Okay, yet another European vacation only THIS time with the men (Pepe and Marcus) in tow.

Heaven help us! So far, so good beginning with minimal traffic to JFK airport yesterday (6/27) and a first ever timely departure to Spain! The flight was scheduled to depart at 7:10 p.m. We were actually amongst the last to board because the kids were cramming in their Wendy s chicken nugget meals prior to getting on the plane (nice that they finally have kid-friendly fare at the airport as one never knows what one will eat during air travel.) The first minor (or major, to some) disappointment came once we boarded Delta flight 162 and we realized the plane was SMALL (3 seats/3 seats one aisle) and GASP!!!..there were no individual television screens on the back of every seat. I think Marcus was about ready to bolt at that time, or maybe I was ready to throw him off due to his whining. Oh my G-d, what could one possibly do during a 7+ hour flight AT NIGHT without endless entertainment? Sleep perhaps? The kids quickly chose their seats; Marcus had to have the window but not sit next to Marina. Malka wanted to be between the two siblings. Marina wanted the aisle seat with me across the aisle, but oops, she got Pepe there instead. Before we knew it we were pulling away from the gate at precisely (more or less) 7:10. Before 7:30 we were in the air and Espaahere we come (or here we are). I managed to get about 3 hours of sleep before landing in Mlaga, way ahead of the scheduled arrival. The airport certainly has changed since I first started coming here 33 years ago when it was a one story little building. It is now vast and EMPTY (unlike Delta terminal let s not talk about the inefficiency of staff and security nor lack of space there). I don t know if our broken suitcase can be blamed on the JFK or AGP ground crew, for once again, one of our suitcases got pretty messed up and once again, Pepe didn t want to take the time to put in a claim (didn t you know suitcases grow on trees?!) For the first time ever coming to Malaga, no one was waiting to greet us as we came through customs. Due to the fact that one of those persons was always Isa makes our solitary arrival sadder as this trip is a first in which we won t be with her. We had to take two cabs to El Palo since there were none that could accommodate the five of us. Marcus and Pepe went in one and the girls came with me in another. The trip home on the highway was quick enough (maybe too quick the driver was speeding sooooo much) and smooth. Malka commented how he was driving 100 mph (really kilometers per hour which would translate to only 60 mph) but the ride was so smooth it seemed like we were flying. Both taxis pulled up to the beach at the same time and, another first, no one was in the street to meet us. We walked down the narrow alley way to Pepe s parents house with the gimpy suitcase in tow, and then it felt as if we were finally where we should be (although where we should be always comes as a shock and an adjustment since I m used to more space). Mam and pap recently renovated their downstairs, putting in a new modern kitchen but also splitting the living room in half to make a bedroom for themselves. I knew it was going to be tight living quarters and it is, with someone usually having to sit on the stairs to accommodate all. But we were with the family and that is why we are here and I think the abuelos are happy to see the kids who have grown up so much since we last visited three years ago. We immediately schlepped the three suitcases upstairs and then it really hit me how small the rooms are and the fact that there was no place to put three suitcases worth of clothing for a two week stay. I started emptying drawers of sheets, and more sheets in order to organize our clothing. We were ALL exhausted and didn t want to appear too rude, but it was only about 10:30 a.m. which for us would be 4:30 a.m. so we headed to bed. Within a matter of minutes we were all fast asleep. I kind of remember Malka coming in and telling me it was 4:30 p.m. which would have meant I had slept 6 hours, but in fact it was 14:30 (that s 2:30 for those of you who don t know military time). I had slept 4 hours still a hefty nap - and we woke up hungry. After a light meal Malka and I decided to take a stroll down the beach (not on the sand as she wanted) even as we were warned it was too hot. It was very hot in the strong sun, but the air was dry and breezy and we kept to the shady paseo. At one point we decided to sit on a bench beneath some trees and who came strolling past?????.... Jacobo el lobo (as Marina and I joked 3 years ago) a really attractive boy (now I guess man) who had reminded Marina of Jacob Black from the Twilight series. His name, of course is not Jacobo. Through some investigation and communicating with cousins via

Facebook Marina found out that his name is actually Salvador, but in any case, he passed by Malka and me as we rested and we both gave eachother a look and she couldn t wait to get back to the house to tell Marina. By the timewe got back she was sleeping so Malka woke her with the news. Later she wondered if she had been dreaming! Anyway, after our nap Malka andI were STILL/AGAIN tired and all five of us went back to bed. Next thing we knew, it was 7:30 p.m. Where did this day go???? We rushed to get our act together and were headed to the beach to be with my little nephew, 3 year old Rafa, and my other nephew, 12 year old Cristobal, but they were already outside the kitchen door washing sand off their feet. The kids, I and Anna sat outside for quite a while visiting and then we walked them back to their car about 10 minutes away. Back in the house the 3 Ms had a preliminary dinner before our walkto Pedregajo (the neighboring beach) where we had a lite meal at a merendero of pescado/dorada, ensaladamixta, papasfritas and boquerones con limn. To her credit Marina ate both fish dishes.Prior to sitting down we bumped into Kiko, one of Pepe s younger cousins (now 29 years old) who we probably haven t seen in 26 years. Funny though how we can recognize each other. During an after dinner stroll along the water;Pepe commented on how bad the economy is here as evidenced by the lack of people out at night. I pointed out that, in fact, it was a week-night AND we were still in June. All previous trips here have been in August which is the height of vacation time for Europeans. So, true, it was calmer on our night-time saunter, but it was also noticeably and pleasantly cooler than past vacations. Now I m sitting in bed with this tiny lap top. It is nice being able to journal directly onto Microsoft word and not have to come home and type from my hand scribbles. It s after mid-night and although I m not too tired (haven t I slept enough??? PLUS it s only 6 p.m. NY time) I m calling it quits for today. Wednesday , June 29 Wow, I slept so well, soundly and comfortably with a cool breeze in the room! I awoke at 7:50 and it truly felt like a new day. I didn t let the kids sleep too long but we did not have any plans. After breakfast we all walked up to the main road to buy a sim card for a mobile phone that is being given to us for the interim. That didn t take too long and I wanted to go into the center of Mlaga to go to the tourist office and enquire about a day trip to Granada. I was vetoed but we did get bus tickets from the local tobacco store for when we do, eventually, go to town. Pepephoned his brotherin-law, Cristobal, (who works for a major bus company) regarding transportation to Granada and asked about tickets/schedule/prices. Actually I asked, since Pepe didn t really get the full picture of what I had planned, and then we later booked reservations for the Alhambra on line. After returning from our quick outing we put on bathing suits and headed to the beach (about 100 yards from the front door). Who would have guessed that I would spend more time in the water than Pepe, Marina and Marcus. Well, it s no surprise that I spent more time than Marina, but considering I don t care for sun, salt, sand, Malka kept me very entertained as we chatted and walked in the water (Jacobo hunting along the way). We stayed outside for about 2 hours before coming home to shower and almorzar. Now the family is all taking their siesta as I write this and I m getting a little drowsy too. To be continued later. Okay, there went another two hours to sleeping! I don t know if it is still the jet lag, the time difference, being in the sun or the accumulation of an exhausting school year, but boy have I been tired and catching up on shut-eye. When Malka woke up she came to my room a little perturbed because her nose was red. Had she slept on it? No . oops, she forgot to put sun screen on her face (she did do the rest of her body). As she moaned that she looked funny I realized my stomach was a bit itchy and when I lifted my shirt I realized I had missed the entire area of my abdomen, minus one spot that shone brightly white, amid a rather lobsterish pink. Ouch indeed. I can t recall much of what we did in the latter part of the afternoon another walk with both girls this time, again heading east on the paseo and then stopping by the cemetery which was already closed being 8:00. Eventually Pepe and Marcus joined us and we sat on a bench outside looking at the water and the bathers still reveling in the sand

and surf. One thing Malka took note of, aside from the fact that some, not many, women bathe topless, is the fact that little girls and boys swim butt naked. Little kids running in the all-together is quite cute with their little tushies, and in the cases of the little boys their privates, flying around, but she noticed a boy about 8 or 9 doing the same and thought he was rather old for such free behavior. Well, I guess he noticed her gawking because as we sat on the bench, he came over and flashed her, opening up his towel and giving a big silly grin. He was carrying a toy machine gun which he tried to position over his jangley bits (as she calls them). Malka was soooo embarrassed that if her face wasn t red already from the sun, it certainly was red now! We waited for Anna to arrive with Rafa. Marina for some reason has suddenly taken a liking to little kids and wanted to play/talk with her cousin. They arrived around 9:00 and we went back to the house to play. I hadn t bought Rafa a gift other than the Tommy Hilfiger clothes his parents had requested, but I did have the free toy from the Wendy s meal bought back at JFK. The kids had said, you can t give that stupid free-be toy as a gift , well, lo and behold, what does a 3 year old know or care. Rafa loved it and it was a great icebreaker. After playing and drawing with the girls for about hour, Fali came in from his day of work, and at 9:45 we all headed back west on the beach to the same restaurant where we ate last night. I had already eaten and Malka is realizing it is not the wisest of things to be eating at 10- 10:30, but Marina again had the same fish as yesterday plus tried another new one as well.Rafa had begun the evening very quiet and shy. Playing in the house was an ice breaker, and during the meal he started to really open up like a typical silly little boy and everything he said was caca and pee-pee. Glad to see he s feeling more comfortable around the family, and especially the girls who adore him for his cuteness. By the time we all got back to the house and in bed, it was well past midnight. Not wise either since tomorrow we need to wake up EARLY and head out with Martin for Gibraltar. Whether we cross the border remains to be seen as we are not sure if a visa is needed or not (I Googled and saw no . Martin said yes ) so we ll see what Thursday brings! Thursday, June 30 I knew that it would be a bad idea to stay up late when I had to get myself and the kids up early for a day trip with Martin. I was up at 7:15 and the kids were up shortly thereafter, and by 8:40 we had met up with Martin a little further down the beach in front of Casa Pedro (a very famous restaurant which now has closed after 80 years!) It was great to be able to spend a day with Martin, a former colleague of mine from when I taught at the most shady of language institutes, 112 International, back in 1983-84. Martin and I have kept in contact since then and have occasionally seen each other, the last time being when he and Jos Antonio came to NY 5 years ago for their honeymoon, but we really haven t spent a full day together in way over 20 years! Reuniting was like never being apart!

