Why? Where to first.

We leave Sunday afternoon on a 17 hour flight to Spain. We won't be back for 55 days. 


Baby-O, as she calls herself, is 2 and a good traveler (she logged her first flight at 2 months and went to Europe at 7 months- she handles jetlag as well as any of us!). 

Our 9 (J) and 11(Gigi) year olds have been drivers behind this  (mini) Family Sabbatical. When we doubted it was possible or even advisable, they have over-ruled us with optimism, enthusiasm and resoluteness. 

    

The preceding link will have taken you on the journeys of a family who has been on the road for 5 years! The Mom is like a 'family travel' den mother for anyone interested in learning more- expert, gracious, supportive and informative as heck. Warning! If you really dig into the site, odds are you'll be planning a trip before long. . .


Our other two companions are my 70 year old parents. 

Considering the non-traditional way they met, (She was on her way to Bolivia in one of the first classes of Peace Corps volunteers. He had arrived from Chile on a Fulbright and was volunteering teaching the Peace Corps folks Spanish.) it was no surprise that all of us were excited about making this a 3 generational travel experience. 


We've been nurturing the idea of this trip since we backpacked around the world back in 1997. Now, 3 days before we're due to set out (International Driver's licenses taken today, final rounds of packing taking place) I'm just hoping we're up to making the most of it. 

The thing I most want to discover is what it feels like to no longer lead a life of 'silos'. . . one for carting around the kids, another for the solitary time I spend 'managing' the house and a toddler and an all too vacant one of interacting with my partner; it seems the other two trump the latter.

We're going to hike into a village with no cars
Gigi's quest for the trip is to find a village that has no cars. After many late nights searching I was thrilled to learn of two in the Sierra de Aracena. We'll hike to two villages that are reachable by mule tracks on your own two feet. Hopefully they're not just mythological 'rural legends'! 


The bonus is that the kids' dentist, upon hearing we were going to Spain, nearly ripped off his mask with glee to tell us about the 'pata negra'- the famous deluxe ham of the region. You guessed it- Gigi's villages are square in pata negra land. No doubt the kids will be posting video on them. Gigi's been a vegetarian since she was a toddler (her choice) while Baby-O and J are ardent carnivores. It's going to be a real trip in itself just on the food end of things. Two of the lists the kids wanted to keep are 'Weirdest Foods' and 'Weirdest animal encounters', looks like the two may collide on this leg of the trip (HA! for the Spanish speakers)

We're going to sleep in a cave house
J went through a time where he channeled Indiana Jones pretty heavily- we were all sad to watch the last episode of a George Lucas created TV version of a young Indy.  J reported that his quest is about archeology. He explained that he still loved it and wanted to experience it first hand. I was on cloud nine (another 3am find- it seems to be the only time I find to research things- will that change in Spain?) when I found Orce. Whether or not the controversial remains of a skull fragment are in fact the oldest human remains found in Europe or it is in fact a young donkey skull, it will be fodder for lots of interesting discussions. Apparently covering ancient peoples and creationism vs. evolution can all be had in a day on the road. The cave where we will stay has dig sites within walking distance, not to mention natural hot springs that are a perfect 98 degrees!

Right. Get on with the cave pictures. . . .

I've included multiple pictures because this is one of those situations where it could really go either way. In person, the cave house could be so great it'll be a highlight or it could very well turn out to be a blooper of a selection. Nani (Grandma) has cracked a lot of jokes about what could be in store for us. I like to read about people who say once you've slept in a cave you'll never want to sleep in a 'box' again. Expect a big report.


On Monday after a brief stop in London we'll get off the plane in Malaga.  Two years ago Gigi did a report on Picasso which culminated in her dressing up as him.  It's hard to believe that we'll be in his hometown come Monday.

We'll go to the Picasso Museum and we'll wander the streets and travel will work its magic in a way that only it can. Picasso will be real to her in a way that is impossible to muster through the internet or books.





J of course reminds us that the gory details of bickering, not wanting to do their schoolwork and the inevitable call of 'boredom' will be part of the trip too.
But, I still get goosebumps when I remember standing in Siwa, Egypt an oasis where Alexander the Great traveled an ancient caravan route to visit its Oracle. The dust, the ruins, the air-- it was all upon Alexander at one time. . .in 331 B.C. to be exact and it bowled me over. 

This is why we're going. I want the kids to 'get' the vastness of the world and most importantly, to realize that with a little vision, gumption and determination they can see it, live it, savor it and hopefully grow up to want to protect it.  I want them to know they don't need to stay within any silo or settle for one way of learning- knowledge can be as alive, interesting and personal as they are willing to make it. We are so grateful that the kids' teachers and principal are incredibly supportive. Without their blessing and quite a stalwart attitude that this trip matters I'm not sure we'd have had the courage to do this.  One part of the trip will be to Skype back to their school and tell them what they've done; they are more nervous about that than any aspect of the trip!



How will we do? Where will we end up? Morocco? Portugal? A white hill town for an extended time? A cave?? We really don't know and it feels good that we don't need to. What would you see? Do? Eat?


Thanks for visiting and let us know what's on your mind.