Then There Were Four

I know you think we very well may still be in Spain if your only interaction is this blog so I'll try to get you caught up on the last few months.

You really haven't missed much except work, playing with Ehren and getting ready for the new baby.

Can you see why I haven't blogged lately?

Just as a reminder the new baby was due December 27th. Notice the past tense? Yeah, he decided he was ready to enter the world on December 5th instead. We now have another son: Asher Spurgeon Fykes.

Now we weren't exactly ready for this and my water actually broke in the middle of 2 different real estate negotiations which means I was that pretentious person at the hospital on the phone. At one point the doctor on call actually came in the room and I was on the phone with another agent and I held up my finger and asked her to come back in a second. Luckily, the doctor thought it was pretty funny instead of annoying and you really should have heard the other agents once I told them..."okay I'm going to have to go I'm at the hospital and my water just broke so it may be a few days before we can get back to you."

We've now been home almost 3 weeks and we're learning to adjust. My parents are here for a couple more days and we're trying to soak the help in while we can. This is the longest they've ever stayed with us (two whole weeks) but I'm not looking forward to them leaving. NOT.A.BIT.

Life with 2 kids is going to be different but you've never known us to shy away from a challenge, right?

Merry Christmas everyone!

By a Few Threads

We just barely made it.

This stroller has the huge rip on the side, the frame poking through at the bottom and then this morning the net ripped through when I put the guidebook in it and the top where he rests his head now has a gaping hole.

I guess we have to come home.

Ehren's First Topless Beach

We have loved every single day trip we have taken but at the same time seems like the trips home from all of them have been miserable. After Toledo we thought, totally our fault we can do this better in Morocco and then there was that nightmare so last night we made a quick change to the plans and decided not to put Ehren through another day trip so that we can see some really cool mountains and hear a boys choir at Montserrat.

Instead, we stayed in Barcelona and decided that when Ehren plays 2 Truths and A Lie, one of his truths can be that his first trip to the beach was at a topless beach in Spain.

See. We are excellent parents and always looking out for his best interest.

We googled around and found a place that lends out shovels and toys and made quite a morning of it. We all wore sunscreen and since I had forgotten my bathing suit I laid on my bathtowel and read a book (that they also lent out at the shovel lending place) and documented the experience.

I think I was careful and only got PG photos.

I have always pictured topless and nude beaches as tucked away and not easy to just stumble on. Yeah, this is the beach that has office buildings right beside it on the other side of the road. For those of you that know Corpus...like the beach on Ocean Drive. Ladies just walking up to the shower getting fully tan. Quite interesting to say the least.

Overall probably one of the greater last minute plan changes we made and it was a great way to see a different part of Barcelona. This is a great city that you have to dig into to get away from the urban feel but it has so many different personalities. The beach, the old city, the weird Modernista architecture and then full urban. I'm glad that this is in the north of Spain so that when we do come back to do France we can hop over here and visit it again because 5 days only scratches the surface.

Nearing the End

You can tell because our photos are starting to wane a bit.

Last night we took the train from Granada to Barcelona and we were braced for a horrible night. I expected to get very little sleep and Joshua expected to be snuggled up with Ehren in his bunk for the entire night getting absolutely no sleep. Then, after laying in the dark all night as soon as the light came through the curtains that kid would be up and impossible because he is contained in a 4 x 8 square for 3 hours.

I'm shocked to say it didn't go down like that at all. We splurged on the family room of only 2 beds (paid an extra 40 Euros) and I'd pay that two or three times again for how smoothly everything went. We had enough room on the floor that Ehren got his own pallet and slept until we woke him up at 8:30 even with light shining right in his face.

Yes there were melt downs as we waited for the 10pm train and yes we caught him licking the floor of the train station not once but twice, however, it was worth it all for a successful night train experience. We now know that night trains are possible with kids and think of all the fun Spanish immunities his little body has.

Still Here

In rereading my last post it sounded like it was our last night in Spain instead of just our last night with our friends so you may be surprised to know we're in Granada still soaking up the Spanish experience. That being said, we decided on the drive here that Granada would be our vacation part of the adventure so we are soaking it up at a VERY leisurely pace. Like one thing in the morning and then the afternoon in our garden.

Yep, that's right. We have a garden.

The "apartment" we rented here is actually the guesthouse of a Carmen which is a walled property with a private garden. Online it mentioned a shared garden so I thought it was shared by many people but it isn't. It is a huge garden with over 20 different fruit trees not to mention all the hedges that we share with the owners and we've never seen them out. So every morning we go out and see something and have lunch and then it is unbearably hot so we come home and put Ehren down for a nap and then spend the rest of the day playing in the garden eating fresh figs and waiting for our 8pm dinner time.

