The Mayer Family

On Tuesday, I was able to go hiking again with my friend Miguel. We drove about 20 miles out of the city of Granada and up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We hiked a couple hundred feet above the Rio Genil (Genil River) to its beginning point where two little mountain streams converge for its start. We ended up hiking around 26 kilometers (15 miles) round-trip. Needless to say, I was quite sore the following day.

Looking down into the area we hiked

El Castaño Gordo—The Fat Chestnut—Thought to be 600-700 years old

Waterfall

Las Minas de la Estrella—The Star Mines—used many years ago for mining iron

The beginning of the Genil River

Mountain goats

The hike had to be one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on and I also thoroughly enjoyed being able to discuss all sorts of things with Miguel like: Our passion for soccer/football, raising children, religion, Jesus, etc. on our hike. It was certainly a hike that I’ll not forget for a long time. There is just something about being in nature that just naturally makes me think of what heaven will be like and what it will be like enjoying nature and hiking with Jesus, the creator of all this immense beauty.
—Kevin

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This evening we met our friend Jose, and a new friend Mae from Taiwan for a paseo (walk) through Sacromonte, which is an old section of town with many cave-homes. Mae is living in Spain for six months to learn Spanish, and Jose wants to improve his Chinese, so they are meeting to exchange language practice. Jose is amazing with languages at his age, and considers it a hobby to studies languages. He is able to converse in 8 different languages.

Here is a view from Sacromonte of La Alhambra lit up at night.

Mae, Jose, Wendy & Ellie

Yesterday for Thanksgiving Day, we heard of a local Mexican restaurant that was serving a traditional American Thanksgiving meal (strange combination, huh?), so we went and took our Brazilian neighbors with us. The food was good, but didn’t quite compare with family home-cooked. We had a nice day, and are thankful for the friends we have here. We really missed being with family, but have a lot to thank God for. He has clearly guided us through the last months and years and we are truly grateful.

The other morning, we woke up to giggling in the next room. This is how I found Evan and Ellie. They sleep in the same room, but in their own beds.

-Wendy

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This weekend, I enjoyed spending time with our neighbor Miguel, who has become a good friend of ours. On Saturday, Evan and I went hiking with Miguel, his son Miguel Jr., and his brother-in-law Manolo. We went to a hiking area in the mountains west of Granada. It was great to get out of the hustle and bustle and noise of the city and breathe some good, fresh mountain air.

Ancient cistern where water was funneled through aqueducts to Granada nearly 20 miles away

Afterwards, I was able to get back in time to watch the second half of the Ohio State/Michigan game at a local restaurant. GO BUCKS!
Sunday, I had the opportunity to go to my first professional European futbol (soccer) game with Miguel. I really enjoyed it! (Don’t worry, I still like American football better) Granada won 1-0! Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I’ll have to take pictures at a later game.
--Kevin

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Last night Ellie and I went to the birthday party of some little friends. Esther turned three on November 12 and Alaynis turned one on November 14. The neat thing is that their birthdays are exactly the same days as MY sisters! We met their mother, Marjorie, a while back on the playground. We had a fun time and made some new friends at the party. There were nine little children there, all ages three or under, except one that was six years old! There wasn’t a dull moment!

After all the three and under crowd took cute little gentle swings at the piñata, it was time for the six year old to finish it off! My friend Marjorie is in the center and my new friend Alejandra on the left.

Aren’t they adorable?!

Ellie and Esther

Esther and Alaynis, the birthday girls

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On Tuesday we visited the Parque de las Ciencias here in Granada (Science Park). We all enjoyed our time there.

Our family grew quickly! Ahhh…

Evan LOVED playing with this contraption with balls that a man from Granada invented and donated to the Science Park

Observation tower

View of Granada from the Observation tower

There was a temporary exhibit of Poisonous Animals including snakes, spiders, plants and etc. I was glad they were securely caged.

