Tutu and Bubba come to Barcelona!

My parents finally made it to Barcelona! Their lives have been very busy since we moved here, but, thankfully, they were able to visit for two weeks this month! One of the catalysts for the timing was their dear friends' plan for a cruise that ended in Barcelona. So, they planned accordingly and were able to spend a few days seeing the sites with lifelong friends, the Calhouns and the Carrolls, combined with a visit with us and quick trips to Cadaques and Homps, France.

Needless to say, we had a wonderful time together. Lots of fun memories were made. Neither of them had ever been to Barcelona so it was exciting to share the city with them. They were here over Easter and we had a few days off so we took them to one of our favorite places, Cadaques. We then spent a couple of days on the Canal du Midi drinking wine and being French!

The pictures I took are plentiful so I will let them tell you the whole story! Enjoy!

The morning they arrived, our apartment was without water due to an issue in the building. So, no showers for them after an overnight flight, but we managed! India was so happy they were here!

India was thrilled to see Tutu and Bubba and happy that they were jet lagged and lazy!

Our apartment is chilly so my dad chased the sun. He was clever and took one of the chairs from our back patio and put it outside the front door on the sidewalk. He sat out there, with beer in hand, reading.

Lunch out with my mom!

Cheers for lunch with my dad!

We spent one evening in our "place" having drinks and tapas. This is dad's grande gin & tonic!

Cheers from Barcelona. Mom enjoyed her share of Sangria! Plus, she was keen on Vermouth. Very Spanish!

Of course, we did some shopping along Passeig de Gracia. Here my mom is at the Barca store after buying t-shirts for Hamer, Canham and Jamie!

They got all dressed up for a fancy dinner out at Butafumeiro with their friends!

We tried all forms of transportation. Here we are on the bus going someplace fun!

The Calhouns and Carrolls came over for drinks and then we went out for tapas. They had spend the previous days doing all sorts of site seeing that we had recommended. It was fun to show them Gracia!

Here is the gang across the street from our apartment. Looks like trouble to me!

Dad at Bar Mut in Cadaques. It was chilly and he got used to wearing Bucky's scarf!

Wine of course in Cadaques! The apartment we stayed in was right on the water close to this bar. It was amazing!

Our first meal in Cadaques and also my first glass of wine after six weeks alcohol free. I gave it up for Lent, and decided to celebrate early since mom and dad were here! Dad had the best veal of his life at this place along the water. We heard about it the entire trip and he tried to top it with other meals, but no luck!

The view from our Airbnb. My parents spent HOURS - I mean HOURS - looking out of these windows and analyzing what was going on. It was hilarious!

View from our window at night.

My mom and me at Casa Nun restaurant in Cadaques. 

Preparing for a long, slow walk to Dali's house in Port Lligat. 

Walking along the water to Dali's house.

Bucky and I have been looking for a Plasencia box forever! It is Venice's last name! Dad spotted it when he went to get bread in the morning and then Bucky went down and charmed the guy who gave it to him! We were so happy!

Now we are in Homps, France, on the Canal du Midi. Lovely town!

Bucky and Dad reading about some historical site in Homps. 

Cheers from the garden of our Airbnb in Homps!

More cheers!

We took a barge ride along the Canal du Midi. It was cool going through the locks. Really cool!

Bucky and me on the barge!

Another meal in our garden!

Spring is spectacular in the south of France!

This is such a cute little street in Homps. The guy is pretty cute too!

This was hilarious! On Easter Sunday, we went to Carcassone before heading back to Barcelona. We had lunch in the medieval city and then went to get these pictures taken. Mom had seen it on our way to lunch and thought it would be fun. That was an understatement!

Here we were told to be happy.

Obviously, we were told to be serious here!

In front of the old city of Carcassone.

Kir royals all around!

Always on the lookout for a vide grenier, we found one in the cute town of Azille!

Back in Barcelona, we visited Parc Guell!

More medical endeavors in Spain!

Bucky and I have had our share of medical challenges here in Barcelona. He had a torn retina and then I have a renal infarction which both taught us lots about the medical system and improved our Spanish language skills. The latest lesson came from cataract surgery that Bucky underwent earlier this month.

When he had the torn retina, the doctor said that cataract surgery would be required eventually, and that time arrived. There were multiple appointments needed to prep for the surgery and administrative tasks to complete. Getting insurance approval for surgery is never fun, but just imagine doing it in a language that you don't speak that well! Another challenge was registering for the public medical system so that Bucky could get time off of work for the surgery and recovery. Luckily, our Spanish speaking friend, Kevin, helped us with this task which made things much easier!

It is definitely an interesting system. We have private insurance through my employer, but you have to register for the public system to get time off. Then, after the surgery, I had to take a document to the public medical office to get documentation stating that Bucky needed time off to recover.

In terms of the actual surgery, things went as well as could be expected when someone is operating on your eyeball. The doctor, who speaks English thank goodness, met with us afterward and said all went well. She sent us home with a long list of instructions for after surgery care which Bucky followed religiously.

He went to his follow up appointment a few days later with high hopes. He learned that the cataract had been removed successfully, but that the doctor had put in the wrong lens. During additional follow up appointments, we discovered that due to an issue with his cornea, he has to undergo another surgery on the same eye. Never a fun thing to hear. As the story develops and the adventure continues, I will keep you posted on his progress! In the meantime, his unique sense of humor remains intact as he gathers more fodder for stories to tell to whoever will listen!

Before surgery. Waiting for the taxi to pick us up.

What a handsome guy!

Resting after surgery.

Another after surgery view!

Heading home in the taxi to recover!