You’d think by now we’d know what we were doing. Admittedly, Spain is the least planned part of our trip. It is our last stop so we thought we’d have plenty of time to figure it out later. Or we were going to be spontaneous. Well, Type A planners are not good at winging it. First of all, I can’t take this 90+ degree heat. Our last three apartments have not had air conditioning. This is what happens when you wait…
Barcelona is a kaleidoscope of color – geometric, fanciful and a little dizzying in this heat. Gaudi’s architecture is brilliant yet bizarre. His masterpiece La Sagrada Familia is Dr. Seuss on the outside and absolutely divine on the inside. The stain glass windows explode with colors that fill the sanctuary with surreal light. The pedestrian lanes around our apartment in the Gothic Quarter are also laid out like a mosaic. The web of streets are designed to meander through all…
The blue skies, rolling green hills and colorful flower boxes of Germany were a breath of fresh air compared to the unfamiliar, muted landscapes of Dubai, Tanzania and Beijing. I physically relaxed in a way I hadn’t realized I was on guard before. People ride bikes (with bells and baskets!) along pedestrian paths to work and to the market. Ladies in colorful summer dresses and high heels wheel about without helmets, their hair flowing in the breeze like an 80s…
Jens drove 200+ km/hr on the autobahn in a BMW 5 series, a sweet upgrade from the rental car agency. The car’s navigation is projected on the windshield like a hologram. This is a level of luxury and performance well beyond our 2008 Prius back home. Let’s be honest: this whole trip is an upgrade from our regular life. It’s fast paced, exciting and exotic. A friend of mine who took a similar extended vacation warned me to enjoy it…