Kilohana Plantation train

On our last day in Kauai, we boarded the Kilohana Plantation train, an old-fashioned engine that took us deep into the heart of the plantation. We learned about star fruit and cara cara oranges and sugarcane and taro. We had a picnic lunch, then on to feed the wild hogs, cows, horses, and chickens, all of whom eat tortillas. Emerson donned his Hawaiian finest for the day, matching the painted eucalyptus beautifully.

You had me at “Farm tour”

On Wednesday, we booked an animal interaction tour through Airbnb Experiences. The Kauai Animal Education Farm is a nonprofit dedicated to serving native Hawaiian animals by taking in native animals who are no longer wanted (like chickens who no longer lay eggs) and by providing a safe space for non-native animals that disrupt the ecosystem. Our little animal lovers were fearless in doing their part to care for the animals.

That evening, we went to a different kind of farm, this one a regenerative food forest called Common Grounds. Here, they plant banana trees next to papaya trees next to starfruit trees. They practice no-till farming and cover cropping to reduce soil erosion, a significant issue worldwide. They’re also of the belief that with better farming practices, Hawai’i should not need to import 85% of its food. In fact, with one anise plant, they supplied the entire island with enough spice for every Thanksgiving pie. The tour concluded with an absolute feast crafted entirely of food sourced from the farm.

Tour Guide & Dancer

On Tuesday, we ran around the Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens, a private sculpture garden. While we’d originally hoped to book a guided tour, Emerson became our tour guide extraordinaire. He ran from one sculpture to the next, with Shiloh surfing in the wagon behind him. We loved feeding the koi, engaging with the bronze, and doing airdry in the palm tree garden.

At night, Emerson surprised us all by going onstage to learn the hula at the Tahiti Nui luau.

Surprisingly civilized dinner

Much to our surprise, one of our more successful outings was to dinner at the 1Hotel, Kauai’s new top resort. We couldn’t quite justify the cost of a resort stay given the fickle nature of children, but we did thoroughly enjoy some buttered pasta with a side of fruit.

Tiny bubbles

The next day led us to another rainy adventure, this one enjoyed under the cover of a boat. With the exception of a wipe-out from running on slick mud, the Smith Family Grotto Boat Tour was a hit for the boys. Emerson continues to sing the songs that were shared with us as boat entertainment. “Tiny bubbles, in my wine, make me happy, make me feel fine…”

On our way home, we stopped for fresh fruit smoothies, freshly dried mango, and shave ice in the town of Kapaʻa. Shave ice was a hit throughout the trip, with Emerson eating nearly two bites per purchase.

We love citrus!

On our first day in Kauai, we stepped out in the rain to tour a fruit farm. This farm tour, found on Airbnb Experiences, takes us through Moloa’a Organica’a, a private fruit, vegetable, and spice farm in the northern part of Kauai. Rather than organized rows, the trees were all intermixed in a disorganized array, some old, some new, and nearly all bearing fruit across 30 acres. As we weaved through the orchard, our host would stop at a tree and take out his cutting board, slicing the exotic fruit as he told us stories about medicinal uses, history, and flavors. We tried noni, apple banana, star fruit, avocado, breadfruit, coffee fruit, and more. Shiloh and Emerson enjoyed sucking on the many varieties of oranges from their comfortable positions in the carriers. We were all soaked by the time we meandered back to our cars, arms full of fresh fruits to bring back to our Airbnb, grateful for the experience and exhausted by the skipped naps.

Here we go

We’re daring to travel in the stage before any child can be considered easy. While I’d like to imagine that Shiloh could be easier if he’d had his own airplane seat, the truth is that both children ended up on our laps for the duration of the fight. The days of complaining about long flights without legroom while quietly watching movie after movie and snacking on Chex Mix and cranapple are long behind us. Now the flight is a marathon that leaves us thoroughly exhausted and in need of relaxation upon landing.

Joyfully, children are wonderfully predictable in their needs. The next many days were a dizzying array of activities interspersed with the predictable: cooking, cleaning, laundry, and naptime battles. Toys were constructed from Costco delivery boxes and the stairs were ever-guarded as our little crawler learns to move. We’re in the thick of it, and we’re embracing all the little moments, from the frustrating to the hilarious.

Cava tasting

Mixing things up one afternoon, we drive out to the Penedes area not far outside of Barcelona as we heard it’s Catalonia’s wine region.  In particular, this region is famous for producing cava, Spain’s famous sparkling wine.  We learn that 95% of all cava is actually produced here.

We aren’t too sure what to expect, and when we arrive we find a beautiful, sleepy, unassuming little town with a giant chocolate factory (we obviously spend some time here) and a bunch of wineries.  The wineries in town look small but established – when walking around, we find that the wine tasting culture of northern California is very different from that in Penedes.  There are only a couple other couples we run into also doing some touring and tasting; otherwise, it’s a very quiet afternoon.  

There are two highlights of our visit: 1) we find a winery, Vilarnau, outside of town on a hill that we aren’t sure is even open, but once we walk in and start chatting with one of the workers, he keeps encouraging us to taste different wines and even gives us a tour of their wine cave.  And 2) we take a tour of one of the wineries in town called Recaredo.  We quickly learn that there are multiple levels of caves underground full of wine bottles of different vintages and in different stages of the fermentation process.  When we come back out of the cave we find ourselves in an entirely different block of the town.  A true a-ha moment comes when we put together that cava means “cave”.

Tarragona and Sitges

We’re now feeling like we’ve really explored Catalonia.  Along with finding many of the nooks and crannies in Barcelona, we’ve ventured up the coast to Girona and Figueres, westward and inland to Montserrat, and now it’s time for us to drive South down the coast.  Our destination is Tarragona, a city founded in the 5th century BC, and now designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its extensive Roman ruins.

But along the way, we find a surprise and beautiful stop.  The inspiration for the stop is part because the car is low on gas, part because Lindsey needs to use the bathroom again, part because I’ve found a cute little coffee shop, and part because it’s halfway between Barcelona and Tarragona.  Sitges, a small touristy beach town full of nice hotels, has a quaint old city and a pristine cathedral right on the ocean.  Tarragona is spectacular as is expected, but Sitges turned out to be the real treat today.

On the return trip, we take the Catalonian equivalent of California’s Pacific Coast Highway and enjoy the colorful sky created by the sunset as we return to Barcelona.