![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amorousodiousThursday morning, the day after la cremá, Alicia’s family was supposed to arrive pretty early in the day. They were going to be staying in an apartment in Valencia for a while before heading to Madrid and then Barcelona. I got up early and ran around the city for awhile trying to find a locutorio, without any luck. When I got back for la comida, Alicia was still at home, and wondering where her family might be since they hadn’t contacted her yet. We had just sat down for la comida (ensalada and baked pasta) when the phone rang. It was Alicia’s father, letting her know that they were stuck in Barcelona because they had missed their flight after their first flight had been delayed. Alicia’s sister speaks a little Spanish, but unfortunately they were still having communication difficulties. They had managed to book another flight to Valencia however, and they would arrive at 19,15 that evening.
To make things easier on them, Alicia contacted the owner of the apartment that they were staying at and arranged to pick up the key before they arrived. At around 15,35 Alicia and I headed over to the part of town where they were staying. It was close to the center of the city, and just a short walk from the Plaza de la Virgin, where the flower figure was still up. When we got there we met the owner who showed us around the apartment. He was British, which was funny because we were expecting someone who spoke Spanish. He gave us a map and pointed out some things in the area like the nearest Mercadona (it’s a supermarket) and Corte Inglés.
Alicia and I left the apartment and headed to the store to pick up a few things for her family since we were sure that they would be hungry/thirsty after spending all that time in the airport. We got on the metro and took it to the airport, which took a shorter time than we expected, only about 20 minutes, so we had some time to kill before the flight arrived. We had our cameras with us, so we looked at some of our fallas photos.
I can’t tell you how relieved Alicia’s family seemed to meet her at the airport. I can’t imagine what they went through…trying to arrange transportation in an airport is hard enough without a language barrier. We exchanged hellos and then got back on the metro to head to the apartment. I parted ways with them after we arrived and walked back home for la cena.
Lucía and I had a really great conversation as I ate my bocadillo, it consisted of everything from the weather to politics to our personal lives. I especially enjoyed the parts where she told me about all the guys that used to ask her parents if they could date her and how she would get really mad if they said no and all. It’s crazy how much things can change in just a few generations, especially in between a few generations from different continents.
After I ate I finished packing for Belgium and then went to bed. I was super-excited to see John and Carole again and of course Luna, Emma, Sady, Fien, Caramel, and Doep! (In case you didn’t read that part of the blog, those are the names of all their dogs.)
To make things easier on them, Alicia contacted the owner of the apartment that they were staying at and arranged to pick up the key before they arrived. At around 15,35 Alicia and I headed over to the part of town where they were staying. It was close to the center of the city, and just a short walk from the Plaza de la Virgin, where the flower figure was still up. When we got there we met the owner who showed us around the apartment. He was British, which was funny because we were expecting someone who spoke Spanish. He gave us a map and pointed out some things in the area like the nearest Mercadona (it’s a supermarket) and Corte Inglés.
Alicia and I left the apartment and headed to the store to pick up a few things for her family since we were sure that they would be hungry/thirsty after spending all that time in the airport. We got on the metro and took it to the airport, which took a shorter time than we expected, only about 20 minutes, so we had some time to kill before the flight arrived. We had our cameras with us, so we looked at some of our fallas photos.
I can’t tell you how relieved Alicia’s family seemed to meet her at the airport. I can’t imagine what they went through…trying to arrange transportation in an airport is hard enough without a language barrier. We exchanged hellos and then got back on the metro to head to the apartment. I parted ways with them after we arrived and walked back home for la cena.
Lucía and I had a really great conversation as I ate my bocadillo, it consisted of everything from the weather to politics to our personal lives. I especially enjoyed the parts where she told me about all the guys that used to ask her parents if they could date her and how she would get really mad if they said no and all. It’s crazy how much things can change in just a few generations, especially in between a few generations from different continents.
After I ate I finished packing for Belgium and then went to bed. I was super-excited to see John and Carole again and of course Luna, Emma, Sady, Fien, Caramel, and Doep! (In case you didn’t read that part of the blog, those are the names of all their dogs.)
