by Missie Hills | Mar 1, 2019 | Europe, International Adventures
When our friend Adam told us he was participating in the infamous Running with Bulls ceremony during our group trip to Spain, Jason politely said, “Have fun. It was nice knowing ya.” And he thought that was that. But I wasn’t about to let my adorable hubby miss out on a once in a lifetime adventure. I knew that he would never be content watching Adam run for his life while he sipped coffee from a safe distance on a cozy balcony. So, I did what any good wife would do. I talked him into running too with full intent of watching while I sipped my coffee from a safe distance on a cozy balcony.
Little did I know, I just signed my husband up for a real life thrill. I was sure that the danger associated with bull runs was imaginary. In my mind, I compared it to sky diving or bungee jumping. A little dangerous but mostly safe. I was wrong.
I started to notice how wrong I was shortly after we arrived in Pamplona. Everyone we met had something to say about the festival and nothing led us to believe it was safe and sound. Every TV in sight had clips from that mornings run showing people getting trampled and carried off in stretchers. Suddenly, my heart sunk. Would I be leaving Spain a widow?
The morning of the run we woke before the sun rose, dressed in all white with splashes of red, and headed to the streets. The ladies and Little E had booked a lovely balcony promising the best views of the run the city had to offer. Everyone’s nerves were on high. But we were quickly distracted once we hit Town Center. The previous night’s festivities were still going strong. Ok, strong is not quite the right word. The streets were packed with rowdy, stumbling, not so great smelling, patrons celebrating the previous morning’s bull run. That day’s run was about to start in 2 hours! How would they every clean these streets in time?
Somehow they managed to clear out the rats and clean up the streets. And clean, fresh, but very anxious patrons started to pack the streets. The air was full of anticipation. Jill, Ethan, and I were comfortable in our cozy apartment above the streets. But our hands were shaking as we were starting to think this was the dumbest thing we have ever let our husbands do. My mama brain started to wonder, What kind of mother lets her toddler witness this carnage?
When we heard the first rocket sound, we knew there was no stopping those bulls now. We anxiously watched from our balcony, and within minutes, we saw the hoard coming our way. Everything happened in a flash. We couldn’t pick out our men. We watched as random men got trampled and prayed that our hubbies didn’t have the same fate. Once the run was complete, we watched the entire thing on the TV. We watched as one guy got trampled enough to put him on a stretcher and another got gored in the side by black bull horn. Time seemed to take forever while we waited to get those phone calls from our husbands saying they were all right.
But alas they were. Adam arrived first with a few tears in his cloths and a bloody knee. Jason soon followed with nothing more than dirt on his pants. Both had epic stories to tell. Both were running high on adrenaline. We celebrated with some breakfast tapas and beer. Then when the streets cleared, we started our exploration of the city. The charm of the city captivated me quickly. I’ve never met a cobble stoned street I didn’t love. And something about donning the traditional all white and red with everyone else added to the experience in a special way. We filled the rest of day with celebratory chocolate milk and cognac (a run tradition), delicious food, and of course a lot of sangria.
All in all, the experience was something we will never forget. Did the boys get a little to close to the edge this time? Did our rush for adventure take us a little too far? Maybe. But to quote Ernest Hemingway, “Only those who are prepared to go too far can possible know how far they can go.”
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Feb 23, 2019 | Europe, International Adventures
Everyone has their favorite things to do while travelling. Mine are about as standard as anyone’s… 1. Food 2. Architecture 3. Culture. Jason would put history in there somewhere, but I never could get that excited about history. I covered food pretty well in my last post about La Boquira. So now, for the architecture!
Walking through the narrow alleys of the Gothic Quarter immediately transferred me back in time. But back into which time, I couldn’t quite tell as I was hit with details swaying back forth between Medieval and Roman.
One moment I’m exploring the Roman ruins of Barcino preserved under the city in the Museu Historia. Then, a quick step into the empty Saint Agatha chapel brought me quickly back into the middle ages with its gothic alter. And just as quickly, I’m led out onto the steps of Plaça del Rei, a 14th century medieval public square.
