Spain (2024) - A Spanish Exposition

Day 0 - Of Anniversaries and Burnout

This past January, Cynthia and I marked our fifteenth anniversary; time has flown since that cold and windy day standing in Douglas Entrance in Miami. We honeymooned in Barcelona, a trip that would mark our first of many but which saw us as travel newbies. Since then, we’ve been around different parts of the world, experienced amazing things, and eaten fantastic food. We thought it would be fitting to celebrate this milestone anniversary by returning to Spain a little wiser, more adventurous, and with our kid.

Why Valencia?

For a long time, I’ve toyed with the thought of moving to Europe. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who knows me. Ireland is great and an option; Switzerland or Austria would be ideal, but they’re expensive. Italy would be wonderful, but we don’t know the language. Spain hits a sweet spot for us knowing the language; it is not overly expensive, and we can enjoy the benefits of a more European lifestyle. Still, where in Spain? Madrid is like living in Miami, we’ve heard, and Barcelona is also another huge city. Valencia hits a sweet spot of having big city amenities but with a smaller town feel - like Richmond, VA!

Not that we’re looking to move, but we wanted to stay in just one place for this trip, and we figured it would be great to experience a city that checked a lot of the boxes for us in terms of a place to go possibly, or if anything just have a nice trip.

Also, we booked this trip months ago because I found cheap airfare that was too good to pass up.

I am glad we did; over the last few months, things have been brutal at work for both Cynthia and me. We are feeling ourselves burning out working in service-based jobs, not finding joy in it, and more easily losing our patience with people.

We hope that a week away will help us to realign, refocus, and create some core memories with Luna.

Day 1 - Of Flights, Trains, and Hip Tapas

When beginning the process of traveling to a foreign country, there is also a sense of anxiety and worry that sweeps over me. Will the flight be delayed or canceled? Will we get to the trains on time? Will we have space in the overhead bins for our luggage? Will the hotel have our reservation? Things like that.

Thankfully, our travel from Miami to Valencia went smoothly, with enough time padding to make things comfortable and leisurely.

At the airport, Cynthia ran into a coworker! MIA and the flight were uneventful; Cynthia and I didn’t get much sleep, though. I will say that I probably would have slept more had the lady next to me NOT LEFT HER TV ON THE HIGHEST BRIGHTNESS THE ENTIRE FLIGHT, EVEN WHEN SHE WAS SLEEPING.

Once we arrived in Madrid, we made our way to the T4 train station, where we took a short train ride to Chamartin Train Station. This place was a chaotic mess and reminded me of being in Asia or in Mexico. There were people everywhere, a lady on a loudspeaker blaring our platform assignments, and only a couple of basic food places. This isn’t Switzerland. Still, the Iryo train, one of the new bullet trains operating in Spain, was fantastic. We went with an upgrade on this trip, first class with food service. Once we settled in, we got a warm towel, water, and a snack. Once we hit a cruising speed of 290km/hr, we were given our pre-ordered meals. The whole two-hour ride was very pleasant, although Cynthia and I were DYING from sleepiness. Luna, thankfully, was doing alright. I’d recommend this train line. The train was super clean, the staff was friendly, and everything went smoothly.

We finally arrived in Valencia! Immediately, we took a cab to our hotel, Palacio De Rojas. Supposedly, it was once a large estate that has since been turned into shops and a hotel. We had trouble opening the front door, and I thought to myself, “Not again!” But as soon as the front desk person showed up, the door opened with no issue. Now, I know what my clients feel like. Once inside the apartment, we were greeted by a one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen. It was kind of perfect for what we needed on this trip.

We immediately fell asleep. I set my alarm for 4:00 PM. We had now been awake, aside from a small nap on the plane, for over 24 hours. We ended up waking up at 5:30 PM. Luna was crazy angry with us.

