Lisbon - the photographic evidence....

And again, for the historical, yet humorous, low down of our week in Lisbon check out Esther's blog.

I am a simple (and maybe lazy) blogger and am sticking to the photo gallery.

So here we go...

Lisbon put out the red carpet for us, literally...




Transportation was a little confusing. I personally would have gone for a different name for this trolley bus...


And as for the weather, well we thought Wellington had horizontal rain. Look at the precautions lisbonians take....



The food was fantastic. The doughnuts were huge. And for the first time ever, the kids shared their dessert...



The traffic signs were clear, but sometimes the drivers just ignored them..




The locals know how to relax, some were so relaxed they could sleep on a clothesline...



We decided that the kids needed to earn their keep so we got extra curricula training for them and all we need now is to buy them a hat...



And finally, the stress (I use it in the loosest meaning of the word) of travelling finally caught with Esther and she lost her head. Luckily we found it in a fruit bowl..

Adios barcelona

We left Barcelona yesterday after a very enjoyable 10 days. We covered a lot of the main attractions although there is plenty more to see - museums, churches, buildings, etc - the kids were gutted, yeah right.

We didnt learn much Spanish but to be honest English was widely spoken/understood and the signs were generally clear..



Although sometimes not so clear....Naomi said 'they have big taxis here' when she saw this one...



The food was great..



I could say that the above were chillies but they were actually fried peppers and very tasty.

The beverages were very tasty....



And yes esther is teaching our kids how to drink sangria from a very large straw.

And how about this for wall decor....



The locals were very helpful when you got lost and didn't know where to go...


And finally, totally unrelated, but for the boys amongst you, check this out for a penknife..




Laters
Alex

Bits about barcelona

We had bundles of fun bouncing round Barcelona as part of our back packing break. OK it might be a challenge to put our bags on our back and the word 'break' doesn't give true meaning to our adventure (which didnt begin with 'B')!

Yesterday we went to see a flamingo show (The kids name) - we call it a flamenco show. We all left tapping and clapping. It was excellent. We also went to the beach. It was hot which apparently was not normal for the time of the year, but you didn't hear us complaining. And then 2 hours in a lawyers to do a favour for a friend - I had forgotten how particular lawyers could be. All I wanted was for the lawyer to do a proof of signature for me!

And i have some good photos to share....

A couple of days ago we went to the home of FC Barcelona. Learnt lots about the history which may prove useful in quiz nights in the future. During what seemed the middle of the night we heard large roars and cries outside. It sounded like an angry mob. Didn't realise until the next day that FCB were playing Madrid with a 9.30 kickoff and that FCB had won 2-1. The Spanish are passionate about their football.




The kids were not sure of the best seat for a decent view..



The aquarium was slightly disappointing. Large euros of smallish aquarium but still quite a bit to see. Including this little beauty..



Finally, the beach. I have been given full permission (sort of) to post these photos, but it has been really hard to add an intro comment. So I decided to list them all and let you choose your preferred one....

1. Esther didn't have time to rush out and save her place on the beach with a beach towel
2. Esther was not sure what the kids were up to but she was keeping an eye out for them - perhaps only a squint
3. The holiday had got too much for Esther and she went to the beach for a quiet drink
4. Esther was keen to avoid getting sun burnt so she sun bathed fully clothed
5. And new Zealand thought they had a problem with whales getting beached








Laters
Alex
PS quote 'in the interests of humor I will let you post the photos and comments'. Isn't Esther a star

It's been a while

What can I say. I've been slack. My blog postings have been non existent for the last month and a lot has happened, like Christmas, new year, family visits, etc. Luckily I have my favourite wife to blog about what the Skinners have been up to. OK my only wife, it is a challenge to keep up with Est, I wouldn't have a chance with any more!

It's 8pm, the kids are in bed trying to get to sleep and Esther has been asleep for the last 3 hours - she is not feeling the best. I'm sitting in the apartment, with a beer in hand (but not whilst typing, would be a tad slow).

Barcelona is great. Our place is great and right in amongst it in the Gothic quarter. We arrived on Friday evening and the cabbie dropped off at the wrong place, the 'meeter and greeter' joined us, at the wrong place. And his key to the front door of the apartment block worked, in the wrong place! What a start. After some phone calls, he tried another apartment block a little up the road - we got into the block and luckily into the apartment. Home for the next 10 days.

Esther will tell you about all the history, art and culture we have seen so far - although the Picasso and chocolate museums were pretty cool and today, we all loved the zoo.

Here are a few photos so far....

A photo from the chocolate museum, you wouldn't believe they were made out of chocolate - the Tom and Jerry that is...





Esther continues to make new friends on the trip although this guy wasnt your average punter...




I took this photo of Benjamin at the gaudi house Casa Batilo. I always thought Benjamin was getting taller, but has he shrunk....





At the zoo we had many smiles......including from the animals...





I will try and be a tad more regular with my blogs.

Laters
Alex

Location:Carrer dels Carders,Barcelona,Spain