REVELATIONS FROM ESPAÑA
An Educational Adventure 40 Years Belated
2025 / September 12-27
My wife Kimberly and I stay on the move … we always have. Years ago, it was shuffling our four kids to and from school, sporting commitments, doctors’ appointments, etc. Now as “empty nesters” we travel a lot from Georgia across Alabama to our office/2nd home in Mississippi. But that’s only a 6.5-hour drive … which if you live in the Atlanta area … a few hours is what it takes every day just to go to a meeting.
This year 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of our wedding way back in 1985 at the Methodist church on Main Street in Alpharetta, GA. We’ve got a great marriage ... we married as best friends, and that bond has only strengthened through a lot of ups and downs over 4 decades!
So, a celebration was certainly in order this year. We decided to “travel” … yet again. This time with Kim’s sister Lisa and her husband John - they got married in 1985 too! Note: the travel distance this time was considerably more than a 6-hour drive. We flew 4,500 miles to Barcelona, Spain. While Kimberly and I spent our 1985 summer traveling in Europe (with other MS State architecture students) and stayed that fall semester to attend school in London, we never have made it to Spain. This was that trip we dreamt of and promised each other we’d do … for 40 years.
This was no leisurely vacation in a luxurious resort on the Mediterranean. Oh no – this was a fast-paced, flash-n-dash, see-it-all kind of a trip over a 15-day period. Yep - 15 days and nights jumping from taxis and Ubers to planes, trains, and automobiles. We encountered and learned so much about the people, imagery, history and architecture of Spain – specifically Barcelona, Montserrat, Madrid, Granada, Seville, and Valencia.
The following is a compilation of my notes as a somewhat organized day-by-day travelogue. We’ve selected about 200 photos extracted from over 6,000 taken and illustrated herein per each day’s activities. We hope you get a glimpse of the wonder that we experienced and enjoyed … and you find inspiration to chase your dreams too!
“I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!”
Uploaded December 2025 – DTW’s Blog #0051
Our Original Posts, including images when applicable, are copyrighted © 1993-2025 by D. Tracy Ward, Architect and Benchmark Design, PC. “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” (Proverbs 24:3-4)
