On Monday it was back to work for Ann & Brian and back to school for the boys, so we were on our own for our last full day in Valencia!

The first order of business was a visit to a yarn/craft shop in the neighborhood.

Trusty Google Maps got us there.

There was a street market happening on the way. It was mostly clothing -- some old, some new -- and must only happen weekly or monthly, because there was no sign of it the next day.

Our destination was Lokita Botones. Ann had told me about it earlier, and it was only a few blocks from their apartment!

I forgot to take photos on Monday, so these are from Tuesday, before they opened, on our way to the train station (we took the long way). Isn't that adorable, though?

There was a little bit of everything -- handmade clothing & totes, yarn, fabric, ribbon, knitting & sewing supplies -- you know what I'm talking about. It was adorable, and it was in Spain! I came away with a ball of cotton yarn, a tote, and a big interesting button.

Maddy was in need of some "quiet time," so Kate & I dropped her off at the apartment before heading to Bancaja Cultural Center to see their Contemporary Art exhibition.

These were some of my favorite pieces. (I see knitting!) Those first two pieces were huge -- the people in the images almost life-size.

We met up with Maddy again and -- surprise! -- we visited another cathedral. This time, it was the Cathedral of Valencia -- home of many amazing works of art, the arm of Saint Vincent of Saragossa, and the Holy Grail. We paid for the self-guided tour, which included an audio guide, and we were not disappointed. It is beautiful, inside and out.

Words fail me.

The preserved arm of St. Vincent.

Works by Goya

The Holy Grail right there!

Skulls & bones!

It was definitely worth the price of admission, and I highly recommend it if you're ever in Valencia!

I don't remember the exact order of things, but we had a lovely tapas lunch -- during which we watched two men walk by carrying an enormous pan of paella between them -- and found our way to Torres de Serranos, the city gate.

We made dinner together at home that evening -- tacos! And then went out for ice cream. The girls & I had been enjoying a gelato a day (sometimes two) on this vacation... bakery & ice cream were never hard to find, no matter where we were!

Oh boy... Believe it or not, this was the smallest of the confections at our table! Turns out, though, that most of it is "whipped cream" with a couple of scoops of ice cream plopped on top + various toppings and, at least to our tastes, that stuff was only palatable in very small doses. (Kind of yuck.) (But that picture menu had us all starry-eyed!!)

We amused ourselves...

Self-explanatory -- the boys' work!

Everybody's on Snapchat now (except Brian)!

It was a wonderful last day! There are no firm plans yet, but I am definitely looking forward to a return visit...

Good night, Valencia!!

Sunday was Mack's 12th birthday!! To celebrate, we visited Albufera National Park, just south of Valencia, for a boat ride and paella. Addy had already visited the park once on a school field trip.

So, away we went to catch another bus! Ann & Brian don't have a car in Spain, though they were able to get driver's licenses -- something that most of their American co-workers have been unable to secure. Apparently, there is no reciprocal licensing relationship between Spain & the USA... but there is between Spain & Brazil and they were both licensed there! Incidentally, they rented a car just last weekend to take the boys to camp -- it's that in-between time when school's out but teachers & administrators still have to go to work.

It was a gorgeous day and the bus was crowded!! We stood most of the way.

There's ^^ a wedding!

So, apparently the thing to do in L'Albufera is to go on a boat trip on Albufera Lake and then eat paella -- or vice versa! There are many establishments offering package deals.

Our boat captain was this kindly old gent whose name I don't recall. He made a point of telling us that his grandparents came to Spain from Great Britain. He had fun goofing around with our three youngest passengers -- twins, at least, but we thought possibly even triplets.

We saw fish and birds and lots of ducks & ducklings... patos y patitos!

El Palmar is literally nothing but restaurants. There wasn't a convenience store or gift shop to be found, which I found astounding!!

We had a very traditional paella -- Paella Valenciana -- which includes chicken, rabbit, and snails. Yes, I ate snails!! Between all the tapas restaurants we visited, the mercado, and this, I had octopus, squid, oysters and snails (a couple of firsts). Anyway, it was delicious!!

