On Monday, June 2nd, Alaina (12), Claire (11), and I are flying to London. We'll spend a week there before flying to the Spanish island of Mallorca, where we'll spend eleven days. Then we'll fly to Barcelona to spend three days, flying home on June 24th.
Why London
When I was in college in 1984, I spent a semester in London. Through a friend, I met a wonderful couple named David and Sandra Hynes. They invited me to their house for dinner, and we had such a great time together that I ended up spending nearly every weekend with them for two months. We toured castles and even went on a trip to Wales. We've kept in touch through Christmas letters all these years, and I've always wanted to go back. When I told David and Sandra we'd be visiting London, they invited us to stay with them. They live in Anerley, about half an hour south of London on the train.
David said he'd be able to meet our plane on Tuesday morning. The girls and I will explore the sights in London on Wednesday and Thursday, staying Thursday night at a hotel downtown so we can do a few more things before heading back to Anerley around noon on Friday. That afternoon, the Hynes are taking us on a weekend trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, where we have tickets to see a Saturday evening performance of The Taming of the Shrew by the Royal Shakespeare Company. We'll also visit Warwick Castle while we're in the area. Then we'll have Monday to visit a couple more London sights before flying to Mallorca on the 10th.
Why Mallorca
We have a homeschooling friend, Mandy, who travels all over the world as she and her husband work on various marine biology projects. They sometimes stay in Seattle for a few weeks here and there, but Palma, on the Spanish island of Mallorca, is their home. Mandy has encouraged us to visit for over a year.
Ever since we took the girls out of school a year and a half ago, I've had them continue to work on their Spanish. It'll be great for them to be in Spain for two weeks, using the language as much as possible. I've been studying on my own, too, including having Spanish classes with a teacher in Ecuador via Skype and a webcam, going to a conversation class every Wednesday night, and listening to lots of Spanish on my Iphone. I feel as though I can understand quite a bit now, but it'll sure be nice having the girls there!
Mandy said she'd be able to meet our plane and show us the way to our hotel. Too perfect!
Why Barcelona
The girls' friend, Jana, lives part of the time outside Barcelona with her mom. When she's here in Seattle living with her dad and family, we love to have her join us for fun activities and camping trips. Jana went to Spain in early February, and we knew she'd be coming back in late June. So we planned our trip to coincide with her flight back to Seattle so we could fly back together. She'll actually be flying to Mallorca to join us for the last few days of our visit there, and then we'll all fly to Barcelona for the weekend before flying home.
Packing light
We decided to do carry-ons only. Being minimalist was quite a challenge since I've always been one to completely fill a car with stuff for even short roadtrips. But I love a challenge, so it's been fun finding ways to fit everything into one carry-on and a small backpack for each of us.
In just one more day, we'll be off on our adventure!
Kathy
Why London
When I was in college in 1984, I spent a semester in London. Through a friend, I met a wonderful couple named David and Sandra Hynes. They invited me to their house for dinner, and we had such a great time together that I ended up spending nearly every weekend with them for two months. We toured castles and even went on a trip to Wales. We've kept in touch through Christmas letters all these years, and I've always wanted to go back. When I told David and Sandra we'd be visiting London, they invited us to stay with them. They live in Anerley, about half an hour south of London on the train.
David said he'd be able to meet our plane on Tuesday morning. The girls and I will explore the sights in London on Wednesday and Thursday, staying Thursday night at a hotel downtown so we can do a few more things before heading back to Anerley around noon on Friday. That afternoon, the Hynes are taking us on a weekend trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, where we have tickets to see a Saturday evening performance of The Taming of the Shrew by the Royal Shakespeare Company. We'll also visit Warwick Castle while we're in the area. Then we'll have Monday to visit a couple more London sights before flying to Mallorca on the 10th.
Why Mallorca
We have a homeschooling friend, Mandy, who travels all over the world as she and her husband work on various marine biology projects. They sometimes stay in Seattle for a few weeks here and there, but Palma, on the Spanish island of Mallorca, is their home. Mandy has encouraged us to visit for over a year.
Ever since we took the girls out of school a year and a half ago, I've had them continue to work on their Spanish. It'll be great for them to be in Spain for two weeks, using the language as much as possible. I've been studying on my own, too, including having Spanish classes with a teacher in Ecuador via Skype and a webcam, going to a conversation class every Wednesday night, and listening to lots of Spanish on my Iphone. I feel as though I can understand quite a bit now, but it'll sure be nice having the girls there!
Mandy said she'd be able to meet our plane and show us the way to our hotel. Too perfect!
Why Barcelona
The girls' friend, Jana, lives part of the time outside Barcelona with her mom. When she's here in Seattle living with her dad and family, we love to have her join us for fun activities and camping trips. Jana went to Spain in early February, and we knew she'd be coming back in late June. So we planned our trip to coincide with her flight back to Seattle so we could fly back together. She'll actually be flying to Mallorca to join us for the last few days of our visit there, and then we'll all fly to Barcelona for the weekend before flying home.
Packing light
We decided to do carry-ons only. Being minimalist was quite a challenge since I've always been one to completely fill a car with stuff for even short roadtrips. But I love a challenge, so it's been fun finding ways to fit everything into one carry-on and a small backpack for each of us.
In just one more day, we'll be off on our adventure!
Kathy