Orlando 2021

23 November 2021 - We're finally taking our Spring Break 2020 trip! COVID-19 protocols and masking are still in place, but this trip is doable now. we pulled the kids out of school a day before their Thanksgiving break, so they didn't miss much. My parents are joining us for this trip, and went down out of Minneapolis earlier in the day. We were packed up and the house was set early, and we were on the road to Milwaukee by 8:45 am. I spent over an hour on the phone making sure our tickets for Disney were good. Beautiful, chilly day. We stopped in Madison for some charging and a snack, then drove on to Milwaukee. we were going to eat lunch near the Oak Creek supercharger, but the brew pub was closed. We ended up pairing off for lunch - Felix and I got Potbelly's sandwiches while Nick and Iris got 5 Guys burgers. After we finished, we drove to the airport to park. We quickly got ourselves settled and on a shuttle to the terminal. We got to the gate with about 2 hours before our flight, after checking bags and going through security (no hassles with either). We relaxed at the gate until it was time to board (shared a Starbucks coffee while waiting - had to keep Iris from drinking too much). The kids handed all that well. Our 3:25 pm flight took off on time, and we were able to sit in the same row. The flight was uneventful, though Felix was nervous when we took off. We got to see a beautiful, cloudless sunset. We got in around 7 pm local time. It took us about an hour to get our bags and rental car sorted (better than the two hours my folks had). We chose a Kia Forte among the midsize options available (though Nick was not thrilled with any of the choices - he's so spoiled by his Tesla 3 now). We managed to make our way to our Airbnb at the Villas of Somerset in Kissimmee, a half hour away. We stopped for some provisions at a Publix near our destination (grocery prices are high!). Our condo suits are needs (large rooms, three bedrooms, two baths, full kitchen - all a bit faded and very 1980s, but not too bad), and we settled in. We ate dinner at 9 pm before watching some Robin Hood: Men In Tights before bed.

Ready for takeoff!

Sunset with a hint of Gulf coast

24 November - I woke up at 7 am after a decent night of sleep. We were up and ready to go by the time Mom and Dad arrived at our rental, bearing coffee. We relaxed a bit and showed them around before caravanning to Animal Kingdom. We got there around 9 and made our way to the gate, where the trouble began. I was told my tickets needed to be "woken up." I proceeded to spend over an hour while several staff tried to figure out how our tickets had gotten screwed up (likely happened when I made these reservations - we were given admission, but the ticket's weren't attached from the old system). Very frustrating, but I stayed calm and polite, and they were very apologetic. I could see the spirits of the rest of the family falling the longer I waited... Once they finally got everything sorted (or sorted enough that we would have working tickets), they gave our party free ice cream and each a free Lightning Lane pass.

It felt very good to actually enter the park after all that. Much relief! We made our way though the throngs of people and strollers towards Africa. We used our Lightning Lane passes to skip the 1+ hour line for the safari ride. (Almost made all the ticket stuff worth it. Almost.) We saw numerous interesting African animals (no big cats, unfortunately), and the kids liked it overall. After our ride, we decided to get some lunch. Mobile ordering made that easy. We got a table and enjoyed our lunch and beers. Afterward, we took the train to the conservation area because Iris wanted to go to the petting zoo. 

All aboard!

Silly Geepa

Petting a sheep

The kids enjoyed that interlude, and it wasn't terribly crowded. Once they had their fill, we headed back and made our way to Asia. Iris wanted to go on the Expedition: Everest coaster, so I went with her while the others went to the river ride (which was closed, unfortunately). They chilled while Iris and I waited about 50 minutes for her to go on her first real rollercoaster. I think it might have been a little intense for her, because she doesn't want to go on it again for a few years. 

Ready to ride Expedition: Everest

We got off the ride and found the others. We walked to the Dinoland area. It was cloudy and cooler after this morning's upper-60s and clear skies. We redeemed our ice cream voucher and enjoyed them before the kids played at the playground. We chatted while listening to the variety of Christmas music playing (too soon!). Once the kids were done, we gave them a souvenir-buying opportunity (both chose enormous lollipops), and walked over to Pandora. That area wasn't open on our last visit, so we walked around to see what it looked like before calling it a day. 

All parked out

We headed out around 4:30. We saw some missing states in the license plate game as we found our vehicles. We headed out and drove to Walk-On's Sports Bar and Bistreaux for a Cajun dinner and to watch the Badger basketball game. We stayed for the first half while enjoying our meals. The kids were getting testy and our patience was running on fumes, but we made it through. My crawfish-two-ways was good. Mom and Dad went back to their hotel afterward. We ran to Aldi to get breakfast foods for the rest of the trip. We got back to the condo around 7. We tried to let Iris swim at the complex's pool, but found it's closed for the rest of our time here. Instead, they played sheepshead while I caught up on this entry. They're impatient for me to join them so we can play four-hand. :) Once I stared playing, it wasn't long before everyone had it. Had to lecture Felix about kindness. Grrr.

Felix's big burger

25 November - Happy Thanksgiving! We all slept in this morning, waking around 8, then had a leisurely breakfast with our groceries from last night. Mom and Dad came over a little before 10, then we piled into our cars and headed to EPCOT. We had another beautiful day! No ticketing problems today (cue happy dance)! The kids were excited to see the World Showcase, so we headed there first, starting with Canada. Nick and I decided to try a beverage in each country, so we split a Blanche Chambly while taking a look around. 

O, Canada!

Not much was open there, so once we took a few pictures and finished our beers, we walked on to the United Kingdom. There, I ran into an old coworker from my KL Engineering days (Michael Plessel) of all people amongst the tens of thousands there. Chatted briefly, then joined the others for another beer (Smithwick's). I didn't get much of a chance to stand and savor it, because I was helping Iris find some popcorn to ease her hunger. Alas, none there, so we took our beers and walked on. We found some at the next gift shop and the kids were placated. They ate their rainbow popcorn while we finished our beers and walked to France. It was pretty crowded, but we found the wine line. I treated this time, buy the folk $8, 3-oz pours of Vouvray, while I got a $14, 5-oz Nicolas Feuillatte champagne to share with Nick. We enjoyed those on a wall outside the shop, and did some people watching while the kids had some French suckers. 

Viva le vin!

Once we finished there, we escaped the crowds of France for the quiet corridors of Morocco. Iris enjoyed the fountains, but little else, as not much was open. 

Moroccan beauty

We headed to Japan, where we caught part of a drum show. The kids were hungry, since it was 12:30 and they're always hungry. We joined the line for the quick meal eatery there, and got three orders of sushi and an udon order to share. The kids enjoyed the novelty of the noodles. Mom and Dad snagged us a table in the shade outside. That was nice and topped up our energy levels again. Nick had a plum wine while I got a Asahi Extra Dry. The kids liked the giant koi in the pond as well.

