Greeting 2008 in Spain

Our trip to Spain was relaxing and enjoyable, although getting there was a little rough. Two cancelled flights, re-routing that resulted in us taking four flights instead of three, and two missed connections made for a bad mix. It took us 30 hours of traveling time and we got there two and a half days later than originally expected. Argh! Emilia was a trooper though. Although she only slept about 4-5 of the 30 hours, she never cried!

Emilia was extra tired during the entire visit (and had a temperature of more than 102 degrees Fahrenheit for several days at the beginning), napping more than at home (too bad the same was not true on the airplane!), but other than that she did wonderfully.

Here’s a short recap of what we did….



Emilia received her first flamenco dress (which can be seen a bit in the top half of the above photo) and all the accessories from Aunt Encarni and Uncle Javier. It’ll be a bit before she grows into it, especially those shoes, but we’re thinking it will fit perfectly on top of a snowsuit for Halloween 2008!


A walk through the park with Agustín’s brother Javier, his wife Encarni, and son Javi (Emilia’s only cousin!).


Unfortunately I did not capture it in a photo, but at one point Emilia was holding on to this climbing wall with no help!


Emilia was a huge fan of the Spanish bar/tapas culture (don't get the wrong idea; the 'bar' scene in Spain is nothing like in the U.S.) and tried a whole host of new foods. Yummy bread dipped in olive oil, fish, tuna, you name it! We had some troubles following the ‘one new food every three days’ rule, but luckily there were no negative repercussions.


As usual, we stayed with Agustín’s parents, and watching a baby for 2+ weeks in an only semi-baby-proofed house can be tiring. Emilia took a particular liking to the bide (beats playing in the toilet, right?) and these buckets in the bathroom.


A family gathering with Agustín’s parents, one aunt and uncle and their four kids and families.


As usual, we spent a night at Agustín’s brother's vacation home in the beach town of Ayamonte (on the border with Portugal). Here are Agustín’s parents with Emilia at the little outdoor bar near the house, where we often partake in a few tapas (like appetizers) whenever we go. Emilia appears to be discovering a new land (or a new star).


More fun in eating. Don't worry; we did not actually feed Emilia this fish in one piece and with the bones like this. (If you look carefully, you might notice that in the background there is a cross on the wall right next to a naked lady calendar; nice juxtaposition, huh?)

Papa bird feeding baby bird.

At the market in Ayamonte, where the seafood is so fresh much of it is still moving. Agustín always gets a kick out of taking Emilia’s picture with as many of these creatures as possible.


"This is what I want, Papa!" She knows what she likes!

Here we are taking a stroll along the beach.


Emilia and her cousin Javi rode together in one of these cars where you put in a Euro and it bobbles around for a few minutes. She loved it so much that when it stopped she started screaming. Thankfully it was time to go anyway.