The shifts in architecture fueled my obsession with details. But as usual, Jason had no patience for the never ending snapping of my camera, and I was left to scuttle behind the group trying to catch what I could while keeping up and not getting lost. I think Little E inherited my obsession as well. He made sure to point out every lion shaped gargoyle in sight while adding in a fierce growl each time.
And OK, OK, I can’t get through even one post without mentioning something about the food. What’s a stroll through a beautiful Spanish city without a stop for some Sangria and Tapas?
Jill and Adam had already visited the Cathedral of Barcelona. Because of what they saw, they wouldn’t let us miss it. We got there just before closing. Jill and Adam stayed outside with Little E, and Jason and I hurried through the massive church. We have seen so many churches in our travels that we have gotten a bit numb to seeing the real beauty they can offer. However, this cathedral showcased gothic architecture in a hauntingly beautiful way leaving both of us a little breathless.
But little did I know, the Cathedral of Barcelona wasn’t even the most extravagant cathedral in Barcelona. Nope, the award goes to the Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família.
Interestingly enough, the word gaudy doesn’t actually stem from the architect Antoni Gaudi. But boy is his work gaudy! I mean just look at this building…
The Sagrada Familia has been under construction for 136 years, and it is still incomplete! I found it to be possibly the most marvelous church I have ever experienced. The interior design has an ethereal feel filled with so many elements of nature that force your eyes up to the heavens. The stain glass fills the white walls with a vibrant rainbow of colors, blue and greens on one side, red and oranges on the other. The exterior is loaded with sharp gothic designs, symbolism that made me feel like I was in Dante’s Inferno, and a lot of creepy gargoyles. Little E loved pointing out all the unique creatures while making strange growls.
My catholic travel buddies were taken aback by the touristy flashy feel. It didn’t help that the church was missing holy water at that entrances and the pews or alters for prayer. It didn’t really seem like a place of worship. Eventually, we did see where the actual worship hall was located at the lower level bringing my skeptic friends a little peace. But perhaps they still weren’t really feeling present in the moment with the sun bearing down heat waves on us and the final world cup game teasing their attention in nearby bars. So, I was convinced to leave after about a half hour lured away with promises of sangria and croquets.
For me, the Gaudi style can be compared to that middle aged lady you all know who wears loud colors, mixes prints, and covers herself in a ton of costume jewelry with large beads and rhinestones. And yet, after experiencing the chaotic mix of details the church offered first hand, I fell in love with its quirky personality. I mean who wouldn’t want to live in this house.
And just for giggles, let’s bring us back into the Gothic style one more time… at the Maritime Museum, which turned out to be way more pleasant than I could have imagined. I had no idea that another trip to another museum would have me mesmerized in even more beautiful gothic architecture. The building is a 13th century shipyard turned military building, now turned museum. So while Jason got his fix of history, I got my fix of looking up in awe at another beautiful ceiling.
There really are so many reasons people end up loving Barcelona, the tapas, the friendly people, the fashion… I hear it time and time again from my travel crazy friends, “Barcelona is my favorite city!” For me though, I fell in love with the city because of its dramatic flair, where nothing is soft and inviting, and everything is fierce and exciting.
Although I’m just a simple country girl who rarely wears much more than studded earrings and a single pendant necklace, I can still appreciate the art of the gothic style that is so different than me. Seeing things so different than me is precisely why I travel after all.
And for proof that not all moments are picture perfect…
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Feb 3, 2019 | Europe, International Adventures
La Boquira… the name just rolls off my tongue. La Boquira, La Boquira, La Boquira…
Nestled in the heart of the Las Rambas lies La Boquira, a massive foodie market that might as well be heaven for my millennial soul. From the moment we crossed the markets threshold, beautifully ordained with an exceptional crest, my senses where overwhelmed with the strong smells of seafood, colorful piles of spices, and the hustle and bustle of the crowd.
