Spain 2016 V2.0

Our summer vacation to Spain is FINALLY here!	Alexi and Mateo look forward to spending part of our summer in Spain all year long.
Every weekday morning we are ALL beach bums and head to the beach at San Pol.	As soon as we arrive at the beach Alexi goes straight into the Mediterranean.
Sharon's FAVORITE part of summer is definitely being at the beach, since as a little girl she spent every summer at the Jersey shore.	Here Sharon models her beautiful French braid and brown bikini.
Mateo LOVES going in the Mediterranean and being held by Mami.	Mateo LOVES digging in the sand and building moats with his Papi.
David is an EXCELLENT chef, pictured here preparing la comida.	A perfect truita, and one of our FAVORITE dishes for la comida.
Siesta happens every afternoon following la comida.  Mateo looks forward to naptime with vaca, green hornet and his blankie.	And sometimes during la siesta Mateo PRETENDS to be asleep while Alexi takes a nap.
Afternoons we spend at la piscina...Alexi and Mateo invented their own version of pool soccer.	Hmmmm...was that a goal or no goal??!!!  Where is the ref when you need him??!!!
The highlight of EVERY day for Alexi was evenings spent on the soccer field with his friends.	Alexi LOVES playing soccer and takes each game incredibly seriously.
On evenings when we could pull Alexi away from the soccer field, we headed into the town of San Feliu de Guixols.  First stop was the sole bookstore to pick out some Spanish books.	This little chair in the bookstore is the PERFECT reading nook for our avid readers.
Next stop: rides in town.  The bumper cards are Alexi's ABSOLUTE FAVORITE RIDE EVER.	Mateo is a huge fan of superheroes, so of course he choose to ride the Spider-Man car in town.
Active rides are THE BEST...here Mateo and Alexi jump, jump, jump on the trampoline.	The only way to end a night on the town is with CHURROS.
Sunday mornings are filled with LOTS of anticipation...we go into town to the market and breakfast on La Rambla.	Alexi and Mateo proudly pose on La Rambla in their Barcelona kits.
Breakfast of pastries on La Rambla bring out the smiles.	Our kids enjoyed riding this small carousel on La Rambla after breakfast.
We ALWAYS stop at L'Hort d'en Climent to do the majority of our shopping; they are the only store that has organic fruits and vegetables in the small town of San Feliu de Guixols.	Ca la Nati is our go-to location for bread each day...food for the gods.
After shopping at the market we always stop by this cafe for Mateo to deposit a Euro and ride this train.	One Sunday after the market we drove to Platja d'Aro to have our annual lunch with the Pallares family in their home.
Alexi began the tradition in Spain of running his own lemonade stand with freshly-squeezed lemonade.	Nil and Danny helped Alexi sell lemonade at his lemonade stand.
A new tradition we started this year was baking homemade cookies in Spain.  It was not easy to procure food coloring, though we finally found it for these tricolor cookies.	The tricolor cookies had very beautiful designs and hues when they came out of the oven.
David and Alexi were very eager to sample the homemade tricolor cookies.	Mateo takes a bite and then shows off the tricolor cookie he helped make.  This year we have been baking a different homemade cookie every month.
Riding the San Feliu de Guixols trolley is a favorite family tradition.	Alexi and Mateo on the trolley as we venture down the hill to San Pol.
Another one of our family traditions is walking La Rambla every summer.	La Rambla contains so many gorgeous views of the rocky terrain and Mediterranean Sea that makes La Costa Brava so picturesque and famous.
We always stop of at the mysterious door to nowhere...one day we know we will be invited inside.	Alexi and Mateo just hanging out on La Ronda.
Alexi and Mateo pose by the purple flowers and grasses along La Ronda.	We pause at this rotunda every year for a family photo...look how our family has grown!
Though we spend most mornings at San Pol, we spend at least one morning each summer at Cala Maset.	Alexi and Mateo have this inlet of the Mediterranean all to themselves.
Sharon's favorite sight at Playa Castell is the beautiful pink house at the end of the beach.	Mateo surveys the scene at Castell after his dip in the Mediterranean.