Last night we actually put Ehren down a little early and had snacks and drinks on the tower of the main house with our hosts. Great way to enjoy the sunset and they had just been to Thailand last year so we had a lot to talk about. We finally wandered through the garden to our house at 12:30am like normal Spaniards for the first time since our date night.

If you ever come to Granada stay here especially if you are traveling with kids.

Who Takes Babies to Africa?

Don't be fooled by the sleeping babies. This was about 20 minutes into the 6 hour journey it took to get back to Spain from our "day trip to Morocco." We didn't factor in the African-ness of leaving the country since it was so simple and easy to get there.

Like there are no lines. And mobs are very slow moving.

As we were eating our dinner back on Spanish soil we debated the "would we do that again" question. We can now say we've been to Africa and Moroccan food was redeemed for me from two horrible experiences at Epcot but man those hours from 2pm to 8pm were pretty tough.

Don't tell the people I was with but I found a very small tip Rick Steves had in his book about how to skip that first mob and go straight to the next two mobs which would have saved us about 2 hours. I think I'm going to write him a quick email and let him know that sentence needs to be in BOLD. And maybe on a page by itself.

Our guide was mediocre at best but we did meet one really interesting man there who taught me a few things about sales.

While his store has hundreds of options he has picked one way to engage his customers and he excels at it. He knows American area codes. You tell him where you are from and he says..."oh yes 615." I quizzed him on all the Texas area codes I know as well and he even knew that "361" was the "new" zipcode for Corpus Christi (changed around 1999). He has really deep knowledge on one subject and can engage you on that topic. He also is very friendly and wants to help you find something you like. He kept saying "if you don't like it then 1 Euro is too much to spend." I hope I'm as helpful to my customers as he was to us. And fun...but maybe not so much of a name dropper (his store is in a fancy hotel and so he has pictures with tons of famous people).

Sevilla is in the Bag

This morning we woke up to some potential rain for the day but it was the only morning for the local antique fair that happens once a week. We chanced it to go out and find that antique tile piece I was looking for and totally found it. A tourist store had the same thing for 42 Euro and I bought mine for 10 Euro. Granted we got caught in the rain with not even an umbrella and ended up like this.

But it turns out Ehren doesn't mind the rain and laughed most of the way home so I would say still a great decision.

Then after a nice nap for the babies we headed back out to the city center and toured the palace which had a great garden. It is the kind of place I would get a membership to if/when I live here for a little while. A great place to let Ehren run and sit and read and just have a high time.

On the way home to let our friends have their date night we stopped and had a final tapas at the super popular place in the drag. It was only 8pm so you can see the place was empty but nothing like having some drinks with babies at the cool place to be seen in Sevilla.

Sevilla does need to go on the must see list. Even with kids it is stroller friendly, low key and very Spanish. Also, it is the city where I have seen the most kids and pregnant women. Come on Americans...we can do this whole travel thing.

This Could Get Ugly

So far I've done two walking tours in Europe and both have been wins. Today we learned how to tell if the orange trees around Sevilla are bitter or sweet, that we totally missed a half finished building (that we took a picture in front of yesterday), that the pigs that make the best jamon (ham) are only fed acorns and also that the Roman city was about 7 feet below the current city floor and you can still see some of the columns.

Today tragedy may have hit our travels though. We noticed a small tear during Ehren's nap in the $5 stroller we bought at a garage sale the day before the trip. And by the end of day Ehren had his hand through the hole and was using it to hold on. We have no idea what we are going to do if that gives way. We use the stroller for his high chair and then also as his major mode of transportation. I wish it was as simple as just buy another one (and it may come to that) but we have yet to see a throw away Walmart-esque umbrella stroller. If we have to buy a new one we may end up with the Cadillac of little strollers and that may be our souvenir from the trip. Let's all cross our fingers I come home with a really cool antigue Spanish tile and NOT a ridiculous stroller.

We also went out last night on a Spanish date and our friends kept Ehren. We came home at midnight and thought for sure that would be early but turns out the old part of Sevilla shuts down at a more reasonable hour so midnight was just right. We had a leisurely tapas and saw a Flamenco exhibition. It was great to be out like our travels used to be. In some ways traveling with a kid slows you down but it also speeds you up. At every sight you feel like you need to rush through before he melts down or get through before he wakes up and you know every waiter in town is trying to get you in and out. So, an evening of just sitting at a table discussing what part of town we would live in for over an hour was a nice switch. The flamenco was cultural but the slow meal was glorious.

Toledo, OH's sister city

I couldn't believe it but in their treasury next to all the gold gothic style items and great El Greco paintings there is a small glass thing given by Toldeo, OH to Toldeo, Spain. I really wonder what is sitting at the city hall in Toledo, OH from Toledo, Spain.