The market was definitely overly crowded. I suppose being the best at anything will draw a crowd. This pushed my anxiety a bit as I don’t like to be crammed into places much. And pushing a baby through the crowd made things a little more complicated. But if we can’t handle pushing a stroller through a crammed crowd, we probably shouldn’t claim to be travel parent pros. So, we pushed on.
We stopped often to snap photos of weird fish and to try unique items like ostrich and kangaroo. The local vendors didn’t mind mine and Jill’s obsessive photo taking. They pretty much waved us off as crazy tourists. Little E really enjoyed the fresh squeezed juice. Actually, we all did. The market was dappled all over with these adorable fruit juice stands. I wanted to try every flavor!
Jason was super excited to have his first taste of parnil, a dried ham known to be an expensive delicacy. Jill was super excited to get a stick of chocolate covered strawberries. I was super excited to try some hot seafood empanadas. And Little E was super excited to have his cup of fresh fruit. Everyone was happy.
We eventually sought refuge outside the stuffy market for some fresh air and space. And even though I could have spent my entire vacation in that market, I agreed to continue our exploration of the city into the gothic quarter.
I couldn’t stay away forever though. The next day, I was determined have one more visit to the market before we hit the road. So, while the hubby’s headed to fetch the rental car, Jill, Little E and I made way to La Boquira for lunch. We loaded up on fresh pasta and more fruit juice and found a quiet sidewalk to sit on and people watch.
This market really embodied Barcelona to me, a city where mediocrity is nowhere to be found, where everyone is entitled to the best delicacies, and where being fresh and unique is a state of mind. Yeah, typically a crowded stuffy area is the last place I want to be. But sometimes, I know I need to let myself get caught up into the chaos. Sometimes, I should let my senses go on fully loaded overdrive. Sometimes, I should just embrace the culture shock. Because I didn’t travel halfway across the world to accept anything less.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Jul 8, 2018 | International Adventures, North America
2018 has been a pretty hectic year for us. With my mom moving to Houston to be closer to us, we finally had the opportunity to take some mini weekend sabbaticals to visit old friends and explore cool cities. We started the year with a trip to Miami and a quick stop in the Bahamas. We made our way up to Chicago to catch a Cubs game. And we had a great family reunion in Waco. Nothing ever quite compares with spending time with family and friends. But we were craving some culture shock. So, when are dear friend asked us to join him on a weekend trip to Mexico City for his 30th birthday, we didn’t think twice.
It was a city I’ve always wanted to explore. But I never knew it was so easy to get to. It’s only a short 2 hour flight from Houston. With amazing restaurants, museums, and nightlife, a weekend doesn’t really do it justice. But in typical Hills Family fashion, we packed in as much as we could using Memorial weekend to give us the extra day.
We were meeting up with a group of 10 people all ready to party for the birthday celebration. And here we show up: Jason looking like a pack mule in his tropical dad shirt with a massive baby carrier on his back and me in my floppy hat and big camera on my neck. And of course Ethan who was more excited about playing with the red velvet ropes in the valet line at the hotel then meeting new people. I worried about how this group would react and if they would be okay hanging out with a 2 year old toddler wild card. Thankfully Ethan was a champ, and we didn’t have any bad public breakdowns. The group seemed to love having him around, and he never got in the way of everyone having a good time.
We started our trip off wandering the city center and having some traditional Mexican food for lunch, a much welcomed change from our standard Tex-Mex that we are used to. The Museo Mural Diego Rivera was a good break from the heat and worth a stop. We took some time really digging into the famous mural continuously spotting something different and obscure. We stopped in a tequila and mescal museum and had a solid round of samples. Our trip was officially kicked off!
We had a great dinner that night. Mexico City really does have some amazing restaurants. Here’s the horrible part of travelling with a toddler, though. After dinner, one of us had to go back to the hotel, and I drew the short straw this time. So while I spent my night trying to convince a very sleepy 2 year old that he was in fact tired, Jason spent his night enjoying a crazy Lucha Libre wrestling match. And because I wasn’t there, there are no good photos of that to share.
