Qualtrics added an awesome benefit for empoloyees in 2018 called "Qualtrics Experiences." Employees are given a chunk of cash to spend on an experience. One that you probably wouldn't have without the extra money.

From Pick-Pockets to Calm Seas

We chose to go to Castelldefels, Spain! Right next to Barcelona. When I asked people about traveling to Barcelona, the first thing everyone would mention is to watch out for pick pockets. I'm glad that when I booked a hotel, I happened to get one in Castelldefels. Upon arriving, our taxi driver let us know that Castelldefels is much calmer and safer than Barcelona. A perfect place for a vacation.

The first thing we noticed when stepping off the plane was the humidity. But thankfully, it wasn't too hot. We saw highs of 86 degrees. Perfect for going swimming!

The next thing we noticed was how friendly and outgoing the people were. I felt right at home, speaking Spanish. It amazed me how similar the culture appeared to be to that of Mexico. The only difference was that their accent sounded like they had cotton balls in their mouths. By making the "th" sound for c's and z's and a soft "sh" sound for s's.

Fun in the Sun

Thursday, we went out to the beach and had fun playing in the sand while Tymber and I took turns swimming. Flo soon discovered that the large waves weren't her thing, as several splashed up in her face, even while I was holding her. She sure got caked up with sand though!

Lesson #1, go to the beach on weekdays. We nearly had the beach all to ourselves!

Lesson #2, wear special eye-wear that censors out innappropriate lack of clothing. My favorite quote from Tymber: "Oh dear, don't look, but I thought that person sun-bathing over there was just a chubby-chested guy. But she's a woman!"

We went to the beach on Saturday as well. It was so packed! There were hoardes of people as far as the eye could see. Pretty much everywhere you looked, there were topless women either sun-bathing or swimming. Good to know before going on a busy day...

14th Century Castle

Friday, we had such bad sunburns that we decided to tour the castle of Catelldefels. We ordered a taxi for a 7-minute drive. The castle was filled with history of housing refugees during various wars. The castle was a free walk-in tour. There were no guides and hardly anyone there. We practically had it all to ourselves!

Flo wanted to climb up on the highest spot of the open square. Three steps is high for a 3-year-old :).

Flo found a friend and named him Simba. All of the armrests in this room were designed the same way.

We played some hide and seek in the castle, upon Flo's request.

Siesta Hours

After going roaming through the castle, we decided to find some lunch at a nearby area with a few shops. We soon discovered that everything was closed up for ciesta. Most places had hours from 1:30pm-4:30pm and 8:30pm-2:00am. Crazy schedule, right?

After some wailing and gnashing of teeth from everyone being hungry, we ended up finding the only open place - a mall. Most of the shops were also closed, but luckily we found an open McDonald's!

And... of course Flo decided to find some gum under a nearby table, tear it apart and start stringing it all over herself, while Tymber and I were taking a few minutes to relax and chat after our lunch. She almost ate some! Yuck!

Trecking with Water

Because no water is free and we were dying of thirst the first day in our hotel, we decided to grab a 5 liter (about 1.5 gallons) bottle of water. I lugged it in the backpack. We also wanted to walk the streets to get a feel for what it was like.

Fortunately, I got an extra leg workout. Flo was tired very soon and I also packed her on my shoulders for the next 1.5 miles. So 15 pound backback + 40 pound 3-year-old. It was like going on a backpacking trip in the mountains!

Restaurant Adventures

So, if you like seafood, go to Spain. Because we were in a hotel without even a fridge, we ate out a lot. It was expensive! Our average meal cost about $40 for two adults, plus Flo.

Lesson #1, a "cold" dish means a "raw" dish.

At one restaurant, we saw a "cold" option for tuna, guacamole, with tartar on top. Here I was imagining my nice ol' tuna mix for sandwiches, when out comes a platter of blubbery, bloody, raw tuna. Okay, not bloody, but it was red, cause it was raw. Tymber didn't even try it. I choked down 4 bites before almost throwing up due to the texture alone. It was like eating jello that someone digested, regurtitated, then put back in the fridge to thicken up a little again.

Luckily, on the last day, we found some pizza, as evidenced by the photo above.

As usual while eating out, Flo was exhausted. When she's tired, she's wired. After knocking over a wooden statue in the restaurant, she decided to stay a little closer. The waiters didn't seem to know how to react, but they thought she was cute nonetheless.

Finding Ice Cream

On our last day, we found an ice cream joint. Flo picked the blue stuff. She didn't actually smile for this photo. She gave her normal scrunched up face. But somehow, I magically snapped a second photo of this adorable smile.