Our plans were to go to Gibraltar and after much debate whether we (me and the kids) could cross the border from Spain to this British territory, we finally ascertained that it was good to go. The drive down the coast heading west took about 3 hours during which time there was never a lull in the conversation! We arrived to the Rock around 11:00 having no problems what-so-ever crossing the border. They didn t even glance at our passports! Gibraltar is a heavily populated city with equal amounts of cars and people and we drove in circles looking for some hint of where we belonged aided by NO street signage. I noticed the cable car that scales one side of the rock and there was a parking lot where we were lucky to find a spot. As we made our way to the office to buy tickets we were approached by Douglas, a true Gibraltarian, who also is a tour guide. He showed us the option basically for 25 Euros we could go up in a cable car and then walk the length of the rock (5 km) and see and pay the entrances to the sights on our own, or, for the same 25 Euros, he would drive us up in a mini-van, give us some history, take us to the three sights and this would include the entrance fees as well. Pretty much a nobrainer so we went with him. First, however, I needed to use a restroom so he directed us to one of those modern pay loos where everything is automatic and hygienic. Marina put in the 1 Euro coin and a door slid open and a woman s voice gave us instructions including informing us that in 20 minutes the doors would automatically open again. Marina and I had a proper giggle in there at the emergency push buttons/phones that lined the floor (in case one fell?) or the sink that dribbled and squirted soap, or to the timer timing our wee as Martin would call it. We were making a ruckus that apparently could be heard outside in the parking lot. Once finished with our business we headed back to the van and Douglas told us that since he got another 3 customers to join us, he would only charge 4 of us the full fair and the 5th would just pay the admission fees. Good deal. So up we headed along narrow winding roads that hugged the mountain-side. Our first stop was at the Pillars of Hercules where, at one time, it was thought the world ended. From here one could catch a glimpse of Africa (21 km) in front across the Straits of Gibraltar where the Ocean joined with the Mediterranean Sea. The only problem was that today was an incredibly hazy day and we were basically engulfed in a cloud and when we were not, therewas still ZERO visibility. Oh well... we could at least say we tried to see Africa. From there we got back in the bus and headed towards Saint Michael s Caves. It was chilly as we made our way down the slippery stairs along uneven paved floors. It must have been a combo of the lighting, wearing glasses and old age because it took me and Martin a while to acclimate ourselves. I felt as if I were drunk on a boat. I was so unsure walking initially.But the caves exhibited a lovely display of stalagmites and stalactites. We winded our way around until we finally climbed the steep steps of the auditorium (they have concerts there) to the exit. When we came out we were greeted by the Barbary Apes, (look like monkeys to me), which live in Gibraltar. As the saying goes, when Barbary Apes leave Gibraltar it will no

longer be British. Well I guess that won t happen any time soon as there are 6 families of apes numbering over 200 animals. They were adorable (and probably the highlight of the trip other than spending the day with a dear old friend!) Although we ve read (and heard from my parents friends first- hand account) about them attacking people, as long as you don t touch them or take something away from them, you are safe! We watched them climb the building and other tourists and then Douglas said he d take us further up the mountain to where he better knew another family . We crammed back in the van, drove a little further and now were higher up where the clouds were truly running over our heads. The apes were all over the van, the road and soon, us. One jumped unprovoked right onto Marina. To her credit she didn t freak at all. If you look at my initial reaction, I wasn t quite so calm and collected. Marcus and Martin did wonderfully with our furry friends but Malka needed to hold Martin s hand before allowing a primate to stand on her (or mess with her precious hair).

There was a little ape that had a bottle of water that he tried to drink from and we really felt bad when he accidentally spilled it and looked so sad.

The visit with the apes ended and we headed to the highest point of our journey to the Siege Tunnels which contain 60 km of caves dug through the rock that only measures 5 km long. These date back to the 1700s and we spent about 20 minutes inside. Looking out of the holes carved in the face of the mountainwe could barely see, under the mist, the runway of the airport which we actually crossed in order to enter this territory.

Douglas drove us back to our point of origin and instructed us how to walk to Main Street and where to eat if we wanted the traditional English fare of fish and chips at a place frequented by the locals. The walk was rather long (as the restaurant was at the far end of the mostly pedestrian street) and we stopped by a very old cemetery dating from the early

1800 s where the soldiers from the battle of Trafalgar were laid to rest. We finally found Roy s and sat outside in the shade and enjoyed a really nice lunch. Martin ordered a medium sized fish and chips, Marina and I each had a small and all three portions were immense! (The other two kids ordered chicken nuggets and chips rather American). I scarfed down my entire meal and it was yummy good. Meal complete, we had to walk the length of the road back to the car park and headed out of Gibraltar. A cloud still engulfed the top of the rock but as we waited on the customs line I managed to get a commemorative photo. Martin kept us very entertained on the drive home,

telling us endless stories of escapades he s had over the years living in Spain. He also drove us by the campsite where he HOPES (fingers crossed) he ll be employed in the not-to-distant-future. Marcus, Malka and Martin (wow another M to the mix!) wanted to stop at a beach to swim since we had our bathing costumes in the boot of his car. Marina and I nixed the idea and Marina told Martin she wanted to go to his house instead. And so we did. He lives in a lovely urbanization in a small two bedroom flat with a beautiful back yard and patio. I had been tired on the way home, but with a cup of instant caffeinated coffee and a sit-down in the shade and I was feeling pretty much back to normal. Next thing I knew, Martin had slipped into his bathing suit and was headed to the pool and quickly thereafter followed Marcus, Malka and myself. That was totally refreshing. We stayed in the water until the pool closed at 7:00 and then waited in the house for Jos Antonio to return from his hair salon so at least we d get to see each other for a few minutes. It was now time to head back to El Palo and when we got in the car it was completely dead. The battery had worn down since Martin left the lights on (okay-it was kind of my fault but not worth writing about). Now, being a manual drive car, I never knew that if you just let it run down a hill and you can start it that way so with all of us in the car that s what he did. Only, it started, and then it stopped and by this time he somehow made a turn and was now heading UP the hill. I thought, oh great, now what, but he figured he can roll down BACKWARDS. The kids and I all bailed out and waited on the curb as he went backwards down the hilly street. A little while later he was WALKING back up with our bags in his hands. I felt SO BAD! Malka even felt worse and said afterwards we should buy poor Martin a car! We got some jumper cables and a nice neighbor to help and eventually we were on the highway home. It wasn t too late by the time we got home, but it wasn t too early either, so knowing that tomorrow would be another LONG tourist day the kids were in bed before 11:00, hopefully with lots of happy thoughts of a very fun day.