Today we day tripped to another medieval city where you just sit and wonder how in the world it was created. Not with a wonder like the aquaduct and how did they do it without mortar, but rather how did they just keep building stuff and not end up with lots of dead ends? And how was the land given out? And why did they make the walls angled?

Toledo is the first city we've seen that still has a legitimate city wall in tact. I'm not sure if it is complete as I didn't walk all the way around it but if the civilized world comes to some sort of end I'm going to make my way to that city because it was never taken by force.

Also, quick parent travel tip: Bring a carrier for your non walking child in Toledo. We thought maybe it would be okay with a stroller since Joshua carried him all day yesterday in Segovia but we were wrong. We both ended up carrying the stroller on most streets.

Overall it was a great day of exploration and they have a great cathedral. Interesting tidbit of the day: the cardinals get to choose where they are buried in the cathedral. Literally anywhere. They just dig a hole in the 1000 year old tile and bury them and then they hang their red hats over that spot until they rot away. We found 3 red hats rotting from the ceiling and I wish I'd thought to keep looking to see how many we can find. I bet it takes a while for that red velvet to rot away so I'm sure there are more.

You'll also notice we have a lot of pictures at the train station. We had tickets for the last train of the day but we finished up early and thought we'd be responsible American parents and get our kid to bed before 11pm by catching an earlier train. Well it turns out everyone in Madrid goes to Toledo on Saturday so all the other trains were booked up. Now the train station was very interesting and it entertained us for a good 20 minutes but we were there for over 3 hours which wasn't the end of the world but was exhausting for one 15 month old.

Abandoned Playground?

In many plazas in Madrid there are little toddler playgrounds which is just such a great idea. As a parent it has made my love of plazas grow. I've always loved the concept of a big area where everyone congregates together consistently but now you throw in the element of something for your kids to do and I just don't know how I'm going to live without them.

Side Note: I think I've mentioned stealing "wine in the driveway" from another neighborhood but now we're definitely gonna do it. There is just something to spending the evening with your neighbors on a consistent basis and since Nashville is never going to have plazas we'll use our front yard/driveway and make the best of it. Anyway, back to the playgrounds.

In the afternoon it is just too hot for anyone to play but for the last two evenings as we are heading out for our 8pm dinner we stop and let Ehren play for 20 minutes or so. Never once have we seen an age appropriate child in the area with him. I'd say there have been a couple kids who are six or seven years old with their scooter in the area but I was beginning to think this was just not something anyone else did. We came home tonight from our tapas around 10pm and that playground was packed to the hilt with under 3 year olds.

I was prepared for taking your kids to tapas and having them out on the street that late but I was just shocked that 10pm was prime playground time. This is just the regular Spanish way of life and it is fascinating and reason number 327 that we don't stay in hotels very often or we would miss it. Unfortunately Ehren was too exhausted to play but maybe in a week he'll be fully adjusted to the late night life and we can take him out for his midnight play.

Bus Success or Failure?

Today we had two Ehren meltdowns and a day trip to Segovia to see the Roman aqueduct. In a last minute switch we decided to take a bus instead of a train to Segovia for the day and the ticket and boarding process was perfect. Turns out we should have consulted with Ehren because he apparently really didn't want to take the bus and the poor people around us had to hear about it for at least 15 minutes. Luckily he calmed after some food bribery and was pretty pleasant while we walked around the aquaduct. Did you know they made those things with no mortar? How is that even possible?

Then we headed for a very Segovian lunch of roast suckling pig and did a quick tour around town. Personally for me the day was mostly forgettable past the aqueduct but it was good to get away to a more historic city and out of busy Madrid. Apparently all that adorable screaming on the bus really wore Ehren out so he spent a good bit of the afternoon like this:

We ended the day with tapas which is a little less glamorous with a toddler but still good - except for gazpacho which was a soup but they served it as a drink and it would have been bad either way I'm pretty sure. Overall, Joshua would describe it as a romantic Spanish day. We had a surprisingly cool day with a beautiful blue sky in a historic town with giant stone arches ending with tapas out with the family past 10pm.

Modern vs. Classical

If Madrid is the least fun place in Spain I can't wait to see the rest of it. At the end of day one we are thinking about all the things we don't have time to do while we are here and wishing we could stay longer which I'm taking as a good sign for the country as a whole.

Today we were reminded of the dichotomy of our aesthetic tastes. We love ornate buildings and oil painting and we love glass and clean lines. I wish it was acceptable to hang a Rothko by Van Der Weyden in your living room. Maybe we'll find a way to work it out. Joshua proposed a really traditional house that you walked into and was completely clean and modern on the inside. I just don't think that is being true to either style but maybe that is being true to the Fykes who generally have their own style anyway, right?

