If it's May, it must be time for travel! Yes, Mike and Nancy are about to embark on yet another adventure. This time we're traveling for OLLI Study Abroad in Barcelona - departing in early June. (And again, marauders beware - the homefront will be guarded by a brave knight and his fearless dog companion.)

I'm composing this on my ancient Netbook, now five years old and, miraculously, still working like a charm. I love this little machine and its wonderful keyboard. And although I could be using my regular computer, I decided to post using this small one, just to make sure it still works. The older I get, the less I trust a lot of things, and computers are high on that list.

Currently, Mike and I are whetting our appetites for Barcelona in a wonderful OLLI Maymester class, "Art. Spain. Ole!" This class is taught by Dr. Arleen Pabon, who will be our instructor in Barcelona. Arleen is a native of Puerto Rico and an expert in architecture and a true lover of Spain's second city. Mike and I came to this experience knowing almost nothing about Barcelona, but a combination of class, computer research, guidebook reading, and talking to others (our dermatologist proclaims Barcelona to be her favorite city) has piqued our curiosity and raised our excitement level by a factor of at least 10.

So now I'm pulling out last year's Florence trip lists, searching madly for electricity converters, finally remembering to buy some decent earbuds for the plane (that flight is exactly four movies in length), and trying not to think about what in the world we're going to pack. And when. And how we're getting to the airport. And home from the airport. And on and on.

I still have my list of recommended over-the-counter meds (which were a lifesaver). I wrote a note to myself to remember a washcloth (thank you, Susan, for having an extra last year in Florence). The question arises: why do Europeans eschew washcloths?

I'll also take soap. Otherwise, we're good to go. Rick Steves' "Barcelona" in hand, we can't go wrong!

I'll keep writing once we get there, and try to chronicle our adventures. These musings are a great help when we get home and are trying to remember exactly which church was in which city. Most of all, they evoke such precious memories.

SO - more to come!