Cynthia and I hee-hawed about where to go, experiencing a little decision paralysis since there were so many seemingly great options. In the end, we decided to just go out onto the streets and see what happens. Finally, in exploration mode, we got to take in the sights and sounds of the El Carmen district of Valencia. El Carmen is an old town with crowded buildings, cobblestone streets, and a very old European style.

The streets weren’t packed, but they weren’t empty - it was kind of crowded. It's funny because the front desk lady told us it was low season and things were slow. What?! As we meandered the streets, we found two guys playing trombones, adding to the hip and cool ambiance of Valencia so far.

We ended up in a tapas bar named Bardebares, eating some excellent steak, toasted bread with caramelized onions and goat cheese, and croquetas de jamon serrano. Fantastic. We had an excellent meal with food, and drinks for 40 Euro, that same meal in Miami would have been $80+. They also played downtempo music, which is always a plus.

We aren’t sure what we are doing tomorrow. This trip wasn’t hyper-planned like they usually are. We are being leisurely and going with the flow. Maybe we’ll go to the central market, or just walk around and see what’s what.

Day 2 - Of Zoos and Mixed Habitats

We woke up late. It was late by our standards, but late nonetheless. If you’re a long-time reader or know me well, you know what the first thing I did when I got up and dressed was go to a bakery to get baked goods.

I ended up at a quaint and simple operation called “Horno San Bartolome Tossal.” It’s a mouthful, but so are the portions. The chocolate croissants were huge, with two actual strings of plentiful chocolate. We also had a cinnamon roll. These little trips for baked goods, among so many other things, are one of the things I look forward to the most when coming to Europe.

Afterward, we took a cab to BioParc, Valencia’s zoo that is located at the northwest end of their man-made river park. For a bit of history, there used to be a canal that ran from the ocean through Valencia. At one point, they stopped up the entrance to that channel and turned it into a long and wide natural park that runs through the town.

We’ve been to zoos in different places - none compare to Wild Park in Austria, but we’ve been to parks in California, Miami, Ireland, etc. No other Zoo has done what we witnessed here in Valencia. This zoo funnels its visitors through somewhat narrow pathways where we can see the different habitats. What we found interesting is that these habitats weren’t isolated to just one animal, but each habitat contained different animals and species, all living together. That was interesting to see. Also, we saw more activity from the animals than at any zoo we’ve been to. We saw monkeys playing, gorillas running, and even a family of chimps mourning the death of one of their young. We saw lions roaming, elephants playing, giraffes eating, and others. It was awesome to see so much activity from the animals here. What a treat. To top it all off, some habitats had the animals roam free among the visitors, that was exciting and fun to get so close.

For lunch, we ate at the zoo restaurant, where we had paella. Yeah, it’s a weird place to have our first Valenciana Paella, but it was still pretty great.

After the zoo, we came back to the apartment, had a nap, and then went to dinner.

We walked through the ayuntamiento, or rather a large plaza in Valencia that’s about ten minutes away. From there, we ate at Los Gomez, a typical Spanish restaurant. Inside, it looked like a fancy fine dining establishment. We shared a tabla, or rather, a charcuterie board, wine, and a mix of different croquetas. It was all pretty amazing, all for a price that would have cost us over $100 in Miami.

After dinner, we went back to the playground we found last night. There’s a see-saw and a horse on a spring. Luna was super excited to get on the see-saw again. Truth be told, Cynthia and I also got on the see-saw.

Tomorrow, we have a family photoshoot with a professional photographer here in town; then, we’ll spend time just exploring and checking out the central market.

Day 3 - Of Photoshoots, Markets & Playground Visits

As part of my anniversary gift for Cynthia, I hired a photographer through Airbnb Experiences to take photos of our family out in the streets of Valencia. We got up extra early to make sure we were ready and on time. Turns out the photographer was a few minutes late due to public transport, so we stopped by a little coffee shop and enjoyed a latte.

When we met the photographer, Adrian, he was wearing a Wandrd PRVKE bag. This particular backpack was the first bag that a company had even sent me specifically for me to review - it will always have a special place for me.

