Last Two Months - Via Ferrata Adventures

I first came across via ferratas about two years ago while researching things to do in Andorra and quickly put it on my list of things to do before leaving Spain.  Via ferrata mean "iron path" in Italian and were first built by the Italian military to help soldiers cross the Alps.  Now it is a fairly popular activity, and routes can be found all over Europe.  Via ferratas are marked climbing courses with a steel cable that runs along the entire route so that the climber can clip in and be secure.  You get the whole mountain climbing experience, without the danger.  To do a via ferrata you don't even need prior climbing experience and children as young as 7 years old can participate.  To make it even more appealing, you can access most via ferratas for free! For a really great guide to via ferratas in Europe, go to the 'de andar' website https://deandar.com/ferratas/

Nathan had been taking rock climbing lessons at Climbat, an indoor climbing gym in Barcelona for about 5 months.  I knew that he was anxious to try outdoor climbing, so I organized an outing for him and his friends with an adventure tour company call Pics D'Europa.  For €25 per person, the guides met us at the start of the Via Ferrata in Cala del Moli, Costa Brava, with all the equipment.  They showed the boys how to do the via ferrata and also took pictures during the whole excursion.  It was probably one of the most incredible experiences of my life!

My favourite picture

At the end of the course, Stephen, Mathias, Victor, Aryan, Nathan and I

After doing Cala del Moli with Nathan and his friends, I told Bob that he had to try it.  Our last weekend in Spain, we decided to rent via ferrata kits for the whole family (€18 a kit) plus we took our friend Alfredo Peña (YM president and Nathan's seminary teacher) to Gorgues de Salenys also in the Costa Brava region.  The kids had no problem navigating the via ferrata.  The most difficult part of the trip was finding the via ferrata as the start and end of the route was not marked very well.  After we finished our little climb through the gorge, I dropped off Nathan, Alfredo and Bob at the Cala del Moli so that they could experience it for themselves and I took the rest of the kids to the beach in Sant Feliú de Guíxols.  

Gorges de Salenys

Bob, Nathan and Alfredo start the via ferrata Cala del Moli

But, I couldn't stop there.  Since we had the equipment until Monday, so I decided that we should attempt one more via ferrata.  I took Nathan and Rylan up to Vallcebre at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains.  There is a nature park there with 4 via ferrata of different levels.  You pay €4 to access the park and you can also rent equipment there for an additional fee.  We started with the easiest via ferrata called La Canalassa and then went on to do the level 3 via ferrata de Cal Curt.  This route took us straight up the mountain face for about 160 metres.  Nathan zipped up the mountain about 20 minutes ahead of Rylan and I.  After about 100 metres, I started to feel kind of bad that I had brought Rylan (then just 10 years old)  up so high.  Or maybe I was just feeling bad for myself.  Even though the via ferrata is supposed to be very safe, you still feel unsafe when you are hanging off the side of a mountain 160 metres off the ground.  If we were to slip, we might not die, but we would probably still hurt ourselves quite badly. Rylan did great, he didn't seem too fazed by the height and we all made it to the summit and got an amazing view of the valley below.

Last Two Months - Visit to Montserrat

Two weeks before we left Spain, we got a surprise visit from some old friends, Maria and Patrick D'vaz.  We met for dinner at Arenas near Plaça Espanya and then invited them to come to Montserrat with us the next day.  Bob had actually never been and it is one of the most famous landmarks of Catalunya.  Montserrat is a small mountain range north of Barcelona famous for its interesting shape, rounded peaks caused by errosion.  It also has religious significance because in 880 AD a group of shepherd children saw a bright light descending over the Monserrat mountains and heard angels singing.  Later religious elders went to the cave where the children saw the vision and found an image of the Virgin Mary.  The Virgin Mary of Montserrat is different from traditional depictions of Mary in that she is black.  In the Basilica there is a statue where pilgrims and tourists line up to catch a glimpse of the Black Virgin and ask from her blessings. 