And another type of beer: SIVARIS TOSTADA is the first rice, artisan and gourmet beer, designed to accompany rice. Aromatic, full of nuances, balanced structure, with a certain turbidity, soft bubble and kindness in the mouth. Perfect to drink alone, with a good paella or maridar with strong rice, red meats, game, foie or risottos. (source)

We missed a bus heading back to the city, so had a long wait for the next one during which we sat in the shade (it was HOT!) and found some water at a nearby restaurant, and I mused (again) on the lack of convenience/gift shops because I'd have totally rather shopped while waiting.

Annie had made the cheesecake before we left in the morning (with the graham crackers I'd brought for the crust). Upon our return, Mack's best friend popped over with a gift and we all sang and ate cake!!

I can't believe this little baby is 12!!

This is a stitched-together photo to show the wonderful view from the window in Addy's room, which he kindly lent me during our visit.

And this was my view from bed -- the window is really more like a door. No screens, only the iron railing.

It was gorgeous... and also LOUD!! In the big city, they don't empty the dumpsters between 7 am and 5 pm, they do it at 2 am!! Most buildings are tall -- 4, 5, 6 stories and more -- so there's also AN ECHO IN THERE!! Yikes. I live on the end of a dead-end street in a sleepy little city, and I'm sure not used to that! I tried to liken it to Rio and the "joyful noise" emanating from Rocinha, but this was not that at all. I resorted to earplugs after the first night.

On Saturday morning, we walked to Mercado Central. Wow.

The food!

We watched a fish vendor shuck some oysters and then had them for a mid-morning snack... along with some champagne!

Meandering back, we found the narrowest house in... the world? Europe? Spain? certainly in Valencia!!

Orange trees line many streets! But they are not Valencia oranges and apparently are bitter and not very good to eat.

They sure are pretty though!

In the afternoon, we packed up and hopped a bus headed for the beach.

It was a gorgeous day!!

Between Saturday & Sunday, despite being under cover practically the whole time, I managed to get a pretty good sunburn!

And day is done. It was so great to have a more relaxing day after the frantic pace of those preceding!

Let's take a break from the travelogue, shall we?

I started a new knitting project on Friday night: a wee hat on DPNs. Somehow, I lost a needle while casting on, and then a second went missing. I searched around and under my chair & ottoman, and then had a look "inside" my chair. Gah! Right off the bat, I spotted a couple of crayons and stitch markers, some food (a veggie straw, an M&M, some nuts), and a DPN -- a bigger one that I didn't even know was missing!!

Hungry, Hungry Recliner

I decided that one of my Saturday projects would be pulling that chair apart to clean and reclaim some of that stuff!

I turned it over on its side, and ended up propping it up on a box for ease of access. I pulled out a bunch of staples along the edge and, handily, found that a couple of super-size paperclips had also fallen in there, so I used them to hold back the fabric while I then wiggled & shook everything out!

I almost dislocated a shoulder! It's a heavy chair.

There's the "good stuff"! Haha. (I found the other missing DPN under a nearby chest.)

The kiddos were over for a while on Saturday, too.

Gin is walking as if she's been doing it for weeks! She toddled in carrying my bike helmet.

She was suffering a case of the summertime sniffles and/or teething... and took the rare (short) nap at Nona's house!

Maddy ran in & out again yesterday -- she's "home," but she's been very busy reconnecting & visiting with friends, so I haven't seen her much. A little downtime is forthcoming...

What else? It was a fairly low-key weekend at home -- kids & grandkids in & out, some knitting, some cleaning out & organizing, and a new sewing project cut out.

How about you? How was your weekend??

We left Barcelona for Valencia on the 4 pm train, arriving at about 7. Ann & Brian met us at the station and we walked to their apartment. The boys were happy to see us, but also pooped after the school week and ready to hunker down for a bit.

So we took off with Ann!

Surprise! We visited another church!

We found a delightful spot for tapas, and I tried a yummy local beer.

We got our bearings a little bit...

And took off for the park. Jardin del Turia (Turia River Gardens) is a huge garden/park located in what was formerly a riverbed. There are, indeed, gardens...also foot and bike paths, soccer fields, a children's playground called Parc Gulliver, and more, all leading to the City of Arts and Sciences.

