Time flies! It was just a short, four years ago (2015) that we took our grandchildren Gregory and Mitchell to Switzerland. Roselie and I had decided that instead of giving grandchildren cash or ‘stuff,’ we would gift them a memorable experience. The ‘gift’ would be a two-week trip or adventure, with us – to anywhere in the world, of their choosing. The goal was to have a memorable experience that would be with them their entire lives. The hope is to broaden and internationalize their world view, to change their horizon of the future and see what is possible. It would also serve as a learning experience for us, as we build our relationship with them, and ‘see’ these trips through their eyes. To implement this, we would take the group of grandchildren [2 or 3] from each of the five families as soon as they were old enough to take care of and manage themselves. [And NO, their parents cannot tag along….even if they pay their own way.] Our first trip was in 2014, when we traveled to Japan with Nicholas and Jackson. This year we are taking the third and youngest set yet: Alex (16) and Erin (14) to Spain. We had encouraged them to think about where and why they wanted to go. That is a challenging assignment at this age. The choice of Spain reflects their current interest (soccer). The soccer team, Real Madrid, is one of the top teams in the world and Alex’s favorite. Let’s also acknowledge the heavy dose of encouragement from their father, Bill, who had a memorable experience in Spain when he was about 8 years old. I’m delighted at their choice, whatever the reason since I’ve never been to Spain which has been on my list for years. It is rich in history, culture, and of course, cuisine.

The adventure begins on Monday, June 24th, when we board our flight to Barcelona. The rich, fun-filled itinerary has been a work in progress for the past nine months. Barcelona, Camp Nou Barcelona Soccer Team Stadium, Picasso Museum, Paddle Surfing on the Mediterranean, Granada, Gibraltar, Tapas and Paella dishes, Prado Museum, and a camel ride on a day-trip to Tangier, and others….here we come!