VIAJE FAMILIA

Sooo May 21st, after sleeping until 2:30 and waiting impatiently for a call I walked into an aparthotel, rode up an elevator, rang a buzzer, heard shuffling feet and watched the door whip open and my mother jump up and scream. I cant even remember facial expressions just that the next moment the Wolfville McLeod family girls were hugging eachother and crying. I made a note of how tall my sister is now before finally getting a bear hug from my dad.

For the following 15 days the four of us travelled, a lot. We first went to see a castle and old towns nearby Pamplona with my second and third host families, had a dinner with my first host families and toured around Pamplona with Paloma's family. We spent a few days in Santander, which is a nice city. The beaches are gorgeous (the province Cantabria really has the prettiest beaches in all of Spain - sorry Mediterranean) and we went to the Altamira cave museum which is basically the oldest art work in the world. Last stop in Spain was Barcelona, which is really a great city. My dad and I went to La Sagrada Familia which is breathtaking. On our way out of the country (whole trip done by car) we stopped at the Salvador Dali museum in Figueres, crazy man that one.

We then spent a night in a little town at the edge of the french alps by a clear blue lake called Annecy. It is gorgeous - it's been added to the list of places I want to live. There was an antique market through the all the old streets and artists along the river. We went for a paddle boat ride on the lake and ate amazingly delicious crêpes (dad made a note about how I often blog about food… it's because the food is amazing - he now understands). That afternoon we drove through Switzerland by cool looking towns, farms and people hang-gliding over head off the huge mountains. Georgie our tomtom gps took us for a little vuelta (spanish word meaning tour or return) aka Georgie was confused and had no idea where we were, but once that got resolved we were back on the road; in the right direction. Switzerland is not a part of the European Union and uses the swiss frank instead of euro - this was confusing - I'm pretty sure I got the most expensive package of peanut m&m's in the world BUT they were the best as well - the whole being in switzerland I think (chocolate). Once we left Switzerland and drove about three minutes we were at my mom's cousin Martine's house in St Louis France.

We spent two nights there visiting them, Peter and Martine actually work in Switzerland but live in France, and are from the Netherlands… they have three adorable children Jules the oldest, Merel the middle girl and Michel the little three year old bulldozer. After some time we, my parents sister and I, came to the same conclusion that these three based on looks and personality are exactly like Garrett myself and Anja; the older brother who's more shy, the girl in the middle who some how ended up not being blond when genes all say otherwise and who is social, and the white haired fair baby child who is just super cute. When Martine described Michel as a bulldozer I was a little confused, it's not a common adjective to describe someone but after seeing that boy fall over, run into everything, pushing things here and there and ending up with a grass stain on his head (really white hair) after taking a dive off the trampoline and a black eye after running into the barbecue well bulldozer seemed the only appropriate word. Together we spent the day in Basel. It is a very nice town and I (along with sister and father) got to float down the Rhein (aprovechando de todo - creo que sí)!!!

The next afternoon was again in the car. I went with Martine and Michel and dad followed as we drove through Luxembourg and Belgium to get to Maastricht, Netherlands to visit Tante Gerda, my moms' aunt and Martine's mom. Sylvie and Angelique (mom's other cousins) were there too and after speaking in spanish translating to english for my family, french with the three little cousins, english with Martine and Peter we arrived at moms turn to translate and added Dutch. When my mum was fifteen she spent a summer at this house taking care of her three cousins. Families are great - we looked at old pictures and heard loads of stories.

Because we really couldn't get enough of our rental car and hearing Georgie's electronic voice dad Anja and I went to Amsterdam for the day. We saw the Anne Frank House, took a boat ride through the canals, almost got hit by bikes and ate the most amazing indonesian food ever. I mean really I need to find new adjectives for this meal it was so mouthwatering (not because of the spice though - that was just perfect). OH my goodness I need to be a international food taster or something.

The next evening we met with other cousins of my mothers and their families (I think third cousins?), when I walked in and met my second cousins for the first time I was given a weird shocked look followed by "I thought you were your mother". Since when am I the one who looks like mom?? I think after Spain though Anja was happy to fit in. Together we all went to the house where my grandfather grew up, the canadian soldier cemetery and then had a barbecue all together… the dutch also make very good food, especially condiments; fritsauce(mayo for the fries) and gypsy sauce(?), so good. Our last day Anja and I took Tante's and Angeliques bikes out for a tour. Just getting back to our roots, what could be more perfect to end your time in holland?

Last stop - Paris. We had more fun with Georgie finding our hotel and then a few good giggles while looking at our room but Paris is Paris and one just must love it. We did a lot of touristy things, ate some more good food, I some how managed to get timing and everything right to register for university (YES!!). Two nights in a row there was lighting, without rain, and the city was really beautiful. I think I've seen the Eiffel tower from about 40% of it's possible views now but there's still so much more to do there - the next time I go. Then after comments of being ready to go home from all of us, but talking about different homes at this point, I said goodbye to my family one more time in an airport this year and made my way to Málaga. Next time I see my family will be July 20th 7:30 pm at the Halifax airport, but will I feel home?