Last Sunday we took the train to Barcelona for a day of worship and touring. We started and ended our day at two very different churches, and put in about 15 miles of walking in between!

For our first Sunday in Spain, we wanted to attend a church service, and had been told to find an international church to attend. We found one in central Barcelona, and looked forward to attending worship with a blend of cultures, interested to see how God is uniquely worshipped in other areas of the world. As we stepped up to the front door, we were greeted by an enthusiastic blond american girl and ushered into the front door where kids were checked in via CCB to the left, the Welcome Center was to the right, and the coffee was served before the front door. It felt like we were walking into little USA, and the feeling continued. The band was lively, singing english contemporary songs with spanish translations below on the large, center screen. All cultures of people surrounded us, but as the kids came up to sing the song ours had sung a couple of years ago, I realized there was nothing different. The sermon was true, the people were very friendly, and we even had an invite to a weekly small group, but I came away a little disappointed that it was just the same as what we had experienced back home. There was nothing wrong with it, it had all of the elements that every church strives for, it was just the same when I was looking for different.

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We pulled out our phones to find the next destination: the Gothic quarter, a beautiful area of Barcelona with old, Romanesque architecture showing elaborate stonework and ironwork, narrow streets and little shops. We enjoyed pointing out the impressive buildings, watching the many people passing by, and walking the stone paths. There were lights hung from balconies and a large Christmas tree to remind us of the holidays. 

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We stopped to enjoy a spanish specialty- Empanadas, a treat also famous in South America, then made our trek north to see the Arc de Triomf, which was built for the 1888 World’s Fair in Barcelona. This was the kids’ favorite place, since it also had a walkway filled with street entertainers, and so many, many dogs!

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We had planned to walk up to Park Güell, a beautiful space designed by renowned architect Antoni Gaudí. However, our aching legs were not used to the miles and miles we had already logged the past week, and 15 miles was about our limit that day. Instead we found a cute little sidewalk cafe to enjoy some mediocre pizza and paella- neither homemade or the real thing, but a nice rest (we didn’t judge food here based on this experience, since Barcelona is known for it’s delicacies). We then walked a short distance longer to find our finale of the day- La Sagrada Familia.

Any search of Barcelona will reveal one of it’s most famous structures, a church built by aforementioned Antoni Gaudí called La Sagrada Familia- a gorgeous church a hundred years in the making and still in progress. It has almost a Dr. Seuss type quality, but with such strong and graceful curves that it creates a stunning structure for the glow of colors through the stained glass windows and elaborate sculptures. We were in awe of the beauty and thought behind each detailed element, showing symbolism for the gospel story and depicting biblical ideas that caused us to ponder and explore, maybe even more than the service that began our day. 

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Dark settled onto Barcelona as we walked through twinkly light lined streets towards our train station to go home. We had only experienced a tiny part of the city, but we enjoyed getting to know this part of Spain a little bit better. We experienced worship on this Sabbath in unexpected ways, and will continue to explore what it looks like to see God from other perspectives.

Tucked down an hour below Barcelona on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Calafell (pronounced kah-lah-fay in Catalan) is a beautiful town with about 25,000 people, a population that swells for the summertime beach. Calafell is everything to hope for in a northern Spanish town. Winding narrow streets, clay tiled roofs, a small plaza next to a bell-topped church, surprising little bakeries and shops where they are least expected, flowers in the windows, and locals eating among the many little restaurants with outside tables. 

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We chose Calafell because it had the right Airbnb- good price, available, needed size and amenities. We didn’t really know much about this town, but have grown to love it in the long week we’ve been here so far. The people are so helpful and kind- many of them do not know English, but try to help as much as possible. A jumble of Catalan, Spanish and English usually get across what we need. Noah and Natalie like to say “hola” to everyone they see and will usually get a smile and an “hola” in return. 

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The streets are very clean here, most of them paved with bricks, and people are generally polite and respectful. And there are children everywhere! I have never seen a community with ever-present children like I’ve seen here. The teenagers usually stay with each other, but there are so many dads, moms and younger kids around that I have always felt very safe walking wherever I need to go. From what I have read, children rule in Spain, and what I’ve seen matches that well. It’s not a domineering rule, rather just that adults delight in children, so they are always welcome anywhere, and their antics are usually enjoyed rather than seen as annoying. 