Friday, July 1 Again I set the alarm for about 7:00 and by 7:30 had the rest of the clan up. Today s excursion was to Granada, a trip which entailed a bus into town, a walk to the bus terminal and a coach bus to Granada. Cristobal had already purchased our tickets for us for the 10:00 bus, so we left the house about 8:30 giving ourselves ample time to catch it. The only thing was we weren t quite sure where the terminal was and ended up taking the long walk around. The bus pulled out at exactly 10:00 and, amazingly, exactly an hour and a half later we reached our destination. I thought it would be a longer drive. By the time we got onto the street we could feel the day heating up. Not a good thing when we had hours ahead of us to play happy tourist (or, some of the time, not so happy). We found the local bus that took us to the Cathedral (from where we would later take another bus to the Alhambra). But first, we had to go INTO the cathedral because Marina thought that Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand were buried there! So we each paid an entrance fee of 3.50 Euros and entered an okay cathedral. It was commissioned in 1521 by Carlos V and completed in 1714. It was really just okay (how many cathedrals have we seen world wide-we re a bit jaded already) and it was disappointing to find that the Catholic Kings were NOT buried there but rather NEXT DOOR in the Capilla Real (why didn t I read my tour information ahead of time?!) So, we turned the corner and were accosted by a gypsy woman who pressed rosemary into my hand and was telling me my fortune or something (I m pregnant, I want to get pregnant, I don t know what! but a big fat NO on both of those counts). Of course she wanted money and got none! Pepe and Marcus decided to get something to drink rather than to pay an additional 3.5 Euros to see the royal tombs so at that point we went our separate ways. The royal couple originally planned to be buried in Toledo, but Isabella changed her mind when the pair conquered Granada in 1492. When she died in 1504,her body was first laid to rest in the Convent of San Francisco. Work began on the Royal Chapel in 1506 and was completed 15 years later. In 1521 her body was moved to a simple lead coffin in the crypt of the new building,where it was joined by that of her husband, Ferdinand, and later her unfortunate daughter, Juana la Loca and son-in-law, Felipe el Hermoso. There is all a small coffin that contains the remains of Prince Felipe of Asturias, a grandson of the Catholic Monarchs who died as a baby. Whilethecrypt containingthe five lead coffins is simple, it is topped by elaborate marble tombs showing Ferdinand and Isabella lying sided by side. Now, we had entered the chapel with a mission didn t much matter that there was a beautiful altarpiece made up of 34 carved panels. Marina wanted to see the tombs! Now, no photography was allowed in the chapel but then again, no photography was allowed in the cathedral and people were snapping away so naughty me, I caught an image of both the caskets in the crypt AND the ornate tombs upstairs.

We exited feeling very satisfied with ourselves and now had to find the men who were NOT standing where we thought they might be. The gypsy lady (same one) came at me again but I wiggled my way away. The guys were at a

nice bar and were happily refreshed, but now Malka was getting hungry so we needed to find somewhere agreeable to go. A simple McDonalds would have sufficed but none was around. There was a Kebab King on one side of the street, and a nicely decorated Middle Eastern restaurant on the other, so we opted for the pretty one. This is where the happy tourist label became disassociated with some of us. Personally, I thought the restaurant was really nice and pretty and authentic. We sat upstairs (it had a/c, thank G-d) which was adorned with draperies, mirrors, stools, low tables, low sofas very Middle Eastern. Music was playing in the background and that quickly grated on Marcus nerves and shortly thereafter, on Pepe s. Pepe said the place was a gimmick and I pointed out that the food was Halal and we were near the Arab quarter so maybe not! The menu was very good and inexpensive so I ordered a falafel, Marina a lamb gyro, Pepe falafel platter with humus and the other two had burgers. Okay, so the service was slow okay, it was VERY slow and maybe we were freaking a bit because we DID have timed tickets to the Palace of the Nasrids at the Alhambra for 3:30. But I thought the food was very good AND the place had the cleanest bathroom I ve seen here at a restaurant probably ever! It turned out Malka was totally creeped-out from the get-go having seen hookahs being smoked downstairs and reading about the different hookah infusions one could order from the menu. Plus she said a young couple was making out on one of the sofas and Marcus thought the teens at the next table/sofas who were clearly enjoying a nice meal and convo were high! Meal complete we now had to catch the bus up, up, up the windy, extremely narrow, cobbled streets to the Alhambra. By this time I don t know HOW hot it was, but I m guessing in the shade it was at least 95 degrees and, believe me, we spent a lot of time OUT of the shade. Okay, a little about the Alhambra before writing about our experience there: In 1238, the first Nasrid king, Ibn el-Ahmar began building the complex which has three main parts: The Alcazaba, the Palacio Nazaries, and the Generalife. The courtyard, patios and halls are a maze of Moorish arches, columns, rooms and gardens, complete with ornate stucco carvings, cursive epigraphy which quotes the Koran and Arabic poems, colorfulgeometric ceramic tiles, carved wood, fountains, and reflecting pools of water. Water is used throughout to enhance light, enlarge spaces and provide soft background sounds (if you can focus on them over the din of the tourists). We arrived at the entrance at around 2:45 and, as I mentioned, we had a timed ticket to enter the Nasrid Royal Palace at 3:30, one of those, use it or lose it tickets. It was a bit of a hike (20 minutes) from the entrance to the palace so we quickly walked through some gardens to get to the line to enter the Palace. The sun was beating down and it was unbearably hot (there was no protection for the line) so we ducked into the Palace of Carlos V which was built in 1524. This building is an example of Spanish Renaissance architecture and features a perfectly square exterior but a circular interior courtyard. There was not much to see there. After climbing a long and sturdy flight of steps we came upon the airconditioned entrance to the fine arts museum. Since it required ANOTHER entrance fee and we didn t have much time we went back down to sit on the cool stone landing. By 3:25 the line we needed to be on was rather long but we got on it regardless. Considering our entrance was scheduled for 3:30, we didn t get into the palace until closer to 4:00.

The NasridPalace is divided into three sections which we made our way through with a million other sweaty tourists, taking pictures, marveling at the beauty, catching the occasional breeze from an open window. We spent over a half an hour inside and then came out and

rested for a while in the shade of Carlos V s hulking structure. Thank G-d for the water bottles that we continuously nursed and refilled. We were all dripping sweat. Next we went to the Alcazaba, which is one of the oldest parts of the complex and the military area. Again, if you ve seen oneAlcazaba (fort) in Spain, you can almost say you ve seen them all, and we have seen others (a nice one right in Malaga), so Marcus and Malka opted to stay outside in the shade. After climbing the first of many watch towers, Pepe also bailed out on me and Marina, and we also quickly decided that we were not going to do any more climbing (it s really hot up top these towers and the views are all the same) so we wound our way towards the exit, resting a bit in the Jardin de los Adarves, the wall-walk garden, and gasp taking our shoes off and putting them in a fountain OH WHAT A RELIEF! We met up with our gang and after a stop at the restrooms to cover ourselves in water (which evaporated literally in a minute) we head toward the Generalife quite a ways away. We stopped next at the Partal, another lovely garden area that includes the Palace of Yusef III and the Paseo de las Torres. It was at this point that I really looked at the site map and saw how far away the Generalife was. By this time it was nearing 6:00 and we were all pretty much spent (this last part of the walk was up hill, and the sun wasn t letting up.) We had already been there for 3 hours. The estimated time to see, more or less, the entire complex is three hours. I guess no one

was banking on temps of 100 degrees! With sadness we opted NOT to see this final area (the Generalife) which sits higher on another hill and includes more gardens, and another Palace. It was constructed to be the recreation area of the Moorish kings of Granada, where they escaped from their official routine. Looking at the map there were even MORE structures further behind and higher on the hill, but we could barely move anymore for all the desire we might have had. This was my third trip to the Alhambra,and I told the kids that it would be up to them to return in the future when they were all grown up (and maybe appreciate it more and maybe come NOT in the summer.) I also said that when they have children of their own, of an age appropriate for such a trip, that I d be happy to join them again. I then realized, I might be dead by then! Oh well.. I can already say I ve seen and experienced the beauty of this marvelous masterpiece of architecture!

We caught the little bus back down the tight labyrinth of streets and then the other bus back to the busterminal. We were able to catch the 7:00 bus and were back in Mlaga about 8:45. Now Marcus wanted a snack/dinner and I saw that across the way there was the train station and a sign for Dunkin Coffee, McDonalds, Burger King and lots of other places. I dragged the entire family there and was totally blown away by how the formally tiny, non-descript train station from back in the day , was now a modern complex with multiplex movie, video arcade and a full mall! It made Penn Station back home look horrible! (Okay, Penn Station IS horrible.)I got the kids a bite to eat and myself my first coffee of the day and we walked back to the center of town which was much easier now since I realized the error of the early morning sojourn. I am totally impressed by the modern improvements that Mlaga has undergone in recent years: from the brand new and large bus terminal, train station, two malls which we passed, and a subway being constructed! In addition to that, the conversion of so many old traffic streets in the old center being converted into pedestrian streets and the rehabilitation of many old buildings is impressive! No wonder, though, that this country is going bankrupt!For better or for worse, Mlaga barely resembles the city that I first visited in 1978.

