Alastair and I talked about not taking any trips during September and October, but that didn't take long for us to break that rule. We were longing for the crisp, cool, Fall air and mountains. So, we rented a car and made our way to Andorra. We sure love this country!
We were going to just hike and camp, but Emre caught a cold a couple days before and was still on the mend, so I didn't want to overdo it for him. We just stay in a hotel and then hiked easier trails.
I always feel so happy when I discover Emre's talents. He loves all things science and nature. Especially dinosaurs; he knows all their names and he loves to classify them. I've been telling him bedtime stories about famous scientists and inventors and he's also been fascinated with tsunamis. I really hope that this isn't just some phase and it will actually turn into his passion. Anyways, back to our hike. Alastair came up with a brilliant idea to bring a tin box to collect "fossils." Of course, Emre knew they weren't actual fossils, just rocks, but he still went with it. When we got home, he assembled the rocks to make a dinosaur. This angle, it looks like and ankylosaurus, but it's a diplodocus.
We hiked to the top of the hill... uh...mountain???... and Alastair and Emre climbed up trees. My favorite part was when we were at the top and Emre was throwing rocks and sticks off the mountain and shouted, "I'm the strongest man!" It was really funny! Emre is terrible at walking around, in the city, everyday kind of walking. But when it comes to hiking and nature, he's a pro. Such a funny little kid!
The next morning, Alastair woke up early to go for a solo hike. I was half asleep, but I remember him saying, "if I'm not back by 1, start worrying." He arrived 3 minutes before 1; I was relieved. You bet that I was starting to worry! But he had a great time! He met a man and his horse on the ridge. They were looking for the horse's mother; she fell off the ridge and died and few days prior. So it was a pretty treacherous hike. Glad Alastair had fun and he was safe throughout the hike! He really loves a good challenge!
We also spent some time in Andorra, letting Emre play at this really cool park. He's always been cautious with slides, he's not a big fan. But he mustered up the courage to go down a slide on his own. And he even went on the fox flyer. He absolutely hated those but he surprised me and did it on his own, no help. This kid, he's so cool!