Almost immediately, he got down to business, explaining what the expectations were and how we could get some nice shots. The three of us, not unfamiliar with photo shoots, got into the groove. For over an hour, we went from spot to spot in the El Carmen area of the city, taking photos and talking about life in Valencia.

When you ask more people about living in Miami, they’ll tell you about how much it’s a dumpster fire - either because of the weather, the traffic, the rents, or the overall cost of living or quality of life. So, I was expecting something similar from him. Instead, he said he liked living in Valencia; the quality of life was good, and the cost of living was manageable except for the rent. Like Miami, Valencia has a rent problem. Sure, rent for an average 2-bedroom is 900 euros, but the average wage is 1200 euros. Yikes. As a European, that’s tough, but if you’re making US money online, that’s not a bad deal.

Once we said our farewells, we went to Horno de los Borrechos, a fantastic bakery! I had a croissant with white chocolate, and Cynthia had one with Nutella. Afterward, we explored the Central Market or Mercat Central. As a side note, the Spanish in Spain is very unlike the Spanish I am used to in Miami/Caribbean. Sometimes I read signs or menus and have no idea what its saying. This sometimes happens when speaking with the locals, too. It’s not as jarring as when speaking to Germans, Italians, or the French, but it’s still an adjustment.

The market reminded us of the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia or the central market in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. It was a huge and beautifully architectural space with hundreds of kiosks and stands selling meats, cheeses, produce, knick-knacks, wine, nuts, candy, and so many other things. We wandered around, sampling some jamon Iberico, cheese, orange juice, and sangria. Really, we could have spent another hour there, but we knew that tonight was Italian night, and we didn’t want to get filled up. We’ll be back!

We continued to explore the city, finding large and small plazas or cool rotundas.

Eventually, we made our way back home, stopping at the playground. Luna has become obsessed with this place, even though it’s not terribly impressive. The playground is literally a see-saw, a horse on a spring, a bench, a wooden hedgehog on the floor, and some weird torture-looking cross on a spring. That’s it. Yet, she wants to visit every chance she gets.

We eventually got home and had our siesta.

After the siesta, we made our way to San Tommaso, an Italian restaurant that was recommended to me by one of my clients who comes to Spain multiple times a year. He said it was the best Italian food he’s ever had.

Luna was in a bad mood the entire time, which made the experience not as nice as it would have been otherwise. Still, the food was delicious - not the best we’ve ever had, but that still falls to Culinaria in Rome and to Red Carpet in Miami. Cynthia had a fantastic Arriabata, while I had a Pesto.

Tomorrow, our plan is to visit the aquarium; it’s said to be the largest aquarium in Europe.

I am excited.

Day 4 - Of The Oceanografic

As usual, I made my way early back to El Horno De Los Borrachos because their baked goods were great, and I have to give them kudos for a cool name. Aside from having an actual drunk talk to me and ask me to buy him a coffee (he then tried to get me to buy him the coffee with whiskey in it), the baked goods were quite good. I do think it’s time to move on and try new places, though.

The night before, I pre-booked a cab for us, so by 10:20 AM, our driver sent me a message. It was nice to walk out of our building and have a taxi waiting for us.

Driving up to the Oceanografic, we were met with our initial sight of La Ciudad de la Artes y Ciencia (The City of Arts and Sciences), a sprawling multi-building complex of highly futuristic-looking buildings surrounded by several different water features. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen from a man-made perspective.

The Oceanografic itself is also impressive. It’s the largest aquarium in Europe, and once we were inside, we could see how.

I won’t go into all the nitty-gritty details of each exhibit because this is a place that must be experienced, not read about. I will say that each section focuses on a specific region or creature. Whether it be the tanks that house 18+ dolphins where we saw a fun dolphin show, to the seal tanks, to the shark exhibit, to the Caribbean, Pacific, Mediterranean, and aviary, it was all so well done and absolutely beautiful.

To top it off, the park includes a playground for kids, little habitats that dot the walkable areas, most featuring different types of turtles and tortoise. Luna loved these: “Come here, little buddy!”

