Carpe Diem.  La Vida Loca. However you bounce it, once in a while it is important to do something wild or crazy; out of the ordinary.  Spice it up.  We think skydivers and mountain climbers of the top 5 peaks are wild and daring.  Skydivers think extreme surfers of 80 ft. waves are crazy and daring.  Some people think our Nomadic life is wild and crazy.   It’s all relative.

We have to admit that traveling non-stop the last 20 years has been quite a ride!  Quite an unforgettable adventure!  When we shut our eyes the kaleidoscope of vibrant experiences we have seen and lived is non- stop.  Smells, flavors, sounds, illusions.  Traveling forces a person into the NOW and we have connected to the world around us, in the present, in so many ways, in so many places.

To us this has become our ‘normal’.  Slowly circumnavigating the globe, open to what appears; is how we live.  When looking at what we have done in 20 years it seems a bit overwhelming.  But if you break it down into day by day it all seems more manageable.  Many days are just quiet chillan’; punctuated by extraordinary wild and crazy experiences of la Vida Loca.  Dangerous truck or bus rides through the Himalayas are followed by lazy days in a hammock doing nothing.  Flying half way around the world from the Sub-Antarctic is followed by lazily swimming through the lagoons of Bora Bora.   Balance.

We must always be learning new things to simply survive in our new environments, or as we call home.  Home is where we lay our heads for the night, the place we come back to after a hike.  From there our heart extends to family and friends around the globe.  Our home is the world.  New friends abound at each port.  The curiosity of what lies around the next corner or over the next hill, seems to spur us on.   To each his own. 

This is normal for us but not for most people.  Especially the credit card fraud departments in our virtual life, who keep trying to put us in a box or category.  Let’s see………….. Maybe because:
We our permanent address is on the mainland U.S.
Our c.c. billing address in Hawaii
We are currently in Indonesia
Booking a ticket from Sardenia to Malta
Through a Travel company in South Africa

 or

We have U S dollars paying for a rental in Bali through a manager in Australia to be passed to the owners in Canada, simple? Yeah, right.
We think globally (global citizens not globalists), but not everyone shares those ideas. Maybe that’s why I know some of the representatives of these credit card fraud departments by first name!!  The Vida Loca is not without challenges at times.

Spain. Like France, Joseph and I have been to Spain countless times, from top to bottom, from the mountains of Andalucía to the Balearic Islands or the Andulucian Costa del Sol. The seductive islands of Mallorca, soothing Menorca, and always-chic Ibiza wait to be explored.

Spain’s eight centuries of Islamic rule produced some of its most spectacular architecture, particularly across Andalucía. The not to be missed jewels of Moorish Al-Andalus are Granada’s Alhambra, Córdoba’s Mezquita-Catedral and Seville’s Real Alcázar. 

The Iberian Peninsula has been a coveted land through the ages. 
”First came the Phoenicians, then the Greeks, and then the Carthaginians. From Europe came the Celts, who settled with native Iberian tribes and merged to become Celtiliberians. They were followed by the Romans who coveted the great mineral wealth of the peninsula. The Roman Empire fell in the 5th century and in the 8th century they were conquered by Arab and Berber invaders from North Africa, known as Moors.

Under the Moors, much of Spain, then called Al Andalus, thrived, and science, architecture, and the decorative arts flourished. The Moorish influence is still evident in architecture and customs throughout the country.

Of course, the Moors would not be the final victors. By this time, a number of divergent cultures existed throughout the peninsula, with many possessing a strong sense of independence (even today, many Basques and Catalans do not consider themselves to be Spanish).

Separated Christians to the North and Moors to the south, Spain was at last unified through the marriage of Isabel I of Castile and Fernando II of Aragon, and Granada was reclaimed by the “Catholic Monarchs”. The holy war continued by way of the Spanish Inquisition wherein large numbers of non-Christians were persecuted and often sentenced to death. Despite this turmoil, Spain flourished in art and architecture during this period. Further, Spain embarked on an age of discovery as the voyages of Columbus and the conquistadors opened new vistas in the New World. This Golden Age, which lasted through the 16th century, was also one of the great artistic and literary periods, producing the lasting achievements of such notable painters as El Greco and Valzquez; such writers as Cervantes; and such dramatists as Lope de Vega and Calderon de la Barca.” (europeupclose.com)

 Living through the World Wars and civil war, Spain with its hot-blooded spirit has thrived. They like it ‘spicy’!  Spain is known for its zesty food, Flamenco music and dance, siesta, bullfights, horses, arts and literature, architecture, a Moorish heritage, its islands, Mediterranean beaches, wines, olive oil, fruits and vegetables, and football (soccer).

 This visit we focused on Barcelona.  Within minutes we found ourselves lost in a sea of yellow and red.  Spain vs. Catalonian independence.  But this demonstration took on a new twist.  The majority of the groups were marching together with signs proclaiming “Together in Peace” between the two factions.  In a jovial mood the demonstrators stopped off at a local tapas bar for lunch.  In we went, caught up in the positive, fun energy of the group.  Spicy indeed.

 One day we tried the Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus.  We covered many areas and sites from scenic views up above Barcelona to vibrant coastal areas and the pulsating city sandwiched in-between.  

Exploring Catalonia’s alluring capital with its irresistible architecture instantly brings life to the Modernista wonders created by Gaudí, and others in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  The crown exhibits are of course La Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo and many other almost surreal, fairy tale type structures.  Parks, waterfronts, boulevards, tapas, friendly crowds; the perfect place to spend time enjoying and Livin’ “La Vida Loca”.



And so it goes…………………………………..Next a parting look at Italy, (before we fly back through Russia to Bangkok).   Until then Keep Laughing, Keep Living Life to the Fullest, and remember to get wild and crazy once in a while. Make the most of time you have available or the time you have left!  Live that Vida Loca!  Take care and thanks for keeping in touch!!

Love, Light & Laughter, 

xo  Nancy & Joseph