Spring Fair in Catalunya

I interrupt my series of posts of our Malta trip to bring you...pictures of the Feria de Abril de Catalunya 2013! Barcelona's feria is a local version of the ferias of Andalucia in the south. As we have been attending this spring event every year since Paloma was a baby, we couldn't miss out on the opportunity to put her in her infamous traje de gitana, could we? This time, we went with some co-workers of Fernando to share some conversation and laughs.

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Las tres meninas? No, just the daughters of Fernando's co-workers in their ruffly dresses. Let's hit the fair!

It's fun to see the explosion of colors in the casetas, pop-up restaurants that are sponsored by different organizations.

Red and white.

Jose Antonio and Oscar drink to health.

Some lovely ladies dance some flamenco.

Paloma made her way through the tables to join in on some fun.

Shake it, girls!

We took a stroll outside to check out the scene. Food on display.Some trajes. Ruffly green.

Printed flowers.

They come in all shapes and sizes.

You can never be too old to put on the traje.

We went to another caseta which was ready to serve the crowds.

Paloma shares a quick hug with Juan Antonio's daughter before they tear up the dance floor.

Laughing at some funny dance moves.

Who's photobombing this shot?

Thanks for visiting!

Għajn Tuffieħa Beach

As I was packing our bags for our trip to Malta, it didn't feel right bringing our swimsuits and towels since Barcelona was having a bit of a chilly spell. But I'm glad I did! We went to Ghajn Tuffieha beach for some sun and swim. And...I was so excited to bring my underwater camera, which Fernando gave my for my birthday last year and was stuck for months in the US with my parents and couldn't be sent for customs reasons. (It finally made it here in October.) I'd been dying to dunk that bad boy! Warning: pictures galore!

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We took some long stairs down to the bay.

The calm water. Let's strip!

Wait! What are those mauve-colored floaty things in the water? See them?

Aw, look how cute. A jellyfish!

 Fernando dared to go in but carried Paloma the whole time. Careful....careful with our firstborn!

I was afraid to get some leakage in my Canon PowerShot D20 like some unfortunate Amazon customers said they had. But it finally took the plunge. Hey lookie! Success. Dry camera!

Meanwhile, Paloma played in the sand while Baby worked on her tan.

Fernando went to fetch some water for Paloma and accidentally got Mr. Jellyhead. Kewl!!

Don't tell me this isn't one hot bod. 

I don't think you're ready for this jelly. Jellyfish picture overload! 

After some research, I saw that these are called mauve stingers. Isn't it just angelic?

A group of jellies having fun on the sandy floor.
One swims our way.  Jellyfish fact #1: It's not proven beneficial to pee on a wound after someone has been stung. (Thanks, "Friends".) Wash it with saltwater.

Fun fact #2: Jellyfish do not have brains. Therefore, next time you want to insult someone, you can call them a jellyfish. Why?, they'll say. Because they don't have brains, like you! Ha!

Upfront and personal.

This one kisses the rocks.

And this one kisses the sun. Bloop, bloop, bloop...

 Fun fact #3: They are not fish but actually plankton, and they have nerves at the end of their tentacles.

 Love how its tentacles just float. Thanks for risking your life taking these pictures, Fernando.

  After, we had some lunch at the adjacent restaurant looking at the water.

 Bros forever.

It was indeed a great day.

Valletta - The Capital

Malta's capital city, Valletta has beautiful streets with architecture from 16th century Baroque to Modernism. It's considered one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world. We were here twice! From Juan Pablo's house, you could either drive or cross the harbor by boat.

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We opted by boat the first time around.

The Ruiz brothers enjoying the wind tousle their hair.

Oh so blue.

A panoramic view of this historic gem as we approached it.

We strolled by the ruins of the Royal Opera House, which was hit in 1942 during World War II.

We were lucky to be traveling when tourist season was just starting.

Paloma enjoys a quiet city stroll.

One of the most important sites is St. John's Co-Cathedral, which was built in the 1570s.

The interior is quite ornate and dark.

Gold, gold, and more gold trimming.

The floor is covered in tombstones, often with images of skeletons, a symbol of life and its mortality.

I can't get enough of the bold-colored doors and windows outside.

Not really captured in this photo, there were a few hilly streets that was reminiscent of the multi-leveled city of San Francisco.

Catholicism is symbolically everywhere. Images of Mary and Jesus make me feel safe.

Paloma relaxes with a chocolate ice cream al fresco.

She also loved hopping on these bicycles sprinkled around town.

We went to the Barracca Gardens to get a great view of the Grand Harbour.
Here, there's also a saluting battery, which used to protect the city against naval attacks.

This couple enjoys the view while sitting on someone's oversized tomb. Sure, why not.

We got some nice light at the end of the day.

We took in the panorama a little bit more. 

Thanks for visiting!