It was heartening to see these things through her expression and interests, especially the absolutely towering tanks of live sea creatures or the various underwater tunnels where manta, sharks, and other fish swam above us - she loved it, and so did we.

We spent a good five hours or so at the Oceanografic, so much that it wouldn’t make sense for Luna to take a nap. So we got a ride home, and instead of a nap, we played a new game I dubbed “Couch Potato.” How does one play “Coach Potato”? I'm glad you asked. One plays “Couch Potato” by sitting on the couch and watching TV with Luna, but since she thinks it’s a game, she gets excited to do it instead of running around all crazy. As Bandit from Bluey would say, “I am a dodgy dad.”

After some time resting, our intention was to go have tapas at this tapas bar called Boatella, but it was closed, so we went to a nearby place called Grand Mercat. We ended up having some croquetas, calamari, and bread with garlic sauce. Luna had steak, always steak. 2/3 of our bill is usually Luna’s steak.

Tonight, we are calling it a bit early since Luna didn’t have a nap. Tomorrow, the plan is to visit the Science Museum.

Day 5 - Of Science and No-Nap-Papa

Last night, I decided that I wouldn’t have any baked goods for breakfast today.

As soon as I woke up, I got dressed and made my way to find baked goods.

That’s it. That’s the story.

Our taxi arrived at 10:20, exactly ten minutes early like yesterday. We arrived at Museo de Las Ciencias. Part of the sprawling Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias, this magnificent structure houses multiple floors of engaging and fun scientific activities and information. For us, the highlight was The Science of Pixar exhibit. Spanning the majority of the first (second) floor, the exhibit showcased the various steps Pixar animators use to create their movies. Each step had various activities, videos, and explanations.

Luna bounced from screen to screen, pushing buttons and exclaiming when things would happen. For our part, Cynthia and I did the same.

The museum held cool exhibits about the history of genetic research, molecules, Mars, Earth, and the human body, among other things. What’s funny is that the ticket lady from yesterday told us that the museum could be seen in two or three hours. Not so. A person could spend the entire day there.

Afterward, we went to El Corte Ingles, where we got Luna some dresses.

Once arriving home, we played a rousing game of Couch Potato. But as soon as I tried to go to sleep on the couch with Luna and Cynthia, Luna would complain, crawl over to me, and manually open my eyes. It became a game. Eventually, I ran to the bedroom and pretended to sleep. But instead of trying to wake me up manually, Luna simply turned on the lights, cackled, and ran off.

I’ve had a hard time finding places to eat here in Valencia, not because of the lack of places, but because I search on Trip Advisor, The Fork, and Google Maps to find places; there are a ton of places to each, but I am looking for places that are open, where I can make a reservation for three, has meat for Luna to eat, and is Spanish or Mediterranean fare. Oh, and it has to be highly rated. When I find a place that hits all those marks, it’s closed that day, won’t open until 8:30 PM, won’t take reservations, or the app decided that “Nearby” means a 45-minute walk away.

After an hour-plus of searching, we decided to go to the restaurant attached to our hotel. They don’t open their full menu until 8:30 PM. Cynthia recommended a spot, but when we walked over, it was closed. We stopped off at a place we’d seen busy for days now. After five minutes of standing by the host, he didn’t acknowledge us, so we left. After it all, we went to….The Good Burger. Yep. And it was awesome. I had a burger with Raclette cheese in it! After, we walked a bit and visited Lucciano’s Gelateria. They had white chocolate and pistachio ice cream, my two great dessert loves.

Tomorrow, our plan is to visit a huge playground for kids in the shape of Gulliver from Gulliver’s Travels, then go to the ocean, where we’ve made reservations to eat at one of the most popular arrocerias. We’ll see what happens.

Day 6 - Of Gulliver, A Beautiful World, and Paella

I tried a new bakery today, Panem Unique, which apparently sells the best sourdough in Valencia. When I arrived, their bread delivery had not arrived from the actual bakery to the tiny storefront. Boo. So I went back to the horno from yesterday - they had pistachio croissants!

