Granada, Spain

The kids and mom arrived by train to Granada without a hitch, even with an unexpected bus ride thrown in the mix due to construction of the train tracks.  Our apartment was simple but included a small terrace that overlooked the souk and occasionally we'd benefit from random musicians who'd set themselves up on the street outside and play to earn money.  We stayed in the Albaicin, which is a medieval Moorish neighborhood of windy cobblestone alleys and hills, declared a UNESCO World Heritage neighborhood in 1984.  We were perfectly located above a souk (think market) with items from all over the world, even boomerangs and didgeridoos from Australia, and little cafes and places to sit and chat over tapas.

Mom and the kids headed out to explore the area and were delighted with the beautiful architecture - even the lamp posts were amazing!  We found a spot for a celebration dinner of God's provision over our travels this past week and all enjoyed some good meat.  We had to laugh at the reality that with dad our family tends to stick out in a crowd for many reasons, but without dad, we are even more unusual to the average person who must wonder what in the world we are all about, as seemed to be the case by many observers in this restaurant!  Afterwards we were able to check in with some friends and family as we finally have good Internet, so that was a treat for all.

Beautiful buildings all lit up at night!

The following day we walked up the windy cobblestone hill for breakfast and wandered about a bit before coming back to the apartment to study as we eagerly waited Dad's return.  As the time grew closer, we became antsy and headed to La Italiano, a wonderful gelato store, hoping to greet Dad as he arrived in the taxi, but somehow we missed him and he ended up arriving before we returned.  
We all ran to him when we saw him walking down the cobblestone alley with his backpack after having been dropped off by the taxi.  We were surprised to see him in clothes that were "new" as we learned he swapped out a few of his clothes in his backpack for items he found stored at our neighbors -- which if you know our Dad, you realize what this says about living out of a backpack as the guy still wears t-shirts from high school over 20 years ago!!!  Thankfully, he, Ray and another friend shopped for Mom a bit and a sweet friend sent Dad back with a care package of new tank tops and fun face products which brought her to tears feeling so luxuriously pampered and cared for!  The kids got bags and bags of beef jerky - so they were thrilled too!  Funny the things that excite us at this stage!

We headed out for dinner, hoping to find something close and quick as Dad was tired, but it wasn't an easy task.  Most places don't open for dinner until 8pm and this is really messing us up as we don't get home until after 11 and then get a slow start the next morning.  The place we had picked ended up being closed for a personal reason.  Everyone was hungry for Italian so we walked across town to another Trip Advisor place, but it was counter service and not what we were hoping for.  Ironically, for our third choice, we ended up right next door to our original destination, and enjoyed a fun Italian meal.  We listed to Dad tell us how strange it was to be back- to be picked up in his car that we have a friend driving, to be driven down "his" street but turn at our friend's driveway and to sleep next to our house and watch YoungLife happening there but not be at home.  At one point he entered our house and saw his popcorn maker and he said the look on his face was so obvious that the people staying in our home commented about it!  Then, by defualt, he had to ask to use the bathroom and realized it was all too strange and he needed to leave!  Every place he went, driving our friend's cool Porsche, just didn't seem "normal" as he always got to his destination as planned (without needing google) and traffic was never crazy like we experience overseas. It felt so simple to know where to go, what to order and be able to plan ahead of time. So while it was "hard" for Mom and the kids to hear Dad was having Starbucks, ChickFilA, going to the new restaurant on the lake, and other favorites of ours as he was loving on our friend and gathering guys to meet and support him, it wasn't as nostalgic for him due to the circumstances of this past year, his reason for being back, and not having us by his side. Very surreal to be sure. 

We reflected on the amazing confirmations and provisions of God over this past 10 days and all that we processed and learned during our time apart:

• We all benefited from some space to process in our own way - this past year, the present, and future
• Dad made it back in time to see Ray's dad who smiled big and said, "You've come a long way!" And that was about the last coherent conversation he had before he went to be with Jesus on Thursday morning
• Dad was a good distraction for Ray and his mom & sister when things were overwhelming and they'd ask him to just tell them stories to give their minds a break
• Ray told Dad to book a ticket home after his dad died, that he needed Dad there for the last few days but could handle the service himself, Dad just didn't feel right flying back to us so soon so booked a ticket the day after the service.  During the family dinner on the night Ray's dad died, Ray's mom learned Matt was staying for the service and got a big smile on her face and was so happy
• The place the kids & mom stayed after Dad returned to the States, was peaceful, quiet & safe.  We were able to rest well as it was hard with each of us grieving in our own way & missing Dad
• This place in the Moroccan countryside had extremely limited wifi and no cell service, so had Dad stayed, neither of us would've been available to keep up with Ray during this time
• Dad set up a meeting with his old bosses as we've been hearing rumors for the last month from other sources.  Dad handled himself with integrity & confidence as it was officially confirmed he will not return to his old place of employment.  We are completely at peace with this & see it as an answer to prayer as we are feeling God has something else for us in mind (no ideas yet what exactly that is), but we are not anxious and excited to not be distracted with this our last few months
• We received freedom to dream without anxiety about our future with no ties to Matt's old career.  
• The kids and Mom were able to gain confidence and meet fun people as we navigated Africa and Spain, being taught again that sometimes you just have to GO, trusting in God for the details, and it will make sense when you have time to reflect on His providence in the aftermath.  
• We saw little miracles along the way of not having Internet to having been given Euros from our missionary friends we connected with in Morocco, which ended up saving the day a couple of times when we hadn't found a cash machine yet in Spain and didn't have the correct currency!
• We feel God's bringing together some of our purpose for this year abroad and are excited to process and lean in more
• We are SO grateful for prayers over this stage of our journey and for those who are a part of the testimony that these last days were to all of us and others. 

Dad's back!!!

G perching on the rooftop railing of our terrace as he studies

We all slept well and got a late start to the following day, but there seems to be an overall relaxed vibe in Granda anyway.  We wandered around the streets a bit, stopping at the cute cafes along the river for a coffee or juice as we made our way up to Alhambra.  Unfortunately, we had only recently learned that it's imperative that you book tickets to Alhambra before arriving, and when we looked online over a week before our arrival, everything was already sold out!  So while we weren't able to tour this beautiful Moorish castle/fortress with so much history or see any of the supposedly stunning geometric designs and inscribed courtyards and pools, we walked a bit of the grounds around the outside of it.  Then we returned to the city and had some tapas before spending a couple of hours napping, doing school, and booking future accommodations.

Walking over bridges to get fresh juice at corner cafes

View from walking street in Albaicin

Walk up to Alhambra

Around 7pm we wound ourselves back up the hills to another part of town that has a great lookout over the city and Alhambra.  We'd hoped to catch a beautiful sunset but it was a bit cloudy and overcast so that wasn't the case.  However, we found a restaurant with a great view that snuck us in as they were opening, so we had a front row seat as the moon took its place over Granada and Alhambra, which was a stunning.  This is a beautiful city and we enjoyed the relaxed pace and friendly vibe and loved the location of where we stayed as we really felt like a local in our short time here.

Dad and kids overlooking Alhambra before the sun sets

Alhambra beautifully lit up as the sun sets

Ronda, Spain - guest post

Thankfully we were protected and every detail of our travels from the countryside by taxi to the overnight sleeper train from Marrakesh to Tangier, taxi to the Tangier port, ferry from Tangier to Tariffa, Spain, bus from Tariffa to Algeciras, Spain, walk to Agleciras train station, train to Ronda, and walk to our accommodation all in a 27 hour period and without Dad, our main navigator.  We quickly realized Mom needed to sleep with the kids in the 4 bed sleeper cabin as her roommates had a 3 year old that was pulling things out of her bag and making a lot of noise (we’d purchased our tickets a week earlier and had a full cabin of 4 to ourselves and 2 beds in another cabin).  So Mom and SJ shared a small bed and no one slept great as the neighbor girl (who was supposed to be one of our roommates) kept us up most the night.  Waiting for the ferry we met a sweet couple from Duluth and visited with them about the Middle East as he was born in Jerusalem and left during the ’68 war.  We also met Charlie, a fun jhujitzu instructor at a café in Algeciras – each of these run-ins were great ways to re-boot and keep us going along the way.  We were so grateful to arrive in Ronda safely.

Aside from learning about bullfighting (see below), we enjoyed walking the cobblestone streets of this white village and looking out over the El Tajo gorge, hiking down into the valley, and the beautiful weather and scenery.  It was a peaceful and quiet couple of days, which we appreciated as our hearts were heavy knowing that Ray's Dad's funeral was happening back home.