Dinner with the D'Vazs at El Mussol

View of Montserrat from the monastery 

We hiked down to the Holy Grotto where the image of the Virgin Mary was seen.

Last Two Months - Futbol and Football

During our last two years in Spain, Cole enjoyed playing soccer with the school team at the American School of Barcelona and Rylan enjoyed playing flag football.  I wish that all my kids would have embraced soccer, since it is such an important part of Spanish culture.  Cole really became obsessed with the sport.  His love for soccer really defined his time in Spain.  Our last year, he played soccer almost every day and as a result he became quite good at it and it helped him to make friends in the neighbourhood.  Rylan also excelled in flag football, but it is not a very well known sport in Spain, so there were limited opportunities for him to play.

It was nice for Cole to win the MVP trophy at the end of the season for being the top scorer on his team.

Cole receiving the MVP award

Cole's team

Rylan's flag football team

 

Last Two Months - Parc del Centre del Poblenou and Collserola

 June 5th, 2017

I had passed by Parc del Centre del Poblenou on occasion while zipping down Diagonal and always thought it looked interesting, but never had the opportunity to stop and check it out.  It was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon and so I decided to take the kids to explore this park because with less than a month left in Barcelona, we would likely not get the opportunity again.  We were not disappointed, the park has really unique design features and play structures.

Cool loungers for enjoying the shade

Interesting circular garden at one end of the park

Another chair for sitting back

An art installation in the park

One of the entrances to the park

Some spinning chair

A metal igloo for climbing

A garden refuge

That evening we decided to climb up Collserola hill near our house and talk about our experience in Spain.  This was one of the first places we came to when we moved to Barcelona, and it was nice to come back and look over the city and remember what we did over the past 3 years.

Last Two Months: International Day at ASB

June 4th, 2016

This year, it was difficult finding support for the Japan table at the ASB International Day.  It seemed like all the people that had helped with the Japan table in years past, were helping with other tables or were out of town.  Fortunately I was able to get help from Midori and her husband Jaume.  They went above and beyond expectations by preparing and cooking 20Kg of yakitori in the scorching hot sun.  It was a big hit, much better than the curry rice we served for the past two years.

The Japan table hosts

A foam party

Cole covered in foam 

Ciara performing with the ASB Lynx cheerleaders

Last Two Months: Palau de la Música Catalana

May 31st, 2016

We could not leave Spain without going to a concert at the Palau de la Música which is one of the most famous modernist buildings in the city of Barcelona.  The Palau de la Música was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner between 1903 and 1905. 

Bob and I saw the Barcelona Guitar Trio and Dance, a tribute to Paco de Lucia.  It was an amazing concert.  Definitely one of the highlights of my 3 years in Spain.  It's the combination of being in such an incredible building, listening to beautiful guitar music and also watching passionate flamenco dancers that made the experience so memorable for me.  It was a reminder of everything that I love and will miss about Spain. 

A promotional video clip from the concert

The exterior of the Palau de la Música 

Inside the grand concert hall

Last two months: La Bisbal d'Empordà

May 27th, 2016

One of my favourite places in Spain, is the little town of La Bisbal d'Empordà which is about 1.5 hours from Barcelona by car on the Costa Brava. This town is famous for pottery, and you can spend an entire day browsing through the dozens of pottery shops.  Don't spend all your money at the first shop, as prices will vary from shop to shop so it's best to look through a few shops before committing.  Friday is also public market day when the downtown core is filled with vendors selling fruits and vegetables, houseware, clothing and just about anything else, local and imported.  Definitely worth the detour if you are headed down Costa Brava as it is only about 20 km from the beaches.  Also I highly recommend the restaurant where we stopped to grab some lunch.  It is called Cafeteria Bisbal Park, the patatas bravas were really good and the prices were very reasonable. 

Lunch break with Christine, Gorana, Karen and Manju

A pottery shop 

Lots of colourful pottery

Too much to choose from