Watching the koi

We stopped briefly at The American Adventure before walking to Italy. Mom stood in line to get the kids gelato cones while we picked out some wine I got the Moscato d'Asti while Nick got a red with a longish name we can't remember. Mom and Dad got the same two. We didn't have many seating options, so we stood at a table under the sun. It felt a lot warmer than the forecasted 77°. We finished our wine while Iris threw a quarter in a fountain, then we walked on to Germany.

Italy-ish

Nick got us beers (a grapefruit radler and a dunkel) while Iris and I picked out a Christmas tree ornament (a little wooden own with an Austrian hat and a pretzel in its beak). A group let us have their table as they left, so we all had a place to sit in the shade while Mom and Dad ate their bratwurst lunch and we enjoyed the Gemütlichkeit. We had a cast member joke to Dad about spilling some beer, and how that wasn't allowed in Germany. We told her we're from Wisconsin and understand. :)

After enjoying the shade in Germany, we walked to China, then over to Norway to use the restrooms, before going back to China. We were just in time to go in and see the 360° show about China's landscape and culture. The kids fell in love with the marionettes being sold there, but we told them no souvenirs until the end. We walked back to Norway after that. We skipped the Frozen Ever After ride because the wait was about 2 hours and Iris is done with Frozen anyway. We did enjoy some of the gift shop offerings, though. 

The giant troll in Norway was not for sale.

Next, we walked to Mexico. Nick and Dad stood in line to get us tequila-based drinks. I got a cucumber margarita, while Nick got himself a Negroni. Mom and I looked over the souvenirs there with the kids while we waited, but nothing really jumped out at us.

Salud!

Since we had been to all the countries, we let the kids pick their souvenirs. We walked back to Japan to get Felix a shiba inu plush. Nick ran to Morocco and got us white sangrias while I helped the kids in the store. We sipped those as we walked back to China, where Iris got a dragon marionette. We walked back to find Mom and Dad as the sun was setting.

Souvenirs acquired

Nick and the folks took our stuff to the cars and brought back sweatshirts as the kids and I waited. Once they returned, we stood in line for Spaceship Earth. The wait was about 25 min. The kids enjoyed the virtual games at the end of the ride.

Trying to power a virtual city

We decided to get dinner, and went with the easiest option (fish and chips from the UK). We scored another table, albeit in a poorly lit area, and ate our meal. Nick and I shared a Bass and a Harp. After we finished eating, it was about 8 pm. We walked around and got in the Test Track line, which had a wait of only an hour. It took exactly that from start to end. The kids especially Iris, enjoyed "making" a car and riding the ride (my first time on it, too). 

Iris's crazy car

After we finished up there, we walked back to Canada to find a place to see the night show. We waiting about a half hour in a good spot. nice water/lights/fireworks show lasting about 15 minutes, set to Disney music. 

We then joined the thousands of people leaving the park as it closed at 10. 

The orb beckoned.

We got back to the rental at 10:45 and put ourselves to bed for the night. If only I could sleep!

Only missed China and Norway. Cheers!

26 November - 7 am came early. We all got up and got ready for our last full day in Florida. Mom and Dad came over about 8:30, and we set off for the east coast. It's another beautiful, clear-skies, to-be-mid-70s day. We got to Kennedy Space Center about 10 am. There were far fewer people than at Disney, but it got busy. We already had our tickets, so we went right in. Nick, Felix and Dad examined the Rocket Garden. Mom, Iris and I took a look at the gift shop. 

Rockets and blue skies

We met up to go in the Atlantis attraction. We had to deal with a cranky Iris, who wanted to go in the kids play area first. we reminded her that we are doing things for everyone, not just her. We watched the short films about the shuttle program, then got to see the Atlantis shuttle and other components up close. The kids like that. 

In the command module

Next, we stood in line for the play area and gave the kids 15 minutes while inside. Nick and I sat on the floor and I meditated. We met back up briefly. Mom and Dad went to the IMAX show, the kids and Nick tried to find another open exhibit, and I picked up some souvenirs (t-shirts for the kids, mugs for Nick and me, socks for Nick, a winter hat for me, a magnet, and a necklace for Iris). We went to the Mars Exploration exhibit and show, which ended at the same time as the IMAX show. We met up with Mom and Dad, and headed out. We saved the bus tour for our next visit when we have more time. While getting in the car, Nick rolled up the window as my hair was blown through. Ouch! We drove down to Cocoa Beach from there. The folks and the kids got subs at Jimmy John's. Nick and I treated ourselves to poke bowls from Poke Fin up the road. We met up at Lori Wilson Park, where we ate, then changed into swim stuff before heading to the beach. The water was chilly, but the sun and breeze were nice. The kids swam a bit with the waves, Nick and I waded, and the folks rented beach chairs and watched for the hour we were out there. It was a good time, and the kids enjoyed it. Iris especially like it because it was her first dip in the ocean. 

Nick, kids, biplane

We got dried off and to the cars as clouds rolled in. We headed back to the Orlando area. Mom wanted us to eat dinner at the Celebration Town Tavern, so that was our destination. My dad's bag tag is by the bar from a previous visit. We found it and ordered drinks while waiting for our table. I got a Daytona Dirty Blond ale because when in Florida... Unfortunately, I spilled Iris's kiddie cocktail as we were going from the patio to our table, but it was quickly replaced. It was quite a busy restaurant. Felix wanted to try lobster, but we told him he couldn't order anything marked "market price," so that ended up being a thing... Nick got lobster chowder and a crab cake. I got a fried oyster roll. The kids got mac and cheese. We had a nice dinner overall, and caught a little of the UW volleyball game on Mom's phone. We bid the folks goodbye in the parking lot, since they are also flying back in the morning. we arrived back at the rental around 7. We all packed up and the kids showered. Nick was feeling a bit frustrated about Felix, so we talked. All set and ready for bed around 9 pm. Slept better tonight.

27 November - I woke at 6:45 and got ready. the rest of the family followed suit. We got everything packed, everyone fed, and out at 7:30. We fueled up ($5.59/gal!!) and returned the rental. Long lines for bag drop and security. We forgot Iris's full water bottle in her carryon, so that was a wait only to have it confiscated. Oh well, only $4. We got to the terminal, got beverages (coffees and smoothies), and waited for a half hour before they started boarding our 10:30 flight. Uneventful flight, but I can go a long time without smelling another dirty diaper... We got to Milwaukee around 12:20, quickly collected our bags, caught a shuttle and were in our car and on our way home. We picked up some sandwiches while charging in Madison and got home around 3:45 to two very relieved kitties (Roary and Robin). 

