Happy Reunion, Sad Goodbye

Hola! 1 July:  Just like the 1992 Olympians we headed for Barcelona! Well, maybe not just like them...unless you consider backpacking and train hopping sports. We ran into a lot of other backpackers on the train. It was pretty funny watching all of us strap on our packs and run for the connecting train. We'd say it was more like fast waddling. Once in Barcelona we had to navigate our way to the hostel using some sketchy directions. Once we got off the metro at our stop we walked out into darkness with no idea which way to go.  We wandered the darkened, scary streets until Karen finally started asking the few people we saw for directions. She tried to choose wisely...some teenage girls and a man with a baby walking his dog. Finally we reached our hostel, got checked in and hit the hay!  2 July:  Today we headed to the beach by way of a cafe for brunch and a one day craft fair. We saw lots of fun things we wanted to buy, but we were strong! We relaxed on the beach for a couple of hours and when our flesh was burning we went back to the hostel to shower. We were going to meet Marta, a former exchange student who lived with Leanne and her family when she was 5. It has been 23 years since they have seen each other. It was a happy reunion...of course Leanne cried as she often does. We spent an hour and a half catching up. She brought her daughter, Paula, who promised her mom she would speak to us in English. She was very shy though and only said 'yes' and 'I don't know.' Marta gave us tickets for the city bus tour for the next day. Then she showed us a great tapas restaurant for dinner. It was delicious! We made plans for dinner with her and her family the next evening. After dinner we walked around a famous shopping area in Catalunya.  3 July:  Today we really enjoyed our city tour of Barcelona. We learned a lot about different buildings, art sculptures, the '92 Olympics and other city history. Afterward, we went to the train station to buy tickets for Madrid. It took forever, but not as long as Italy! We headed to meet Marta at the boutique where she works...Carmina Rotger. It was lovely. From there we walked the long way home to have dinner with her family. Upon arrival we met Diego...very blonde hair with blue eyes! He was also very shy and would not talk to us. But, Paula on the other hand was very outgoing tonight. We saw old pictures of Marta's days in Grand Rapids with Leanne's family. We had an amazing dinner which included Spanish omelette, quiche, gazpacho, Spanish ham with bread, chicken balls (hard to describe), meatballs, tuna fried pies, and melon. Shortly after dinner we met her husband who offered to take us on a tour of Barcelona. We got out at different landmarks to take pictures, saw the W Hotel and the Barcelona skyline. They drove us back to the hostel where we exchanged an emotional goodbye. Exhausted from the eventful day, we showered an went to bed.  4 July: Happy Independence Day! Today we planned our escape from Madrid. Please pray for a quick and easy departure as we try to fly standby tomorrow. We love and mis you! Adios,  ~Leanne and Karen~