Tag Archive for: octogenarians

David

Crafty

We learned today that our fathers had never had craft cocktails. Never. That’s part of Kate and I’s food triangle. This was something we obviously needed to remedy.

Luckily, we have a favorite cocktail bar in Barcelona, the Collage Cocktail Bar. We started off with what was on the menu (which by no means is anything typical), then began to go off menu once we got to know Andre, the bartender. And more important, he got to know us.

My dad asked him to create something that would cure his cold–ten or so finely tuned ingredients later, and his delicious concoction may not have cured him, but I’m pretty sure he thought less about it.

We all put Andre to the test, but between ice blocks, clay casks he pulled from the back room (and removed contents with a syringe), to the most specialized liquors & carved accoutrement, we had one great cocktail after another.

And once you find a good mixologist, you always ask them where else you should visit. So next time you are in Barcelona, here is Andre’s list…

Maybe tomorrow night.

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David

Unexpected

It turns out My dad is a big Dali fan.

We started with a tour of Girona, where some cool Game of Thrones scenes were filmed. Dad had to climb a bunch of stairs, but he Lanisterred his way to the top.

View from the top

View from the bottom

Eiffel’s bridge. Practice for his next project.

We then set out to Figures to the Dali museum. I feared my dad wouldn’t like Dali’s art… mostly because he told me he didn’t like Dali’s art.

But once we got there, he was enthralled with all of it. The paintings, sculptures, jewelry, ink drawings, mechanical creations. All of it.

He shared a story I hadn’t heard about winning an art contest in high school when he found a piece that reminded him of his prized creation–a bejeweled swizzle stick. Apparently he still has the award, but sadly not the piece. He seemed just a little bummed that he never took it up as a hobby.

Lincoln… or is it? Hint, zoom.

And even though I was a fan already (less now than when I was younger), I have a much greater appreciation of his talent and prolific creations. Dude was crazy… crazy impressive.

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David

A bit of everything

We saw and did a little bit of everything on Friday. Kate and I started with some wandering around El Born, recreating a photo from just over a year ago.

My dad was feeling a bit under the weather, so he stayed back while Denny, Kate & I toured old town. Obviously we stopped for some craft beer.

Add to that some rooftop Cava, the Boqueria Market, and even a couple conference calls… we stayed busy.

Sidebar: Getting around was tricky–the International Women’s Day March had both a daytime and evening version. Barcelonans love a good protest, so they went all-out! Other than forcing my poor dad to huff it across town for our evening activity (closed roads & gridlock), it was fun to see.

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Our evening Paella cooking class was epic. Along with some new friends from Dallas & Denver, we cooked four versions–Cava flowing freely the whole time! And it even tasted pretty good.

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After dropping off our dads at the apartment, Kate and I snuck back out for one last pitcher of sangria.

It was a good day.

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Kate

Quality Familia Time!

Today was a FULL day to say the least. We took a lovely walking tour of our neighborhood thanks to travel writer Rick Steves. I narrated and led the crew through churches, markets, alleyways, and finished at a quaint lunch spot where we chose our own pintxos (small open-faced sandwiches) and downed a nice cold beer and glass of wine. Poor Lou was especially spent by lunch after losing himself for half an hour after his early morning coffee “adventure.” I might note here the rest of us were fast asleep and blissfully unaware.

Headed next to a tour of La Sagrada Familia. We were stunned by the beauty and scope of the cathedral. Our tour guide was beyond knowledgable and kept us entertained throughout. She sent us on our way to a locals only wine bar in an alley – the dads were happy to rest their feet and chat about what we just saw. I was happy to crack into a bottle of vino tinto.

From there we grabbed a taxi to the headquarters of Castellars of Barcelona. I think David posted a fun picture of what we saw. I’ll expound… the first bit was human pyramids with mostly children. That was just bonkers because the little girls were like monkeys climbing up other bodies but with great precision. Later more adults arrived wrapping themselves in some sort of supportive binding around the waist. This alone was theater. Anyway… more and more adults formed the supports and people kept climbing and climbing into their formations. At one point there was a projector illuminating the color-coded plan on a large wall. The castellars paid close attention to their roles. Hated to cut away early to get to dinner.

