Brianna Walker

“Camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente” is a Spanish proverb which translates to “the shrimp that falls asleep is carried by the current.”

So don’t let the world pass you by — stay awake and be proactive. Or at least that’s what I was trying to convince the kids to do as they snuggled deeper into their blankets when we arrived in port in Spain.

Our week in France had ended and we had boarded a ship for a 21-night cruise. The itinerary enticed quite a few friends to join us on our adventure — it was like the adult version of a slumber party.

Spain was so much warmer than France had been, hitting nearly 50 degrees — for which we were all thankful. But it didn’t take us long before we decided that “the rain in Spain falls mainly … on tourists without umbrellas!” We were like drowned rats wondering around ancient towns and towering castles. I felt a bit guilty walking through impressive cathedrals squishing water with each step.

As in most of Europe, bathrooms cost money to use, and toilet paper isn’t guaranteed — however, we learned that in Spain, Starbucks offers their bathrooms for free. When taking a family of four to use the bathroom costs between 5 and 10 bucks, we began planning our outings around lunch and Starbucks.

Traveling isn’t always about finding new things to explore, but about finding appreciation in home. This was one of those times. I appreciated America’s free bathrooms, free rest areas and free toilet paper.

Wanting a place to dry out (and use the bathroom), we stopped at a cute little cafe that advertised hot chocolate. We each ordered a cup, and were pleasantly surprised to discover they came with fresh baked churros. When the cups came though, we were even more surprised when they came with spoons. “Hot chocolate” wasn’t a drink … it was thick, hot, melted chocolate to dip our churros in. The only resemblance to the hot chocolate we were expecting was its arrival in a mug!

We spent several days in Spain, and once we finally decided we really needed an umbrella, the rain headed west to find other tourists to get wet. There was so much to see and not enough time to see it in: Christopher Columbus’ grave, flamenco dances, local food and, of course, the architecture.

According to legend, one of the cathedrals we toured housed the remains of the Apostle James. Construction had begun in 1075. My mind struggled to fathom the history that those walls have seen. I could have stopped at any of those places and just let my mind wander to what it must have been like hundreds of years ago.

To keep me moving along, my kids teased me with “If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet.” I had to admire their use of one of my favorite quotes, even if the context was a bit off.

We had a lovely time in Spain. We even took a horse and buggy ride around one of the old towns, enjoying the clip-clopping of the hooves on the cobblestone streets. I couldn’t have imagined it better. It was travel, it was education, it was history — it was everything a family vacation should be.

We even learned a few Spanish proverbs:

“No vendas la piel del oso antes de cazarlo.” Don’t sell the bear’s hide before you hunt it. (Don’t count your chickens before they hatch).

“No hay que ahogarse en un vaso de agua.” It isn’t necessary to drown oneself in a glass of water. (Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.)

We also learned a few silly jokes:

“What do you call a small mosque in Spain?

— A mosquito!”

“Which bus went from Spain to America?

— Columbus.”

And yet, those things weren’t the things my youngest was most excited about. His favorite times involved a ball and a cow.

As we were crossing a street once, we saw a yellow ball nearly get hit by a car. Then a dirt bike swerved around it. Then another car hit it and it popped out the back. One of our friends dashed into the street to rescue the ball and handed it to my youngest son to play with. He kicked that ball all over Spain: through streets and back alleys, through parks and sidewalks.

When it came time to board the bus, we’d planned on leaving the ball in a park somewhere. That plan, however, did not come together. He wanted that ball more than any other souvenir from Spain. That ball went with us for the next several weeks.

The other highlight happened while walking down a narrow cobblestoned road in a very old section of town. There in front of one of the shops was a cow with an umbrella advertising their wares.

“I want a picture with the cow!” my youngest exclaimed.

He went running over to it, I raised my camera, and before I knew what was happening, he knelt down, grabbed her teats as if he were milking her and smiled at the camera. You can take the boy out of the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the boy!