OUR TRIP TO SPAIN, UK AND EIRE

HOME AT LAST!!

It seems incredible that already 2 weeks have zoomed by since my oldest son Pat Lou (17) and self have got back into the swing of things up here in frozen Alaska. I will try and recap for all, our whirlwind trip to Spain, UK and Eire (Ireland). I feel that many had something to do with the trip which was conceived about 2 years ago, actually in the heart of my son...he said to me one day: "Mom, why don't you take me to where you come from?.... I thought... what Argentina? "No! he said, "take me to Spain!"....weeelllll, OK, we'll see. That seemed a very far-fetched idea at the time, although I had been wanting in my heart of hearts, to go back to Spain and tie up some badly loose ends left unsettled-over 23 years ago, when I left in 1982. I thought I wld never get the change again, even though many of the brethren over there had been begging me for years to return if even for a short visit.

Motherhood and general business of life took over for the next 19 years and the last 7 were occupied mainly with caring for a "special" child....our young Robin. Although he is truly a blessing to all of us, he does take much of my time and energies so a trip to Europe was certainly not in the planning for me, since I am also his main caretaker and teacher. After checking things out and praying, both hubby and self felt that if this was to be God wld have to provide the time, and finances for it. Slowly during the lapse of a couple of years, money started coming in from different sources, donations, savings, my son worked for half of the cost of the whole trip.

We left on October 11 and came back on Nov. 15...35 days of an incredible experience for both of us.

Our main purpose was, of course, to catch the convention in Spain which is now held in Seville, a main city of about 2 million people. The brethren have purchased a lovely "villa" like plot of land with the sale of the original farm in Huelva, which used to be called "Los Veneros"....springs of waters....a misnomer since we never did find a good water supply. There are about 30 folks living around the area in their own homes but meeting in a common convention site which was built for that purpose. But I am getting ahead of myself.

MADRID:

After 23 years of absence I found Madrid to be very crowded and stressful. I took almost a week to tour the city's main sights on my own, leaving Pat behind with the Galapagar folks and kids...

Galapagar is situated in what is called the "sierras' or higher ground. Not really mountains but at the foothills. They do actually get snow up there and houses are mostly of the one story ranch style with lots of masonry and granite rock...The house was purchased by two families who are related by marriage and their children who are mostly grown but still live at home. I found everybody totally changed from my time with them, when they were either teens or in my PreK class in Madrid. A far cry from all of that, now everybody has grown up, married, goes to college or works....fortunately for my son Pat, most of the young folk either understand or speak English so he was not at a loss for fellowship. I think he really enjoyed his stay there. Since he was not interested in following my sister Karenza and self to visit all the "old fogies" from our years living in Spain in the 70's and 80's we left him behind took the public transport and visited to our hearts content. It was so good to have my sister there, for the first time in ages, we were carefree and just enjoying each others company. K left before I did to go back down to Seville, which is her home-base now, when she is in Spain. She herself had just come back from a visit to all the small towns up north and also to Tangiers in Africa...but that is another story.

I finally did get to see the Prado. The feckless Philips may have taken their country down the tubes on political and economic fronts, but the collection at the Prado is clear testimony to their interest in painting and sculpture, both local and foreign. I zeroed in on the Spanish painters: Velazquez, El Greco, Goya, Zurbaran, not ignoring Titian, Tintoretto, Durer, lovely Ruben's. For me, it wasn't the variety of the collection at the Prado which made it memorable as much as the extensive collections of single painters, notably Velazquez and Goya. Goya, I found very disturbing as Pat had warned me about them...the battle scene inspired by the spontaneous uprising of the Spanish people in Madrid against the French forces quartered there (1808; mostly Moorish conscripts), and the scene of Spanish soldiers being executed by the French...quite mesmerizing. Then of course, the Black paintings not only show man's inhumanity to man but also the painters inner convoluted self...the dark paint and gnarled nightmarish figures....not nice...

Pat was lured into one night of Madrid life...down the Gran Via, the main avenue...we were suddenly plunged into a festive crowd, also looking for diversion at the end of the day. Studying merchandise laid out on the sidewalk, flowered skirts, studded belts, leather goods, you name it. We listened to impromptu musicians (really good), playing the Brandenburg concertos, guitarists, Moors, etc. I was aware of more dark skin and kinky hair than in the 80's, evidence of the Arab and African connections to Spain. At about 7.30pm. When we had both had enough and were thinking about the 2 hour bus ride home, the crowd suddenly increased and I realized that, for the Spanish with their leisurely dinner hours, the evening was still young.