Final thoughts:

• Iris's favorite thing: She loved it all, but definitely wants to do the beach again. 
• Felix's favorite thing: He loved EPCOT and KSC, but everything was great, and he loved having the room to spread out (not being in a small hotel room).
• License plates: 47 of 51! We missed Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and New Mexico. Bonus: Nuevo Leon, Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario.
• I wrote a long email/letter to Disney about the issue with our tickets, but was sure to mention favorably the two people who helped us the most. Not sure if I'll hear anything back, but it was good to get that off my chest.

Superior & Duluth 2021

31 March 2021 - After over a full year of COVID-19 social isolation, cancelations, telework and virtual school, we decided we needed to get out of our house for a few days. Nick and I were vaccinated 10 days ago, so we feel slightly more comfortable about putting ourselves in social situations - but not entirely, which is why I planned a waterfall-hunting trip centered around Superior. Nick and the kids have never been up here, and I was a sophomore in college the only time I visited (and that was only overnight). I found a nice two-bedroom Airbnb apartment and started planning from there. I asked my parents (now fully vaccinated and fully immune) if they'd like to join us, and they rented a hotel room nearby for a few nights. 

We got everything packed and left Rapids about 10:30 Wednesday morning in Nick's Tesla. Low 30s, but mostly sunny and smooth sailing to Eau Claire. Our plan was to supercharge while eating lunch, then get to Superior around 3-3:30. The supercharger had other plans... What should have charged at ~75 kW/h charged at 10, meaning we had to stay well over an hour and a half to get enough charge to make it to Superior. (To kill time, I took Iris on a walk to the nearby mall, buying a pair of leggings and gum for her, and a 5-pack of face masks for me at Old Navy.) It turned out that the charge we got was barely enough. We found a 13+ mph wind from the northwest the entire way, which cut into our power. Initially, we were concerned we wouldn't make it (which made Felix (and us, if I'm honest) nervous), but Nick dropped our speed and we pulled into the Duluth supercharger at 5:20 pm with 8% charge remaining. Whew! We walked a little ways downtown to a quiet Iris pub (the Dubh Linn). The kids played darts and my folks joined us for dinner and a beer. This was our family's first time eating indoors at a restaurant since March 6, 2020. Felix kept his mask on, but it being a large, mostly empty space made us feel better about sticking around and chatting. We left ~7:30, made our way over to Superior, and got into our quaint apartment in a house built in 1911. Got ourselves settled, then relaxed for an hour of MST3K on Netflix. Got us all to bed.

Chilling in our Airbnb apartment

1 April - Never a great night sleeping in an unfamiliar place, but got enough. Woke around 8 am. Attempted to make breakfast (fried eggs, turkey patties, toast), but the electric stove and nonstick pans thwarted us a bit. Made do. Mom and Dad came over and we all got ready and left around 9:45 to start today's adventure. Felix picked Amnicon Falls as our first stop. It was chilly (below 30°), but pure sunshine. We put on our hiking boots and took in the covered bridge and roaring falls. Beautiful! 

Upper Falls at Amnicon Falls

We walked the loop to see the falls, including a fall of ice in one area. The kids were impressed. We could walk on the rocks and be inches from the rapids. Gorgeous to see. Deafening to hear. Mom and Dad brought their walking sticks (forgot ours...). We spent about an hour and a half walking, exploring, taking pictures. Cool to see the ice formations hanging like chandelier crystals above the rushing water.

Family by the Upper Falls

We drove on quiet county highways to Pattison State Park. Our first stop was the Little Manitou Falls. Nice little hike down and around. They were bigger falls, which perked up progressively grumpy Iris. (Nick carried her, which helped warm her cold legs.) 

Next, we drove to the parking lot for the Big Manitou Falls (highest waterfall in the state). Wow, very high and impressive (even for Iris). We saw it from the far side first, then walked over the bridge and to the near-side lookouts. Felix made my heart sing, telling me how amazing he found the waterfalls. :) It warmed up to the mid-30s. We placed an order for sandwiches for lunch(since we were done looking at the waterfalls around 1 pm), then drove up to Duluth to pick them up from the Northern Waters Smokehaus. We took them back to the folks' hotel room, where we ate while watching the Brewers' opening day game versus the Twins. Iris got impatient, so after 5½ innings, we all went down to the pool. We had fun spimming and playing with the kids in the little pool Even Mom and Dad got in briefly. We got out and back up to the room in time to watch the Brewers rally and win the the 10th. Woo! After a quick Kwik Trip stop for butter, we headed back to our apartment. Mom and Dad joined us to watch the UW volleyball team win the Big Ten title, have a snack dinner and play many hands of sheepshead. We also put on some MST3K. Nice evening.

Big Manitou Falls

2 April - We were up and eating breakfast by 9 am (butter today made everything better). We headed over to Duluth for a charge. We had to wait a bit, but got some coffee and split a doughnut while we waited. We were finally ready to go around 10:30. We headed north on highway 61 to Tettegouche State Park. It was in the 40s and windy. We all decided to hike to the High Falls. 1.5 miles from the parking lot. So much mud! It took forever (nearly 2 hours) to walk a mile. Nick and Iris didn't want to go so far, so they went to the Twin Falls instead. 

Twin Falls

We trekked the 0.5 miles to High Falls. It was nice to see, but given the trail conditions, I'm not sure it was ultimately worth the interminable hike. We got slowed so often by mud or ice-covered areas, and there were many, many elevation changes. Drier conditions would have made it easier on all of us, I think.

High Falls

Mom and Dad (who were such troopers) rested at the top of the stairs. Felix and I went up more stairs to the the top of the falls. A little further on, we found a swinging bridge over the river. No one else was around, so it was cool being up there, just the two of us. 

Swinging bridge above High Falls

It was drier on the way back, so we made much better time. We did the return hike in 40 minutes. There was a very cold wind blowing off the lake as we ate a hasty lunch on a picnic table outside the visitors center. My hips ached, but I wanted to see the shore, so Felix and I walked along another path down to a rock-strewn beach. We found some interesting pebbles for souvenirs and I took some pictures. 

View of Shovel Point from the beach access

We joined Nick and Iris back at the car, where they had been watching Netflix while the car was charging (hooray for destination chargers!). We left Tettegouche and headed back toward Duluth. We stopped at Gooseberry Falls State Park with low energy and expectations. Boy, were we amazed. it was very busy (good tip-off). We took the easy walk from the parking lot to the spectacular Middle Falls. From there, we broke into three groups to do the falls loop (a 1.0-mile hike). It was easier with much less mud. Nick went ahead with Iris. Mom took Felix back to the bathrooms before doing the loop, and I hiked with Dad. It was such a nice hike with great scenery that it really lifted our spirits despite the many miles on our legs today. 