We caught the number 11 bus back to El Palo with no problem and were finally home around 10:00. A pretty long outing of 13 hours, sweltering sun/heat, and historic sights indeed! I was feeling grungy beyond grungy and was the first to claim the shower. I can say for certainty tomorrow we are going NO PLACE further thanthe beach out front! Saturday, July 2 As I promised the kids, after two days of early rising, heavy heat and schlepping I did NOT wake them up or expect them to get out of bed in the morning. As for myself, I was up at 7:30 to finish typing yesterday s journal and organize some 140 photos. Pepe and I had to pay a condolence call to his Aunt Angeles so we left the house at about 10:00. Before leaving I just informed the kids where we d be and gave them the option to get up or not. We walked to Angeles house which isn t all that far away but is up a steep hill and at this early time of the day the sun was already strong and stinging. All things considered, she had just lost her husband 2 weeks ago after 5 years of sickness and the last 5 months really bad, Angeles looked well and as usual didn t stop talking. Before we knew it, it was about 11:00 and we excused ourselves to go back home. The kids were still in bed and once prodded moved along slowly. It was noon before Marina and I made it to the beach. (Pepe, Marcus and Malka got there a little before.) Rafa was there but only briefly which is a shame because the kids really like playing with him. By 2:00 we were pretty crispy and went back to the house. Cristi and Curro had arrived from their home in Alicante, about 5 hours away, and with them, Ana (who just came from work to get Rafa) and the other cousins, there were about 13-14 people in the house (in an area that is smaller than our den and with seating for about 8.) I showered with the girls because even though we rinsed off at the beach, between the salt, sand, and a thick layer of suntan lotion, my skin was simply crawling.Then we ate lunch. The kids are feeling overwhelmed by the tight quarters, the basic lack of room to roam and freedom to just do what they want (although there is nothing really for them to do), the heat and the fact that at certain times of the day one really can t even be in the street for the heat, and for the fact that they can t really communicate. Don t blame me for that any more please! So, what do kids do when they are bored?... they start fighting! Oh yeah- what a joy. With no place to sit and just relax peacefully downstairs, we all ended up falling asleep again by 4:00. Next thing we knew, it was 6:30 and we had done nothing all day! The girls were really at each other and Malka (who at times is actually crying that she wants to go home) took a walk with Pepe heading one direction on the beach, and Marina and I headed the other way. Marcus stayed home to read if nothing else, at least the boy is reading this vacation! Good thing his book has over 1000 pages! By the time we got back to the beach in front of the house, Pepe, Malka, Marcus, Cristi&Curro were out front ready to sit down at one of the merenderos (beach front restaurants). We took a big table and waited from Cristobal & theprimosto come back from their house to join us for a late dinner. By the time they got there it was after 10:00 and so we had another late meal. My three kids had really long faces (after insulting eachother and just being out of sorts for the day) so at 11:00 I took them back to the house where Marcus and Malka promptly fell asleep and Marina stayed up helping me with this laptop until midnight. Another day done fingers crossed tomorrow will be better.

Sunday, July 3, 2011 Pepe and I both woke up pretty early without an alarm clock and a little later Malka and Marcus joined us downstairs. Actually, I don t think they awoke on their own, but rather had the family marching through their rooms to get all the beach gear together because today, finally, we were going to set up the tent/canopy to protect the extended family from the sun. We all got to the beach at a decent hour, probably around 10:30 except for Marina because I decided to let her keep her own schedule after I made sure she had breakfast. She made it down at noon. The weather was very different than the other days, very windy, even a bit cold and there were great waves for the kids to enjoy. However, by 1:00 the wind really picked up, the lifeguard had pulled two people from the water (one taken away in an ambulance) and it no longer was very appealing to be outside with the sand kicking up although it was a great day to get a tan since you couldn t feel the sun. (An aside added later: I think I must have gotten sun poisoning or something because the back of both upper arms are blotching, a bit swollen and hot!) I headed back to the house with the kids and Cristobal came running behind to get abuelo because while disassembling the tent it began to take flight. There were again 14 of us for a paella lunch and a table was set up outside in the little callejn(alleyway) next to the house. I sat outside with the kids as it was much more pleasant than being in the house. After lunch, Malka wanted to take another of her walks. Good for her, she doesn t want to nap every day, so we began to walk along the beach. The sand was really blowing so we headed up to the main road. Being a Sunday there wasn t a single shop open, but we walked around that area for a bit before coming back down to the beach and sat on a bench for about 45 minutes or so. It was a good thing Cristi heard us at the door because we didn t have our key. Everyone else in the house was asleep and she assumed we were upstairs too.

I took Malka up to the roof of the house to hang laundry since a line was strung at my request. I recalled how years ago the family (and I) used to eat meals upstairs, hang out upstairs, sunbathe upstairs it seemed such a shame that the area was now unused. Of course, me being me, I decided to look under all the tarps at what was hidden beneath and I came across two nice cushioned reclining beach chairs. I untied them and Malka and I chilled for a while. Everyone was STILL sleeping so we decided to go out AGAIN. Curro stirred on the sofa as he heard us descend the stairs, and asked if we wanted to sit down. He was a bit surprised that we said we were going out walking again. It was still incredibly and dangerously wavy and don t know why anyone would be in the water with only one lifeguard to cover a huge area. He sure was busy today, because no sooner had we come outside we saw him dive into the water to save a young lady! We continued our walk but this time walking along the shoreline with our feet sinking into the cool wet sand. Malka was looking for poopy , some mangy stray dog we saw the other day (his name isn t really poopy, but Malka gave him that name.) For some reason she really likes the dog???? We had fun looking at all the little kids enjoying their beach outing. Malka wanted to adopt one adorable black toddler (sorry, can t call him African American if we are in Spain) who was excitedly and nakedly chasing the birds, and another toddler who almost looked Irish (he wasn t) who already seemed a master soccer player. Malka really likes being out and taking in the surroundings and the people. We were sitting on a bench when all of a sudden it began to rain! RAIN in July! Imagine that. It only lasted 10 minutes but that was when we headed back to the house. By this time everyone was awake and pretty surprised how many walks Malka and I have been taking. What s the option? It s now 9:00 and I fed the kids up on the roof/terrace. I think this will be our new hangout while we are in Mlaga. Pepe is making himself some dinner now and will bring it upstairs as well, and then we ll all take a stroll along the beach, heading west to Pedregalejo, to people-watch. Oops..battery running out now. Guess I ll sign off for today and recharge the laptop. Hasta maana. Monday, July 4 By the time we got home from our evening stroll last night I wasn t feeling too well. I think that between the wind and humidity, or from the amount of time Malka and I sat inhaling smoke in front of the open fire pits where they cook the fish, my chest was feeling tight and bronchitis-like. Plus it was nippy and windy during our walk. I had hoped to get to bed early, but since the sun sets at 10:00, it s NEVER early by the time we turn in. I woke up feeling better to a brilliant, cooler (at least in the morning) dry day. For the first time the sky was the beautiful blue that I recall from past years living and visiting here (up until now it s been soooooooooooo hazy!) Pepe and I decided we would go into the center of Mlaga. How can we come all the way here without taking in the beautiful old city? We woke the kids up, fed them, but there was NO WAY they wanted to go for a walk. Their excuse beenthere done that. While it is true that they ve seen Mlaga many times over the years, the city is being redone so nicely and there is always something different, if not new, to see, that I thought they should come. In the end we let them stay home lest they ruin OUR outing.

We took the bus to the near end of el Paseo de Parque and walked through the tunnel that was cut through the mountains (obliterating the once-gypsy quarters). This path took us to la Plaza de la Merced (now under total reconstruction/renovation) where Picasso was born. We made our way through the small winding streets of the old part of town and came upon the site where they are now building el Centro Sefardi and a synagogue. I think Mlaga realized (a little late, since they destroyed what was probably the Jewish quarter quite a few years back to make the new Picasso Museum) that Jews make up a large percentage of tourists and all other major Spanish cities have some Jewish history and attractions. We stopped for a coffee at Dunkin Coffee and then continued to take in the lovely architecture and weather. It really is a shame the kids didn t come next Sunday, even though the stores will be shut, I hope to get them up early to spend a few hours down town. We got back to El Palo around 12:30 and were told the kids had JUST gotten up. Actually, I think Marcus spent the morning reading. And they were hungry. Even though it wasn t la hora del almuerzo I fed them a la horaamericana! After lunch we chatted with Alejandro about college plans, his idea to learn to drive this summer and Jacobo el Lobo who, it turns out, he knows. We also sat outside and played with Rafa and took some nice family photos! It s now 5:00 and Marina and I are sitting outside the front door appreciating the shade and cool breeze. The cousins

have all gone home and the rest of the family, aside from maybe Marcus and Malka, are taking their siestas. A little later I ll need to pack our suitcase for Barcelona (the kids and I will be leaving the house at about 7 a.m. YIKES!) and then I will take the girls to El Palo s center to window shop (or shop if there is anything they really want). Things are really nice and calm now and I think we all (myself included) have finally adapted to the way things are here. Vacation is about over. Tomorrow another adventure begins as we explore new territory! Tuesday, July 5 It just goes to show that if we have to get up early we are perfectly able to do so! I set the alarm for a bit before 6:00 and popped out of bed when I heard that peeppeep. I dont know why I even set it so early considering we werent going to leave until 7:00. The kids were up and

