I mentioned in my Alaska posts about traveling with my cousin and having a glorious time, well that being said, traveling abroad with Joanna was marvelous. Everything about the trip was wonderful from one moment to the next. We were up one night in our house at the time, and decided to buy plane tickets to Spain. We don’t remember why we chose Barcelona. Maybe it was because I had a book on the shelf and had always wanted to go there, or maybe it was just a whim as most of our trips were. I wanted to see the architecture of Antoni Gaudi and definitely his vision come to life at Park Güell. While there we found other gems such as the La Sagrada Familia and Casa Mila, La Pedrera. I will be writing a few blogs about these wonders and taking you all through Barcelona with some shenanigans.
Flying to Spain was a treat of comedy all on its own. The night before we left, my cousin wanted to celebrate her first time going to Europe and I almost missed it. I had no idea we were doing this and was out with friends. When I got home she surprised me and I think this is a lovely tradition to spend with your travel partner. I look back on that moment in time fondly. Getting together or toasting to an upcoming experience was a highlight of the trip. It prepared us, in a way, for the unknown and started our journey off with much laughter. Our vacation was then centered around joy, happiness, and excitement for what lay ahead. We arrived at the airport in Las Vegas the next morning. We had a connection flight to another state in the USA before reaching Europe. When we touched town for that layover we learned our plane was full. We were asked if anyone wanted to accept a voucher and take a different flight. We said sure because we were in no hurry, however, we had no idea what would happen when we got to Spain. The voucher covered a coffee and sandwich so we were in a great mood. Also, we got $500 toward another flight, and later learned how we had to use that quickly to buy another ticket for somewhere else. So vouchers are great if anyone travels a lot but not so much for people like us on a budget.
We finally got on a plane to Europe and they fed us once we left America and hit international airspace. The food was delicious. We had a man dressed like Johnny Depp with his Captain Jack Sparrow makeup, walking up and down the isles, and making the same facial expressions the actor does. So…we saw Johnny Depp!!! Or, so we tell ourselves this. He even came and sat in my armrest while he waited for the bathroom. Then, he looked down at me and did that pull back surprised look he does. It was uncanny how similar the two were. After this wonderful flight, we got on a plane to Barcelona, Spain. We were so excited when we touched down and ready to start our journey to the campsite by the beach. We walked the long terminal to the baggage claim and waited at the carousel for a while. After everyone got their bags and the carousel finally stopped we realized, our bags were not there!! Where were our bags? Stay tuned on Wednesday to find out what happens next. Thank you for reading and have a marvelous Monday!!
-Karen Hilliard
Also, if you would like to show support, I recently joined “buy me a coffee” which is a way for anyone to contribute to the creative process behind the paintings. Fuel the artist so to speak. Here is the link if you are interested and I truly appreciate the support and the fact that you are liking these blogs, as well as my art posts. I am working hard to bring you all fresh content!
Thank you again for all of your support!
The link to my Christmas Ornaments is here and below. 13 more days until Christmas!!