Middle and Lower Falls

We ordered pizzas to pick up at 6, then headed back. We took the two-lane scenic route hugging the coast on the way back. Mostly trees and cabins to be seen, but got nice (hazy) views occasionally. Felix is captivated by freighters. We made a quick stop for lotion to ease itchy skin, then got pizzas and a growler of their beer (souvenir!). [While I was waiting, I was approached by a 30ish man in a beret who asked if I was a farmer. I said, um, no. He said that it was kind of hard to tell with our masks on, but I looked like a mushroom farmer with whom he's been communicated. Okay... I told him I was just a tourist and never raised a mushroom in my life, though it would be interesting to try. When I told Nick, he said he was expecting this to end with a cheesy pick-up attempt.] Mom and Dad met us at our apartment and ate with us. We put on MST3K's Mac & Me, which the kids love. They left around 8:45, and the kids went to bed. We didn't stay up much later. I'm going to be moving slowly tomorrow...

3 April - I didn't sleep well, and everyone else rose early too. We made breakfast and relaxed for a while. Shortly after 10, we made our way to the touristy area in Duluth by the harbor. We looked in a few shops in the DeWitt Building. Iris picked out a stuffed animal for a souvenir (no surprise there), while Felix got a little keepsake box with things that we saw on the trip on it (freighter, lighthouse, Gooseberry Falls). We treated the kids to some sweets at a candy store (ordered through plexiglass, no one allowed in the store). Mom and Dad met us there and did a little looking of their Mom's own. She bought two waterfall prints to frame and hang. Once we were done there, we drove over the lift bridge and along the island. We stopped at the park at the end of the road and let the kids run across. It was partly sunny, mid-60s, light wind - pretty nice. It was about noon, so we made our way back t a nearby restaurant away from the touristy ones (The Silos Restaurant). We had some local beers and everyone found something reasonable to eat. And it wasn't very busy, which was nice. Mom and Dad left to drive home after we ate. We headed inland to Enger Park to take in the views. The park was still closed for the winter, so we parked on the shoulder near the park entrance and hoofed it from there. We weren't alone - many other people had the same idea. We saw some nice views of the cities, harbor and lake. 

Enger Park views

We each rang the Japanese bell and we climbed up by the tower. Felix noticed a freighter going from the river to the lake, so we headed back by the rocks to watch it. Over the course of 20 minutes, we saw the lift bridge rise, the ship pass under, and the lift bridge lower. I took a time lapse video to show Nick and Iris (who headed back to the car to get out of the sun). From there, we went to the charging station to fully charge in preparation for our trip home tomorrow. I walked to a nearby game store and bought a new family card game and a variety of dice. Once we were done, we headed back to our apartment. It was about 4 pm. We spent a quiet rest of the day there. The kids played in the backyard, we tidied up, and we played a round of the new card game (Guillotine). We ate leftover pizza for dinner and watched the Brewers game before bed. 

4 April - We got up around 7:30 am, got ready, got our car packed and were on the road by 8:10. After a quick coffee stop on the way out of the area, we had an uneventful drive to Eau Claire. Nick dropped Iris and me off at Walmart so I could get some groceries, and went to supercharge, which worked much better today. It took only about 30 minutes to charge enough to get home and pick us up. It was fair and warm (mid-70s). We should be home shortly after 1. We're all looking forward to seeing the kitties. 

What did the kids think about the trip:

• Iris: It was one of the best trips because we spent more than two days there. The only thing she didn't like was our apartment was old. "It felt like sleeping in the '90s."
• Felix: It was great. He liked seeing the views of the lake and the waterfalls.

2020 Badger Rose Bowl

30 Dec 2019 - When the Badgers lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game earlier this December, we really didn't think we would be getting a trip to the Rose Bowl as a result. Lo and behold, we got the selection. Because it had been so long since Nick & I went to a bowl game, and because it WASN'T Florida, we made plans to go. My parents had already started their own plans and included us in their ticket order. That's how we found ourselves waking at 4:30 am in Green bay this morning. We drove up to Green Bay yesterday (Sunday) morning, and did Christmas with Nick's parents after watching the Packers-Lions game. We were up and ready by 5:15 am. Steve drove us to the airport as it rained. West of GB, the area was under a winter storm warning (Rapids was projected to get 6-8"). No issues in the airport, getting through security quickly. We were on a tiny plane, and were buffeted heading over the storm to Minneapolis. We actually landed a bit early and waited for my parents (who had driven over the night before) to arrive. We had to go from one side of the airport to the other, but we had at least 3 hours to kill. We decided to kill some of that time getting breakfast at the Stone Arch restaurant. We ordered a round of Bloody Marys to celebrate the trip and kick it off in style. These bloodys were garnished with huge fried chicken wings. :) After eating (I got the eggs benedict w/lox and arugula), we joined the throng at the gate. Lots of Badger fans on our flight. Since my folks checked bags, we gate-checked our carry-ons, too. Our flight remained on-time at the gate, so we got on it ~11 am. The wind was howling, snow blowing, visibility poor. Ideal flight conditions, right? It took about an hour to get the plane deiced and finally off the ground. It was nerve-wracking for sure. But it was uneventful once we were airborne. I spent most of the flight trying to sleep. We got so little sleep the night before (thoughts, uncomfortable bed, Steve snoring) and had to get up so early. My system didn't care too much for me trying to sleep and also drinking coffee. We had some nice views over Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, California. We landed ~2 PST. It was nice to see palm trees & feel 60° temps. We waited for our bags, got on the shuttle to the rental car place and eventually made it out of the LAX area. My folks rented a Jeep with room for all of us. We got to experience the fabled LA traffic as it took us an hour to go ~17 miles. We were on the 405 and the 101 heading to our places in Burbank. I caught a beautiful sunset as we arrived at our Airbnb at 1402 W Victory Blvd. We were dropped off ~5, relaxing and showering before we were picked up again ~5:45. We drove to Pasadena, where we had been invited to a Badger party for player's families and friends. An acquaintance of ours invited us, as she is the aunt of a player. She was the first person we saw when we arrived at the Brookside County Club. We talked with her, met her sister and got a picture with her nephew. Nice food, expensive beer. Spent ~2 hrs there talking, eating, watching old and current bowl games. Maybe 100 people there? Feeling beat, we headed back to Burbank and to Walmart for some provisions. Despite being after 8, it was so busy! Waited a long time to check out, then for the one manager who could scan our beer purchases. So frustrating, but eventually that trial was over and we headed back. Stayed up just long enough to get ready for bed.