On our first day together Pat, self and Aunt K were able to see the Royal Palace in Madrid, he was duly impressed and especially his visit to the Royal Armory with all its life-size knights and horses in full armor...some of these rooms are still in use for special occasions.

Only about 25 rooms are on the tour, I believe there are about 1,000 rooms or more. Very ornate and glitzy...very Baroque and overdone but surely a work of art for the knowing eye.

We also went to the famous monastery in El Escorial which was only about 30' away from where we were staying with the Galapagar folk. El Escorial was built by Philip II as a palace to bury the royal families of Spain and while the tombs were quite lavish (green marble caskets in a black marble hall that was festooned with gold for the kings and pure white marble for the lesser types) the granite building is without embellishment, a giant prison. Myriad rooms and hallways, tunnels and cloisters. Quite fascinating although rather depressing....lots of college students attending the nearby university. One could hear the angelic choirs and musicians practicing, wafting up from the cloisters and hidden rooms.

TOLEDO

On our way back, to Madrid, I took him to Toledo the last and most famous of the Moorish strongholds. It is one of Spain's most beautifully maintained mediaeval cities and has been now recognized as an international "patrimony"....One can look down on the unidentified domes and spires, the shape of the Alcazar, the Tagus River with its high stone banks, embracing the town which at evening was bathed in a light that emphasized its creamy walls and red roofs. We visited the house of El Greco the Greek born, Spaniard who painted those typical elongated and ethereal depictions of spirituality. The church of Santo. Tome housed his famous "Burial of the Count of Orgaz". The Cathedral in Toledo is a riot of everything. Massive pillars, towering arches, somewhat over-decorated and overdone. We visited all the famous places, some very old synagogues dated back to the 10 century. The Jews have been in Spain since Roman times before being ex-pulsed by the catholic kings. The Museo de Sta. Cruz holds religious and architectural treasures and was well worth the visit and time. Originally a hospital built into the shape of a cross with wide arches and high wooden ceilings, it has become a place of treasures and remained an architectural treasure itself. If you had ever had to be sick with some horrible Renaissance disease, this would have been the place to be...a walk in the cloister alone would have cured you...We even had time to visit the Jewish museum, called "Museo del Sefradi"...housing mostly artifacts from the Romans times and basically dealing with one sect called "sefradites"...very interesting and educational to see how the Jews have played such an important part in Spanish history.

Toledo is a real working city as opposed to one preserved for the benefit of the tourist trade. At every turn one wld see real craftsmen working in the original Damascene embossing...the art of engraving and embedding precious metals like silver and gold into baser metals-like iron or copper. Of course, Pat could not resist the knife craftsmanship and would have bought the store if I'd let him. As it is he did bring back a very nice knife because of which I was holding my breath at all the way thru Customs...one could find the master craftsmen doing their thing right inside their shops....and not just for tourists...Toledo is one of the - if not THE - knife making Mecca of the world.

Pat got quite adept at navigating the maze of subways in Madrid and London and taking buses and trains, etc. For a first timer, I was quite impressed. He even brought himself home after we visited Toledo and almost scared his mother and the folks waiting for him at home, to death...he was supposed to take a number of buses and subways and then fell asleep on the last leg and went all the way up the mountain to the Escorial monastery, hitching a ride back down at 11pm..!! Not very smart but he had a big grin of accomplishment when he got home!

There is a funny story about our visit to Toledo.....concerning Bro. Buddy who was staying at the Galapagar house after the Seville convention. When he found out that we had taken the trip to Toledo with one of the sisters in the church in Madrid who also happens to be a prophet, he mentioned that perhaps we should ask the prophet to prophecy where Pat could be since we had lost track of him....I think I got the story right....second or third hand! Sorry if I didn't Bro. Buddy! :)

GIBRALTAR

This was a fascinating one day trip. An incredible mix of British and Spanish. The "llanitos" as they call themselves are really British subjects but are also "gibraltarians"....they speak both languages with a funny little accent which is quite not one or the other. Very friendly and amazingly skilled in driving acrobatics which is a must in the ups and downs of VERY NARROW streets...so narrow in fact that cars come out of the factory with retractable outside mirrors.....and even then they get sheared off....the Barbary monkeys brought in by Churchill during WWII are also quite a sight....they'll grab at anything and one has to hold on to ones possessions. Pat had a good time climbing the Queens Gatehouse (built in the 1800's), which was barred but he scaled it anyway, it goes up to the top of the Rock, almost 1800 feet, but he did not go up all the way because he told us that there was a fort with cannons and he got intimidated....thankfully! The Rock even boasts of its own cavern system with pre historic cavemen remains...

