My Nashville

Last weekend was full of excitement! 

Megan was in town, all the way from V-A

I went to my first Nashville Sounds game

Followed by Fireworks

Bonding with our baby Brucie

Breakfast in Hillsboro Village

Being seated next to HER for breakfast

I am officially a Nashvillian! 

Last of Europe

On Friday, Mom and I said goodbye to our friends, and began our drive back to Barcelona.  We both love art galleries so we picked 2 particular museums to visit on our way home. Mom picked the Céret Museum of Modern Art which featured several works by artists like Picasso, Manolo, and Matisse.  Our main purpose of going, however, was to see the works of one of Mom's favorite artists, Chagall.

 Next, it was my turn to choose the museum du jour. I'm not the biggest fan of Salvador Dali's work, but I have always been intrigued by his eccentricity.  We visited The Dalí Theatre-Museum, an old theater that he turned into an over the top display of some of his greatest pieces.

The museum may have been the weirdest place I have ever visited, crammed wall-to-wall with paintings, and sculptures, and furniture, and several other oddities.  Strangest of all, we just so happened to tour the museum on what would have been Dali's 108th birthday!  

The next morning, we headed back to the motherland. I absolutely loved my time in Europe.  I'm already itching to go again. Au revoir and Adios!

Europe continued

On Wednesday morning, Jess and Cheryl arrived in Avignon.  We packed lots of adventures into the small window of time we had together. The first day was spent shopping and sightseeing.

The next day, we traveled to the nearby town of St. Remy to visit the asylum where Van Gogh stayed during some of the last years of his life.  The grounds were so peaceful and picturesque, I almost wanted to get checked in myself!

On our way home, we had a bit of a detour when the back roads we were taking led us through what had to have been the world's largest herd.

We headed to the water for an afternoon of kayaking.  It took us about 2 hours and a couple hundred laughs before we reached our destination: the Pont du Gard. 

We came back home, cleaned up and headed to dinner in town.  

We then lived on the edge and tried to cross the Pont du Gard after dusk.  Things were going well for a bit, until we got caught and had to book it out of the park.  Nothing says Kodak moment quite like a No Trespassing warning. After 19 years of friendship, I'm glad Jess is still my Partner in Crime!

Europe Day 2

On Monday afternoon, Mom and I began our trip from Barcelona to Provence.  At the guidance of our wise friend, Rick Steves, we made a few detours along the way.  Most notably, was our day trip to Carcassonne, a remarkably intact, fortified city in Languedoc.

After Carcassonne, we drove a few hours until we reached our destination.  Mom met a couple from Georgia a few years ago while on vacation.  She kept in touch with them, and when we traveled to Europe, they generously insisted we stay in their summer home in Vers, France.  Not only did we save a pretty penny in lodging, we got to live like French natives, in a stone fortress, complete with a spiral staircase!

Mom and I settled in and planned our next day's adventures.  Only 2 more days til our best friends and traveling buddies, Jess and Cheryl, were set to arrive! To be continued....

Europe Day 1

One week after my birthday, I headed to Europe for a week with my Mom.  After months of hinting to my Mom that my passport was collecting dust, she caved in and planned a trip across the Atlantic. Of all the times I have been to Europe, I have never spent any time in Spain. Fortunately, Mom decided to begin and end our trip in Barcelona.  I arrived in Barcelona at 8AM (1AM in Nashville), and Mom had a full day planned.  I don't drink coffee, but I sure could have used one!

Seeing as we only had 1 full day there, I insisted we do the tourist thing and hit as many landmarks as possible.  Before checking into the hotel, we strolled down Las Ramblas, the long promenade that stretches through the heart of the city. Along each side were mimes, street performers, and vendors. 

After a shower and quick nap, Mom and I headed out for a bus tour of the town.  I was itching to see La Sagrada Familia, so we made this landmark our first stop. It was a gorgeous day for sightseeing and we spent the next few hours visiting other famous sites.

That night, we met up with our family friends, the Schmidts. We wandered around the old city, ate dinner, and stopped to check out the street performers. I even got to take part in one of their stunts!

The next day, we visited the famous La Boqueria, the colorful market which features local meats, produce, and other specialties. 

After this, we said Adios to Spain and began making our way across the border to France!