30 December

31 Dec - We slept in until 7, woken by the sunrise and gusty winds. We fixed ourselves eggs, toast and coffee, then the folks picked us op ~8:30. We showed them our apartment and we decided on our first destination for the day: Hollywood. It was nice, so we drove down there and found a place to park. None of us had been down there, so we spent some time taking in the classic sights and looking at all the Hollywood Walk of Fame stars. Some areas were super busy, which got old quickly. We managed to kill over an hour down there before we'd had enough (we also ran into a guy who told us he'd lived in Rapids for 4 years. Small world). We headed back to the car and got ourselves on Mulholland Dr (Nick's idea). He seemed to enjoy all the switchbacks. The rest of us were glad we didn't get sick. There were some overlooks and we stopped at one looking north. Pretty clear day for LA. Also a guy smoking weed there. We finished that drive heading to Ventura Ave for lunch. We left my parents at one restaurant while we walked across the street to get delicious Poke bowls. Mmm. We washed those down the a beer by Mom & Dad. We decided to try our luck at a place listed as a Badger bar in Santa Monica. The Brü Haus wasn't very Badgery and the German beers were pricey. We didn't stay long there. It was ~3, so we headed to Pasadena, which took ~1 hr. Found a place to park, then took a walk up Fair Oaks to Colorado Blvd. There was a carnival atmosphere with people camping out for the Rose Parade, people in classic cars cruising, and people like us walking around. Mom wanted to show us a place called Barney's Beanery. We walked in and saw an empty table... between 3 tables of Ducks fans. We sat and admired the decor (so many license plates on the ceiling!). I got a NA beer, since I wasn't feeling another and I would be driving us home. People from all those three tables chatted with us. I took a picture of "Ben" and Dad. I got a picture with "Jed", who showed us a 2015 Rose Bowl Championship ring he had. They were fun and nice. When we finished our beverages, we walked to Beer & Claw, where I had made reservations. We had a drink at the bar and were joined by Natalie and their aunt Joanne and uncle Clarence. We had a good time talking with them, Nick especially. We sat down to eat at 6, ordering huge platters of Cajun shellfish. The food was excellent. I was concerned about traffic getting out of Pasadena and got irritated at Nick.We said goodbye and left ~8. I managed to drive us out, no problem. It was a mostly silent ride back. Back at our place, Nick and I got into a heated argument about stupid stuff. That, plus sleeping in a strange room with a snoring man and a wonky belly and fireworks randomly going off has me up and writing this at 11:30 pm when I should be sleeping since we need to get up early... {Got freaked out 10 minutes later when our host's cat sitter came by unexpectedly. She did not know our host had guests...}

31 December

1 Jan 2020 - I learned that shooting off fireworks to mark the New Year is a thing they do here, since I was till awake then. Fell asleep sometime after, only to have the alarm wake me at 5:45. We got ready and had some breakfast. Mom & Dad got here ~6:30, then we headed to the Rose Bowl beneath a beautiful sunrise. We easily got into a lot. It was a bit nippy, so we threw on some extra layers and walked up to the Rose Parade route. Nick and I talked through our argument last night and came to a place of understanding. That greatly eased the tension under which we had been operating. Beautiful day, so the over 2 mile hike wasn't awful. Found an alley (Big Bang Theory Way) that wasn't very crowded. I hoisted myself up on an enormous planter box set back from Colorado Blvd that gave me a good sight line. We watched ~20 floats/bands/equestrian units to see the Badger float and band. After that, we turned around and walked back to the country clubhouse. We had signed up for this morning's Badger parents/family/friends tailgate, too. Many more people than on Monday. Had some food & coffee ~10:30. Found a nice spot on the patio to sit, so we stayed there for a while. We smuggled in our won beers (the car was close) and played some 4-handed sheepshead. Decided to make one last trip to the car before heading into the stadium. We joined the masses only to realize we were better off going in near where we were parked. Once back there, got right in with no problems. We found our way to our seats - 18 row A 113-116... Three freakin' rows from the field. Great for ambiance, but terrible for actually watching the game. There was a stealth bomber fly-over. About the game... well, we lost 27-28 against Oregon. It was a close, back-and-forth, exciting game, but turnovers hurt us in the end. Good things - lots of energy in the stands (through I was exhausted), beautiful sunset, our band's much better, and it wasn't too cold by the end. {Also, courtesy of Nick's cousin's wife, we found we had been on TV. :D} Alas, we lost, so we didn't stick around the stadium long. Nick and Dad bought hot dogs off vendors outside the stadium. I nibbled back at the car. We listed to post-game radio and had a beer as the lost struggled to clear. After about an hour, we were able to get out of there without much difficulty. Got back to our apartment around 7:30. Did a load of laundry, reheated leftovers, caught up on the day. It'll be an early night for me.

1 January

2 Jan - Finally got a decent night of sleep. Woke up ~6:35 to another beautiful sunrise. Had plenty of time to pack up and eat some breakfast. The folks picked us up at 8 and we checked out of the apartment. We had a Warner Bros Studio tour at 9. We found parking and got in line. Didn't take us too long to get on a tram. Our tour guide was Miranda W and she did a great job. There was also a group from Florida with 5 moderately annoying 15 or 16 year-old boys. We saw costumes from Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Harry Potter. We drove through "jungle" sets and set-making departments. We saw batmobiles and oodles of props (so many chandeliers!). We got to walk into a set from Shameless and sat in Conan's audience's seats. Last, we got to see some recreated sets from Friends and The Big Bang Theory. Still an interesting tour, through we didn't really watch the shows they highlighted. After the tour, Nick drove us toward the Griffith Observatory. It was very crowded, with parking far away. If we hadn't walked over 5 miles yesterday, we might have considered the hike, since the weather was nice. Instead, we just drove the switchbacks before deciding to head to the Miracle Mile area for lunch. I found a taco place that looked good on Wilshire Blve (El Cartel). Quick, inexpensive (considering...) lunch. We snuck a couple of beers to drink while we dined al fresco. Our next stop was supposed to be the La Brea tar pits (Mom's idea), but the lot was marked as full. As we tried to drive around and find a different place to park, we spied the Peterson Automotive Museum (not that it was hard to miss with that red and silver facade), and decided to go there instead. We spent 1.5 hours looking at the collection of classic roadsters, prototypes, and vehicles from TV/movies. That was interesting for all of us. Dad like the Porsches, Nick & I liked the 1st Shelby Cobra. From there, we walked up to a pub called Molly Malone's. Despite the good ratings, it was rather lackluster. There was one other patron there when we arrived. The bartender wasn't very welcoming, so we departed after finishing our pints. We decided to head toward the ocean. We ended up parking close to the Santa Monica Pier. We moseyed down the Pier, took in the views of the waves, beaches and distant mountains in the late afternoon sun. There were a lot of people doing the same thing. We parked ourselves at the restaurant at the end of the Pier (Maria Sol). We each got a tropical drink (delicious pina colada in my case). Mom & I darted in and out several times to capture a gorgeous sunset. We decided to stay there for dinner. I got shrimp ceviche tostadas that were excellent. It was busy and the restaurant understaffed, so it took a while, but our waiter Juan was friendly. We also called the kids from the Pier to say hi. We picked up personalized license plate keychains for the kids and a magnet for ourselves. It was dark by the time we left. It was so nice to sit outside with a musician playing and the waves crashing and the heaters heating. Once back in our vehicle, we departed and headed to LAX. We got there a little before 8, saying goodbye to Mom & Dad. Security was very quick, through my carry-on did get flagged (again for snacks...). We made our way to the noisy, multi-gated mess in Terminal 3 and hunkered down for a wait. Our flight leaves at 11:40 pm and we fly this first leg to Detroit.

