Next Couple Days

DAY 2

Getting up slightly earlier (we're working on it!), we ate our store bought cereal and yogurt and headed out to the bank for the second time (the first time it was closed late afternoon).  We walked through the big city park near our apartment (below is the "main attraction" but only one small area of the park)...

Continuing our walk to the bank, we happened by a chocolate factory and just had to stop in...our tickets were chocolate bars!  Soooo many displays made out of chocolate.  These are a bear and a scene from the book Don Quixote.

Got to the bank by 2:20...CLOSED again!  Should we really have stopped at the chocolate factory?  YES!  :)

Below are a couple cool art pieces somewhat near our apartment, and which we have walked by many a time already.

Off to the beach...past the marina first...

Here is the beach near where we are living.  This is the boys' first exposure to European toplessness...up close.  Nicholas was more taken aback at the men in speedos.  Pretty much all women were in bikinis.  I was the stand-out modest American in a tankini.  :)  Nicholas told me that I need to buy a bikini because all the women wear bikinis and thongs..."but DON'T wear a thong!" he stressed.  No persuading needed.

Playing in the water with Dad...

 Jacob about to do a back-flip off Ray, who is underwater about to burst upward...

By American standards, this is an unsafe but super fun climbing rope tower on the beach.  We all climbed to the top.  Glad everywhere is not like America!

DAY 3

Ray and I left the apartment early to get that bank account.  Once we arrived and waited 30 minutes, we were told we needed to go to the police station for an NIE number first.  Hmmmm....

On the first day, we had made our first attempt at going to the police station to find out about our one year residency cards (as we were told to do by the Spain Consulate in San Francisco).  The police officer had told us to go to a different police station where we could take care of that.  Off we went today with the boys today to that station...to no avail.  We were told we must make appointments first, then we can come back.  However we learned that we already had our NIE number on our visas to open that bank account!

We went to a bank (attempt #4) close to that police station...waited over 45 minutes, only to be told we should be opening an account at a location closest to where we are living, as branches are not "equal" like in America.  You must take care of many things at the location where you opened your account.  The branch we were at was NOT close to where we live.

HOWEVER, while we were there, we met a couple people who were very helpful.  One woman overheard our plight and said she had gone through the whole bank and visa process five years ago and would be really happy to help us.  We stepped outside the bank, talked a while, and then she invited us to have dinner with her and her fiancee.  This ended up being the most unexpected and wonderful day!!  Alya and Alberto are the most joyous and welcoming new friends.  Alya is from Lebanon, and Alberto from northern Spain.  Both are in the fashion design industry.  She told of her experiences through two wars in Lebanon (wow).  She made us an amazing Lebanese version of fajitas, complete with fabulous sauces and custard-like dessert.  She sent us home with a bag full of goodies, including dried mint and herbs from her parents' garden in Lebanon.  This is one of those days that could never be planned but was so fulfilling and joyful with our new friends.  They also gave us SO much advice on much needed information, not to mention great restaurants to try out!  Below is our Lebanese dinner with Alya.

I think the reason we have made 4 attempts thus far to open a bank account is to make these friends, Alya and Alberto!  

Our late return home on the metro...