We happened upon an Alternative Craft Fair in the park, just before closing time.

Maddy & Annie found some amazing handmade shoes, and each came home with a pair!

I found an adorable dress for Gin (modeled by Jun, below).

And some lovely earrings for myself.

Made by Anna Panyella Joies. I can't stop wearing them!

And we walked, enjoying the park and admiring a few of the beautiful bridges overhead that cross over it. We made our way to the City of Arts and Sciences and, once again, found ourselves agape.

It's gorgeous, day (this photo taken a few days later) or night! Hi-tech, sci-fi, modern... very Star Wars-y. And the whole thing -- everything -- is covered in mosaic tile, almost all of it white. Incredible.

By then it was about midnight and it had been a long, busy day. We head back to the apartment and to bed. Mack kindly gave his room & trundle bed up for the girls, and I slept in Addy's room. We were on the 6th floor, had a tiny shared balcony, floor-to-ceiling windows -- it's really a cute apartment! The boys were thrilled to camp out in a fort they'd made in the living room, so it all worked out.

It was nice to know that we'd be there for a few days/nights, too! To be continued...

We checked out of our Airbnb early Friday morning and hailed a cab, stopping at Locker Barcelona on the way to once again stow our bags. These places are great! Just as at the airport, there were a variety of locker sizes (we needed only one each time) and the cost is very reasonable!

We caught another cab and headed to Basilica De La Sagrada Familia. Those were the other advance tickets we purchased; we needed to choose a time to visit, and also a time to ascend one of the towers -- and, unlike The Book of Kells, they were quite particular about the timing!

It is an amazing place -- still under construction (always and forever?) (at least until 2030 or so!).

And, indeed, men were working and those cranes were moving!

Breathtaking, is all I can say...

Everywhere you look, there's something to see... and then something else catches your eye, and something more... Parts of the ceiling looked as though giant millefleur beads were embedded.

And the color!

We visited the Nativity Tower.

We ascended by lift and then walked up, across, and down. The views were amazing... that spiral staircase seemed endless!

The reflection was terrible, but this model of the cathedral was fascinating!

It looks a little bit like a drip sand castle from afar, doesn't it?

We grabbed a bit to eat, then headed back to explore the area near Locker Barcelona.

Including another church and a fabulous children's shop!

I wish we'd had time to visit some of the other amazing Gaudi sites, such as Casa Batllo, Casa Milo, and Park Guell -- and a whole bunch of other things -- but, as my mother always said, it's good to leave something for when you return.

We retrieved our luggage, hailed another cab and headed to Barcelona Sants to catch our train for Valencia. Stay tuned for Day 3, Part 2!

* * * * *

Missing you every single day, Mom. I can't believe it's been 3 years. xoxox

We checked out of our Dublin Airport hotel at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday and hopped the shuttle for the airport. Our flight to Madrid departed at 6:15 a.m. * Yawn *

We arrived in Madrid at around 10, and the plan was to meet Maddy, who was flying from Sydney, in Barcelona later that day.

Kate & I had already booked our tickets from Madrid > Barcelona on the high-speed AVE train, and that entitled us to a free train ticket from the airport to the city. I'd printed out all the information about that and how to retrieve those tickets from a ticket vending machine, which really came in handy, except that it wasn't working for some reason and we ended up standing in line at Customer Service, anyway. Turns out, those tickets are only valid 4 hours prior to the main departure time -- and we were too early!

We sat and waited an incredibly long 4 minutes... I took a photo of the airport ceiling... and then it worked perfectly and we were on our way!

The Atocha station in Madrid is beautiful -- and huge! We had a few hours in Madrid before we needed to catch the train, and I had done a little research ahead of time, so we headed toward that sign on the bottom right that reads "CONSIGNAS" to stow our suitcases in a locker and took the short walk from the terminal to Museo Nacional del Prado -- Prado National (Art) Museum.

We walked past the Royal Botanic Garden on the way, but couldn't see much as they were having some work done. On the list for next time!

