We arrived in Spain late Saturday night, so Sunday morning we headed straight into town early for breakfast from Farreras on la rambla and shopping at el mercado.
Giant produce can be found at the market, as well as rides for toddlers like Mateo outside cafes.
Every year we stay at Cap Ducal, where David has spent most of his summers since he was a baby.
Many mornings Sharon would wake up early to watch the incredible sunrise from our balcony.
Every weekday morning we go to Playa San Pol to swim in the Mediterranean and build moats and sandcastles.
Moat building at San Pol is always one of the kids' favorite activities to do with Papi.
Alexi and Mateo really enjoyed going into the Mediterranean together this summer, and Mateo still loves going in the water with Mami.
Both Alexi and Mateo enjoyed riding their boogie board in the big waves of the Mediterranean this year.
A highlight at the beach this year was running into Alexi's friend Neil from Cap Ducal and getting to build moats and sandcastles and search for shells, rocks and seaglass with him.
Alexi's big find at the beach this year was a 100 year old key cemented inside a rock, and Mateo always loves showing what a big Barcelona fan he is at the beach.
Once each summer we take the trolley to and from the beach, which is always much anticipated.
The beautiful sights that greet us in Spain every summer bring a welcome change of pace to the hectic pace of life in New York City.
We LOVE cooking while in Spain - the produce is unbelievably fresh and delicious. We eat our big meal in the middle of the day, and always serve salad with the meal (sans dressing, so heavenly).
Afternoons were spent swimming in the small, medium and large pools.
Alexi and Mateo still enjoy the pool together, especially playing ball in the water. Sharon and David brought them back as gifts waver runner balls from DR, and the boys love playing with them.
Alexi and Mateo very much enjoyed also playing ping-pong in the rec room in the afternoons.
And, of course, evenings were spent on the soccer field, with games between Cap Ducal kids and papis all having a fantastic time.
One evening we went into town to a fantastic French restaurant and got to sit indoors at a table made out of BICYCLE wheels (perfect for this cycling family!).
We ate delicious vegetarian crepes, and look forward to coming here every year.
Every year we walk La Ronda, one of the most beautiful places in Spain with incredible majestic views.
Each year the boys try to open the mysterious locked door, and this year they loved posing in the tunnel.
The only bookstore in town moved a few doors down this summer, and we were happy to check out the new location. Mateo enjoyed sitting once again in the little red chair and reading a book.
David has always wanted to rent a mountain bike to ride the rail trails from San Feliu to Girona and back, and this year he got to accomplish this goal!
Whenever we travel, we like to find places to play mini-golf. We played together as a family for the first time in the neighboring town, Platja d'Aro. This turned out to be one of the toughest mini-golf courses we have ever played on - we loved the challenge!
Mateo is a HUGE fan of mini-golf; he has been playing since he was very little, and he has already racked up 5 holes in one.
Every year we go to THE BEST vegan restaurant in Europe - B*12 - located in Girona, Spain.
This is the one place David can find his beloved Alta Cola, and every year we order one of the seven types of veggie burgers on the menu.
We were THRILLED to find out that Sharon and the kids' favorite postre, vegan chocolate chip carrot cake, is back on the menu. At first the owner tricked Sharon and said the kitchen had run out (no!!!!).
On one of our mornings spent at San Pol our little Mateo noticed the paddle boats on the beach. He said, "Ooooh...I want to try that." Four years old was the age when Alexi first rode in a paddle boat in Spain, so we decided to honor Mateo's request and rent one as a family. Mateo was thrilled.
Alexi had a blast going down the slide and pedaling for the first time.
Mateo LOVED going down the slide at the top of our boat into the Mediterranean, with mami or papi there to catch him.
One Sunday we spent the morning having breakfast on the rambla and shopping at el mercado and the afternoon Sharon visited an art gallery & we ate la comida with our dear friends the Pallereses.
Sharon loves art, and enjoys visiting galleries during our international travels. She got to see some irreverent modern sculptures by Gerard Mas in his exhibit "Iconoplastia" at Espai Carmen Thyssen.
The grocery store near us has a ball pond for kids ages 2-9, and Alexi and Mateo LOVE it every year.
Sharon and David finally got to try out the only vegetarian-friendly restaurant in San Feliu - El Celler de Triton. We got takeout which included assorted apps and tofu and tempeh entrees.
One reason we LOVE going to Spain every summer is getting back to nature. We spend almost our entire day outdoors, morning, afternoon and evening. One morning on a walk to the beach we picked wild blackberries and had a delicious snack on our way downhill.
Last year we began an annual tradition where we spend one day of our trip at Cala Maset, which is a small beach surrounded by rocas that is close to San Pol. We walk there, and it is an event Alexi and Mateo very much looked forward to this year.
Mateo especially LOVES Cala Maset, since it is a small beach he has free reign to explore. He discovered this year that his water shoes FLOAT in the water (science in action).
We found the beach and sea in terrible condition when we arrived that Monday morning, covered in trash from a weekend of kids partying. A British man started an impromptu clean-up, and David and Sharon were really proud of Alexi and Mateo joining in to pick up and throw out the trash on the shore and in the water.
A highlight was going into town one night for chocolate and churros...we are going to make this an annual tradition.
The churros and chocolate reminded David and Sharon of their trip to Madrid where they enjoyed both.
An annual tradition Alexi began two years ago was setting up a lemonade stand poolside at Cap Ducal.
Mateo got in on the lemonade stand this year, as did many of Alexi and Mateo's Spanish friends. It was a la carte service, with the boys bringing around the chips and lemonade to sell to pool patrons.
We stayed in Spain through the beginning of August this year so we would be in town for the Festa Major. The highlight was "Gigantes y Cabezudos" - a first time viewing for Alexi and Mateo!
A highlight was seeing the King and Queen of Spain dance with each other to the sound of sardanas.
We always spend a "night on the town", and this year it coincided with the Festa Major.
In town we always celebrate the end of our time in Spain at Cibu's Pizzaria. Great option for vegetarians like us, and this year we even got our own personal pizza wheel.
Both Alexi and Mateo always look forward in town to having pitufo ("smurf") ice cream.
The kids really enjoyed the special rides at the Festa Major - including BUMPER CARS!!!
Our last full day in Spain coincided with Mateo's half birthday, and he decided he wanted to go to La Playa Conca that day.
Sunrise at the end of each day is a beautiful sight to behold from the balcony at Cap Ducal.
Spain is our children's second home, and next summer we'll be back, because Cap Ducal is SO FUN!
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