At 10:45, a taxi was waiting to take us to Gulliver Park.

Situated just west of the City of Arts and Sciences, this huge structure is shaped like Gulliver from Gulliver’s travels. It’s a little weird when you look at it from Google Maps Sat view. But on arriving, we were met with many people: adults, teenagers, kids, and babies, all sitting around, climbing, or sliding on Gulliver.

I really would have loved to do some Parkour Parkour!

At first, Luna was nervous because there was no protection from falls anywhere. Precipice, sure. Narrow walkways, yep. Sudden drops into a steep slide, oh yeah. Still, it was a lot of fun exploring the different nooks and crannies of this huge park.

For me, there were a number of highlights, like watching Cynthia and Luna going down slides together or watching Luna decide to go down slides on her stomach. Even seeing them both climb up a section via rope was fun. What made me smile the most was that, while I watched these scenes from afar, there was a busker playing on his saxophone. Sure, he only had eight songs to his repertoire, but one of them was Louis Aromstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” So I sat there staring out at this huge park with hundreds of people enjoying themselves, watching Cynthia and Luna having fun with this music playing - I couldn’t help but smile as so many worries and anxieties melted away and disappeared.

After the park, we hailed a cab to La Pepica, a famous restaurant on the beach. I realize this restaurant is most likely a tourist trap like so many staples in Miami are around South Beach - it didn’t matter. We ordered paella, sangria, patatas bravas, and wine. It was so good, and we left absolutely stuffed. What made the lunch extra nice was getting a seat on the terrace looking at the beach.

After lunch, we walked around and explored Las Arenas a bit. This area had an absurdly long beach to get to the water, which is probably why it’s called Las Arenas. The sand was powdery and soft. We reached the shore and just stood there watching Luna play in the sand while other families lay on blankets and enjoyed their afternoon. It was calming and nice.

After a little siesta, we decided to go out onto the town again in El Carmen; we retraced to some places we’d been to before but with a keener eye on what was around. Valencia is a beautiful place. We even saw a musician playing piano near Plaza De La Reina. Unfortunately, the pianist was cut short because a drunk Englishman decided to interrupt him.

Cynthia and I didn’t get dinner because we were still stuffed from Lunch. But…we did stop off at Luciano’s again, at Luna’s behest, of course.

Tomorrow, we aren’t sure what we’re going to do. I think we may walk around El Carmen and visit some of the places we haven’t come across yet, like the towers and gates. We’ll see what happens.

Day 7 - Of Towers, Gardens, Silk, and Squares

Today was a long one. Since we have done the majority of the major attractions within this part of the city and the City of Arts and Sciences, it was time to dive into the smaller sights and scenes that El Carmen and Valencia have to offer.

I began with….getting baked goods. I heehawed about where to go; Cynthia told me to to back to Horno de Los Borrachos, but I didn’t want to because of the actual borracho that I encountered last time. But, after some walking, I decided to go, only to see The Borracho(tm) standing there by the bakery. I walked away, then after two minutes, steeled myself and walked back. He didn’t notice me; he was probably too drunk. I ordered my stuff and rolled out as quick as I could.

Our first stop today was Torres de Quarts, two imposing towers that marked the entrance into the old city. We climbed the stairs and perused the old edifice, noticing the marks on the facade and looking out over the old town. A lot of restoration work has gone into the towers over the years, and the process is impressive to read about.

From there, we made our way to Jardin Botanique de Valencia or the Valencia Botanical Gardens. Honestly, I was expecting a small garden with a few interesting plants and trees. After we paid a small fee to enter, we were greeted by a sprawling and huge botanical garden that houses myriads of different plants and trees. They are all categorized by industry, type of plant, where they’re usually found, and so forth. It was beautiful, serene, and immensely enjoyable. As we walked around, I heard a familiar bird call. Finally, I found the source - a species of parrot that is or looks identical to parrots that would nest outside of our apartment back in the early 2010s! The gardens hosted several field trips, too. But what caught my attention the most, and what really made me smile about this place, was that in so many spots, people with easels had set up shop and were simply spending a morning painting a picturesque scene. There was something about these people taking time to appreciate nature and express themselves through art that I found beautiful and charming.

