Play Time in Colombia

One of the best parts of summer is the time to play. It's developmental time when rules are less intrusive, where the giggles are part of the learning, where adults and children interact in such positive ways that laughter is nearly the only ingredient that matters. Such was this summer too. In Colombia, especially, there was lots of playing going on, partly due to the number of people available for such play to take place! And people we saw many.

Perhaps it was the cousins coming and going and climbing and swinging too. Or it could have been friends of mommy and daddy popping over for a visit, with their children too! Or pappou and Moca who were in town sharing the summer. with us Tia's and tio's and abuelitas and abuelos and then some!  So many people to see, so many play areas to be and so much excitement to be shared! A little climbing here. A little Marco Polo there. Or wrestling daddy's friend's daughter to the ground just because she's visiting. Perhaps a bit of biking for good measure (with daddy running along side since the bike was too big and had broken brakes). A little tag further over. But no, not there. That's "base". :-) 

All good times. All important.

Pampered in Colombia.

It had been three years since we were last there and so there was a certain amount of giddiness as we arrived. To see Bogota get nearer as the plane descended was emotional and we were met with a super modern airport that was an indication of how much has changed since we were last there. But, as one might expect, there was much quite the same as well. For our girls much of it was "new" anyway, but for the parents it was a return of mixed impressions in a Colombia that has been embraced by world investment. 

Bogota is now a thriving city, filled with construction and movement. There seems to be a modernity to it that conflicts a bit with our momories, and Enlish (and tourists) are much more often seen. It is also a sign of openness to the world, new opportunities and a new place in the world economy. For better or for worse it is now a global city with modern buildings and more being built.

And yet, of course, the Bogota natives continue to be as warm and friendly and wonderful as ever, and our friends and family are no exception. We were greeted with a barrage (and continuous stream) of welcoming visits that lasted for days. Despite the traffic (that was always bad) the human connections in Colombia are always ideal. For whatever reason it's as if the Colombians know how to be good people and caring people. It was as warm and wonderful being there as ever and the girls loved pretty much everything (except for long ours in cars). 

We stayed in Bogota but also ventured out to Neiva and Ibague, each with visits to extended family and stints in tourist locations and events. But in the end we always came back to Bogota, to where mommy grew up, to the same little hills that she ran around as a child. Now she watches her children do the same with their cousins. And their new founds friends (children of friends and more friends) share the experience with them. Friendly dogs walk by and the play is immediately stopped for a quick hello, only to be re-initiated as soon as the canine has moved beyond arms length. 

One cannot say enough about the place, the people, the family. It's as if, in the hubbub of big city life there is an island of calm warmth that you can call home. Sometimes busy, sometimes not, but always welcoming, always smiling and always pampering it's visitors, whether they come from down the street or across the world.

Skopelos (again)

Skopelos has stolen our hearts, resulting in multiple returns to the same place. Consider it a "home away from home away from home" type of thing. This year, as is becoming customary, we returned to Greece for a week before welcoming our good, good friends Scott and Rebecca (no Lizzie, this time) and headed off to Skopelos to share with them our little piece of heaven.

But that wasn't all!  To our delightful surprise Pappou and Moca decided that they were coming too, and they were bringing Stefa and Vicky with them (though they would all stay much longer)!  How awesome to have the whole group together which, coupled with a beautiful place and surrounded by wonderful people, make the experience so very perfect in many ways. Days were spent between hanging out "under the mulberrry tree" at the beach just 30 meters away from our rooms, so car trips around the island. We followed the footspets of Mamma Mia as we showed Scott and Rebecca around the island and, later, on one of our plane rides Irini would see the movie (for the first time) only to shout time and time again "it's the three trees!" and "the church!". Delightful connections. :-)

Wherever we were we were happy. No matter what moment we were in, we were surrounded by loving people. The evenings were spent at the taverna, on the beach, under that mulberry tree. Ah, the glory of flow, beautiful, care-free living!  Our departure included the now-customary picture with the restaurant staff who gave us big hugs and waved goodbye. Onward we were to Skiathos (for a night), Athens (for a night), Madrid (for a night) and, finally Bogota (for three weeks). The summer was in full swing!