dressed, ready is debatable, at that hour, and by 6:30 we were in Curro s car headed to the airport. It s a good thing we gave ourselves that cushion of time as there was an accident on the highway and we were basically at a standstill for a half hour. Nevertheless, we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, checked in and then waited. As it turned out, our flight to Barcelona was delayed and we didn t take off until 10:10, an hour and ten minutes late. Audrey was waiting for us as we came out from baggage claim and we made our way to her car. The trip to her house was about 20 minutes, filled with lots of catching up with lots more catching up to follow since it s been years since we ve seen each other. She andher family, husband Josep, 16 year old son David and 20 year old son Marc who is currently in El Salvador, live in a very nice residential neighborhood on the top floor, tico, of an old ( maybe 100 years) building. It has a huge heavy wrought iron front door and two caged-in elevators that go up through the middle of the stair well. The kids really had fun open the cage to get in and out. The strangest of things amuses them. We were greeted at the front door by a very attractive David in his very sexy European briefs. Great first impression for the girls big smile! I kind of knew, from Audrey s past description, that her dwelling was big, but I really wasn t expecting what we entered. It s kind of a la old mid-size NYC Central Park West apartments ; HIGH ceilings (a good 3-4 taller than ours back home), a long L-shaped hallway off of which are 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a dressing room, an ironing room, a little book alcove, a terrace with double doors that they keep open all the time, an eat-in kitchen and at the end, a living room/ dining room with marble fireplace and a far wall full of vast windows. There are two interior air shafts that flood the hall and inside bedrooms with light and breeze as well as many exterior windows with old fashioned heavy wood shutters. The weather is cry and breezy and although each room has a/c, it is plenty comfortable without it! We settled in well and sat around for a while with Josep telling his never-ending stories, poems and dichos and serenading us with song and guitar. We then went for a walk in the neighborhood, through the market where we picked up salmon for dinner and assorted other foods and then we walked to whatJosep refers to as the Al Qaida neighborhood full of Pakistanis and other such immigrants. He wanted to go to his friends bakery even though it was already 3:00 and the shop closes at 2:00. As luck would have it, we bumped into the baker on the street and went inside, what a lovely sweet smell, to pick up some desserts, talk and get a tour of the baking area. On the way back home, Josep pointed out another system of public transportation; a bank of bicycles from which one can pick up a bike (there is a 15 euro annual fee) to drive from one point to another and then be dropped off at another rack. If used for up to hour there is no additional cost and considering there are 100 kilometers of bike lanes throughout the city and bike centers all around, it is a great/green commuting option. We came back to the house. TRYING the pastries basically turned into FINISHING them, so light and delicious. David then left to go to is moto lesson and Lucky, their West Highland Terrier, needed a wee walk. Leaving Marina and Marcus behind, Audrey, Josep, Malka and I went out AGAIN for another long walk. It took a while as Lucky is slow and when Malka attempted to take the leash he dug his little paws into the sidewalk and wouldn t even move so that added to our time. I give Malka lots of credit for going much further than expected.

Back at the house, Josep proudly showed off some of his unique art collection, each painting having an interesting story and hidden symbolism. The house is full of eclectic art that he has picked up from his world-wide travels. When it came time for David to return from his lesson, it was now Marcus turn to go for a walk. He was later rewarded by playing video games with David for the rest of the night and going to bed at midnight after the rest of us were all tucked in. Wednesday, July 6 We got up easily enough. I set the alarm for 8 and had planned to be out and about by 9:30, but Josep laid out a lovely breakfast and before we knew it, it was 10:00 (Audrey was teaching her first student of the day on the terrace). After catching the #24 bus from the stop down the street, we arrived at the Plaa de Catalunya to pick up the Barcelona Bus Turstic which would take us to the city s major sites. The line in front of the bus was crazy long so we went across the street and downstairs to the tourist info center to get the tickets. Although that line was short, it was slow so realizing we could actually get the tickets at a little kiosk by the bus stop we went back upstairs. That was a waste of 20 minutes. We bought the 2-day ticket and boarded a Red Route bus. Now, MAYBE I had told Marcus that we d be done sightseeing by 2:00 (or maybe that was a white lie) but in any case, by the time we began our tour, it was probably close to 11:00! If all we did was sit on the bus, that would last until 1:00, but we DIDN T just sit, we got off many times along the 23 stop route. The first place we got off was at Casa Batil, a colorful and bizarre Gaud building that was built between 1904-1906. It is on a block referred to as the Manzana de la Discordia because of the extreme discord or contrast between Gaud s bright and bazaar structure and that of fellow Modernista architects Domenech I Montaner and PuigiCadafalch. Many people were snapping photos of the building(s), many also entering for a steep fee. We were among the first group and then boarded the bus again to stop #2. This was Gaud sCasa Mil, also known as La Pedrera the stone quarry. The tour book says that when the curving stone faade was unveiled in 1910, the neighbors weren t very happy with the look. I quite agree and didn t appreciate the aesthetic. When I asked Audrey last night what her favorite tourist sight is she named this buildings. Barcelona truly has something for everyone! Again, the entrance line was long and the price high. Back on the bus and away we went. All along this part of the route, the architecture, building facades, adornments and rooftops were beautiful. We didn t get off the bus again until we reached Plaad Espanya (where I had walked yesterday afternoon.) This a very pretty traffic circle with an impressive statue in the middle, an imposing art museum way to the back in one direction and a refurbished Plaza de toros (bull ring) that now houses a brilliant shopping mall. We took the escalators all the way up to the roof for a vista of the city. We could see the spires of La

SagradaFamilia (Barcelona s landmark) under the haze far away. We then decided to pacify Marcus a bit and go to the brand new Museudel Rock. He said this touring business is BS and big waste of time! Whose son IS he?! But first we ate the accompanying restaurant, a light meal of varied tapas. In the museum I was pleasantly surprised because it contained a good authentic collection of rock memorabilia.

Finishing with that, we went to the lower level of the mall, bought some candy and magdalenas to snack on later, and went back to the bus. By this time it was 3:00!! The sun was out and hot but as long as we were either walking or sitting on the top deck of the double decker bus with the wind blowing or downstairs with the a/c it was fine. Standing in one place was a bit difficult. Two stops later we got off at PobloEspanyol, a mock Spanish Village that was created for the International Exposition of 1929. It is a sort of Spain-in-a-bottle with reproductions of the country s architectural styles and copies of actual building facades that were researched from 1600 towns. We spent a long time therestrolling the streets and enjoying the vaioustalleres(workshops) of glassblowers, leather workers, embroiderers etc. I refreshed myself with a cool drink ofhorchata and found out what the chufa, the main ingredient of the drink, is and where it comes from! From here we had a long bus ride. There were stops but we just didn t get off the bus. We passed the Olympic (1992) stadium, drove up and down Montjuic (Jewish Mountain the site of the old Jewish Cemetery) and we finally got off at the port. From there we

walked to the Monument o Colom, the 60-meter tall monument that marks the spot where Columbus stepped back onto Spanish soil in 1493. Now Marcus was REALLY carrying on and tired. We stayed on the bus all through Port Veil, Port Olimpic, past the zoo and to the BarriGtic(the Gothic quarters) where the Cathedral is. By this time ALL the kids were DYING. They sat on some steps below the cathedral (built between 1298 & 1450 with neo-gothic faade added in 1892) eating the magdelenasthat we bought earlier on while I went to inquire about entrance fees. They were rather costly BUT Malka sshort shorts and Marina s exposed shoulders precluded us from entering. Nobody complained about that. While they rested, I walked around the square looking at an antique market and some street performers. Then we headed on our way home WALKING! I figured that it made more sense to walk than to take the hop-on/off bus back to our original starting point of the morning and then having to find the public bus back home. The walk took us through the tiny allies of the Gothic Quarter, the Jewish Quarter (which I don t think now contains anything Jewish) across Las Ramblas to the heart of the Arab/Pakistani/Indian neighborhood until the recognizable structure of theMercat de St. Antonicame into view. Then we knew one more block would deliver us to C/. Manso 52! Right outside the apt. building, the clothing market that was being set up early this morning was now packing up. Marcus wanted some European underwear(slips) so we stopped to shop. The lady told me he d be a size M. I thought he d be L. We bought one of each and it turned out I was right. We ll try to exchange and buy more on Friday, next market day. By the time we entered the apartment it was 7:00! What a long day. Immediately Josep came up with the idea that we should do night-time snorkeling at a beach some 20 minutes away. He and David (and Marc too) are scuba/snorkeling enthusiasts/experts. The photos from their 18 day Bali trip were amazing. But we declined the invitation (anyone who knows me knows I wouldn t snorkel anyway AND we had already been out and about for9 hours!) We opted to decompress, have dinner with Audrey, write my journal, do Bat Mitzvah practice and go to bed (not too early in the end). It s a good thing we skipped the swim they got in at 2 a.m.! Crazy Catalans! Thursday, July 7 It s 4:00 p.m. and I can say that today has been a much easier day for us (especially Marcus) regarding touring. Having acclimated ourselves to Spanish time (it s only been over a week!) we are all having a better time of getting up and out. We were all dressed and fed by 9:00 and out the door hour later. Today would be the blue route but we took the metro to La SagradaFamilia figuring that would be quicker than taking public transport to the tour bus to this MAJOR attraction. The subway station, just down the block from the apartment, was spotlessly clean as was the train. Within five minutes we were in front of this architectural masterpiece before 10:00. We stood facing the main entrance down below at street level.

