Spain 2018

We once again spent our summer vacation in San Feliu de Guixols, a small beach town outside Barcelona, Spain.	These iconic bathhouses are a sure sign that you are at San Pol Beach in San Feliu de Guixols.
This is one of Sharon's favorite San Feliu annual traditions...Timbalada.  The groups that prominently feature youth are the ones our family likes the best.	This drum line was incredibly high energy and had an incredible beat.
After Timbalada, we headed to La Rambla for some GIANT horchatas.	Alexi REALLY enjoyed his horchata on La Rambla.
We have developed a routine in Spain, in which we spend mornings at San Pol Beach.  Mateo and Alexi love going into the Mediterranean and looking for treasures.  Here, they show off the stones and sea glass they found.	It is an especially great morning at San Pol when we run into friends from Cap Ducal.
Alexi enjoyed riding his boogie board once again in the Mediterranean.	This was Mateo's first year riding the Barcelona boogie board on his own and he had a blast.
Alexi and Mateo enjoyed building moats together after swimming in the Mediterranean.	The final moat built by Alexi and Mateo included beautiful rocks and stones they found in the Mediterranean.
This summer Alexi and David went running together along La Ronda during our mornings at the beach.	Alexi uses our big green shovel to dig a super big moat, while Mateo helps out with his little blue shovel.
Mateo and Alexi really enjoyed playing paddle ball at San Pol this year.	Sharon also got in on the paddle ball action because Mateo constantly wanted to play paddle ball.
Our favorite dish for la comida is traditional Spanish truita.	The only thing better than one truita is TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Afternoons we spent together in the pools of Cap Ducal.	Sharon treasures the fact that Mateo still is small enough to enjoy being in the pool with Mami.
Alexi and Mateo tremendously enjoyed playing made-up ball games in the kiddie pools.	Is Alexi kicking or catching that ball in the pool???!!!!
This was the first year that Mateo was able to go down the kiddie slide by himself with no Mami or Papi waiting to catch him.	This was also the first year Mateo was allowed in the big pool at Cap Ducal, and he was UBER EXCITED to do a running jump into Mami's arms.
One original game Alexi and Mateo created was for Alexi to throw a ball to Mateo for him to catch in midair while going down the slide.	Sliding down the slide while trying to catch the ball thrown by Alexi is a TOTAL BLAST!!!
Immediately after being in the pools Mateo and Alexi ran into the game room to play futbolin.	Some afternoons Mateo and Alexi did not want to go to the pool, and instead headed straight to futbolin.
One of Mateo's chores in Spain is to water las plantas en la teraza cada noche.	Mateo is doing a truly excellent watering job, as evidenced by these beautiful flowers.
The highlight of EVERY day in Spain for Mateo and Alexi was meeting their friends on the soccer field in the evening for SOCCER GAMES.	Reading Spanish comics is also a favorite hobby of Mateo and Alexi.
Sunday mornings we always head into town for breakfast and grocery shopping.	Delicious pastries from Farreras are enjoyed by Alexi and Mateo for Sunday morning breakfast on La Rambla.
Sharon loves getting dressed up for our Sunday mornings in town and posing for pics on La Rambla.	Shopping at L'Hort d'en Climent, a health food store with organic vegetables, is a highlight every Sunday.
At 11 years old, Alexi is at the upper age limit for the ball pond.  He still tremendously enjoys playing and chillaxin' in the ball pond.	Mateo has ALWAYS loved balls since he was a little boy, and he continues to enjoy playing in the ball pond.
One Sunday morning a special event awaited us at San Pol: a watermelon eating contest!  LADIES FIRST!	Next up - THE BOYZ!  Let's see how many watermelons THEY can each eat..our money's on the guy in the black T shirt.
One highlight of our vacation in Spain this summer was the San Pol Foam Festival.	Sharon and David participated in our first foam festival in Dominican Republic last year, though this was Alexi and Mateo's first ever foam festival and they had a blast.
Alexi experiences pure joy during the San Pol Foam Festival.	Immediately Mateo and Alexi were covered in bubbles!
Sharon left her bikini home since we normally spend weekends at Cap Ducal instead of the crowded beaches.  However, she could not resist indulging in this foam festival because it was SO MUCH FUN.	Sharon and Mateo REALLY enjoyed having fun together getting covered in bubbles at the foam festival.
Alexi emerges from the foam covered in bubbles and is all smiles.	Mateo finally figured out how to get everything except his face covered in bubbles (after multiple attempts of being blinded by bubbles) and emerged victorious.
This year we were in San Feliu when they held their Mardi Gras Parade through the streets.	The colorful costumes and floats were a feast for the eyes.
On days when the weather looks like this...	...our family drives to Girona, a neighboring town full of culture, vegan dining and sports.
Our first stop is B*12, our favorite vegan restaurant in all of Spain.	A highlight at B*12 for David is sampling their local alta-colas.
Mateo is a total foodie and ALWAYS enjoys eating at vegan restaurants in NYC and Spain.	Hurry up and take the picture Mami...I want to eat this DELICIOUS vegan pasta!!!
The best part of a meal for Spanish kids is ALWAYS postre - here Alexi enjoys vegan ice cream.	Mateo gives his vegan postre two big thumbs up!