2 January

3 Jan - We boarded our plane and departed on time. I put on my noise-canceling headphones in an attempt to sleep. That was made difficult by the unhappy toddler in our row shrieking and crying every 10 minutes or so it felt like. Also a fair amount of jolting from turbulence. But I must have slept a bit because the flight overall felt short. (It was also unnerving to be warned about "significant rough air" but that didn't really happen.) We got into Detroit ~6:30 am EST. After deplaning, we walked the quiet concourses to our next gate. We got some coffee and joined the two other passengers already there. We were both still tired, so we took about an hour nap, walking as the sky brightened (cloudy, so no sunrise) and the general airport noise increased. We boarded our 9:55 am flight on time and got going. Had the most turbulence on the trip on this leg, but only in a few sports. In about an hour, we touched down in Green Bay. We left Steve know we'd arrived as soon as we could. Since we were in row 5, it didn't take long to get off the plane. Steve picked us up and we headed back to their house. The kids were as happy to see us as we were them. We chatted and had a light lunch before packing up and leaving. Kind of depressing to have to put our winter coats back on. It was gray and in the 30s the entire way home. I know I struggled to stay alert on the drive back, so it was better Nick was driving. We got home around 1, unloaded and greeted our three kitties: Roary, Amy & Robin.

Plates: 35 states, 2 Canadian provinces, 5 Mexican states.
Total trip cost: $4,252.12
{transcribed 2/3/2020}

Barcelona 2019

11-12 Oct 2019 - Nick and I started our trip to Spain by leaving the house on Friday morning, then returning a few minutes later because we forgot the I-pass. Oops. I had packed and double-checked, packed for the kids, gotten a haircut, dropped off the kids' stuff at Mom & Dad's, and given them details. Nick got the kids fed and on the bus for school, and got the house cleaned up. A brief delay to return, but we were back on the road before 11. Chilly, gray, windy, drizzly day. We drove to Rockford, where we stopped for lunch at an okay Indian lunch buffet. There was a Tesla supercharger nearby and we both rested while charging. After that, we headed towards Chicago. It was ~3:30 when we got to Ikea, where we killed an hour but, amazingly, didn't buy anything. We next went to the "Entertainment District" in Rosemont. There, we found a cute Irish pub, each had a beer and a light dinner. It got really busy before we left. There was another supercharger nearby, and we finished charging up to full. The, to the airport! It was ~7:15. Got a great spot in the economy parking lot, waited a while for the shuttle bus to the terminal, and finally got off at Terminal 3. Endured the security line, found our gate. Waited. When we checked it, we got assigned seats that we're together. They were able to get some together for us. Woo! Then we waited some more. A mechanical issue in the cargo hold delayed our departure from 10:05 to 10:45 pm. Oh well, no rush. On the plane, once at altitude, we were served dinner and I watched the movie Booksmart. Nick & I both tried to sleep. I mostly just rested. We got a bit of breakfast as we went over Portugal. I watched an episode of Fleabag, then wrote all of the above during the descent. Since we were sitting in the last row of the plane, it took a while to deplane. Then we joined the interminable line for customs & passport checks. Joined the line at 2:25. Got our passports stamped at 4:22. Apparently, interminable equals 2 hours or me. {landing late + landing at lunchtime + several international flights landing at once + only 2 passport checkers when we finally got to the point where we could see what was causing the delay... there were 8 passport checkers by the time that we got through.} After that frustration and endless walking, it was a relief to make our way to the bus to take us into town. Less than 5 minutes and we were on our way. Basked in the sun and pleasure of no longer being in that line. Took in our first views of Barcelona on a nice, low 70s, partly sunny day. We walked from Plaça Espanya to our Airbnb at Carrer de Margarit 53. We were shown in by the host's friend and we were pleased with the accommodations. We enjoyed our first bit of privacy in a while and a warm shower each. Our dinner reservations weren't until 7:30, so we relaxed and killed some time trying to see how we can watch the Badger football game when we return after dinner. We left and walked the 10-15 minutes through the intriguing Poble Sec neighborhood on our way to Bodega 1900. We were seated at a small table adjacent to the cold tapas prep counter. We started with the tasty house vermouth. We took the waitstaff's option of a surprise menu - they'd keep bringing us different plates until we cried uncle. So many tasty things! My favorite was the grilled squid with onions cooked in ink. So good. Pricey night (~€150 + €15 tip), but worth it. Left ~9:15. Walked back to our apartment, stopping for some beer (Estrella) and snacks. Gave up trying to watch the game, but found we could stream the radio feed, ~10:30 pm local time. Trying to acclimate ourselves to the time zone. Time to wind down. Listened to the game until midnight.