A bit about this Gaud landmark: Construction began in 1882 and is still underway as in evidenced by the scaffolding, cranes and workmen with hardhats. On the Nativity faade where we first stopped, Gaud illustrates the genealogy of Christ, the constellations in Bethlehem s Christmas sky, the crowning of the Virgin, a cypress (Christmas tree) the evergreen symbol of eternity pointing to heaven; white doves the souls seeking eternity. To the right are scenes form Jesus youth and to the left, among other depictions; the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, Joseph with his carpenter s tools, the marriage of Joseph & Mary. All of this is carved and resembles wind eroded stone, stalactites, stalagmites or other organic shapes. We couldn t see so well from our vantage point so we decided to find our way to get inside the gate, and, I decided, to go inside the church as well, regardless of the cost. It turns out that to get inside the gate to see the outside, one has to pay the admission fee anyway. So we walked around to the back of the building where the ticket booth was and there we saw it a line that went around two blocks! So much for that idea. We crossed the street to find the shade and from there looked up at the Passion Faade on the southwestern side while reading up on the sculptor, Josep Maria Subirachs, who was chosen, in 1986, to execute Guad s plans. Gaud died in 1926 after being hit by a trolley car. The contrast in style between the old and the new is enormous as Subirachs style is angular and geometric unlike the organic feel of Gaud. Each scene on this side depicted the Passion of Christ very well. Marcus appreciated the modern, while the women in the family preferred the old.

Since we opted not to wait hours to enter, we got on the bus at this point and headed to ParkGell in upper Barcelona. This is Gaud s Art Nouveau urban garden (now a municipal park) that was named for his patron the CountEusebioGell, and was intended as a garden suburb. The project failed because the bourgeoisie of Barcelona were happier living closer to the town. The park (one of my favorite things in city) is a gorgeous example of Art Nouveau; gingerbread gate houses, colorful mosaic work, whimsical creatures, serpentine benches overlook flower filled gardens, man-made caves of interlocking stone. We had a really nice time there, strolling, sitting and appreciating. There were street vendors (all illegal) with their waresspread out on the dusty ground on sheets. I was going to buy some things from them when all of a sudden, in one swoop, they grabbed their goods and scurried away like mice fleeing a cat. Although I didn t see them, I guess the police had arrived. On the way out of the park I wanted a quick photo in front of, and with, the patchwork tiled lizard that guards the park. I handed the camera to Malka, threw myself into the frame so to speak. With so many tourists waiting for a similar picture I needed to be aggressive. Not as aggressive though as the fat, old, over-jolly andover-exuberant Saudi who came next to me for the photo shoot. His friends were all screaming and took a picture of me and him with their cell phone. Malka looked totally disgusted but luckily got a solo shot of me. The men were yelling some foreign word which I m sure meant kiss but I managed my way away. A bit later I saw him in front of another fountain with another woman. I hope she was his wife! We walked back down the steep hill that we hadschlepped up and hour earlier and got the bus to our next stop, Palau Reial and Pavellons Gell. The first is a royal palace built in 1924 for the king, Alfonso XIII. It now houses two museums. We had no intentions on visiting either of them. What we did want to see was the estate of Gaud s patron. We walked through the very nice palace gardens to get to the second site to find it was closed! It seems it is only open for a one hour English tour ONCE a week! That wasn t mentioned in any guidebook or map. Sigh So we looked at Gaud siron gate in the form of a dragon and walked back to the bus. This time all of us, minus Marina, opted to sit downstairs in the a/c rather than up top where, while the breeze was pleasant, our legs were singeing from the sun. We passed the Futbol Club Barcelona which we know we wouldn t stop at. Surprisingly to me, it was THE MOST POPULAR stop! Did I haveany idea that

Barcelona has THE BEST soccer team? Obviously not. But the line to get onto the bus from that stop, and the stampede of the people to get off showed me that there are some serious soccer fans in Europe! We got off the but at the stop of el Museud ArtConemporani de Barcelona and el Centre de CulturaContemporania de Barcelona which I knew was a short walk from the apartment. It is really nice to feel so comfortable in a large city and actually be able to make my/our way home by foot from various locations. Having the old market as a landmark a block away is very helpful. We ate lunch before going home and arrived there shortly before 3:00. Originally Audrey and I were thinking to go to a museum in the afternoon with Marina, but while she had a dentist appointment at 4:30, David, Marcus Malka & I took a walk around the block to the dog grooming shop, MAI FRIENDS, of David s cousin. David gave Lucky a bath (Malka didn t want to do that part because she didn t make an ass of herself and get all wet-her words!) and M&M helped dry him with hair driers (Lucky, not David!) He looks much better now. We then walked to a supermarket to get some snacks and passed by David s Avi (grandpa) who was sitting in front of his building s door. We stopped to say hello. Back at home, as we opened the door to

enter the apartment, we were greeted by Audrey, Josep and the recently awakened Marina (she likes her naps) who were about to set out to look for us. We all came back in, sat and chatted and made plans to go out again tonight. That never happened because I was too tired in the end. Marcus took a short walk with David and his friend while I attempted to write my journal but failed as I always found myself distracted. We had a casual meal on the terrace, talked about the running of the bulls for San Fermn in Pamplona and then Josep took out the guitar and began to sing (really nice voice and great spirit). I learned a song that I think Ill use and incorporate with a new PowerPoint for school, and by the end, many of us were singing and our crazy host was dancing around with a red glass bull!

Its now 11:50 and Im overdue for bed. I told myself Id quit writing by 11:30. I m trying to keep to a more American vs. Spanish time schedule. Tomorrow s plans; 8:00 a.m. get up and watch the running of the bulls on TV, go to the neighborhood market and then see what the day brings and who will go where. Sigh, it ll be our last day (for now) in Barcelona, but with so much left to see, I hope we come back. Bona Nit. Friday, July 8 By the time I got to the living room and turned on the TV it was 8:03 a.m. and the day s running of the bulls was nearly over (to be repeated via re-runs on the news throughout the day). The casualties: one cornuda, an Australian got gored, and a few tramplings. I let the kids sleep until 9:00 (lazy morning, lucky children) and while they breakfasted in the living room Josep put on a LP of Sardanas, the typical folk music of Catalua. Now, unlike so many Andalusians who seem to innately know how to dance the Sevillanas, the typical dance of that region, Josep really doesn t know the steps of the Sardana but he certainly had fun pretending to know and to dance in his fashion with me, with Marina but hardly with Malka who quickly pulled away in embarrassment! After breakfast the kids and I made a compromise and abbreviated the morning s outing by taking public transportation to our destination which was, in effect, a long walk unto itself, Las Ramblas. But first we went back to the clothing street market to see if we could exchange the size M slip that we bought two days ago, and buy Marcus some more. The woman at the stall remembered us and had no issue with taking back the briefs. More of an issue was what would Marcus buy; He liked plain and boring, Malka, who likes to dress her brother, wanted sexy, and I liked the cute and comical. I think in the end Marcus won. I suppose that s only right. A young man SHOULD be able to choose his own underwear! A quick stop at the estanco, the tobacco shop, to get another bonobus, public transportation card, and we were on our way.

Now, back to Las Ramblas. No one can come to Barcelona and NOT walk Las Ramblas, the pedestrian strip within a boulevard that goes from Plaa de Catalunyadown to the Columbus monument by the water. So, after getting out of the bus at the plaza, we walked the entire length along with thousands of tourists and Barcelonans, looking at the kiosks, the surrounding architecture and the various street performers. Marcus was pleasantly surprised thatwe reached the end painlessly and rather quickly. Ah-ha! Perhaps he s getting used to this tourism thing after all. Better late than never! From the base of Las Ramblas, we took the L3 metro back to our residential neighborhood. This stop was not near our regular one, but Marina got our directional bearings and, after about two minutes, MARCUS recognized two places that we passed on our walk to the dog grooming shop the other day. Way to go Marcus! Then we absolutely know where we were. Marcus even admitted that those walks actually paid off! It was now about 1:00 and I made a lunch of sandwiches at home. Mine was SO yummy; Iberian ham, a slice of cheese and a baguette. The plan was that after a quick break, Marina and I would head out alone to visit the Hospital de la Santa Creu, and then later go out again with Audrey. But typical Marina, she decided to take a siesta on the sofa and there she still remains. Audrey is napping now as well. She had suggested I write my journal. Our laundry is in the dryer and when that s done and they re up, we ll push ourselves out the door. In the meantime, I m enjoying an iced coffee at the bay window feeling the cool afternoon breeze of Barcelona. Marina woke up without prodding a little after 3:00 and we discussed going to the Palau de la MsicaCatalanafor a guided tour. It is supposed to be a beautiful example of the modernistastyle. Yesterday, Audrey looked up the details on theinternet but, unfortunately, by today we had all forgotten that the site closes at 3:30. Oh well . opportunity missed. Instead, the girls, Audrey and I opted to go to Born district near the Gothic quarter to see thechurch Santa Mara del Mar. This is the most breathtakingly symmetrical and graceful of all of Barcelonas churches built from 1329-1383 and considered the finest existing example of Catalan (or Mediterranean) Gothic architecture . The number eight, or multiples thereof, the medieval numerological symbol for the Virgin Mary, runs throughout every element of the basilicas construction: 16 octagonal pillars rise 16 meters before arching out another 16 meters to the painted keystones at the apex of the arches 32 meters overhead. The sum of the lateral aisles, 8 meters each, equals the width of the center aisle, and the difference in height between the central and lateral naves, 8 meters, equals their

