' and we sunbathed for a bit.

On our way back we shopped and had a nice light lunch of Adobo Sevilliano and Manchego cheese. It was quite the pleasant day and now we're resting before we go back to Feria in our new duds. Sorry friends and family but this has not been a souvenir rich trip, I'm finding more items for myself but not the typical souvenir type things.

There are more pics on Flickr including some of the baby ducks in what appeared to be a natural duck nursery near our happy spot, we saw tons of babies!