On Saturday, we hired a van to take us to Teotihuacan, an archaeological site packed full of memorizing pyramids. The drive out gave us our first good view of the real Mexico City. We could see just how massive and packed it truly is.
When we arrived at the pyramids, we unfortunately got sucked in to a tourist trap from the driver. He sold us on stopping at a shop for use of clean bathrooms citing that the bathrooms in the complex were horrible. Once we got to the shop, the owners immediately dragged us into an uninteresting tour of the agave plant and obsidian carvings. Then, they tried to convince us to spend hundreds of dollars on the carvings. Needless to say, I was pretty unhappy about this. It wasted a good hour of our time. But once we finally got to the pyramids, I let all my anxiety go.
We walked through the Isle of the Dead, climbed the Temple of the Moon and the Temple and Sun, and felt our wanderlust be fulfilled immediately. It’s also important to note, that the bathrooms inside the complex were pristine. My anger towards our driver continued to bubble up with this fact. I really don’t like people taking advantage of me!
I was so impressed with Jason as he carried our 35 lb son up the Temple of the Sun with no complaints. He is such a good dad. He constantly amazes me. But I have my moments as a mom too. Specifically on this trip, I got the honor of changing a blow out poopy diaper at the very top of the Temple of the Sun and carrying the diaper in my purse all the way down. Awwww, the joys of parenthood.
After an exhausting few hours climbing pyramids and dodging aggressive sells-men with cheap trinkets, we were ready for a margarita! I had heard about a cool restaurant nestled inside a nearby cave, but our driver insisted that you needed a reservation. When I told him that I had already checked and we indeed did not need a reservation, he insisted that it would be too crowded and that we should try this much better restaurant (undoubtedly owned by a dear friend of his). I had about had it with this driver and his tricks and wasn’t going to budge from what I wanted. Therefore, we insisted on seeing the cave. Ultimately, our driver agreed to take us there.
And I’m so glad he did. The food was amazing and the atmosphere even better. We did have to wait for a table for about a half an hour. But they had a great outdoor waiting area equipped with a much needed bar. The wait was no issue at all! And for an added highlight to our trip, we added a new exotic food to our list of strange things we have tasted, worm larvae. They tasted similar to lentils, and although I didn’t find anything particularly special about them, the experience was worth having.
On Sunday, we had a full day packed of exploring the city. We started early with a bus ride to a beautiful castle, Castillo de Chapultepec. The bus ride there was interesting enough. The city closed down the main street for the morning to let bikers take over. I wish all cities did this! You could feel the energy within the community as so many citizens came out to enjoy the day together. It really added to the beauty of the city. We passed through many markets where we did a little bit of shopping before climbing to the top of the hill where the castle perched to looked over the beautiful city.
After we toured the castle, we found a great lunch spot with amazing fish tacos. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the famous landmark, Angel of Independence, before we caught Uber rides to our big event of the day, Xochimilico.
Xochimilico lies about 30 minutes outside of the city. It is referred to as the Venice of Mexico due to its tangled canals full of colorful boats. It’s a very touristy destination, but I’m pretty good at being a bit touristy. So, I didn’t mind. We loaded up on beer and micheladas before boarding our 4 hour boat ride fully equipped with load speakers and a mariachi band.
And the party started! Ok, Mommy and Daddy friends, if you are ever worried that travelling with your kids means you can’t have fun, let this inspire you otherwise! You just have to find the right type of activities that will let you let lose while the kid is still occupied enough to not be bored. I wont pretend it wasn’t a challenge, but we were mostly successful, even after Ethan threw his tablet into the water. It still worked later that night, Amazon Fires are amazing y’all!. With music blaring and the micheladas continuously being fed our way, we were the life of the party on the water. Other boats thought we were crazy. And we might be featured in a few Youtube videos as passerbys found us hilarious jumping at the opportunity to catch crazy tourists on their phones. But we didn’t care.
