Good bye Castell

Our stay in Cataluña has come to an end, we really did get used to being here in this short time. We did our chores, home schooling, photographing, day excursions, we shared some wonderful meals, we spent some quality time with friends.  I will really miss my dear friend Camilia, but we part with the hope that we will see each other some time soon perhaps on another land. Now we are packed and fueled for our next adventure (which as you will see involves a ton of traveling!).

Monserrat

One of the things we have in our must do list when we are in Cataluña is to visit Monserrat, this place really is amazing, very well maintained, and there so much to do (from countless hiking trails, camping, museum visiting, eating, shopping, historical building, gorgeous architecture, incredible views/nature, and even worshiping!). Last time we came with the boys we waited in the never-ending line to see up close the icon of our lady of Monserrat. This time around we decided to take one of the many trails in the complex to do a good hike with the boys. At first we felt a little rusty, but as usual we got the hang of it. Hiking is one of those things we wish we could do more often, we love it, is good for us and it is great way to spend time as a family, connect we nature and our selves.

Hojas del bosque

I mentioned before that Camila and I are friends since childhood, the other bond we share is our love for photography. Not only do we love this art and have as adults taken steps to become serious in this discipline, but as pre-teens it was one of the things we used to do together. Mainly we used to photograph each other, we did the styling, the staging, lighting and modeling! Granted we only had point and shoots cameras, and regular desk lamps, but by using the means at our disposal we learned some very important principles of pre/post production involved in photography.  She was the first person that ever modeled for me! This time with better equipment in our hands, and being better acquainted with the wonders of natural lighting, we took off to the forest to spend the afternoon to remember old times and photograph each other (and little Gabo of course!).

Zoo in Barcelona

About 3 years ago when we came to Barcelona Camila and I took the kids to the zoo, we had such a blast that day these time around we planned the visit well in advance.  The zoo overall is well maintained, has a great play ground, and holds a great variety of animals, but the highlight for us is the dolphins show. We love these amazing animals! How fortunate we felt to be able to see them doing awesome tricks so close to us, and how blessed I felt to see my children's faces lighted with happiness as they watched. I will confess that Camila and I definitely get goosebumps and teary eyes when we see this show.