Next stop in Girona...CHOCOLATE SHOP!	Chocolate as art is displayed in the shop...including this beautiful chocolate village covered in snow sugar.
Chocolates from all over the world are on display and for sale in the store.	Chocolate truffles are also on display.
Our favorite part of the chocolate store was sampling the different types of chocolates - YUMMY!	We selected some of these chocolate bars for ourselves and as gifts for friends.
Our final stop was the Girona Botiga Oficial to purchase Girona soccer kits for both Mateo and Alexi.	This is the first year that Girona Soccer Club made it into the La Laiga, so our soccer superstars were so excited to get these new official Girona soccer uniforms for playing soccer en el campo with their friends each evening.
Sharon is an art gallery and museum junkie, so she very much enjoyed seeing this exhibit by Pepa Poch entitled "L'Atelier Pepa Poch".	It seems this exhibit by Pepa Poch took its inspiration from "The Dinner Party" by Judy Chicago in the Brooklyn Museum.
For the first time this summer David and Alexi got to fulfill a longtime wish: ride the sausage boat together.	Alexi and David are all ready for their sausage boat ride through the Mediterranean (the boat went super fast and they got thrown off the boat several times - SUPER FUN)!
Mateo and Mami spent a special day together where we walked to Cala Maset for a morning together at the "little beach".	Mateo loves spending time in Spain with Mami(!)
Every summer our family spends a day at Playa Castell.	Building a moat with Papi is a favorite activity of Mateo and Alexi at Castell.
Coco Man blows his whistle and strolls up and down Castell every day selling whole coconuts.	Our family always purchases a coconut, and all of us enjoy eating the coconut and drinking the juice.
Alexi is all smiles as he enjoys a Chipwich at Castell.	Mateo poses with his chocolate pop before he takes his first bite.
David and Sharon have some ice cream treats themselves, an ice cream cone for David and white chocolate pop for Sharon.	Sharon loves spending a day each summer at Playa Castell.
Alexi and Mateo model their new Girona soccer uniforms on La Rambla.	One of Alexi and Mateo's FAVORITE things in the Sunday market is the honey stand with every single honey flavor you can imagine, from all different types of flowers.
Another one of our annual summer traditions is to walk along La Ronda to take in the breathtaking views of the Mediterranean.	Once again this year, no one answered when Mateo and Alexi knocked on the door to nowhere.
Alexi takes in the incredible view from the gazebo on La Ronda.	Mateo climbed this cool tree (with help from Papi!) and peeked out to pose for a pic.
Sharon ABSOLUTELY LOVES walking La Ronda...it is one of her favorite things to do in Spain every summer.	Every year we pose for a family pic at the gazebo on La Ronda...my how Alexi and Mateo have grown!
Hard to believe David and Sharon have been married for 16 years already....SWEET SIXTEEN!	Sharon is soooooo happy she said "YES" when David proposed to her back in the year 2000 on the campus of Columbia University.
Ever since Mateo and Alexi were big enough, we have rented a paddle boat for a morning adventure at San Pol.	Sharon and Mateo are ready to be passengers in the paddle boat captained by David and Alexi.
Alexi is so excited to paddle from the starboard side of the boat.	Mateo enjoys the cool breeze coming off the Mediterranean.
The most fun part of these paddle boats is that they have SLIDES at the top, so you get to slide down them into the Mediterranean.	Alexi, Sharon and Mateo all went down the slide on the paddle boat into the Mediterranean!
Sharon ADORES haystacks because of Monet's Haystack Series, so she jumped out of the car and posed with this haystack in the field of a Spanish farm.	Sharon also loves spending summer in a bikini.
One evening we drove to Pals to here a live guitar concert by Giulia Ballare.	We met and spoke with Giulia after the concert, and she was gracious enough to take a picture with Mateo and Alexi.
As a reward for being good audience members during the concert, Mateo and Alexi got treated to ICE CREAM afterwards.	While going to throw out the ice cream containers, Alexi made a great find in la basura...a 10 Euro note!
Sharon loves spending her summer in a bathing suit on a beach...here in her lavender floral bikini.	Brown is ALWAYS Sharon's FAVORITE bathing suit color.
Our family poses for a photo on La Rambla for our night on the town at the start of Festa Mayor.	David and Sharon pose for a couples photo on La Rambla.
La Piccola Cibu Restaurant, where we go every summer for our dinner in town, was totally renovated and redesigned.	The hip, modern decor of La Piccola Cibu makes it look like a restaurant that belongs in Manhattan(!)
The pizza served at Cibu is absolutely delicious.	Alexi and Sharon are excited to dig in to this pizza at Cibu.
The Parade of Gigantes y Cabezudos ushers in the Festa Mayor in San Feliu de Guixols.	When the gigantes begin dancing is Sharon's favorite part of the parade.
And here come the cabezudos....great to see an animal among all the big heads.	Here one of the cabezudos waves to the appreciative crowd.
Smurf ice cream cones are the perfect way to end this fun evening on the town.	The monastery looks so beautiful illuminated at night.
Summer vacation at Cap Ducal ALWAYS brings out the SMILES.	See ya next summer SPAIN!!!!!