width. Thank you very much Mr. Fodor for your tour book information! Keep in mind this was all created by a mere stonemason and not a major architect or engineer. The church was impressive for its size and symmetry, but it was hot and humid inside, not what Id expect from such a vast space. We continued walking around the neighborhood and the Gothic area as well, and went to the Jewish quarter/gettoor Call(from the Hebrew word for community). I had thought there was nothing to see there, but actually there are the remains of Europe s OLDEST synagogue. When we walked this area the other day, I wouldnt have even known it existed; it s that tiny and hidden. Going through a petite door and down a few steps, we entered the first of two very small rooms. We paid the suggested donation and a lovely young lady told us the history of this synagogue, which, until recently had been used as a storeroom. The faade of the synagogue is oriented towards Jerusalem. Originally constructed in the 3rd century, it was rediscovered only 20 years ago. There is a document showing when the church gave permission for the synagogue to raise the height of the roof, I think in the 1300 s (a synagogue always had to be shorter than the churches.)The walls dating back to the third century are visible. The second room is actually where the men s section would have been. The woman s section is now part of a bar next door. This space had, for years, been used as a residence of a Jewish (Marrano- forced convert) family in the textile dying business. But they were eventually forced to flee.Now, the synagogue, in addition to being a tourist destination, can also be used for Bar Mitzvahs and weddings. There is an arc and a Torah that was donated by an American family as well as other donated/antique judaica. I told Malka it would be really cool if she could recite part of her Haftarah or Torah portion

there. It was just the four of us in the room. To be able to say she did that in what could be the remains of Europe s oldest place of Jewish worship should have seemed important, but she didn t see the significance of it, much to my (and Audrey s dismay). Kids!!!! After this stop we continued in the small streets looking in shops, passing the Mammoth Museum (who would go there?), the Museum of the History of Catalua, the Picasso Museum and theDal Museum. An extremely cultural city indeed!!!! We walked back to the Plaa de Catalunyaand from there took the bus home. The house was empty. David had gone out with friends and it turned out the Josep took Marcus for avery long walk, to the Gothic quarter as well, and through the red light district, to get a fresh fruit juice and some exercise.

Prior to our having made definitive plans to come to Barcelona, Josep had purchased four tickets to see the opening night s performance of A Streetcar Named Desire . As much as I would have liked to go, I knew it would be impractical as we have a VERY early morning ahead. Audrey didn t want to leave us home alone on our last

night here, so Josep took David and another couple. Before they left we ate a nice dinner, again outside, with David running in at 9:00 when the play starts at 9:30. Cutting things that close would make me nuts! What was even nuttier though, was, #1, Josepteaching the kids how to make zucchini/potato soup with his very unique and funny instructional methods does he do that when he teaches his university classes as well?, and #2,Josep s lesson on how to drink from thepurrn, a drinking vessel where the water flows in a stream gracefully into the mouth. It seems effortless enough when Josep and David drink this way. You can t even see them swallowing. Out on the terrace the demonstration began with the what not to do as

he poured water into his eyes, all over his head and face, leaving his clothing dripping and puddles on the floor. Poor Audrey, she must have been mortified by her husband s behavior, but I ve known Josep for 20 years + so it s all good! I

gamely gave it a try and except for one little dip I did very well. Marina surprised me by also trying and but for a singledrop on her shirt she did beautifully. Malka got the mouthful, but spit it all out as she started hysterically laughing. She tends to do that a lot, laugh, not spit! Marcus, being Marcus, wouldn t even try!

David and Josep left for the show (we later, tomorrow, found out they came home at midnight missing the entire second act as it was so late) Audrey, the kids and I enjoyed a quiet evening, packing, e-mailing, Facebooking (a rare occurrence for us in Spain this trip) and getting to bed at a decent hour (11:00 for the kids). I had a 15 minute private talk with Audrey, the first time all vacation that we were alone together, and then I was asleep by 11:30.

Saturday, July 9 4:30 in the morning! 4:30!!!! What an ungodly hour to wake up but what is the option when there is a 6:50 flight to catch? By 4:50 everyone was dressed and ready. Marina wasn t feeling too well: a little warm, stressed, sleep deprived and a bit out of sorts! AT 5:15 the taxi called the house and Josep accompanied us down to the street to let us out of the building in case the door was locked from inside. Only, he couldn t open the door! Panic!... okay, not real panic but an uneasiness because I don t think there is another exit. He started taking the door apart, about to remove the HUGE glass storm window from the decorative iron frame, and pulling some other thing off from the top, and then he realized, he was PUSHING the door instead of PULLING! Oops.. I hope he put it back together again before the crazy mafia neighbor finds out! Malka sinterpretation of these moments was that Josep was so sad to see us leave

and wanted to keep us longer. While I m sure that was not the case, I think(hope)they enjoyed our company as much as we enjoyed theirs and our stay in Barcelona. The taxi ride at this time in the morning was quick and uneventful. Surprisingly, the lines at the airport were very long, but Marina managed to figure out how to get the boarding passes from the machine and afterwards there was no queue for us at all. We sped through security although Marina needed to be frisked (after they asked my permission) even though all she had on were a tank top, sandals and tiny short shorts! By 6:30 we were on the plane and by 7:10 in the air. We lucked out. The three kids sat together but I got a row of 3 seats to myself. Notice, I didn t write that I lucked out, I said we . I moved Marina to my row and that way we all had more room. Marina always manages to sleep during flights, so this one was no different. Marcus nodded off as well. Malka and I, not a chance! We landed in Mlaga around 8:30 and Curro was there to pick us up. Now, between some point A and another point B there was a WWIII with the girls. It really was the STUPIDEST of things, but escalated to the point of lasting until 1:00 a.m.! Girls being girls have silly crushes (or something) on boys. Okay normal enough. David was very good looking - normal enough. Marina snuck in multiple (and sneak attack) dibs on David. I guess that means he s mine . Malka didn t like that. Then they started insulting each other. Believe me, I wouldn t even consider the comments insults. Then to add fuel to the fire, Curro told Malka she was too young for a 16 year old so by default David was Marina s. Malka took great offense and held a grudge against her uncle the rest of the day (and beyond). By the time we arrived in El Palo it was time to separate the kids. Pepe took Marina for a walk in one direction and I took Marcus and Malka on a walk to the supermarket. By the time we got back, Marina as asleep under an umbrella on the beach. The other kids and I put on our bathing suits as well and nearly froze as the water was so cold. Malka and I have enjoyed daily walks (as long as we are in El Palo) back and forth along the water s edge. So we kept our pattern. From noon until 2:00 we were outside and then we came in to eat. Actually, Pepe had set up a small table outside the frontdoor as Marcus had expressed a desire to eat in the fresh air and not be so closed in in the tiny living room/dining room elbow to elbow on the sofa. That was not to be and we found ourselves again crowded, 10 of us because little Rafa was there too, around the table with the forever-on TV in the background. Malka s mood seemed to fester and get worse as she said Curro again insulted her. When lunch was completed I needed to sleep. I don t know why Marina did too considering she slept on the plane and already napped on the beach, but she wanted alone time with me. Malka again became upset but I don t recall much more than the fact I fell asleep and woke up at 6:40. What a waste of a day! I hate sleeping it away. Granted we were tired from the early rise and all, but this was crazy. Pepe and I decided to take the kids into Mlaga center to walk around and tapear (eat small plates of food) but Tita Angeles called and invited us for an ice cream first. She wanted to make sure she had the opportunity to see the kids before we left on Monday. We met her up the block at the Heladeria Santa GemawherePepe and I each had a little cup of turrn, Malka chocolate and the others nada, nothing. In spite of her situation (Juan s death) Angeles seems to

have a very good spirit and attitude. She has also always been very generous with my kids. She used to take them to the candy shop or bring them treats and sweets. But due to her circumstance of late, she couldn t do so this year. Instead, she slipped Marcus a 50 euro note to share with his sisters. Very generous indeed. We took the bus into the old city and walked with the kids. This time, we went to places I hadn t gone to last week with Pepe. I was again amazed by the changes. It really seems as if EVERY street is now pedestrian with lovely polished stone/marble slabs of various colors. I took the kids to the street where my old 1980 residence used to be. That always makes me nostalgic and teary eyed. Marina wanted a photo of her against the plane white wall (the back of the Picasso museum) that used to be my front door. We then went to the park, about 200 feet away, where I used to meet Pepe for our nightly dates. The street ahead borders the Roman amphitheater and the Alcazaba and Castle up the hill. The street is now only trafficked by feet and has spaces where you can look down and see newly uncovered ruins. Very cool. But then I noticed the local where the bar that was owned back in the day by my friend Carlos andwhere I used to hang out at was now nothing more than a fenced in, weed and litter infested site. That really upset me and Malka had to give me a hug to console me. Although the city is more beautiful than ever, many physical, personal landmarks have been destroyed. We stopped to eat a meal of various tapas: caldo, pinchito, ensaladillarusa, ensaladillamalaguea, tortilla, croquetas and to have some refreshments. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves although there was still a little undercurrent between the girls with Malka making comments about her sister. Both of them really need to acknowledge and accept that they are both very different from each other. Anyway, we had a very social waiter at the restaurant, so, me being me and Marina being