After the gardens, we walked all the way back to Plaza de la Virgen, a plaza we’ve walked through half a dozen times already. This time, though, two men with guitars had set up shop and were playing typical Spanish music, including a few boleros. It’s said to be low season here in Valencia, yet everywhere we’ve gone, we’ve found musicians and artists using their craft - it elevates the vibe of the city. And every time it happens, I can’t help but feel happy and at ease.

We then had lunch at Viandas, a place that’s sourced by farmers from Salamanca. We’d spotted it last night, and I knew I wanted to eat here. We both ended up with bocadillos - mine was with jamon iberico, while Cynthia had one with chorizo and jamon; both were fantastic. As we walked to our next stop, we caught the piano guy playing again, and Luna took a photo with a fake Sully from Monsters, Inc. We also caught a huge pop-up book fair that was mostly children’s books, YA novels, graphic novels, and art - Luna scored two books.

Once that was done, we made our way to Lonja de la Seda, which, as far as we heard and read, was the primary building where trade prices and merchandise, especially silk and other fabrics, were based. It was the commerce center. You could see it, too. This building, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, is beautiful. One room has towering spiral columns and vaulted ceilings, while another has a gilded ceiling. There’s basements and other rooms, but it’s all very impressive. I couldn’t help but try to visualize people arguing the price of textiles, running up and down the stairs to the basement where I assume they stored merchandise, or the trade barons holding court in the upper room with a gilded ceiling.

At this point, it was time for another game of Couch Potato.

In the evening, we finally ate at Boatella; worth the wait. Papatas bravas, calamari a la plancha, montadito de jamon, wine, albondigas - it was all great. While we ate, an older gentleman walked around the terrace and played his guitar. Again, things like this just happen in this city, and I love it.

With dinner complete, we walked around, had gelato while watching Piano Guy again (this dude works hard), did some tchotchke shopping, and let Luna play in the playground.

We aren’t sure what to do tomorrow except visit the Mercat de Colon. It’ll be our last full day here in Valencia; what a cool city.

Day 8 - Of Canals, Markets and Tapas

It’s our final full day in Valencia. And just as with our fashion, we took it leisurely and enjoyed the city, the sights, and the food.

I planned a bit of a round-about trip to hit some final locations I was interested in seeing.

And first, baked goods. Where would I go for our final baked goods order? Borrachos? Panem Unique? Horno Bartelomeo Tossal? Nope! It was Horno De Lourdes. The pastries and service have always been great, and I just plain also liked the walk nestled in a narrow European street surrounded by old buildings.

Once we ate, we made our way north to the Torres de Serrano, these towers once were gate and defense of the entrance to the city. We didn’t go inside, but enjoyed the view from the outside, listening but barely understanding the tour guides outside of it.

From there, we ducked into the main canal of Valencia. As you may have read previously, the canal has long been diverted and is a multi-mile park that snakes its way through the city. I planned this route because there is a great little park for Luna near Serrano. Luna was so excited when she spotted it. We hung out there for about 45 minutes. On the side of one of the little play-structures is the quote that’s pictured below, it essentially translates to: “Not having time is an adult thing.”

From the playground, we walked along the canal for a while, going under multiple bridges, through several gardens, a couple of forests, and passing tons of people. What caught my attention was how so many people enjoyed this green space, either doing a yoga class, a headstand class, stage fighting, Tai Chi, picnics, running, walking, or just strolling along on a bike, among others. It was beautiful to see all these people enjoying themselves, spending some time away from screens, appreciating being outside, and doing something active. Of course, I understand the weather is nice, and this may not be the case in the summer, but still, I couldn’t help but lament how Miami is not this. Miami is hot most of the year, green spaces are hard to get to, and you mostly need to drive to see them. Then, you have to worry about crime.