Views down into the gorge

Beautiful views over the valley

Amazing views on our hike down into the valley

Exploring the cobblestone alleyways of this whitewashed village

Beautiful views of village on the edge of the cliff 

Our last morning we tried churros as we'd read that these were a traditional snack or breakfast and they dip them in chocolate.  We'd passed a store our first night and the line was out the door.  Mom promised that we would get some after dinner, but they had just closed when we returned.  The following day they were closed.  The kids were thrilled to find the store open for breakfast the morning we were leaving, so we went in and placed an order for 5 churros.  We ended up getting a platter with a mound of large fried tubes and another plate with smaller fried spirals.  On our table were two squeeze bottles, one of milk chocolate and one white chocolate.  We tried our best to eat the massive amount of fried food served to us, but mom was SO glad when the kids begged to never have churros again as we walked out of the shop that morning!

Our churro con chocolate breakfast experience!

Our middle son wrote the following information about what we learned touring a farm that raised bulls to sell to bullfighters, and also touring Spain's oldest bullring here in Ronda:

       Bullfighting is a major sport in Spain.  The activity has existed for over 4,000 years.  Bulls only fight once in their life, otherwise after their first fight they will learn to charge at the horse or rider instead of going after the red flag.  The oldest bullfighting arena is located in Ronda, Spain.  The bullfighting industry generates roughly 2.5 billion dollars annually.  Since 1700, 533 professional bullfighters have been killed in the ring. 

Bulls raised for bullfighting are treated as if they are royalty and as if they are in a workout class.  For example their water is placed at the top of a hill and food at the bottom, so they constantly have to walk up and down the hill to eat and drink.  Bulls start to train at age two, and are usually sold around age five to six.  Training is different from fighting.  In training bulls enter a circle arena with a trainer, is often a professional bullfighter, on a horse.  There isn’t any fighting involved, but every move of the bull is recorded including: how many times the bull glances back, which indicates he wants to exit the ring, how many times the bull charges, and how many times he stops to take in his surroundings.  

When bulls are around five to six years old they have fully developed bodies and horns.  At this age their bodies will weigh between 1,100-1,300 pounds, and they will be fully trained, and be sold in groups six to fight.  During a Corrida, which is a bullfighting match, there are six bulls and three bullfighters.  Each fighter fights two bulls, and a match is roughly one and a half hours to two and a half hours long.  During the fight the bulls are always killed. 

Each bullfight is divided into three stages.  In the first stage, which starts when the bull enters the arena, the bullfighters mission is to stab the bull’s neck.  This weakens the bull’s neck muscles and makes the bull less dangerous.  The bullfighter does this stage while riding a horse.  During the second stage the bullfighter leaves his horse, and his mission is to stab two poles with metal tips into each of the bull’s shoulders.  This weakens the bull even more.  The final stage is to kill the bull.  During this stage the bullfighter tries to make the bull charge at a red cape, which the bullfighter will be holding out.  While the bull is charging, the bullfighter will drive his sword through the bull’s shoulder and into it’s heart.  The bullfighter has only fifteen minutes to execute this last stage.  When the bull is killed it is then pulled out of the stadium, and is taken to the butcher. 

Bullfighting is one of the oldest sports still practiced today.  It is a dangerous sport, and many people have died from beginners to professionals.  Surprisingly, bulls have to be trained just as much as bullfighters.  Most bullfighters are from a family line of bullfighters, and it is uncommon to for a first-generation bullfighter to become a professional.  Bullfighting may appear as a cruel and vicious sport, but it also involves giving the bull a luxurious life, and if the bull wasn’t a bullfighting bull he would be killed for meat anyway at around age two. Bullfighting is more than just a sport in Spain it is part of their culture.

Solitary trailer where a bull is put in order to be confined while
one of the many doors are opened to examine it safely

A unique and rare white "mole-like" birthmark covers this bull's body except for it's nose and feet

Bulls being "exercised" in a little show for us

Picasso, a piccolo horse, was truly a remarkably beautiful and unique animal

G & SJ admiring this short and muscular piccolo horse

Kids gearing up for a bullfight

G "the bull" running towards siblings with capes

Kids outside the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain

Inside the magnificently beautifully bullfighting ring - oldest in Spain 

Morocco Countryside

Mom and the kids weren’t quite sure what to expect heading to the countryside outside of Marrakesh by themselves. Again, God provided and directed us as we’d originally hoped to spend the majority of our time in Morrocco in Marrakesh and Tangier, but as plans came together we found ourselves drawn to this farm-like stay in the countryside instead of Tangier. What a gift this proved to be given our circumstances. We were thrilled with our set up which was an adobe structure with three separate bedrooms, mom felt so spoiled having her own room and bed with a clean towel for the shower and another for the pool! There were also plenty of outside sitting areas to enjoy, which were great for getting schoolwork done. We quickly set out to explore and discovered the grounds were covered with lemon, orange, pomegranate, and olive trees and there were peacocks, ducks, goats, chicken, bees, pigs, cows, horses, pigeons, dogs and cats to have fun with. Another confirmation of sending Dad home was that there was no phone service this far out, and the wifi was very sporadic and only in a small area of the complex. Had our whole family been here, there is no way we could’ve kept up with life back home to be there for our friend. While it’s great to be off the grid, it was also really hard for everyone with all that was going on.