Mid-trip, we made a pit stop at the Island of the Dolls. Which is even more creepy then it sounds.
Even after our solemn stop to the Island of Dolls, we still felt the need to make the boat into our personal disco. The dolls just fueled our craziness to a new level.
This trip truly brought out the best in us, a group of grown-ups just wanting to let loose and have fun.
When we returned to the city, most wanted to rest before hitting the nightclubs for one more night. We relaxed in a beautiful courtyard right behind our hotel. It marked then end of my journey through Mexico City, while the others still had a night of crazy adventure ahead of them (which ultimately ended in a hospital visit, but that is another person’s story for another time).
Mexico City won my heart. I had no idea this amazing city was so close to us. And now I can’t wait until I return. Perhaps next time for an extended stay?
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Apr 9, 2017 | International Adventures, South America
Wether or not to add a little taste of Chili to our Argentinian adventure was a decision that I agonized over for weeks right before our trip. The world famous Torres Del Paine National Park was only a few hours away from El Calafate. Photos of the park had me mesmerized. In any other circumstance, this decision would have been a no brainer. Of course we wanted to see those gorgeous mountains and beautiful turquoise lakes! Why wouldn’t we make the trip across the border?
Well, the answer to that question comes in the form of a tiny human with my eyes and Jason’s smirk.
Could we handle one of the top hiking destinations in the world with a 7 month old baby? Could Little E take the long day on a schedule set by tour guides? Would we be wasting our time since we couldn’t participate in fun activities like horseback riding or long treks up rough terrain? With our hearts whispering “YOLO, YOLO, YOLO” in side of our heads (although we will never admit to that), we decided to risk it. We just couldn’t bring ourselves to travel all the way to the southern part of South America without experiencing this wonder.
We were still a little uneasy when we boarded the interesting all-terrain bus with a carseat. The looks we got were not too pleasant. I suppose everyone was worried Little E would cry the whole trip. However, our perfect little man did great. The bus was comfortable enough despite the most bumpy roads I have ever experienced. We got our first glimpse of the local wildlife, guanaco, emus, sheep, horses and the majestic condor!
Crossing the border was interesting just as what would be expected. Everything went quite smoothly with the help of our tour guide. It didn’t take long after we arrived in Chili for us to see the mountains ahead. There were clouds pouring fresh snow over the mountains peaks. Once the clouds cleared, we got our first glimpse of the beautiful Torres Del Paine (the parks namesake)…the Blue Towers. And at that moment, we knew we made the right decision. Our bus took us from stop to stop to get many different panoramic views of the mountains and lakes. We stopped by a waterfall where we found some tree trunks to sit on and had a pleasant lunch. The tour packed the best lunch for us with so many local goodies.
Each stop we made provided even more grand views. Every peak had its own unique shape, and every lake had it own unique shade of blue. We were in awe.
Eventually we got the opportunity to take our first short hike. Jason strapped E to his chest and we walked through a very windy valley to the base of one of the peaks. The hike also took us by another beautiful waterfall. E loved the hike. The kid just likes to be outdoors. It was only a 2 hour hike, and it left us itching for more.
We decided to stay the night in a park resort instead of taking the long drive back to El Calafate that night. The resort we stayed in was beautiful. The staff was extremely nice. But, the room was nothing more then a couple beds and a bathroom. The resort bar made up for the tiny room though, and the food was amazing. We drank Chilean pisco sours, but my heart is still in love with Peruvian pisco sours. With my nose stuck in the air, I critiqued the pisco sour harshly and yet ordered two more. The beer was brewed on site and was very good. The bartender actually brewed it himself and was very proud of it. Jason was proud to be able to add a new beer to his list that very few people in world have tried.
E didn’t sleep to well that night causing for a tired family the next day. So, we took our time getting ready before we headed out for our day hike. This time we attempted the hike to the Torres Del Paine base camp. The total hike takes around 6 to 8 hours, and we only had around 4. So we hiked as much as we could taking in the beautiful scenery around us, the fresh air, and the precious moments together as a family. This hike ended up being the highlight of our entire trip. This is a destination that we definitely want to come back to when E is older and can hike on his own.
