Michele – Flood Family Adventures

When Lala came for a visit, the world was a different place. In our innocence, we took full advantage of many beautiful things the world has to offer.

We had a wonderful Christmas in London (despite the lack of heat!) and James and Luke were able to spend a lot of time with their grandmother.

In London, we went to the theatre (Hamilton), the ballet (the Red Shoes), shopped all over (Bond Street, Oxford Circus), ate at great restaurants (Fortunam & Mason, Dishoom, Argentinian Steakhouse) and saw Dennis play in his band at a famous pub where The Rolling Stones perform (Half Moon Bay).

In Paris, we saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, stayed (Hotel Academie) and shopped (Bon Marche) in St. Germain de Pres and of course ate some wonderful food.

In Barcelona, we stayed in the Gothic Quarter (Hotel Hola Barcelona), were awed by La Sagrada Familia, toured the Picasso Museum, watched flamenco dancers and again ate some amazing food (jamon iberico, patatas braves, octopus).

In the Fuertaventura, Canary Islands, we had some sunshine filled family time and saw an almost alien landscape of deserts and volcanoes – just miles off the coast of Africa. Lots of food, camels, beach and fun.

We knew what a special time it was to have Lala with us. It was the most special time I have ever spent with my mom. In hindsight, we did not realize just how blessed we were.

Okay, so I’m bad at keeping in touch. Nothing that you didn’t already know. Well, the trip so far has been everything — amazing, stressful, awesome, tiring . . . . In a nutshell, I’ve received what I asked for and then some.

For instance, I had a couple of near perfect days in Florence — One morning, I toured the Ufizi Gallery and saw with my own eyes Boticelli’s Venus, his Primavera, and the Gift of the Magi, as well as the Assumption by Leonardo Da Vinci. In the evening, we had a great Italian meal followed by coffee and gelati. On ths stroll home, Dennis and I popped into the Church of San Lorenzo to hear a full orchestra play some of the most beautiful music ever written. The next day, in an empty museum early in the morning, I had a private viewing of Michelangelo’s unfinished Florentine Pieta — the one Michelangelo originally intended to be for his own tombstone but which he never finished and in fact partially destroyed in a rage. Thankfully, one of his students has repaired most of it. One of the most interesting things about the statue is that Michelangelo carved his own face into the figure of Nicodemus, one of the men who took Jesus’s body down from the cross.

After that, I had the privilege of seeing yet another of Michelangelo’s works, the David. Though copied many times, there is nothing like the original. The proportions, its hugeness, its detail, like the folds of skin on the thumb, and the motion captured in stone, is truly the work of a genius. This particular day ended with a trip just south of the River Arno to view Florence at sunset. How perfect is that?