We spent time getting caught up on some sleep, writing and reading. We were spoiled by the meals which consisted of everything local from the farm, and we devoured the melt-in-your-mouth orange blossom honey and homemade goat cheese and yogurt. In fact, eating three meals a day was ironically such a rare thing for us, that the boys were complaining that they were too full to eat dinner and so we opted to just have breakfast and dinner our last day as three meals felt so gluttonous – funny how we don’t even realize some of the aspects about our travel life that have become “normal!”

Beautiful peacock that welcomed us!

Our oldest has found his happy place

View overlooking the pool to the snow-capped Atlas moutains

The most incredible homemade yogurt, juice, goat cheese and orange-blossom honey!

We enjoyed hiking around the countryside, learning how to make adobe structures, milking cows, making homemade lemonade, learning how to care and train the horses as well as ride them in the countryside, playing games of Dutch (favorite card game) by the fireplace, and SJ made some friends with a couple of girls visiting from Paris.  Our couple of days here seemed luxurious and were a welcomed interruption from our typical travel style and itinerary, which allowed us all to process aspects of this past year and the many emotions we were experiencing.

Building miniature adobe houses

G milking a cow

Lemon trees gallore

The boys making lemonade

Nothing sweeter than this ray of sunshine tracking Mom down with a gift of fresh squeezed lemonade!

Dutch Dutch and more Dutch

Our cowboy G - look at that grin!

The boys practicing their commands

Oldest son working on his horse tricks

Big brother helping SJ ride backwards on her horse

Our Princess Cowgirl doing it by herself

Our oldest loves horses!

SJ and friend putting on plays and singing songs together

Mom & Kids, Marrakesh & Maneuvering the Medina

The first day after dad's abrupt departure we stopped to grab our daily baguettes and pastries at the bakery next to our apartment and then headed to an area that was suppose to have warehouses to visit.  However, we were denied access to multiple stores because they didn’t want kids in their shops and we were even told that we were “forbidden!”  Then we headed towards Jardin Majorelle, the gardens that were purchased and gifted to Marrakesh by Yves St Lauren.  No one was really excited about paying to visit a garden, but we were pleasantly surprised as it was very beautiful and the vibrant color scheme and unique plants created a peaceful and enjoyable place to walk around, lifting most of our spirits a bit.  We then headed to a famous leather shoe shop and found an H&M so were able to get a new wardrobe for SJ who’d outgrown almost everything as well as pick up a few items for the boys.  We wrapped up the night with pizza and a movie on Mom’s computer.

Kids at Jardin Majorelle

Loving the colors of this beautiful garden

Beautiful mixing of colors everywhere we look!

Love my boys' eyes for beauty behind a camera

Enjoying the gardens

Our last full day in Marrakesh, we had a list of places we wanted to visit – some historical and some for enjoyment.  Our first stop Starbucks for Mom and then onto the Ensamble Artisanal, a nice great place to find many items sold in the medina, but here there's no pressure to purchase or bargain the price down as they were set prices.  We walked along the street with funduqs, where the artisans can be found working on their products in buildings that used to function as horse stables and lodging for the desert traders visiting to buy and sell goods.  We visited several well-known areas of the medina and by the time the day was over the kids were maneuvering their way through the medina recognizing landmarks and all, which is no easy feat!  The oldest and youngest boys both purchased leather jackets with some money they’d received as a gift and they were extremely thrilled with these purchases, discussing how they would not be handed down to brothers but would be heirlooms for their children!  We also had fun finding a few souveniers and odds and ends type things, drinking fresh squeezed juices, and visiting with the shop owners.  We were tired and no one complained when we returned to the apartment for leftovers!

Sometimes something simple like a Starbucks can cause us to tear up when we are so far away

Orange trees are planted on the sides of streets throughout Marrakesh

THRILLED with his leather jacket gift!

Shop owners praying during the Muslim call to prayer

Sparks of vibrant color behind every doorway!

Moroccan babouches everywhere

By the end of our stay, these guys were navigating the medina on their own!

Our oldest thrilled to be having a chameleon climbing on his face!

Spices in the Medina

Sweets in the medina

Someone didn't adhere to the "Dish Manifesto" the boys have created