The Spanish brethren were very hospitable and could not do enough to make us comfortable, feeding us the amazingly delicious Spanish food, wines, fruits, dates, etc. In some places they had special fruit for me since they knew how much I liked it and how little we got of it in Alaska.

Everybody was very interested in watching my little home video of our Alaskan lifestyle and marveling at how one did manage up in the cold north....

Just to recap on the Seville convention. There was a good representation of FM. Steve Arsenault gave a very telling word on "why is the woman getting naked in the House of the Lord.." mainly dealing with the lack of modesty inside the church...this was especially conspicuous in the congregation...for some reason many of the female youth are not very modest...even my son remarked on it. The word was good...basically dealing with an inner change and not a status quo....God is in constant motion and change...we will miss it if we don't keep up....my sister did some interpreting as well as Martha (who is an excellent interpreter I feel - excellent command of both languages)...and another woman who has lived in South America for many years. I was glad not to get asked since I haven't done this sort of translating for many years and one loses ones touch...especially with Biblical lingo.

A highlight of the convention was that I was able to meet up with my friend Sara Correa/Weedman. We both worked on Sam Fife booklets for a while, translating them into Spanish and having them printed by Bill Bell...so very long ago it seems. We had kind of lost contact with each other and then she called me out of the blue and asked me if I was going to the Seville convention...what a coincidence! We ended up rooming together and catching up...found out that we both got married the same year....thanks Sara for a lovely time!! Hope we can meet up again soon...

Pat interacted very well with his peers but many times I would find him in the men's dorm just passed out with exhaustion....I think the culture shock got to him after a while. He kept asking me why every body "yelled" so much....did not get used to the level of decibels

SEVILLE

I did take one day to sight-see in Seville. A beautiful city with much southern Andalusia charm. I visited the Royal Alcazar which is a representation of Moorish architecture and splendor at its best. Although the building is empty it is an exquisite example of Arab skill and opulence. Young couples today use it as a setting for weddings and receptions...the only place I could get in without paying by just showing my Spanish passport...rather gratifying. I also ambled through the Jewish quarters, with its picturesque narrow streets, colorful balconies with hanging plants and dark faces peering at one through the window slits. Gypsies and moors and Arabs selling their wares on the sidewalk, castanets, fans, lovely shawls, etc. The cathedral had a queue (?) a mile long so I skipped it much to my hubby's disappointment....I got caught in the middle of a piquet strike of something or other rather scary...

After doing Seville, I went back to Alcala de Guadaira the place where Karenza is sharing a flat with somebody from the body there...and then we kept on sightseeing in the town proper which is also seeped in Moorish ness, boasting its own Moorish castle which is in a sad state of disrepair but very commanding nevertheless. It was just a treat to be with Karen and just wander around like two young girls....sort of recapturing the childhood we sort of were robbed of because of different circumstances growing up in Argentina...a nice time together...Alcala is a quaint city/town once called the "bread bin" of that area, and indeed there is a monument to the "bread maker" or "panadero" in their lovely little central plaza which incidentally also boasts one of the oldest olive trees still alive today, probably hundreds of years old....all twisted up and gnarly.

LONDON

After almost 3 weeks in Spain off we went to London. When we landed there we still had to take a train to my relatives who live in Reading. Fortunately I had knows beforehand that my aunt's place would not really be the best place to stay for Pat so we made a quick transfer to Gatwick and I put him on a plane to Dublin to spend some time with the family at Blessington, Ireland, or Eire, as it is also called. Turned out that was a good move because Pat totally enjoyed himself there...they operate more on a rural routine which is what he is used to up here in Alaska. He was surrounded by folks who spoke his language and had a lovely time. Jon Ritchie was ever so gracious to both of us and made sure our time there was well spent. He took Pat under his wing and sometimes I had to pinch myself to realize that this was the Jon I taught back here at The Land in third grade....time has a way of flying by and kids grow up and circumstances change.....Jon was a dear and we appreciated the hospitality and spirit at Blessington. It was good for me too, to get to know Cathy Giles and Allison who I had never met before. The large 600 year old 20 odd room manor house they all live in is quite unique and set in a bucolic and peaceful setting, with a lake and white woolly sheep and lovely gardens...the perfect setting! Pat want to go back this summer, so we'll see what develops.