Many of our courses at Bodega 1900 (and a few others)

13 Oct - We slept in past 8 this morning, then took our time getting ready. We made our way to Plaça Reial on foot, stopping for tiny coffees and a chocolate croissant. We got to the Plaça early for our tour and walked around. We signed up for a Runner Bean Walking Tour of the Gothic Quarter with our tour leader Jessie (from Australia) and ~20 other English-speaking people. The tour look ~2.5 hours and we learned a lot about the Gothic Quarter and its history. The tour finished ~1:30. We popped into Santa Maria del Mar, then went looking for Jessie's recommended places for lunch. Meandered Born a bit, but found La Borna Sort. Food was good, but the service was bad. Took for.ev.er. to pay after we ate. Shook off our irritation and walked through the Parc de la Ciutadella. Another lovely, mid-70s day. We walked southeast along the waterfront. It was time for gelato and found some. I had hazelnut and Nick had tiramisu. We walked along the Passeig de Colom, then headed back to our apartment. We had a video chat with the kids, and heard about their day. We grabbed beers after and headed up to our terrace to relax. We decided to head up to Montjuïc. It was a pretty steep, off-route climb... Got up to the castle ~ 7:15, but it was too cloudy for a sunset. We went down quickly, trying to reach the streets below before it got dark. We ate dinner at a place along Carrer de Blai we saw earlier (Agusto). Had 20 pinxos and cava sangria between the two of us. We bought a few provisions, then headed back to the apartment. Did a load of laundry and watched some BoJack Horseman. The apartment's power went out at one point but, miraculously, I figured out how to reset the switch. Got to bed ~11.

13 October sights

14 Oct - Woke up at 8:15 and got ready. We ate some granola with thick milk and coffee before leaving ~9:25. We had our first Metro adventure, taking it to Sagrada Familia. Our ticket time was 10 am, and we arrived just before. No issues going through security or getting our audio guides. The tour started outside and were so many people, either on audio guides like us or part of a tour group. Way too crowded for me, and I got impatient with Nick staring at details while I waited. But I recognized this was likely the only time we are here, so I tried to temper my impatience with marginal success. It was better when we got inside and I could marvel at the light coming through the myriad stained glass windows. Don't get me wrong - the intricate details of the Nativity facade were amazing, but glass gets me every time. We spent about an hour inside. I got lots of pictures. I've been inside many cathedrals in Europe, but this one stands out in its complete uniqueness and the contradiction of fluidity and angularity. We finished up our tour on the Passion facade, then made a circuit of the building as we decided what to do next {mocking the people taking ridiculous selfies}. We decided just to walk and headed down Carrer Arago. It was about noon and we were hungry, so we stopped at a small restaurant for small ham sandwiches and tiny coffees. Feeling refreshed, we kept walking until we got to Passeig de Cracia. Police had closed several streets around Plaça Catalunya. Lot of Catalunyans and bystanders like up were making their way toward the Square. The atmosphere seemed tense, but not dangerous. [Nick was very uncomfortable, so we stuck to the edges and watched. I didn't see much that would flag this as a bad situation - few police among the protestors, no people throwing this, just a lot of whistles, clapping, bullhorns, and signs.} They were gathering because the leaders of the Catalan independence movement were being sentenced today. While we watched, thousands of people starting making their way to the airport and elsewhere. We decided it was time to leave, too. We walked down Ronda de Universitat and popped into "Alt Heidelburg" for refreshments. Nick found three German/Belgian beers to try. I got the hefeweissen. We walked about languages and dialects. Once sated, we pressed on and got to Mercat Sant Antoni. About half the shops were closed, but among the open ones, I found my souvenir for this trip - a necklace with a pendant shaped like so many paving stones in the city for €12. We also got a loaf of bread, some thinly-sliced ham, and some goat's cheese to eat for dinner at our apartment. We finished our walk back . It was ~3:30 and we were very hungry. I had a craving for ramen, so we walked back to Paral-lel and a nearby ramen restaurant. That really hit the spot. We got gelato nearby for dessert, then walked back up Carrer de Margarit. And, with that, we relaxed after another long day of walking. It's currently 5:30 pm and rain is moving in. We stayed in tonight, having our mega ham pinxos and drinking vermouth on the rocks with an orange slice. Classy. To bed ~ 11.

Sagrada Familia (14 Oct)

Passeig de Grassia (14 Oct)

15 Oct - There were thunderstorms overnight. I didn't sleep very well. We got up and got ready to go around 10. We wandered our way through El Ravel to Mercat le Boqueria. Such a cool, busy market. We took the Metro up to Lesseps and began our uphill walk to Park Guëll. Up, up, up. We got there ~ 1, which was our scheduled time slot. It was a beautiful, mid-70s clear day. We spent a couple of hours wandering all around the park. Some things were being refurbished, so not all was open. The views were great and so clear! Saw enough and walked a ton. Super hungry when we left the Park. Wandered around until we found just the right place called Stuzzicini, where we got beers and a flatbread. We walked back down Passeig de Gracia, then made our way to the Arc de Triomf, getting gelato on the way. Mmm. We walked back to the Gothic Quarter, stopping for pints of Stongbow at an Irish pub (Dunne's). We walked and walked to our dinner spot - L'Amfora. Had delicious seafood paella and a bottle of Catalunyan white wine and Creme Catalan. So good and so full! We walked back home in the dark past the Magic Fountain, which, sadly, wasn't running. We got home and I checked in with Mom & Dad. We watched a couple episodes of BoJack Horseman before bed. Also today - we saw a gigantic cat sculpture, ate breakfast (split a sandwich) with americanos at a 365 cafe, walked past more Gaudi stuff (I'm good now - no more, thanks), the Arc de Triomf has sculptures of bats on it!, and we've smelled a good amount of weed here.