Our waitress asked if we preferred to pick our menu or let them course it for us based on our tastes. Of course we let them choose. FOURTEEN items later we were done with dinner and ready for dessert. FOURTEEN. One thing was better than the next. Razor clams, calamari sandwiches, squid, artichokes….cava, cerveza, vermút. We tried it all. Watching our dads try new things, devour Catalán cuisine and *attempt* witty banter with the waitress was priceless. They didn’t care that their jokes didn’t translate well into Spanish. They just kept at it. Hell, they wouldn’t have landed in English either.

Today was a day for the memory books. I *might* just have happy cried at La Sagrada Familia – I was just so grateful to be sharing the time with my dad. I mean, you should have seen how much he loved that place. We all did. And besides almost getting Lou run over in a crosswalk because of an ill-advised “you can make it,” and Denny entering a taxi on the wrong side only to hear the driver scream “CERRAR LA PUERTA!!” and nearly losing the door to traffic, I’d say we pretty much survived in one piece. Said goodnight to our dads just shy of 1:00 am. They were total rock stars today. Lou said he wasn’t planning to wake at 7:00 am like he did today. Thank goodness….I don’t have anything planned for us until lunchtime.

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David

Who’s up for some team building?

Kate always finds us hidden gems. We just watched castellers practice. Denny & Lou watched from above with a beer & brandy and Kate & I hung out by the practice floor. There were over 100 people supporting this design. Amazing!

Side note: I was once part of a 6 person pyramid. So I get it.

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David

Troublemaker

So while boarding in Munich on our way to Barcelona, my dad was pulled aside by a very rule oriented, strict, authoritative (aka German) Lufthansa employee to weigh his bag. Apparently, it was ONE kilo over the limit. Who would have guessed he would be the first to openly disregard local rules in such a caviller manner.

For some reason, my dad than motioned for us to come over. We tried to avoid eye contact, least we befall the same fate, but apparently Dad didn’t know that trick. So we all were sucked into her web of compliance and had to weigh our bags (while a stream of people passed with their giant carry-ons).

We were told, “this isn’t a flight in America. “Next time you should pack less.” Oh, Germans.

The funniest part is that my Dad actually fastidiously weighed his bag prior to leaving, and was certain it was within the guidelines. Of course he was the only one of us to do so. He was told the weight was a safety concern. To which our faces simultaneously conveyed the look of “Huh?”

While I was trying to work my way through the logic, the reason was explained… Apparently at 9 kilos, carry-ons become like anvils when the overhead compartments are opened, flattening passengers like cartoon characters. At least that’s what I was picturing as she explained the clearly very dangerous predicament we narrowly escaped.

Well, we were scolded just a bit more, they checked out bags, and we are on our way to Barcelona! Actually, for some reason Kate’s wasn’t checked. Or even weighed for that matter. But, now she needs to roll hers through the airport while Denny, my dad and I walk arms swinging to baggage claim. I believe she may have gotten the worst deal of all. But I’ll probably pull it for her.

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David

We’re off!

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David

MileagePlus

This post is just a little side story that gave me a good chuckle.

My Dad wanted to make sure his United number is attached to the flight. (This is one of the things we talked about during our aforementioned meeting.) He didn’t have the number with him then, so the next day (Saturday I think) he drove his United card to our house so Kate could add it to the reservation. Kate tried, but United wasn’t having any of it–at which point she started to wonder if the card is still valid.

For starters, it had raised numbers–that doesn’t necessarily mean the card is old, but it is a good sign since most membership cards are printed as cheaply as possible now. Also it wasn’t very many digits. Finally, the logo looked a bit different than we’re used to. When I got home, Kate showed me the card, and we couldn’t help but start to question just how old the card actually is. Our internet hunt began…

We first tried United.com, to see if they had photos of current and previous cards. The site only had current versions, and this definitely wasn’t one of those designs. But we figured there had to be some record of the previous cards somewhere–maybe Wikipedia, maybe The Points Guy, somewhere. And indeed there was.

