Visitors and Mucha Caca!

Since writing last month, Cor and I have entered the time of visitors while here in Spain. This means two things: 1. Tons of fun and ham eating! 2. An indication that we're leaving for the States in just 5 weeks! Wow!

Two weeks ago already, my sister and her family arrived in the southern Spanish town of Cadiz, but after a lot of effort. Chris, Jen, and Cole had hoped to catch a military hop on Sunday, April 20th, but didn't actually get on a flight until Tuesday. We didn't see them until Wednesday after they drove 6 hours from Cadiz. My bro-in-law is in the Air Force. Anyways, they were troopers to say the least...flying, driving, running in/around Madrid, returning to Cadiz the following Sunday and flying back to Virginny Monday morning at like 3am. All this finishing with a sick nephew and pukey puke for 15 hours while they made the trip home.

Our 4 year old nephew, Cole, was mesmerized by the language and did his best playing with some kids as a mute, shaking his head and smiling to everything they said. He was in heaven grubbing on churros and chocolate at the famous Churreria in Madrid. He's possibly the cutest nephew in the world. No longer a baby though as he's quickly turning into a little boy. It's amazing how fast they grow up.

We visited a castle in Segovia one day and were confronted by this conspiracy of birds. It all started when checking out the surrounding views at a nice vantage point in the castle, when this giant bird dropping splattered on Cor's head and ran down her face. It had to have come from a condor or something because it was huge and disgusting. The look on her face was hysterical. A couple from Germany was cracking up with the rest of us. The conspiracy continued that afternoon while we were having lunch at a cafe in one of the many plazas. We were taking in some sun and cerveza and another dookie dropped on Jenny's hand, the same hand she was holding her fork with and eating salad. At that moment it seemed we were all hyper-aware of everything coming from the sky and it seemed like things were falling every couple of minutes. We realized eventually that the awning above us was acting as a gutter for bird nuggets, directing all the goodness right near Chris' head. It was pretty gross. Continuing with conspiracy fact #3. Cole was devouring his cup of chocolate (well we all were, but he was funny to watch) and, again, we were enjoying some sun in a secluded part of Madrid, amid the high-rising pisos and tricky streets of the area, minding our own business, and "splat", another bird bum nugget! This time on Jenny's arm...check out the pic link for proof. Unbelievable. At this point we just shook our heads in disbelief. The conspiracy has continued since the Kretsingers left...I was sitting in a park last Monday afternoon, eating my lunch in a park on the only park bench that was shaded by some trees, and burning a few minutes until my next class started at an office building nearby. I had just taken a bite of bread when more caca (Spanish for poop) found its way to the middle of my head. I sat there in disbelief, using a piece of the bread wrapper to wipe the splatter off my head.

Overall, their trip was quick but full of a lot of experiences. Chris and I loved the kebabs, we ate our share of aceitunas, had an amazing lunch in Patones de Arriba, and checked out Retiro Park on a super warm day. It has since gotten rainy and cold again! It was great to see them and we were grateful for the determination in coming out to see us. The bird conspiracy has become something to laugh about for sure. The weather has been pretty fickle in April and May, but the fam lucked out with some clear skies and warm days. We're hoping for the same when Cor's parents arrive.

A few pics here!