15 October sights

16 Oct - Today was our first day walking up with the sunrise - 7:45 am. It rises "late" and sets "late," compared to where we are in our time zone in WI. We got ready and ate our now-typical breakfast of granola with creamy milk and Nespresso coffees, americano-style (with lots of water to dilute it). We left the apartment and headed to the Metro ~8:45. I was a little testy, not knowing where we had to go. It was also chillier (mid-50s), so I'm glad I had a light jacket along. We made our way to our tour meeting spot at Plaça Catalunya with plenty of time to spare. We had booked a "Castlexperience Wine Tour" for ~$75/each. We familiarized ourselves with our tour guide Agnes (who called us "my family") and our other 12 tour-mates from all over (US, Canada, Australia, Denmark). Another group was doing the same tour with a different guide (Pol). As we left the city via coach bus, Pol gave us the history of Barcelona and Catalunya until now. Interesting stuff. We relaxed as we headed to our first stop, Montserrat. It was ~11 am when we got there, already getting crowded with tourists. Agnes stopped at several places to give us history and facts about the monastery. Then we got ~ 1.5 hr of free time. We first peeked in the church to see the Black Madonna (too far away to see clearly and too long a line to touch it (ew)), some art and glass. Then we went to the snack shop where we bought a set of mini-bottles of the spirits they make on-site. We also picked up a pair of souvenir tins for the kids. Since it was a nice, sunny day and we had time, we hiked our way up and along the mountain to the Cross of St. Michael across from the monastery. Along the way, we shared the little bottle of "Aromes," of which we got two in our bag. Tasty, warming stuff. We had to meet our group at 1:20, so after taking in the gorgeous, albeit hazy, view, we walked back and made use of the bathrooms. Once all of us were back together, we got on a different bus and headed to the winery. It because clear that we weren't going to the winery listed in the tour description, but it did say they work with other local wineries. We ended up at the winery Can Bonastre around 2:30. Agnes took us straight to the cellar for our tapas (2 pieces of bread with tomato sauce, charcuterie and cheese) and 3 small glasses of wine. They were tasty and conversation flowed more as people drank and ate. We learned from Liv and Henrik from Denmark that an unmarried person who turns 25 can be tied up by friends and doused in cinnamon (it was Henrik's 25th birthday today). We talked/joked about the drinking culture in Wisconsin. After finishing our meal and our wine, we got a tour of the facilities and courtyard/wine garden. We also tried a glass of the winery's cava, while talking about giant spiders with one of the Aussie women. Too soon, it was time to go. Back to Barcelona, where we were dropped off at Plaça Catalunya ~5:30. We decided to walk back. Along La Rambla, we popped into La Boqueria for European drunk food, fried tiny fish and fried baby squid. We munched these until full as we walked back to our apartment. It wasn't long after 6 pm. We relaxed, had a cup of nespresso, did laundry, just generally relaxed... until I received an email from our airline saying there's going to be a strike on Friday {and they wanted to preemptively reschedule our flight out of Barcelona. We had tickets initially going from Barcelona to Madrid to Chicago}. We called the airline and the earliest they could give to depart was Sunday {with a direct flight from Barcelona to Chicago}. Too late... Argh! We searched and found we could take an overnight bus {to Madrid}, so we wouldn't have to worry about finding a hotel in Madrid. I'm holding our breath that the strike won't affect the bus. We're going to be so tired. To decompress, we ate our cheese/Iberico ham/bread tapas and watched BoJack Horseman.

Montserrat (16 Oct)

Can Bonastre (16 Oct)

17 Oct - I woke around 8 and felt to restless to sleep in. I got ready and Nick got ready shortly after. Once we were ready and had eaten, we set off on foot to the Barcelona Cathedral. We went in and wandered around for a while. It seemed pretty dark and stagnant inside. It was almost a relief to exit. We walked from there to Mercat de Santa Catarina, where we bought a magnet for our fridge. From there, we walked back toward La Rambla. We found a bar with many beers on tap. We each tried a local beer (black currant hefeweissen for me - good!) and had some bread w/tomatoes and fried almonds as a snack. Nick had a second beer (an Abbey) before we walked back to our apartment. It's another beautiful mid-70s day. Once we got back, we contacted the airline to make sure everything is okay with our flight plans for tomorrow. Unfortunately for our peace of mind, we aren't able to check-in online yet. Argh! We rested a bit, then headed up to explore more of Montjuïc. We walked past gardens, fountains, museums. We walked up to the Olympic Stadium and walked a little inside. Outside, we found an interesting walk of fame showing the show/foot imprint of 1990s famous athletes. We walked back to our apartment ~4:30. There had been more demonstrations and protests. I can hear a helicopter overhead and don't know what its doing near Poble Sec. It's rather unnerving and I'm crossing my fingers we'll be able to leave Barcelona tonight as planned. I rested for a bit, then we packed, and watched more BoJack. Shortly after 6, we walked down the Carrer de Blai. Had tapas (pinxos) and vermouth. After dinner, there was a lovely sunset starting, so we went up on the terrace/roof and got some nice views between buildings. We both finished packing and took showers. Watched more BoJack, and shared a little bottle of the liquor we bought at Montserrat. Killed time until it was time to go. We bid our apartment adieu, and walked down to the Parel-lel Metro station. We were expecting some potential trouble due to the protests, but didn't encounter any slowdowns on our way to the Arc de Triomf station. We got to the bus station around 10:15 and joined the throng of travelers bound for Madrid. There were two coaches leaving at 11 pm and, with some waiting, we got on and into our assigned seats. Chatted briefly with Mom about our progress so far. Relieved to be on a bus and headed to Madrid.

Cathedral & Montjuïc

17 Oct headlines

18 Oct - We both managed to sleep a bit on the bus. It brought us to the Madrid bus station at 6 am. Once off, we refreshed ourselves and caught the airport-bound city bus right before it departed. We got to our terminal ~6:30. It was still pitch black, so we didn't see anything on the way. We checked into our flight and made it through various checks to arrive at our gate. The terminal out of which we're flying is nearly deserted. Kinda surreal. I changed and bought us "XXL americanos" from a vending machine (turned out to be ~6 oz). Ni ( both rested on the uncomfortable seats until the sky brightened enough to show us it's a gray day. I don't mind. We're out of Catalunya without today's general strike causing us too many headaches. Only a few. It's now 8:45 am, and the gates around us are still deserted. We waited and were the first through the gate passport check. As such, we got to go through a "random security check." Yay! We were taken in a group of 10 and called individually to open our bags. No problems for us {grumbling from Nick, though}, so back to the gate waiting area. They are boarding around 10:55, in ~15 min. We got on and had to wait for others to get through their security checks [seriously, I think about a third of the plan was "randomly selected."] Our 11:35 am flight was only a few minutes late pushing off from the gate. We were in row 52 of 54. There was some major BO on the plane near us. Ugh. It was a long flight. I watched Toy Story 4, rested, watched Bohemian Rhapsody, rested, watched Lego Movie 2, and rested or stared out the window the remaining 2 hours. Landed and got to our gate ~2:30 pm. Off the plane and through all the check points, waited for a bus and got to the car only an hour later (impressive!). We paid for parking ($119) and headed for some coffee. Fought, then talked civilly about miscommunication and other things. Stopped in Madison to charge and ate some pizza at HyVee. We called Nick's parents to let them know we were back. We then called mine to talk to them and the kids, letting them know when we'll be home. Drove out of Madison to a lovely sunset, that, unfortunately, my eyes are too blurry to see well (allergies? cold? infection? don't know, just started today). We got home safe and sound to Roary, Amy and Robin, and Mom & Dad brought Felix & Iris to us shortly thereafter.

On the way home, I read that protesters blocked the entrance to the Sagrada Familia basilica today, our flight from Barcelona to Madrid had been cancelled, and there were ~500,000 protesters wrecking havoc across Catalonya today. We were lucky that our trip was only minorly inconvenienced, unlike others trying to come in to the city today.

random sights

Beverages

Market offerings

Textures

Painted shop doors

Total trip cost: $2,782.45
{transcribed 2/3/2020}