Summer of Fun 2013 – Part 1
We had an amazing summer! After such a cold winter and no
real Spring, we were desperate for sunshine – that became the focus of our
summer. School ended on June 14th, and the next day the girls and I
hopped on a plane and headed to southern Spain. We stayed at a villa on the
beach (Oasis Club) between Marbella and Puerto Banus. We had high hopes of
mixing beach time with tourist time driving and visiting many other places
(Granada, Ronda, Gibraltar, etc.), but the end-of-the-year exhaustion
overwhelmed us and we ended up just sleeping and relaxing. Not a bad option –
the sun was out, it was warm…perfect for us.
In Old Town Marbella
Beach along the Golden Mile
Deck outside my bedroom where I spent many hours
R & C enjoying pool time at the villa
After one week in the Costa del Sol region of Spain, we
boarded a train and headed to Seville. Seville is such a beautiful city. We
explored, wandered, visited, ate and just generally soaked it all in. It was
very hot there – over 100°F at 8:00 at night – so we embraced the whole siesta
ideal and relaxed every afternoon either in the hotel pool (we stayed at the
Hotel Dona Maria) or in our air conditioned rooms. We enjoyed delicious Spanish
tapas and some of the best Italian food we’ve had in ages. We all fell in love
with Spain and look forward to returning again. Next time I won’t plan any
vacations until a week after school is out so we can be more rested and raring
to go!
Sevilla's cathedral (3rd largest in Europe) lit up at night
Sean & girls in the Alcazar (oldest Royal Palace in use in Europe)
Courtyard in the Alcazar
View from the bell tower of the Cathedral
Trying to cool off along the river in the heat
Inside the Cathedral
The girls and I had only 2 days back in France before we had
to head off to our next vacation destination. We spent the time doing laundry,
packing and saying goodbye to some friends who were moving away. Our first stop
in the United States was Blue Springs, Missouri for a Way family reunion. It
was so great to see our family – both immediate (my parents and sister were at
the reunion) and extended. It’s always wonderful to be reminded of how fun the
Way family is – fish frys, boating, parties, bbqs, and of course, lots of
Budweiser! Sean was able to escape from work for the weekend and join us, which
was great.
Having fun on a pontoon with my cousins
My sister and I with Barbara & Andy in the background
R & C wearing their reunion t-shirts with pride
From Missouri we flew off to Los Angeles to start our
vacation in California eager to visit friends & family and get in some good
beach time.
To be continued…
Grandpa Frank lookin' good in a mullet!
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