In early July, Paul’s parents and brother Daniel took their first trip to Europe to visit us for a week. They stayed in Leuven for three days before we all ventured to Barcelona. It was a special trip for us, since the Camacho family originates from Northern Spain.
Leuven
Max was thrilled to have his Grandma, Papa, and Uncle Daniel in town.
After allowing some time to recover from jet lag, we all ventured out to see the usual Leuven landmarks. Highlights included touring the historic parts of town, stopping for beers and waffles along the way; visiting Arenberg Castle; and enjoying traditional Flemish stew at a local Belgian restaurant.
¡Beinvenidos a Barcelona!
After a great few days in Leuven, we headed to the Brussels airport for our flight to Barcelona.
The weather in Barcelona was sunny and beautiful, which, subsequent to the chilly and overcast days in Belgium, Paul’s Dad took as a sign of welcome for the Camachos’ return to the fatherland.
Compared to our cozy little university town, Barcelona was a large and lively city.
We spent the first day walking for hours, getting to know the fountains, architecture, and distinctive food of Northern Spain. We had as our first destination the Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia (Barcelona Cathedral), a 14th century cathedral built in the Gothic style. On the way we passed through the Plaça de Catalunya, the square in the heart of the city. Milian was very happy to discover not only the freedom to run in the wide open public space, but also a flock of companions in the form of friendly—if territorial—pigeons who called the Plaça home.
On our second afternoon in Barcelona, we headed to the Palau Nacional, Catalonia’s museum of art, which sits atop a steep hill. We rode a series of stairs and escalators that took us to the top, all the while admiring the beautiful grounds and fountains.
The highlight of our evening was a classic Catalonian flamenco show at Tablao de Carmen. The show featured three dancers, two singers, and a guitarist, all of whom were marvelously talented and entertaining. Max loved the show in particular, and he danced a little wiggling flamenco in his high chair all evening long. During the show, we dined on classic Spanish tapas and enjoyed our fill of red wine Sangria.
Our tapas meal included endless pitchers of sangria, Iberico ham with bread, fried mussels, gazpacho, and many other delicacies.
We devoted our last day in Barcelona to visiting the Sagrada Família.
Seeing the Sagrada Família in person exceeded anything we could have imagined. From a distance on the street, the basilica façade seems to be a lumpy, melting mess. Once we got up close, however, we realized that the ‘melting’ façade is actually a panoply of intricate stone work: rosaries, flowers, palm fronds, other ornaments fringed magnificent sculptures in a classical style depicting scenes from the Nativity.
The inside of the church presented a startling and beautiful contrast. Gaudí, the chief architect, planned every minute detail of the church, including the order in which the colors of the stained class window progressed, capitalizing on the natural night that shines through them at certain points in the day, and following the cycle of the liturgical seasons.
Max also received a little present in the Sagrada Família: his first kiss. As he and Amanda were walking around the church, a little Spanish girl—slightly older than Max—ran up to him, popped out her pacifier, and planted a big kiss on his lips. After he (and the parents of both kids) recovered from the shock of it, they all had a big laugh. Max strutted around the Basilica with a bit more swagger for the rest of the afternoon.
After a busy week in Barcelona, we all flew back to Brussels, where we enjoyed a cozy dinner before saying farewell.
More to come soon…