Maybe we are crazy. Yes, we took a baby through three different countries at the expense of our sanity. But in the end the trip was perfect. We built memories that will last us forever. We developed a stronger family union by experiencing the world together. I can’t imagine not having my wonderful husband and my beautiful son next to me in any moment as grand as these were. Crazy? Yes. We admit it. But we wouldn’t have any other way.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Mar 5, 2017 | International Adventures, South America
We arrived in El Calafate eager to explore the famous Patagonia. We had been conditioned to love the Patagonia already through overpriced fleeces worn by the cool kids in high school. So, actually seeing it with our own eyes brought an appreciation for the vast region full of mountains, desserts, and grasslands. But mostly grasslands.
When I always pictured the Patagonia, I pictured green snowcapped mountains as far as my eyes could see. What I actually saw out of my plane window as we started to descend was quite different. I saw a vast flat dusty area covered in prickly bushes and spotted with aqua blue lakes. I started to wonder if we made a mistake. What could we explore in this summer tundra other then sheep herds?
I perked up as our cab driver took us into town. The little village was full of life with backpackers walking up and down the street buying gear, drinking wine, and sampling the chocolate shops. It was clear that these backpackers were getting ready to explore the mountain regions nearby. That excited me as we had our own plans of seeing some of the Andes. As we explored the small shops on the main strip, we began to notice a theme. El Calafate loved their namesake, the calafate berry. We tried the calafate jam and drank some calafate liquor. We even bought some calafate beer.
That night we decided to take E out for a nice dinner to try the famous Argentinian parrilla. We knew to expect a lot of meat. But what we got exceeded our expectations. We stuffed our face with a mound of different meats and a side of potatoes. We washed it all down with some Argentinian Malbec. We tried something new, blood sausage, and decided we didn’t care much for it. Jason cut my meat for me while I entertained a fussy baby. We started to question wether the nice dinner with Little E was a good idea. He normally does quite well in restaurants, but this night he wasn’t having it. Perhaps he was jealous of the delicious meal Jason and I had laid out in front of him.
When we left the restaurant, it was still bright and sunny outside. The sun was still overhead barely starting to set. It seemed like we had so much day left, but when we looked at the watch we saw it was already getting close to ten o’clock! It was no wonder why Baby E was so fussy. We had kept him up way passed him bedtime. We weren’t prepared for the long days being so close to the southern pole. It was a strike on our parenting record.
On day 2, we planned an excursion to see the Perito Moreno Glacier. At this point I could enter into the story a long drawn out explanation of why we ended up missing our morning tour and going on the afternoon tour. But just thinking about it exhausts me. So in short, always remember to pay extra so your baby has a seat on the tour bus to be safely buckled in.
Frustrations were high when we finally were on our way to the glacier park. However, the first stop to see a beautiful panoramic view of the Argentino Lake made those frustrations seem silly as we remembered why we put ourselves through these hassles. Seeing the gorgeous blue lake was a wonderful beginning to all the beautiful sights in our future. Our guide picked some of the popular calafate berries from a prickly bush. By eating the berries, she said we were making a promise that we would come back one day.
When we arrived to the park, it started to drizzle. We all donned our raincoats and ignored the overcast skies as we stared at the massive ice front working its way through the valley before us. To get an up close and personal look, we boarded a boat. The boat took us about 300 feet away from the massive wall of ice which reached 30 stories high. Jason and wondered if this was how Jon Snow felt when he first peered up the Wall in Game of Thrones. As large pieces of ice fell off the wall, we heard sounds of thunder rumble through the valley. Coupled with the dense fog, it was an eerie feeling that caused the hair on my arms to stand.
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking the extensive catwalk maze around the glacier just happy to be outside breathing in the cool air.
The Perito Moreno Glacier successfully amazed us giving us a higher appreciation for the Patagonia region. And we still had so much more in store.
Until next time,
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