We started the day on accident at the Modern Art Museum which was good but not the best we have seen even on this continent. Then after a squid sandwich and a quick siesta at the park we headed to the Prado which is touted (by Rick Steves) as Europe's best painting museum. A couple of people we had talked to mentioned how huge the place was and we didn't even scratch the surface. We took the see the absolute musts and whatever else you can along the way but do not stress about seeing it all because remember you have an infant and screaming is not fun for anyone.

My highlights were seeing "The Adoration of the Shepherds" by El Greco and "Las Meninas" by Valazquez. However, my favorite thing was more a statement of the period and a lesser known piece by David Teniers de joven.

It's a painting of an archduke's paintings and I just think that is hysterical. I mean, where does that hang in his collection of paintings?

Joshua's highlights were "The Descent from the Cross" by Van Der Weyden and being introduced to Goya's black paintings that he did in his house...on the walls...during his depression at the end of his life. Pretty emotional and dark stuff so google that and check it out.

Again our kid is handling everything like a champ. We almost had a morning meltdown at the modern art museum but the other patrons decided to step up and help us keep him calm by talking and playing with him and then he was fine from them on out. He slept through half of the Prado so he must have gotten more of our modern leaning. I think if you ask him though the hour in Retiro Park was the highlight of his day. He even suckered a stranger into giving him stickers.

We head out for a late (usual time for Spain) dinner around 9pm and that will put the first day in the bag.

This Kid Was Made for Our Family

Yesterday I was literally working up until the minute we had to get in the cab to go to the airport. It has made the transition to vacation kind of startling. Like it came out of no where because it wasn't built up for me with lots of planning and thinking and making sure everything is ready to go like I normally do. In the last week I've had six clients go under contract. Besides slowly adjusting our sleep for Ehren's sake I've had little time to do anything but work the 14 hours that I was awake. So far this lack of planning has only cost me a bathing suit, peanut butter and an adaptor for my three prong computer plug. We can live without the first two but we bought the last one so you guys would have something to read along the way.

Side note: Joshua has decided we can't call this a vacation. The ratio of relaxing is wrong for what he considers a vacation so from here on out it will be referred to as "adventure." I personally like adventure anyway so please adjust your vocabulary.

Besides forgetting those little items and having the wrong address for the place we are staying in Madrid this adventure is off to a great start. With the help of our sleep adjustment Ehren (and us) are already soundly on Spain time. We had no idea how to help a baby with jet lag so we took a stab at what we thought made sense and so far I'm a fan.

LONG EXPLANATION: Spain is 7 hours ahead of Nashville so for the eight days leading up to our trip we woke him up 30 minutes earlier every 2 days. So the day before we left the family was up at 4:30am going about our business like the sun was up. Then the day we were leaving we let him sleep until 6 knowing that we wouldn't be on our plane until 7pm so he needed some extra juice for the day. Worked like a charm and this kid slept 8 hours on the plane in what will be his last bassinet ride (not only because he was crammed but because we kind of had to fight a lady and sort of fib about his weight at the airport to get him in it). Then when we arrived in Spain at 10am we were able to stay up until 2pm nap time and then he took a regular nap and was ready for bed at 9pm Spain time. Adjusting his body clock about halfway seemed to make it possible for him to go down at an almost regular night time and this morning he popped up ready to face the day.

Experiment one: SUCCESS

What the Fykes Do to the Economy

Seems like every time we travel to Europe we come back to a blistering US economy and I have my fears that this time it will be no exception. Everything's fine if I go to Peru or we got to Asia but something about our desire to see Europe never works out well for our compatriats pocketbooks. Is that going to stop us? Probably not, but we want to just go ahead and apologize in advance for any inconvience we are causing all of your 401Ks.

This is a new kind of Fykes travel and for now we still aren't sure how it is going to work out. We aren't going to couchsurf once but instead we'll be staying in people's apartments they rent out to travelers. We figured that was better than hostals because if we don't have a fridge where do we keep Ehren's milk? In a few places it also means we can put Ehren down for a nap and shut him in a room while we watch a movie for the afternoon. Siesta here we come!

It also means we still get to meet some locals because they are the ones meeting us with the key and we can still pick their brains about what to do in the city. We actually just skyped yesterday with our first host in Madrid and he's a great ex-pat who has filled us all in on the demonstrations happening in the Sol square and where to eat dinner.

Another change is our pace is going to be much slower. We are going to stay in most location for 4 or 5 days. If we aren't on a mission trip we haven't stay 5 days ANYWHERE in all of our travels. However, when we think about the logistics of having a baby strapped to our back and actually having luggage the jumping on and off the train just doesn't sound fun.

Also, in all our preparation we haven't found a great online resource of information on traveling with an infant like I expected. If you have a recommendation I'd love to hear it. However, I'll report back here so everyone can learn from our mistakes. Also, I hope to prove my hypothesis that traveling with an infant is totally possible and maybe even fun. The Fykes are always happy to be your science experiment.

Spain here we come!