ng for you…even if it is the middle of the day! We spent 2 lazy days adjusting to the time change and superficially poking around Madrid. Lots of walks through Parque del Retiro, which was essentially Nector’s back yard and a lovely stroll through Plaza del Sol, over to the Palace and home past the Del Prado and several other museums…however, museums are probably for a different trip, this trip is the trip of playgrounds, and boy have we hit them….I think by the end we may even have played at every single one in Spain! The excitement in Maya’s voice every time she spies a new one and yells “PAAAARK” is well worth it. So, in Madrid, with about 125lbs of luggage, we decided on a car rental to schlep all of our stuff to Cambrils (about 500 km) Trains are great here, but Haim was understandably scarred of being responsible for 1 VERY HEAVY piece of luggage plus 3 carry-ons (I only have to be responsible for Maya). However, a car rental in Spain costs about 3-4 times what it does in Miami, thus it’s pretty prohibitively expensive for us for regular needs. We then decided that since we had the car we might as well drive a mere 500km out of our way (250 there and back) in the opposite direction, to check out a helpx situation with a wonderful and interesting host in need of help renovating his home, a funky and historical place right on the town square of Ledesma (pop 1400).
On the third day of our adventure we left Madrid for Ledesma. Ron, our host in Ledesma, sent us off the main highways and onto some great country roads, giving us an opportunity to enjoy the scenery and pass through some nice small towns….with parks, and we stopped in them all! A favorite was Avila, which only got a short stop, but has a very impressive city wall. We were glad to have made the drive, with a small child it’s really important to get a good feel for a situation before you plop yourself into it for extended periods. Ron is a very interesting and eccentric (in a good way) English ex-pat, and his renovation project is quite interesting, and right up Haim’s alley and expertise, but due to the construction and state of the house, there is really no where for Maya and I to be in the house without her getting into problematic things. Thus, we avoided future potential problems and disappointment, with the extra drive.
Ron also gave us a lovely tour of Ledesma and the surrounding area; well worth the drive on its own. It is an old city, dating back to at least the 12th century. There are two gorgeous bridges leading over a river and into the town, and in the surrounding countryside, the ancient main roman road through Spain can still be spotted. We took a night walk under the full moon over one bridge and back across the other, the water was totally still and the bridges perfectly mirrored. Maya decided that she was scared of the moon, so we said “boo” to the moon until it disappeared behind a cloud…thank goodness the wind was in on my plan that evening! The following day Haim helped Ron install a chunk of ceiling for about an hour, while Maya slept in and I read in bed, we then took a short drive out to the old roman road and a very well preserved bridge crossing a (currently) dry riverbed. It was quite picturesque with several hawks flying overhead, aromatic herbs all around, and craw fish in the sludgy ponds that were once and I assume will again be the river. In the middle of our small meander (hike would make it sound much more athletic than it was) Maya decided that she must be carried….RIGHT THEN and on my hip….no shoulders, no piggy back, and certainly no daddy! Luckily I was wearing a scarf, which was rapidly improvised into a rebozo style sling. As we got in the car and she started looking drowsy, we know that it was time to take advantage of her sleeping to get some driving in. We made a quick stop in Salamanca (didn’t want to “waste” sleeping time, and decided that we would return in the future. We had headed out with the intention of spending the night in Cuenca, however she slept so soundly that we were able to make it almost to Valencia with her asleep…and then pushed on a bit passed her tolerance level while trying to find the pension we had booked for the night.
Upon arriving in Valencia, one of my favorite Spanish cities, we encountered rain and a religious procession blocking off the main roads to our pension. This would not have been so challenging if it were not for the fact that the center of Valencia was made for walking or riding a horse, but certainly not cars. The streets are not straight, and are almost all maddeningly one way. After about an hour of circling the town, with a VERY unhappy child, and hungry, tired parents we finally located a street which could lead us into the correct area! We got to the hotel, had lovely hot showers, a nice long session of nursing, and off in search of dinner, which was passable, but barely, and then a take-out pizza to top me off.
The following day was spent wandering around admiring the breathtaking architecture and visiting a couple of playgrounds for Maya. By noon, we were on the road, closing in on Cambrils. We had about 300 km to go, and Maya only napped for about 30 minutes. LOTS of park stops were in order! In one town, Xivert, we were playing in the park and noticed a castle on the hill in the distance. Inquiring from a passing local, we were given general directions on how to get there. Off in the car to explore Castillo de Xivert, we took a winding dirt road past a hermitage and olive and Clementine groves. Up at the top, a good 10km, we were greeted by a lovely old 12th century castle, pretty well preserved considering the age, with several local workers repairing and restoring the walls. It looked as though their mission was to restore the entire castle, and yet there were only 4 of them….maybe this is due to a lack of people with the skill set? I guess when you’re dealing with a building that is already 9 centuries old, do a couple of extra years, or even decades really matter on a restoration project? While I would have preferred it to have been totally vacant, it still felt like our castle and our discovery…funny how you can mentally take ownership of a “find” like that.
On the 6th day of the trip, after 2 nights in Madrid, and 2 on the road indirectly heading to Cambrils (I know that seems to add up to 5 days, but we spent one night in the air too), we finally arrived. In 3 days we drove over 1000km, which did not make Maya a very happy camper, even nursing in her car seat while watching sesame street on DVD! We are slowly learning to travel by car with Maya; she can manage about 300km MAX in a day, preferably mostly coinciding with her nap times…
Arriving in Cambrils was very relieving to me; it’s nice to be settled, if only temporarily. Also, I was a bit stressed by the rental and money situation, even though it was well within our budget for very occasional use. But hey, we all get to have irrational anxiety, right?