Mateo strikes his model pose at Playa Castell.  Y'all are definitely looking at a future heartbreaker.	This is Alexi's fourth summer at Playa Castell...and he loves every minute of it.
The REAL reason Alexi and Mateo like going to Castell is because they get treated to ICE CREAM on the BEACH.	Mateo LOVES chocolate, so of course he chose the vanilla and fudge ice cream cone.
The weather in Spain is warm and beautiful most days; on the rare cloudy or rainy day we head to Girona.  First stop is always Galetes Graupera in Girona.	So many delicious cookies to choose from here - which ones will Mateo and Alexi choose?
Our FAVORITE place in Girona is the vegan restaurant B*12.	Every summer we go to B*12 for la comida...another family tradition.
Absolutely delicious appetizers at B*12, including sopa y ensalada.	Our vegan entrees at B*12 included a veggie burger (sans roll), pasta and pita and hummus.
The vegan desserts at B*12 are also delectable...David is in heaven eating this chocolate cake.	Sharon chose the lemon cake with icing as her vegan dessert.
Windy, stormy days make dinner on the balcony a definite challenge.	Hold on to those sandwiches Alexi and Mateo!
Cloudy days are the perfect days to go shopping...to  that has a BALL POND!  Where's Alexi???	There's Alexi!!!  Mateo found him!!!
We saw our first drum line parade in San Feliu last year, and were highly anticipating this incredible spectacle on our Spain vacation this year.	This youthful drumline had the most energy, face paint and make-you-move-your-feet beats.
Another new tradition we started this year was visiting a creparia that popped up in a little alley in town.	Alexi with his sweet and David with his savory crepe, ready to dig in.
Mateo is still small enough to enjoy the rides on the grounds of Cap Ducal.	Our little scuba diver searched for some fish...and he found a BIG ONE!
Mateo and Alexi both LOVE subway trains, and here Mateo is recreating a picture from several years ago when Alexi was Mateo's age.	Together with your family, Abuelo and Dawn...this is as GOOD AS IT GETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Abuelo and Dawn overlapped our vacation by a few days, and Alexi always enjoys spending time with his family.	Mateo takes a break from his soccer game to pose with Abuelo and Dawn at Cap Ducal.
With the grandparents in town, Sharon and David got to go out on a DATE(!)	A Thai lunch date in Platja d'Aro was very memorable and special.
Sharon and David went to see The Stones Speak exhibit in Parc del Estanys.	The Stones Speak exhibit featured phenomenal sculptures by the artist Josep Canals.
This summer Mateo's favorite part of Spain was la playa.	Alexi's favorite part of Spain this summer was doing cannonballs into la piscina.
Sharon's favorite part of Spain is always this incredible view from la teraza.	David's favorite part of Spain is simply being at Cap Ducal, relieving wonderful childhood memories.
Mateo found his favorite animal, la vaca, in La Bisbal.	And Sharon's family found her favorite flower in Spain for her to put into her hair.
David LOVES sharing his most favorite place in the world with his kids.	Amazing that we have already been married for fourteen years(!)
Our annual tradition is to spend our second to last night in town having a family dinner.	Here is our beautiful family pictured on La Rambla for our night on the town.
Pizza is Alexi and David's FAVORITE dinner in the world.	Mateo and Sharon are total foodies who LOVE eating in restaurants.
The best part of dinner in town?  DESSERT!  Amazingly HUGE two scoop ice cream cone for Alexi on La Rambla.	This cone with smurf ice cream is half the size of Mateo!
Alexi enjoys fresh coconut in the Mediterranean during his eighth summer in Spain.	And this fabulous three year old Mateo spent his fourth summer in Spain.
Though there is a significant age different between them, Alexi and Mateo are BFFs.  Alexi expands Mateo's world...	...and Mateo has kept Alexi young.
The sunrises we see right from the balcony of our apartment in Spain are breathtakingly beautiful.	The moon rise and reflection of moonlight on the Mediterranean are equally beautiful.
"I don't want to leave SPAINY!!!"  Alexi dreams of all the happy times spent with friends and family in Spain this summer.	"Do you think we will be in Spain next summer Mateo?"  "YES ABSOLUTELY Alexi!"