Tropical Butterfly house

On Wednesday we used our rental car to take a road trip about 1 ½ hours away to an area in the Sierra Nevada Mountains called La Alpujarra. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed the beautiful rugged scenery. We visited three small towns snuggled in the mountains… Pampaneira, Bubion and Capileira.

Here we are stopping for a break along the winding road to try to avoid being carsick. Evan and Ellie love to explore this cave. This picture is from inside the cave looking out.

These handmade rugs are a trademark of the Alpujarras.

Playing on a playground in the first town, Pampaneira.

The view looking up from the first town (Pampaneira) to the two towns above (Bubion on the right, and Capileira on the left)

Grandpa enjoying the view

Back at our apartment...

Thanks so much Dad and Mom for coming to visit us! We loved having you here and treasured each moment we had together. We appreciate all you did for us! Thanks for washing all our dishes, Mom! We will never forget our time together, and look forward to the next visit!

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Happy Birthday to my dear sisters! Yesterday was Starla’s birthday and tomorrow will be Catrina’s! We all love you and miss you so much! Hope your days are special!

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We started this morning by eating breakfast at Pension Landazuri, the hotel where we stayed when we first arrived in Spain. Dad & Mom were able to meet our friends Matilda, Manolo and Margarita, who run the Pension. Margarita and her family are also our neighbors. After a great breakfast, good conversation and remembering the days when we first arrived in Spain, we headed to the San Nicolas viewpoint, which gives an incredible view of the Alhambra and the Albayzin.

Afterwards we took the bus down to visit the San Jeronimo Monastery

The inside of the Church at the Monastery

Fruit market

Enjoying fruit from the market

We somehow ended up at Plaza Bibrambla (birdie place) again, and Evan and Ellie had fun feeding and chasing the birds

Also in Plaza Bibrambla, we enjoyed a nice snack of Churros con chocolate

Winding down the day with table games…tonight with Evan’s new favorite, UNO!

About our day on Sunday…
We left our house 1 ½ hours before the church service started to attempt making it there on time. We’ve never had much luck with the bus system on Sunday mornings, as they are usually a bit irregular, and have always ended up walking the ½ hour to church and one time we didn’t make it at all. However, this Sunday morning we caught both buses needed just at the right time, and made it to church one hour early. So we spent some time walking through the Garcia Lorca Park just across the street, and Evan & Ellie enjoyed the playground there.

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Saturday morning after enjoying French toast and sausages for breakfast, Grandpa and Grandma took Evan and Ellie to the playground so that Kevin and I could clean the house. Later, we took them to one of our favorite tapas restaurants, Taberna de Baco, for lunch. As he often does, Evan asked “Can you tell me a story about when you were little?” Grandpa and Grandma can always come up with an interesting story to tell.

Afterwards we did some walking to places like Plaza Nueva (a popular square with a fountain), and Paseo de los Tristes (a street that runs below the Alhambra along the Darro River with lots of shops and restaurants, and today, lots of people). We also walked along the Cuesta de Gomerez, the street where we stayed at Pension Landazuri when we first arrived.

We ended the day with a DATE, just Kevin and I, NO kids! It was wonderful to have a chance to be alone together to talk without interruptions! Thanks SO much, Grandpa and Grandma, for babysitting! We enjoyed tea and crepes at a tea shop and did some walking. We hiked to the top of the hill to see the beauty of the city lit up at night, and had fun talking and catching up.

Friday morning we all went to Mercadona, one of our favorite grocery stores to do a little shopping. Afterwards, we met our friend Jose in a park close by so that he could meet dad and mom. They enjoyed meeting him and being able to put a face to someone we talk about a lot.

We had Schwarmas for lunch at one of our favorite little restaurants in El Realejo, our section of town, and then rode the Granada City Sightseeing bus for a tour around the city.

We stopped for a break from the bus tour at the Carthusian Monastery, which is a lavish baroque monastery on the outskirts of town. It has been said that the inside of the church looks as if it has been squirted out of a can of whipped cream. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed, but it was true…it was very lavish and white and whipped cream-ish.