From the canal, we walked over to Mercat De Colon. I read there was a carousel here; I was excited to show Luna. There is not a carousel here. But there are a bunch of restaurants, tapas bars, and a few markets. It was vibrant and lively. We ended up sitting at a place called Pantalan 5 and had pizza.

Afterward, we took the long 30-minute walk back home and did some Couch Potato while slowly packing.

In the evening, we wandered the city and wondered where to go for our last meal here in Valencia. We heehawed a bit and found a couple of spots, but nothing felt right. In the end, we ended in a spot we really liked, Grand Mercat. We enjoyed typical tapas and finally had Agua de Valencia - orange juice, cava, vodka & gin. Mmmmmm. I gave myself a lot of insulin for that.

Our trip is coming to an end, at 9:00 AM a cab should be arriving to our hotel to whisk us to the train station where we begin our long 15+ hour trek back home.

So long, Valencia, you’ve been wonderful, inspiring, and what we wanted. I just wish the people were just a tad more friendly.

Day 9 - Of Journeys Home and Baggage Claim

It’s now been a week since we’ve returned back to Miami.

Our journey back was long, waking up at 7:00 AM. Here’s the breakdown:

Wake up 7:00 AM

Taxi arriving at 9:00 AM

Train at 10:00 AM

Arrive at second station at 12:00 PM

Take a second train at 12:15 PM

Arrive to the Airport 12:30 PM

Stand in line to check in, then go through multiple securities, get to the gate at 3:00 PM

I get asked to go through “Random Security Search.”

Get to our gate at 4:00 PM

Flight is Delayed, we don’t board until 5:30 PM

10.5 hour flight. Arrives at 9:00 PM Miami Time.

Airport Crew sends Luna’s stroller to baggage claim instead of leaving it at the gate.

Stroller doesn’t appear at baggage claim until 10:30 PM

We get home at 11:00 PM

We go to sleep.

We were up for nearly 22 hours straight.

That whole journey was a bit wild. Really, air travel is the worst part of flying. The whole experience top-to-bottom is non-standardized, haphazard, and undignified - that is, unless you’re rich, then it’s easy peasy. Still, airports and airlines have a long way to go to making the experience of air travel a pleasant one.

Summary - No Tener Tiempo Es Cosa de Adulto (Not having time is an adult thing)

When I initially saw this quote scribbled on the side of a playground slide, there was something about it that resonated with me. Why? I’ve given it some thought and, ultimately, it goes back to the idea of having “More Colors” that I spoke at length about in our latest Switzerland journal. I’ll explain:

Children, for the most part, live in the here and now. They run and play and enjoy themselves without the worries of what’s ahead. It is we, as adults who constantly have an eye to the future, and who don’t have time to enjoy what’s happening right now. I know I am guilty of this to a large degree. The quote is a reminder, at least to me, to enjoy the moment, be a kid, be amazed, show wonderment, and be grateful and appreciative of the here and now.

I feel we did that during this trip. Neither Cynthia or I were overly worried about the future on this trip. We often just enjoyed the moment, whether it was watching people practice stage combat, looking at a yoga class, running around a playground with Luna, sliding down Gulliver’s arm, enjoying two musicians playing for an audience, or just talking and enjoying each other.

This trip was a beautiful one in its simplicity - stay in one city, enjoy what that city has to offer, take lots of naps, watch movies, eat baked goods, walk around, have ice cream, there was time for all of it.

After all was said and done, we asked Luna what her favorite part of the trip was. Perhaps the zoo, or the aquarium, maybe the giant Gulliver Park. Nope, it was playing at the tiny playground near our hotel, the one with the see-saw and the mechanical horse. That was her favorite thing.

And you know what, maybe it was mine, too.

Valencia is a beautiful city. It was the city we needed for this trip.

Thanks for joining us on our travels.