While he spent 8 days in Ireland I was left to my own devices in London. I took one and a half days to sight see. I used to live in London in the 70's but as a working girl never did take the time to sight-see as I should have. The same thing happened to me living in Madrid for 10 years. Silly of me! So this was my time to do all the sightseeing I wanted. Many of the popular places like Westminster and St. Paul's were very expensive to go into and some were even closed. But I did get to go on a Thames cruise and a London sightseeing bus tour which was enjoyable. The only lack was that I was on my own....in between I fitted time to be with my aged aunt who is a missionary together with my uncle, to the gypsies in Spain and Cyprus. I also met one of my cousins who was very generous with his time and drove me back and forth to different church events my aunt was involved with. I took a day to go and see Oxford which was a lovely place to visit with all its churches, abbeys and spires and steeples. Steeped in history and traditions. Saw the place were C.S.Lewis spent so many happy years at the Magdalene college.

It was a real treat for me to have some time to see my cousin Lorraine in Bristol. I took the train to her city and we spent a very short but blessed time together...catching up in what little time we had. She was sorry not to have met Pat, he was in Blessington, as her youngest daughter Lowena was there and they are both the same age....next time....

Then it was off to Blessington for 3 days, pick Pat up come back to London and Reading. We took a day to visit the British Museum and Museum of Natural History, both of which are probably some of the best in the world. We walked and walked around until Pat told me he wanted to go back home. By then I think he was ready to come home.

I think that the worst times for him were the waiting at airports....he had books and then just roamed around. There were some scary moments for me in Madrid and London where he wld just forget he was in a big city and just barge off and leave me behind....this was probably the most stressful time for me, the fear of losing him amongst the hoards of humanity. We both concluded that Europe is too crowded, the oriental tourists literally come in masses and just run you down it seems. Too many people, too much pollution. Pat came back appreciating the vastness of Alaska I think....

He slept most-of the long hours crossing the ocean so much so that the BA hostesses asked me if he was dead...jokingly of course, but still-!!

When we got to Seattle we found that we had a 6 hour wait to board a flight to Alaska. I kept going back to the counter and finally got put on an earlier plane and got two free bonus tickets in the bargain... that was a good deal for us.

Pat got on the phone to his buddies as soon as we got to Seattle trying to squeeze 35 days of absence into 2 hours of talking. I think he was glad to be home at last and on US soil! No place like phone....

We found Europe to be very expensive, the US$ was weaker than the Euro and the GBP so one did not have much to show after the change...Public transport was very expensive...Reading to London for example was around $50 and we did that a few times. All of Europe and especially Spain is coming out of some sort of a slump and Spain is considered one of the countries which is undergoing the most development at present...I believe it! Everywhere we looked there were cranes and construction going on, so much so that some of the more popular sites were closed to tourists.

The trip was good, it accomplished the purpose for which it was done, it gave Pat a sense of being part of something far vaster than he thought at first, gave him a taste of other cultures and countries and how other people live, made him more appreciative of what he has back home.....the list goes on and on...

Needless to say my other children and husband were overjoyed at having us back. Robin was especially missing me and it was mutual. This was the first time we were separated since he was born. I will say that husband Pat did an excellent job of taking over my schooling for Robin for the 25 school days we were gone and I could not have done without him. Actually that was the sign from the Lord to me, that this trip was the right thing to do...my main concern was who was to take over Rob's schooling and when Pat said he would be willing to fill in for me...I took this as a green light. Everybody at school reported that they got along famously together and it was rather cute to see father and son amble onto school every morning.

A funny story here is that one of the teachers overheard my husband Pat telling Robin that: " today is October 15th...." turned out he was about a week off and the teacher eventually told him so....but not after hearing him telling his attentive pupil the wrong date for about 3 days! :)

Thank-you all who prayed for us and supported us in various ways. God is good and He brought us back safely home which is no mean feat, considering all the unrest in the world at present.

Blessings to all.

Gri Buongiorne The Land Dry-Creek Alaska