Day 2: Ventanilla & Las Lomas

Today we headed north towards Ventanilla & Las Lomas.  So, our townhouse is in Lima, but the community we will work in is about 35 minutes north of here, but with traffic, it takes us about an hour to get there.  The kids have noticed the differences already as we move north...traffic, vehicles, houses, landscape....  Ventanilla is another big city, but it's up in the hills where Las Lomas is.  We took the kids to an overlook spot so they can see the mass of humanity and try to wrap their brains around it all.  We drove them around some other communities, saw where Daniel lived for a while, and oddly took them to a cemetery.  An odd stop on a tour, but good to understand the corruption that occurs in other countries, even when burying your loved ones.  Did a beach stop, and then lunch.  We eat most of our meals at a restaurant run by Victor's sister.  She is an amazing cook and the kids basically licked their plates clean!
Finally, we headed up the hill to Las Lomas so they can see what they've been working so hard for.  We were greeted with so many friendly smiles & hugs, new & old faces!!  We gave the kids a tour of the place, introduced them to the kids, and then they went for a hike.  They hiked up to the antenna tour so they can see the entire community.  While it's not an easy hike, the sweet kids helped my Gringos every step (or slide) of the way.  We stayed until dark, said good bye to our amigos, went for dinner, and headed home.

Day 1: Peru, here we come!!

Today we start on our next summer adventure:  heading back to Peru to volunteer at Voices4Peru! This is our 3rd summer of volunteering outside of Lima in the community of Las Lomas.  We have 3 groups going again this summer, and this first group has 5 students, a mom, and a Senorita!  :)  Earlier this Spring, we packed up a whole bunch of suitcases full of donations, so each group has their suitcases to bring.
We met at the HS at 2:30am to meet our ACT II shuttle and off to Ohare we went!  Flights were suuuuper cheap out of O'Hare, so off we went!  Checked in, chilled in the food court, and boarded our flight.  Our connections Chicago - Panama City, Panama - Lima.  Easy connections, good flights, on-time arrivals!  We cleared customs and were greeted by half of Lima, cheering, lighting fires, signs, etc....  A bit overwhelming for the Gringos.  But, come to find out, the Peru National Soccer team was set to arrive after us...and as Peru hadn't been in the World Cup in 35 yrs, it was a big deal.  Even as we left the airport, people were lining the streets waiting for the team to arrive... craziness!!
Daniel & his staff from V4P met us (amongst the chaos) and off we went to our townhouse.  Had a nice pizza dinner, got to meet the staff, check out our townhouse, and good-night to us!  Excited for more adventures tomorrow!!

Day 12: Adiós Spain

Sadly, all good things come to an end.  Our last 10 days in Spain have been a blast, ones we will never forget, with memories & friends who made it unforgettable.
We also said good-bye to Solange at the airport this morning as she is extending her vacation to visit family in France.
We sadly said good-bye to our lovely Tour Director, Patricia, and thanked her for a magical week.  She truly made this week the best ever!
Our flights are Barcelona to Atlanta (9.5 hrs), 6.5 hour layover in Atlanta, then Atlanta to Moline.
All our flights went smoothly, our layover was long, but made the most of it...and they only switched out gate once!  (Thanks Delta!)
Made it home safe & sound....as well as did our luggage...phew

On behalf of Señora & Señorita, we would like to thank you all for taking the leap and coming with us to try this new trip!  From your feedback, we will definitely do this trip again, but boy!, the next group has big shoes to fill.  Thank you for trying new things, for practicing your language, for going with it, for smiling & laughing, for being such great troopers that everyone commented how wonderful you were!  Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!  Grathias!  :)

Day 11: La Playa

Today is the day we added to our tour.  Instead of going home, we extended our time in Barcelona by a day.....and hit the beach!  We had thought of doing all sorts of stuff, but when it came down to it, we had done soooo much already, that a beach day sounds great.  We headed down to Barceloneta, picked out a spot, and there we were.  Lots of sunscreen needed, but nice to just sit & relax & reflect on the last 10 days!  Kids wandered, played with their soccer ball, got some lunch, read, went in the water, etc....  Some got a little too much sun, guess that'll be their souvenir.
We headed back to the hotel to shower & change for our last dinner in Spain.... booooo
At dinner, we all presented out Invisible Amigos with a gift we had picked out for them.  There was some great thought put into the gifts & was fun to see what everyone got with their 5 euro limit!
We also presented Patricia with an honorary Roamin' Spartans team shirt!  She started crying...so the kids started crying....  #hotmess
The boys & I hit the mexican restaurant across the street from our hotel upon our return to watch the Spain World Cup match.
We sadly said good-bye to Prakruti as her family picked her up for an extended vacation throughout Spain!
Tomorrow is our loooooong day to get home.....

Day 10: All about Gaudi

We slept in a bit this morning (yeah!) and then headed to Parque Guell.  Most of us took a taxi up the hill while others took the Metro & then walked.  Our guide, Aida, met us there and explained all about Gaudi and his vision for the park.  The tile mosaics are just amazing!!
We caught a public bus to Sagrada Familia, and had our first close encounter with pick-pocketers.  No one tried anything on the kids - but we saw them trying with other tourists.  Darn Sausages!! LOL
We then were treated to a beautiful tour of Sagrada Familia!  To think that it's not complete...whoah...and then to imagine what it will be like when it IS finally done..... wow!!!
We headed back to the Gothic quarter for some free time...or ice cream, and then met up to do a bike tour!  With a local guide, all the kids headed down towards the beach along the boardwalk, to see the city by bike!  What a blast!!!
We are enjoying Barcelona greatly, but looking for a quiet day tomorrow!!

Day 9: Welcome to Barcelona!!

Up bright & early to catch an early morning AVE train (high-speed) to Barcelona.  Most of the kids slept as we cruised along the Spanish countryside.  Upon arrival in Barcelona, we checked into our hotel, dropped our bags, and headed downtown to Las Ramblas.  We can feel it's already a cooler temp here than Madrid - YEAH!!  We wandered down Las Ramblas and around the gothic quarter, before some free time prior to dinner.  Dinner was a bit of a hike to the other part of town, but was delicious, so worth it! 
Kids already like the feel & the energy here in Barcelona.  The 2 cities are extremely different, so good to experience both!!
Tomorrow is everything Gaudi!!!

Day 8: Cultura, Dancing & Graduation

Today was the last day of school. The kids had to say a said farewell to Abel, their profesor for the week.  The theme was all about culture, music, and dance.  At the end of the morning, there was a small graduation ceremony, where they all got their hats & diplomas!  Kind of cute!!!
Their 1st activity of the day was a city hunt.  We split the kids into groups by their rooming, and sent them into 4 different areas of the city with a list of challenges to do, take pics, and then meet back up!  They had a blast - got some great pics, and had some interesting stories to share!!
Next up was flamenco lessons!  We went to Las Carboneras, a famous flamenco place in Madrid and the kids got to learn the basics...and then we were treated to a private performance! We just sat in awe as to how quickly and precise the professionals move.
Had a nice last dinner in Madrid and then basically headed back to the hotel to pack. Tomorrow we are heading on the high-speed train to Barcelona!
Thanks for the memories, Madrid!  We will be back!!!