We rushed through Prado, finding the locations of the most important (to us) pieces/artists -- of course, seeing plenty more as we made our way through -- and leaving enough time for a bite at the cafe and a visit to the museum gift shop.

There was quite the garden/atrium at Atocha station!

We retrieved our bags and then went to catch our train, which turned out to be a little hairy, as we hadn't printed out the actual tickets... I had them on my phone, but they wanted paper! Kate rushed over to a machine to try and figure it out, while I held a spot in line at Customer Service; she was finally successful and we rushed to (successfully) make our connection!

The train ride was very nice, and oh how I wish we had a train system like that here! It was non-stop from Madrid to Barcelona, and I saw top speed of 299 kph (186 mph). Maddy's flight had been late arriving in Doha, but she was able to make her connection, and we found each other within minutes at Barcelona Sants!

Our Airbnb was located in the Gothic Quarter and, according to Google Maps, was about a 40-minute walk from the station. I figured, after all the planes & trains, that we'd like a good walk; called our host and let her know we were on our way.

It took us a bit longer than 40 minutes, as we made our way through unfamiliar territory and took a couple of wrong turns looking for the "pedestrian street" on which our apartment was located. Luckily, our host was patient enough... and offered me her fan when we arrived! She was utterly dismayed that we were staying for only one night, having previously sent me a list of things to do in Barcelona that we'd have trouble completing had we stayed a month!

Gorgeous basilicas & cathedrals everywhere!

We had a wonderful evening together, traipsing around a bit, finding a spot to enjoy some delicious tapas & drinks...

Smiles! (And terrible lighting.) (But SMILES!)

...and went to bed "early" as we had another busy day on tap!

I'm back!! Everything went smoothly until the very last bit of the last flight home. Weather was a problem, causing back-ups and delays at O'Hare, and the powers-that-be diverted us to Detroit. It all went south from there for a bunch of reasons and, after several (overnight) hours of waiting, we ended up taking a train to Chicago and making our way from downtown to O'Hare to fetch the car and drive home. Soooo tired. It was a struggle, and we frequently switched drivers; we arrived home at 7 pm and I was in bed by 8!

I ended up taking half the day off on Friday to do the things I'd intended to do on Thursday (fetch Maddy's vehicle, reinstate insurance, reactivate mobile phone, unpack, do laundry, etc). I did some other errands on Saturday, and on Sunday I had an unplanned but well deserved Pajama Day! I didn't even venture outside far enough to see if the paper had arrived... I found it this morning in the driveway.

Anyway, here's the total of my luggage for a one-week international vacation! The tote was my "personal item" while traveling, and the suitcase is carry-on size; I checked the suitcase only on the return flight home, as Maddy had to check her backpack, anyway. I folded & packed my new Baggallini Medium Avenue Tote inside my suitcase for my everyday running around purse (so many ways to carry that bag, including cross-body). I plan to do a more detailed post about What I Packed (used/didn't use), but this is the lightest I ever packed for a trip of any length in my life!

Our flight departed O'Hare on Tuesday evening. Kate & I both worked until noon that day and she picked me up right from work; we arrived with plenty of time to spare, and that's always better than the stress of rushing!

There was a 24-hour layover in Dublin on our itinerary, and we took advantage of that! (I got a new stamp in my passport, too.) We'd booked a room in a hotel at the airport, took the shuttle over and they allowed us to check in upon arrival on Wednesday morning. We freshened up and changed clothes, and then hopped a bus into the city.

There was a little panic & confusion and we ended up getting off the bus a bit too early, so there was a metro ride involved, too! Haha!

Our first destination was the Irish Museum of Modern Art to see the exhibitions As Above, So Below: Portals, Visions, Spirits & Mystics and IMMA Collection: Freud Project.

The museum is housed in a portion of the former Royal Hospital Kilmainham, which is an astounding property. It was interesting to imagine the gallery rooms as hospital rooms (they were quite nice, with lovely windows!).

This was one of my favorite exhibition pieces:

Hilma af Klint, Altarpiece, No 1, Group X, Series Altarpieces, 1915 , Oil and metal leaf on canvas

But these! All this!! This was an installation outside of the museum by Brazilian artist Stephan Doitschinoff (you can see the panels in the photo of the building above).