We ended the day with a game of Dutch Blitz, much to Evan’s delight.

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Today we took Grandpa and Grandma to see the Alhambra (Moorish palace) and sights around it. We had a full day with lots of walking, but enjoyed the beautiful blue clear sky and sunshine, and of course the awesome sights.

Touring the Alhambra…
The Alcazaba (old fort, ruins and tower with a great view of the city)

View of the Albayzin (the old Moorish quarter of the city) from the tower in the Alcazaba

Touring the Palacios Nazaries, the incredible Moorish palace

Stopping for a break

After visiting the Alhambra, Evan informed us that “The Alhambra will look like a dump compared to heaven!” He’s right, and we can’t wait to see the incredible things God is preparing for us!

Yesterday we visited the Granada Cathedral, which is the second largest in Spain and the Royal Chapel, a gothic style building that holds the remains of Queen Isabel and King Fernando.

The outside of the Cathedral

The inside of the Cathedral

We also walked around the city a bit and stopped by Plaza Bibrambla where Evan & Ellie fed and chased the pigeons…

…and showed them the spot where God led us to our friend Jose for the first time. Here is Kevin pointing it out…

We're having a great time so far!
-Wendy

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Grandpa and Grandma Mayer and Kevin arrived safely Monday night! Wendy, Evan & Ellie went to the airport to meet them and surprised Grandpa and Grandma who didn’t know we would be meeting them there! It was a happy reunion after being separated from them for 8 months! Evan and Ellie couldn’t get enough of being near them on the bus ride to our house. Even Ellie seemed to remember them and warmed up quickly, and wanted to sit on their laps on the ride home. We were also very excited to see Kevin again since he had been gone from us for 12 days!

Kevin spotted us first at the airport

Lots of hugs

Ellie on Grandpa’s lap in the bus on the ride from the airport to our home

We are happy to see each other again!

We arrived at our house around midnight and after putting the children to bed, spent some time going through all the suitcases loaded with gifts…some for now, some for Christmas! Wow…what a load! Thanks to everyone who sent something for us! We stayed up unto 2:30 emptying suitcases!

Tuesday morning we slept in a little and took it easy in the morning, then took a little walk up the street to show them a little of our area of town. After lunch and rest time we took another little trip to a favorite spot in the city…Birdie Place #1 (named by Evan and Ellie…actually Plaza Bibrambla).

Evan’s response to a gift from Grandpa & Grandma Byler…Thanks! I think I was just about as excited! I read the book as a child and can’t wait to see the movie.

Evan enjoyed reading all the notes from his friends at Shiloh! Thanks everyone!

Ready for bed!

-Wendy

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Evan, Ellie and I are all very excited for tomorrow to come, when dad comes home and he brings Grandpa and Grandma Mayer with him! The last 11 days have gone better than expected without Kevin here. Thanks to everyone who prayed for us! Here are some things we’ve been doing the last few days…

Opening surprise packages that came in the mail! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Byler and Judy Yutzy!

Enjoying the contents of the packages!

Evan giving Ellie a “ride” with lots of giggles

Friday afternoon, my friend Marjorie invited us to her house, and her friend Alejandra who grew up in Mexico, taught us how to make piñatas.

Marjorie and Esther

Evan enjoyed helping to make the piñata

The next day was our neighbor Elisa’s 3rd birthday, and we were invited to her birthday party that evening. So we finished the piñata and took it to the party at her Grandma’s house.

Happy 3rd birthday Elisa

The kids taking a swing at the piñata. It wasn’t the prettiest piñata…

But it had candy inside, and that’s all that mattered!

I thank God for the caring friends he’s given us in the short time we’ve been here. Although I missed Kevin a lot, I haven’t felt lonely. I’m excited to keep walking in the path God has for us, joining him in his work.

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