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Although we still get a little nervous to go out and do new tasks, it has become easier and more reassuring with each day. We are so glad to be in Calafell, and look forward to continuing to explore this beautiful town. 

After a year of planning, paperwork, discussions, selling most of our belongings and our house, visa rejections, living with 10 different gracious friends and family, getting rid of more, packing and more planning, we have arrived. We are in Spain! How did we get there? Good question… 

Sunday evening, December 8th, we kissed Paul’s parents goodbye and drove a rental car down to an Airbnb close to Chicago. Just like our whole experience this year, we had a plan in place, but not everything went as planned. The plan was to be able to return our rental car within the time limit, then spend a good chunk at the Chicago airport, seeing the different attractions, watching planes, leisurely eating at a restaurant, and enjoying the kids’ first experience of flying. So, we arrived at 11am the next morning ready to drop off the car and were told that we couldn’t check our bags until four hours before the flight (2pm). Maybe this is common knowledge, but neither of us had realized it. So, we drove to grab a quick bite at a restaurant, dropped of the car at the minute it was due, and lugged our incredibly heavy luggage to the check-in to wait. Not exactly the glorious adventure at the airport that I had promised. The kids were good sports, though, and when we finally did get through to our Terminal, they enjoyed watching the planes take off, played card games, and even found dogs to pet.

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We were pleasantly surprised when we did board our plane, as it was brand new and very nice. Noah and Paul sat in the seats behind Natalie and Abigail so that each child could have a window seat. We waited an hour on the runway and felt a little like Brian Regan, but Noah and Natalie were still just as excited at take-off. Each seat had little screens with movie and game selections, as well as a map that showed the progress of the plane. Noah and Paul enjoyed playing battleship, while Natalie and I looked at the map. Since we were flying a Portuguese airline, we enjoyed our dinner of Portuguese food- little containers of lettuce with small packets of oil and vinegar, a warm dish of rice and delicious chicken in red sauce, and a small sponge cake with a layer of fruity jam. Natalie ended up sleeping a wonderful six hours, but Noah only had one, and Paul and I had less than that. We kept up with our no-jet-lag pills, which proved to work really well for the ladies over the next couple of days.

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Our first view of Portugal, where we had a short layover before our final destination of Barcelona, was stunning. The sun came over the horizon to display a brilliant sunrise over the coast. After landing, we spent a few hours at the Lisbon airport, ate some apples and dates to lighten our load, and got a phone card for Abigail’s phone. We ported our numbers to a holding company while we are gone, and we enjoy paying $10-20/month for calling and data, comparatively to our large verizon bill! 

Our second plane ride was so short that we barely remember it, but the sun was shining and our spirits were glad. When we picked up our luggage in Barcelona, we became even more grateful that we had the past six months to keep getting rid of more! We pack-muled it all to the Barcelona train station and used the commuter trains to take us down to Calafell, our new home town. As we rode, our first glimpse of the Mediterranean was stunning- sparkling blue water with Spanish brick-topped houses set on sandy beaches. We soaked in the beauty of God’s brilliant creation.

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After two days of traveling, we prepared ourselves for the final leg- finding the local bus, getting tickets, hauling our luggage and figuring out how to get off. It seemed daunting. However, as I texted our host that we would arrive shortly, I received a quick reply that he would pick us up at the train station! We were so grateful and relieved. Luis, in his little black car, greeted us with smiles and enthusiasm as he shoved our possessions in (marveling at how much we needed for “one month”, as he didn’t know our later plans) and gave us a zippy ride around the town to his apartment. He put his son, Pau, on the phone to translate, as Luis did not know much English. We started to realize that because we are in Northern Spain, Catalonia, people do not speak “Spanish”, they speak Catalan, an entirely different Romance language similar to spanish, french and italian, and a language we were not at all familiar with! Luis gave us a quick tour of the spacious apartment and outside area, then left us to fall into our beds. 

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Exhaustion and Awe and Uncertainty and Relief mixed in our hearts as we looked at each other and exclaimed more than once- “We are here, we’re in Spain!” After a year of planning, paperwork, discussions, selling most of our belongings and our house, visa rejections, living with 10 different gracious friends and family, getting rid of more, packing and more planning, we have arrived. We are in Spain!