He speaks about the work in the video about the exhibition below (at about 4:23).

We sort of rushed through this art museum (in what turned out to be a recurring theme) because we had tickets for The Book of Kells. Turns out we needn't have rushed, as they weren't particularly strict about the time at TBoK -- as long as our ticket was dated that day, we could have gone at any time. Oh well.

We were positively agape in The Long Room, but pulled ourselves together for a selfie.

We weren't far from the National Gallery of Ireland, so walked over there, too. They were "between" things, preparing for the opening of a Vermeer show (which would have been wonderful to see), but we did enjoy the Margaret Clarke exhibition. 

I didn't realize, until it began to rain, how lucky we were that it wasn't raining as we made our way about Dublin, as that had been the forecast.

We ducked out of the rain and into a pub for some grub and beer. Kate had Irish stew and I had shepherd's pie -- it was delicious!!

We made our way back to the hotel. I had a message from Norma, who was also in Dublin that day (life is so weird sometimes)!! And we were up super early on Thursday to catch our shuttle for the flight to Spain!

Stay tuned for Day 2!

Well, I was up at about 4:15 this morning... not by design, but because instead of popping up every 5 minutes to write things down so I wouldn't forget, I decided to just get up and do.the.things!

Maybe that means I'll get some good sleep on the plane tonight.

I never did get a chance to pick up the book I had on hold at the library, so will surely finish Barbara Kingsolver's "Homeland." I have a few hours left listening to Wallace Stegner's "Crossing to Safety," so have downloaded "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon... it's set in Barcelona, so it seems fitting!! I also have a book downloaded to Kindle called "Illustrated Valencia Noir" by Isis Sousa & Ove Neshaug.

My small carry-on is packed and once I deliver the boxes of graham crackers (for the crust of Mack's requested cheesecake birthday cake) and Cheez-its (for Addy), I'll have room to bring a little something home with me, too!

Besides PJs, socks & underwear, I've packed a handbag, two pairs of sandals, two capri pants, a skirt, a dress, eight tops, a cropped sweater and a long cotton sweater. I'm wearing a pair of cropped pants, a top, a long lightweight sweater -- and will be switching out to a pair of tennies and compression socks when we're at the airport.

I found a nice, not-too-big tote for my "personal item." I have my dossier including schedules, tickets, boarding passes, maps, etc., wallet w/passport inside (it's been there for a couple of weeks -- since I woke from a dream that we were at the airport and I'd forgotten it!) (I got up right then and put it in my wallet), tablet, phone, chargers, tissues, antacid, ibuprofen, and liquids.

And -- because I had so much time this morning -- even some knitting! I've packed the third pair of Squad Mitts, wherein mitt #1 is about 3/4 finished, and a bag full of scraps for hexipuffs! Seems like good, carry-on, portable, small knitting...

Think good thoughts for Maddy. She's flying Qatar Airways and called in a bit of a panic last night after the news. Everything should be OK, from what I've seen. She's a wonderful traveler, except when it comes to actually traveling (flying, in particular)!!

Kate & I are heading to the airport in about :30. So excited.

Actually, it's more like "Sew, the month..." as I haven't done anything but sew since I finished knitting my Colorwash Shawl!

First it was the Tom Petty Corset; all put together and awaiting binding (and the loss of a few pounds)!

I still wanted a Corset, though, and found some Batman t-shirts on clearance at Macy's. I love the fabric, but the design of these things is hiddy:

I'd already chopped & sliced that one up, but yuck. I had an XL and an XXL, the backs gave me enough fabric for the body and there was more than enough on the fronts to cut binding.

It's a little bit wonky. The fabric is 100% cotton, but much finer and lighter in weight than I'm used to -- medium weight is what I usually order from Alabama Chanin, often heavy weight in the thrifted t-shirts.

I checked a couple of times to verify that it was 100% cotton and not some combo with bamboo or something. It was slippery, more difficult to control, and it took a while to get it all sewn up. I like it well enough, though!

