Poble Espanyol

Hello again!

Man we are really packing in the activities these last few weeks.
This week, alone, has been a whirlwind of cool outings.
I am waiting on my cousin to send me the killer photos she took of our Wednesday outing to Festa Gracia, so in the meanwhile, this post is about what we did yesterday on Thursday.

Poble Espanyol is this awesome kind of "adult amusement park" where different regions of Spain are represented through recreated architecture, specialty shops, signature foods, and artisan workshops.
It prides itself in hosting only items made in Spain. ♡

We left home for it around noon and didn't leave until 5pm. There is just so much to see!

Here are some of the shops/crafts we enjoyed:

Glass man at work!

Ah, glass...
I have always had a soft spot for glass~
There was a time in my teenage years when I daydreamed about being a glassblower. But man, it is hard to find a studio, especially in Nowheresville, NY. ;D

Anyway, if Spain is rich in any resource, I'd say it has to be minerals mined from the earth, because there are quarries a plenty, the way you see lumberyards a plenty in Oregon.

So of course, there is a lot of glass work, as we got to see in Poble Espanyol.

William being careful around the delicate merchandise~

Ella got to have a taste of what it's like to work with the flame~!

 We also popped into these following stores:

Montones! And Tia Chita sporting a mass veil

Chocolaaaate...themed with Alphonse Mucha art!

Abanicoooooos!!!

 There were also tile shops, a weaver, guitar maker, leather worker, etc etc~

And they had the most comprehensive collection of Lladró sculptures I've ever seen!!
For those of you unfamiliar with Lladró, it's a company that makes these elegant porcelain figurines. My mom has always been a huge fan, and had a couple pieces in our home when we were growing up. I could've stayed in this shop all day~

So lovely. One of the signature looks of Lladró figurines is their long, graceful necks~

Motherhood collection~!!!

I would highly recommend Poble Espanyol to anyone who sort of wants a crash course on Spain and what all the seventeen "autonomous communities" represent and specialize in.


We left Poble Espanyol around 4pm so that we could get to Santes Creus and catch my cousin Bastian's flamenco guitar concert!
Did I ever tell you that I have a cousin studying to be a flamenco guitarist?? I am super proud of him and in awe of his skill.

Here is a (longish) sample of his playing that I took during Abuela's stay with us:

It was great getting to see him perform with his buddy David and their singer Rafa.
Santes Creus is this incredible little town that time forgot, with ancient architecture and vineyards all around. Sorry I didn't take any photos of the town itself, but it really is a gem.

We didn't get home until midnight or so because after the concert we were all hungry so we ate at this restaurant and had an excellent time!! I love my family!!!!

Well, until next time, take care and Happy Poble Espanyol!