who she is, I asked her if she wanted a photo with him. Of course she said yes, and he said yes, and he took her behind the bar for a good shot. Pepe and the others were 1/2 way down the block waiting for us with the what the . expression on their faces. The bars and restaurants were packed at the city full of families and friends enjoying a cool, crisp evening. We probably would have stayed later were it not for the fact that it was nearing 11:00 and thats when the last bus leaves for El Palo. We got back to the house about 11:20 and there sat Mam and Pap, Pepes folks, looking as depressed and forlorn as they have since we got here nearly two weeks ago, and surely for the entire last 9-10 months (more on that at the end of my journal). With barely a word said, the five of us made our way upstairs. I went to have some private time with Marina at her request and that turned into a melt-down for her. I finally left the two girls to work out their issues and to help Marina calm herself, at 1:00. A very long, difficult day. Sunday July 10 Today has been the perfect experience and one I wish we would have had every day here in Mlaga. I woke up at 8:45 and got Marcus and Malka up a little later. Okay, really Marcus had already been awoken by the traffic through his room but enough of that! No complaints today that s the goal! I never woke Marina up but left her to sleep. Malka and I decided to go back into town to have breakfast. The men didn t want to come. We were in town by 10:00. The city was still very much asleep. A few cafes were open for business, a few tourist shops open for tourists. It actually looked like the Picasso museum was open (surprising for a Sunday, especially early morning) and the clip-clop of the horse drawn carriages could be heard on the recently hosed down and glistening stone streets. We went from one point of the city to another, through streets we had been on last night to ones Malka had never seen, past many people begging for money in front of open church doors from which the sound of the Sunday Mass could be heard. We stopped at Dunkin Coffee for our meal and then were back on the bus by 11:10. Everyone, except my in-laws,was already on the beach, but before going there ourselves, we first hung the laundry on the roof/terrace and changed into our bathing suits. Just like the old days, the toldo was set up with a table, numerous chairs and LOTS of family present: Tita Angeles, TitaJuani, TitaPaqui, Tito Revi,Fali, Ana, Rafa,Juani s grandkids Martina and Pablo, and later Maria (one of Pepe s cousins, Juani s daughter) and her husband Pablo joined us as well. Marina was reading when she wasn t napping, Marcus was sulking when not reading, Malka and I walked back

and forth and back and forth (as per our routine) along the shore looking at the people on the sand and at the end points, the sea life on the jetty rocks. A larger table was set up and around 2:30, Pepe and Fali returned from where they bought lunch. In two shifts (that s how many people we were) we ate gaspacho, rotisserie chicken and fries. Unfortunately, Curro and Cristi weren t with us because they chose to stay in the house so as not to leave Pepe sparents alone. It is even more unfortunate that the latter two wouldn t even consider coming to join us. Cristobal and his boys spent this part of the day down the beach with his family, but we were able to see them briefly and hope to see them later this evening. After completing lunch, Malka and I took one more lap to burn off some of what we had eaten. We are now on the roof (probably have been for nearly two hours, I m not wearing my watch) chilling, writing and in the case of the girls, resting AGAIN! In a little while I ll check to see if Pepe has awakened from his siesta and we will begin the joy (not) of packing.

No relation to Pepe!

Fali and Rafa

Paqui, Angeles, Revi, Martina, Maria, Juani, Pablo

Ana and Fali All smiles today! I don t know why packing takes so long, especially when we didn t even bring so much clothing (although it s always too much when washing machines are available). Actually,why did Pepe bring THREE pairs of jeans, twodress pants and only one pair of shorts to a place that is over ninety degrees daily? After packing and everyone was showered (that is very time consuming with so many people in the house) we went out to dinner with Cristi, Curro, Cristobal and kids. We ate outside of a local Italian restaurant. Marina ordered all by herself AND had a nice conversation, in Spanish of course, with Cristi. What s the saying; better late than never. We then went around the corner to have an ice cream. It was 11:15 by the time we headed home. Malka was feeling bad because she again ate at such a late hour and was going to sleep on a full stomach and because it was, according to her, a shame that the waiter had to be serving ice cream at such an hour. Apparently she had another little crush thing going. She wouldn t have felt bad had he been

ugly! Tonight was the first real chance I had to talk to my younger nephew Cristobal, as we sat together over diner, and the second opportunity to speak with Alejandro. I told them both to try to check in with us once in a while on Facebook. Then we said our good-byes. Monday, July 11 The alarm sounded at 6:10. Time to collect the final items to be packed away and to slowly get the kids ready as well.Falishowed up around 7:45 with Rafa fast asleep on his shoulder. After thegirls gavehim kisses on his soft baby cheeks and I took one last photo (next time we see him he ll be a much bigger boy), wesaid our good-byes to Pepe s parents and piled into two cars to go to the airport. No problem getting there at all. We decided to saran-wrap the previously crushed suitcase so it now resembles a huge green sandwich. The check-in process was ridiculous. They separated us into 3 groups; me and Pepe, Marcus and Malka and then Marina, and asked us all the security questions, whiles others too our passports away from us. Notvery efficient for 5 people to work with one family. Then we passed to the counter to check the luggage and to get our boarding passes. We were informed the flight was overbooked and given the option to take FIVE $1000 Delta vouchers, round trip transport to a beach front hotel, a one night stay at the hotel plus food vouchers and be put on tomorrow s flight! Why then am I now sitting on our NY bound Delta flight 163 as scheduled?!?! If I would have been travelling alone with the kids I would have jumped at the opportunity and used those vouchers for our next European trip, but Pepe wanted to come home! Oh well. We still had two hours untilour flight home. We sat for a caf con leche, Pepe took a walk to the duty free shop to buy his wine, and I went to see if there was anything worth wile to spend our euros on. There was not. Marina then had one of her anxiety attacks (I am writing this at her request so she ll remember????) It is not that she hasn t flown incident-free 3 times in the past 15 days! We just took off a few minutes ago; 11:10 a.m. for a flight that is to last 7 hours 42 minutes. I was hoping to use the laptop to type this journal, I haven t done so since going to Barcelona, but alas, the battery is run down. Marina is already asleep on my shoulder and it looks like this will be a long flight. Vacation impressions: It would be nice if when people ask How was your trip to Spain I could just answer, great! But, where holidays should be happy, uplifting experiences, unfortunately that was not totally the case over

the last two weeks. The girls and I have been accustomed, from our British trips, to sightseeing vacations;always doing, doing, doing. So any day in the past two weeks that included such activities, even in the heat of Granada, provided enlightenment, distraction and amusement. Not being a swimmer or great lover of sand and sun, hanging out on the beach doesn t really appeal to me and Marina too much. Malka enjoys frolicking in the water with Marcus when the opportunity existed and there WERE some pleasant relax moments on the beach, especially yesterday. The kids and I really enjoyed seeing my old (and nutty) friends with whom I share history and recounted stories. They found that very entertaining. The sad part of the trip was the fact that they couldn t do the same with our family, especially their abuelos (grandparents). Since Isa s death in September, they have sunk into a depression from which I don t think they (especiallyPepe s mom) will emerge. She seems to have converted herself into one of those old ladies in luto (mourning), wearing black every day and not (or hardly) leaving the house. There was not one day during our stay that they took a walk with us, ate out with us or sat on the beach with us. Neither was there much conversation in the house. Okay, so the kids don t speak Spanish (we heard that over and over.) Marina actually is able to speak very well and if someone would have spoken to her she would have engaged in conversation. But no one asked about their school, hobbies, plans, anything! It was a sad and strange experience. I know it bothered Pepe although he chose not to discuss it much. What can he do with his frustration? And he felt even worse when we (me and kids) were uncomfortable or unhappy. The whole thing left me feeling a bit empty. Of course we all miss Isa and it is strange not seeing her, but what I saw of my in-laws was basally hollow shells, very sad indeed. Since the mood in the house was overwhelmingly somber, the kids, when not on the beach or out on tourist excursions, stayed isolated upstairs; Marina doing a lot of napping, Marcus reading an entire 1000 page book, and Malka sticking by my side. I feel badly that they felt the need to do so, that my in-laws seem incapable of helping themselves,and that Pepe was uncomfortablebeingin the middle of these confused emotions. But, there are plenty of good memories to recall, way over 300 (mine alone) photos to look at and organize into a slide show, and even now on the airplane, the cute boy in seat 37C (Benjamin Nicholas, 7/21/96 from Connecticut wearing a pink shirt) that Marina and Malka are giggling about as well as our efficient cabin staff consisting of Glenn (a handsome Vigus/Hidasi look alike), Luis (very Jose Antonio-esque) and Ricardo (a cross between Alexis Mateo and a matador with a little pony tail). Thank G-d the kids can make their own amusement!