Hinckley Blog

Maybe it's the "crisis" and companies are trying to save money by relying on Google translator rather than hiring someone who actually speaks English, but the English translations here are getting more and more amusing. A sign near the toaster at the breakfast buffet in the hotel reminds is that the machine "is only for roasting breads". One hotel promotes its "suspended beds, in which you feel like floating." Of course, we all have days when we feel like floating.

But this recent story in the Spainair inflight magazine wins the prize:

The fashion blackest history
Only a few colours have as many connotations as the black one. During the XVI and XVII Centuries, to dye the cloth of this colour was expensive and for this reason to wear a black dress meant status. Later, with the techniques of dying already mechanized and accessible to all pockets, the black cloth stopped to mean opulence and started to being used as a demonstration of grief. At the beginning of the 20th Century, the black entered in the wardrobes beyond the grief and attained its sublimation with Chanel "little black dress."

The story goes on to invite us to the special exhibit at the Mode Museum in Antwerp, and assures us that the exhibit is "illustrated with clothes, dresses, historical complements and pieces of present designers." It neglects to  inform us which designers were cut into pieces for what is surely a unique exhibit.

In a country that values spectacle (think bullfights, fiestas, flamenco), not even the sidewalks can be ordinary. These are a few samples...



 

We said goodby to Ann and Jamin on Monday morning, loaded our bags and our Ayudantes into the Toyota, and began 5-day roadtrip. We drove to Murcia for Zone Conference and interviews, then up to Elche for more interviews, then to Torrevieja and Gandia for more interviews, then to Valencia for Zone Conference and a final round of interviews. By Thursday night we were tired! We finished reading emails and missionary letters, unplugged the alarm clocks, and went to bed!

 





 

The good news is we scheduled a preparation day on Friday in Valencia before driving home. We walked through the city, climbed the Torres Serrans, took the bus to the Aquarium at the City of Arts and Sciences, saw the fish, had lunch, then drove out to the Lladro factory for the factory tour. Great fun and very relaxing. Then back in the car for the 3+ hour drive back up the coast to Barcelona. It was a great way to end a great trip!



 

Nine years old and back in Utah county, where it all began.
Happy Birthday, Abby!





Just a few things we love about Abby:

super swimmer
social butterfly
organization queen
Newberry author (in her 3rd grade class)
great smile
super BIG sis
smarty pants
iPod guru
stylized pre-teen (hence the gift card to aeropostale)

We love you, Abby!

Along with other new missionaries, the Rowans arrived in Barcelona this week! We picked them up at the airport and made the obligatory visit to Montjuic. They saw the town while Pte. y Hna. went to Palma for zone conference and interviews.
 
Saturday yet another new missionary arrived at the train station, and while picking him up who should we run into but Spencer Rowan, midway through his European tour! He was checking the metro map to figure out how to get a metro to the mission home when we spotted him!

After orienting newly arrived Elder West, we still had time for a lovely visit to Parc Guell in the afternoon.





 The Palau de la Musica is one of the most spectacular buildings in a city known for its spectacular buildings. Tours of the building are very expensive, but Jamin found a very inexpensive concert at the Palau on Saturday night. The dance concert was average, but the building was superlative! Unfortunately, photography is not permitted inside the hall.




 Sunday, of course, was Church at Barrio 2 with Archie and all the usual suspects. It was another beautiful Spring day in Barcelona!


 Food, of course, played a central role in the Rowan's visit. We had a lovely 3-course luncheon at Gresca in L'Eixample. The cold almond soup was the highlight, but the fresh tuna with spinach was a pretty good main course!


Sunday dinner was homemade paella. Jamin purchased the ingredients at the neighborhood market on Saturday while we were picking up the new missionary, and Sunday after Church the Rowans and Hna. Hinckley chopped and cooked.



 Jamin pronouned the result as the best paella ever! It included artichoke hearts, chorizo, chicken, calamari, pulpo (octopus), shrimp and mussels.