We discovered an aviation enthusiast who documented every MileagePlus card since 1989–giving us a great history of United’s program and aesthetic evolution. But even on his blog, the card was not to be found (though some of the earlier ones looked pretty close). I thought we had reached a dead-end. That is, until I started to actually read the blog. In one post he describe how bummed he was at loosing his 1988 card, and described it precisely, down to the smallest detail. HIs description was a perfect match. That is, as a match match for the United card my father brought over on Saturday. Let me reiterate… the United card my dad provided was from 1988. Thirty-one years old.

And the condition was pristine.

I compare his card to any card I have, for any purpose, at any age… All of mine look like I scrape ice off my windshield with them on a regular basis. And we don’t have icey windows in North Carolina, so I question what on earth I must do for them to look so pathetic. I have to hand it to my dad–hs does keep things looking nice!

When I texted him that Kate and I had a good chuckle when we discovered the card he gave us was from the Reagan era, his reply was perfect. “My goal,” he said, “is alway to bring a smile to those I love.” Perfect.

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David

Oscar and Felix

My dad arrived for our pre-trip meeting (scheduled at his request) loaded with questions. We began with updates–hearing about what he’s packing, the apps he’s downloaded, the nuances of Lufthansa’s overhead rules (1″ smaller than Delta it turns out), and his precautions against thieves. In addition to the updates, he provided us with some extra ear-plugs, soap and compression socks should we find ourselves in need. Once caught up, he produced a notebook that had been pre-populated with additional notes and questions ranging from airport arrival time to seating arrangements to insurance limitations.

After a series of Q&A to (hopefully) satisfy all of my dad’s uncertainties, and a day-by-day review of our plans, my father-in-law spoke up with his single question. “What day are we leaving?” he asked. Then he wrote the answer down on a scrap of paper he pulled from his pocket.

(insert theme from The Odd Couple)

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Kate

Barcelona with a Change of Plans

OK.  Here’s where our story begins.  I find an amazing price for a flight to Barcelona (one of our favorite cities) that David and I just can’t pass up. So we book the trip. A day later I have an epiphany…. what if we asked our dads to join us! I float the idea past David, taking away his vision of our lovely romantic holiday and plugging in an adventure with our octogenarian dads.  Without hesitation (well, there was a slight hesitation until I assured him the dads would have their own place) he agrees it’s a great idea.  So we ask our dads if they might want to come along.  They both reply quickly that they are definitely IN!  Thank goodness, because this was an all or nothing deal with the two of them.

And I keep thinking, what in the hell does this trip look like now??  David and I are accustomed to criss-crossing cities covering 7-10 miles a day on foot.  We pivot on a moment’s notice.  We hike and meander and walk into questionable spots suggested by locals.  We stop for drinks and snacks all day long.  I mean, all…day…long! Luckily our dads are game to go with the flow and try whatever we throw at them.  So I’ve been booking tours and planning how to fill our days – now more by car than on foot.  We’ve had lots of laughs thinking about what might shake out on this adventure.  We’ve affectionately named them Oscar and Felix because they are so different from one another.  Yet they have been dear, dear friends since David I met some 29 years ago.  In fact, upon getting the invitation, my father-in-law said “tell Denny I can’t wait to drink sangria, eat jamón and watch the pretty ladies go by!”  Of course, this is something they did about 25 years ago when I was back studying in Spain and our families all met up.

I’m not quite sure what we are in for with these two, but I can guarantee we will be laughing non-stop.  Whether it is with them or at them remains to be seen. I’ve made sure they have approval from their doctors, all prescriptions are filled, walking regime in place (for Denny), and they can pack in a carry-on.  So far I have us booked for a tour of The Sagrada Familia, a day trip to Girona, a 4 x 4 and Cava tour, and a cooking class where we make our own paella under the watchful eye of a trained chef who apparently pours lots of sangria and cerveza.  What could possibly go wrong? I’ve never really blogged so I’ll try to keep it brief and entertaining.  

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