casacollins

We have had a lot of visitors this spring! How come we don't get this many in Chicago? One of our neighbors here in Spain asked, "What is there in Chicago?" With a strong sense of pride for the home team we rattled off a zillion great things to see and do in our great city. Then we realized that when we've had visitors here in Andalucia we have never run out of place to go and things to see. Maybe it's the whole "new and different is better" phenomenon. I don't think so. Andalucia is a region that is chock full o' so many different places that offer so much history and insight into the people here.

Our March guests were Mark's brother, Steve,his wife, Patti, and kids, Faith, Claire and Sarah. After a few days in Granada we headed to Sevilla, Spain's "most romantic city". Okay, 6 kids and 2 couples in a house in the middle of a busy city doesn't exactly evoke romance, but it sure was wonderful. The city is filled with parks and beautiful, old architecture. Buildings representing all of the countries of the spanish speaking world are represented here. We did manage to squeeze in a horse-drawn carriage ride with me and 4 of the kiddies! And who doesn't love traveling around with their cousins? We don't need romance, we need adventure! This first photo is outside the entrance to the Alcazar (Castle/Fortress). Somehow, my sister Priscilla and I missed this last year during our visit. Unbelievable! Built in the 900s a.d. and has been occupied by both Muslims and Catholics over the past 11 centuries. It rivals the Alhambra in its beautiful decoration and elaborate architecture. Of course, we loved it and spent one whole afternoon wandering around the various palaces and gardens while playing hide and seek and looking for various details highlighted in our audio tour. What fascinated Wynne the most, however, was the dance (Pretty Girl) cousin Sarah taught her in the Palacio de Don Pedro.






Another thrill of having kids visit is some serious playtime. The Collins cousins played cards non-stop while they were together. They played in cafes (Photo #2). They played at restaurants. They played in palaces. They even played on our car's hood! We've been learning a lot this year and the value of a good card game has taught us how to keep our kids happy doing their own thing while we contemplate various ceramic glazes and which restaurant we should take over for dinner! We especially love the card game Kent. Any other fans out there?


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Photo #3 is probably one the best photos Mark and I have taken this year. My hair isn't gray, our eyes are all open, I don't look fat (I think) and Mark has a beard! We have all had a chance to try new things since we've been in Spain. Mark never had a beard and says he always wanted to try one. Once we got our Spanish i.d. cards and didn't have to look "clean cut" or non-terrorist like at the border, he decided to give it a whirl and see what he could cultivate on his chin. He had the beard for about a month, which was fun, but enough in this southern heat. (He also thought it made him look a little older than his youthful 42). So it's gone now, but so glad he had a chance to try something he's wanted to do for a long time.






This photo is the two Collins families in a wedding hall in the Alcazar in Sevilla. Not too shabby for a wedding hall, eh? It was actually used in 1995 for the wedding of the daughter of King Juan Carlos I after a ceremony at the Sevilla Cathedral. The Alcazar is still a royal palace and has certain room used by the royal family on their visits to Sevilla. The sunken gardens, elaborate tapestries, walls of paintings, and incredible tilework are a tribute to restoration of historic buildings. This place is in such great shape and is totally inspiring. When we go home I'm going to redo all our tile, plant an amazing garden, learn how to weave and build a hall just for Mark's paintings. In due time, right? Okay, maybe on a smaller scale.




This last photo shows some of the detail of the tilework. They left no corner undecorated. We must have 200 digital photos of details from inside the Alhambra and the Alcazar. The photos of course don't do them justice, but once you're surrounded by all these tiles, plasterwork and carvings you can't help but be in awe. I'm thinking they didn't have trade unions back then. Let's just hope the worker-guys were happy to have jobs.

After Sevilla we went on to Jerez where we toured a sherry bodega. Jerez is famous for it's wonderful sherries and it's Andalusian horses. Didn't see any horses this time. Some things will just have to wait for another trip.

All in all, this trip to Sevilla was fascinating. So relieved to "talk" (in Spanish) our way out of a silly, little ticket (our first) on the highway, we arrived in the 3rd biggest city in Spain to spend 3 fun days in a house in the center of the old Jewish quarter. We rented the house rather than hotel rooms since there were 10 of us and we could easily hang out together in one big space--and it was half the cost of a hotel! (Google: self-catering apartments) We saw so much and spent some serious quality time with our family. Yay! A great time was had by all!