The day after we got to Cambrils, we had to head to Barcelona to return the rental car…yes there are closer agencies, but this was the way I was able to “cheaply” set the rental up. So, off to Barcelona we went. Haim was looking quite forward to it, Barcelona seems to hold a place of great esteem in many people’s minds. It has never done much for me, and there are many Spanish cities I far prefer, but I do understand the draw of Gaudi architecture; I find that the city holds little charm for me otherwise, though maybe I just have never been able to unlock it’s secrets. We spent the afternoon wandering the area of Las Ramblas…didn’t manage to do any of the Gaudi stuff, but know we’ll be back there in a couple of weeks when some friends come to visit, so we weren’t too stressed about seeing too much. We did manage to have a nice adult lunch which Maya kindly slept through….those opportunities are few and far between! After lunch and a bit of a further stroll, we were on a train back to Cambrils…very in need of some down time.
Two days of rest in Cambrils, with Haim and Maya fighting chest colds all the while, we were starting to feel a bit more settled. Maya had kicked her cough, though Haim was still experiencing his…I was giving them remedies and teas, and quite happy I had decided to drag on bag dedicated to homeopathies and other treatments with me. I know that homeopathic remedies exist in Europe, probably more readily accessible here too, but since I already own a kit at home, and am well aware, that IT IS NO FUN to go out looking for the right remedy when you need it, I decided to basically bring my whole medicine chest with me.
Saturday we decided joined a Couch Surfing event about 125 km away; a weekend mushroom hunt and dinner at a mountain retreat. We met in a coastal town and caravaned inland towards the fields and mountains to pick mushrooms. In our group were 2 relative experts, an experienced mushroom hunter, and 5 novices (including Maya). There were plenty of mushrooms to be found, and after several hours of wandering and picking we were on our way to the lodging. Essenti
ally a hiker’s retreat and an attached hermitage with a relic of Saint John the Baptist, the lodging is basic and comfortable, but quite cold! The place is powered by generator from 9am –midnight, and after that it’s candles and bonfires. The buildings are beautiful old stone structures that really retain the cold (which I’m sure is great in the summer….they probably also retain the heat if you have a fire inside). Camping at the site is also quite popular, which is what the rest of our group had planned. Haim and I like to imagine ourselves rough outdoors-y types, but luckily we are also self aware enough to know that it’s only imagination. Off to a room with a hot shower, a bed, and flannel sheets with a down comforter. But this type of lodging is really the best of both worlds. There is a small restaurant and café for coffees, drinks, ect, and food if your campfire cooking skills are shoddy; however there are also campfire and washing facilities for enjoying the fun of camping (before heading into your room of course!) Luckily, our group had great cooking abilities and we had a true feast from our bounty, plus pizza and pasta dishes once back in Cambrils.
The following day we had a nice hike (1 hour each way) up the mountain. At the top we could see the Mediterranean off in the distance on one side, and the mountains rolling off in the all other directions. Now I’m not much for hiking, or really any sort of major physical exertion, but it was just enough of a 
hike that I got to feel hard-core, but not so much that I was totally miserable, and view was breathtaking. Maya, enjoyed her ride on Daddy’s back and slept about 2/3rds of the way!
Upon leaving Penyagolosa mountain, our new friends recommended that we spend a day in Morella, a half way point between the mountain and Cambrils, which was not that far away, but without a time frame and agenda, why not make the extra stop? Along the way we spied and stopped in Ares, a stunning town on a hill. The buildings both mesh into and rise out of the landscape in an arresting way. Exploring the town (and of course it’s park with Maya was a lot of fun) She found a corner of the church structure which she decided was her house and she invited Haim and me to “tea”. She is really starting to embrace imaginary play and it is adorable to watch. On to Morella, we arrived once again hungry and tired, looking for a place to stay…not many options, but a confusing town to drive through…none the less, we ended up with a nice little hotel, La Fonda Morena, which I was quite happy with and would happily recommend. I do think that traveling with a young child, it is important to try and have an idea of where you are going to land each night. Traveling as we are, that is not always possible, but I think having a comprehensive guide book on hand helps avoid the stress of last minute end of the day hunts for adequate sleeping arrangements. We spent the morning exploring Morella, following along the city wall, through some parks and gardens, and past the church. We never made it up to the castle, but felt nap time was nearing and off we went.
Now we are back in our port town, our relatives arrived in from France yesterday, and Maya is thoroughly enjoying her 10 month old cousin….(I think maybe actually a second cousin twice removed, but WAYYY too confusing, so everyone older is an uncle and younger or same age is a cousin) who is her height and weight, and whom Maya keeps trying to wash, pick up, and ride like a horsey.
Had both of them on my lap today, and realized though I am starting to have occasional thoughts about the possibility of a second I am so NOT INTO IT right now. One of my closest friends, who has a daughter 8 days younger than Maya, is now 5 weeks pregnant with her second, though at 40, she has much more of a biological clock ticking than I do, relative spring chicken that I am. She asks if it wouldn’t be fun to be pregnant together again and have another built in playmate….and I just think about how unfun that sounds for now and how Maya is still constantly clutching at me, which I love, but cannot imagine 2 doing such…and how traveling with a baby and a young child would really be a challenge….but I guess there is never really a perfect time to have kids or most of us wouldn’t have them!
In any case, having come a long way from home…or at least the place that we started, I can definitively say, it still feels like we are in Florida….on the water, mostly the same weather, and everyone still speaks Spanish…though admittedly the fish and wine is cheaper and the cheese and olive oil far superior!