Since then, I've been working on the Alabama Chanin Magdalena A-line that I'd begun a year ago, in the hopes that perhaps I'd finish in time to bring it along on vacation. But first...

I "fixed" some sleepwear that I also want to take.

The heavy embroidered design was replaced with this:

It's a little swatch from when I was contemplating ideas for Catamount. I'm so glad to have found a use for it! That one little sequin makes me inordinately happy.

And voila! I finished all the seaming of the A-line on Saturday night, so yesterday was all about binding.

That dress form isn't anywhere near my size, but you get an idea.

Cretin stitch... always a bit of a challenge for me, but I think I'm getting better!

Originally, I'd stenciled pieces for the back, too, but I've left the back a single layer and plain for a number of reasons... besides time. One is that the technique used on the front is "lighter" than some. Another is that I'd placed the stencil on all four pieces in almost exactly the same manner, and have decided that I'd prefer some variation. I'm hoping to use those other pieces to make something for Gin!

Anyway, here it is. I used a couple of different colors of thread for the sewing. The cutting (negative reverse applique) was CRAZY INTENSE with all those knots & tails on the outside, but I don't think I accidentally snipped short a single one of those tails!

It's crunch time now!! One more sleep at home, another sleep on the plane, and then our first stop: Dublin!

Photos by Lauren Kirsch, LK Photography.
Check out her beautiful IG, too. (I love her work!).
Lauren & Ali have been friends for years.

In celebration of Gin's 1st birthday, the kids had a family photo session last month, and Rusty & I snuck at the end for a few photos with Gin & Jun. SO FUN!! It occurred to me just now that we should have done a big group photo, too! But you know... in the thick of it, and especially when there are kiddos involved, it's incredibly difficult to remember and do all.the.things.

The photos are FABULOUS! This is in the kids' back yard, cherry tree in full bloom providing a lovely background.

Have a great weekend, everyone! I'll be doing laundry and starting to pack my (very small) suitcase!

Yeah, well, I'm glad you're here. You've always been a pretty awesome month, no matter what's been going on!

The last half of May sort of kicked my ass. The "springtime cold" and "major sniffles" I was experiencing are most certainly allergy related... it's been two weeks, so obviously not a cold. Dumb. As a result, my energy level has not that great (when's the last time I slept for 12 hours?) and I haven't been moving all that fast. I really hope to see some improvement there!

And there's plenty to look forward to. After all, it's SUMMER!!

This year, I'm doing some traveling. It'll be a quick trip and jam-packed, but should be an awful lot of fun. Kate & I are traveling together to Spain, via Ireland, where we'll join up with Maddy and then visit my sister Ann & her family for a few days!

Kate & I have a 24-hour layover in Dublin, and plans to visit #1) a pub and #2) Trinity College to see The Book of Kells. (In that order.)

The next day, we'll fly to Madrid and hop a train for Barcelona to meet Maddy, who is flying from Sydney, Australia! We've booked an Airbnb overnight there, and our host sent a list of things to do so long that even if we were there a month, we'd barely make a dent! (For the Future File.) We've purchased advance tickets to visit La Sagrada Familia, and will have a few more hours to explore before we catch a train to Valencia.

Other than paella, Mack's birthday cheesecake, and a visit to Albufera National Park, paella, we don't really have any firm plans for our 3+ days in Valencia! But we have plenty of ideas, and whatever we do will be amazing.

The girls and I will head back to Madrid on the train, where we've booked another overnight Airbnb, and our flight for home departs the next morning.

I won't have my computer, but maybe a tablet, and of course my phone... we'll just see how it works out for posting. Keep an eye on Instagram!

Maddy will be home!!

Later in the month, we'll all be heading up north to my uncle's cabin for a few days.

In between is my twin sisters' birthday, my niece is coming for a quick visit before she packs up & moves to Florida next month, and I have a million projects that I want to finish/do, including some new mosaic tables for the pergola. I'm pretty busy, both at work and at home, trying to get everything done that will need doing while we're away. Whew.

It's always so nice to see you!

Love, Vicki

P.S. I think Jun & I are going to have a sleepover tomorrow!

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