Quest for the Gel of Glory

Blending in in Spain is a challenge. I'm fatter than most of the women here. I drive a big car with French license plates. My son is blond. My Spanish is awful.

Women in Spain keep themselves up. Fashion is tailored. A black leather jacket is essential. I tried on some skinny jeans. Turns out they don't make you look skinny. Weird name . . . And the women of Spain straighten their hair. Not me. I embrace my Jewish Spanish curly hair. But I do need some special sauce to keep it looking fine. Enter Deva Curl Light Defining Gel.

How to do you get hair gel to Spain? Whatever you do. Don't try to ship it in a box. This is what happens...

As we packed our bags for Spain it was apparent that shipping an extra box would be a must. So into the box went all the heavy extra stuff one "needs" for a 5 month trip to Europe. A travel safe, a cookbook, batteries, charging cords, power adapters, power outlets, a skateboard, rock climbing shoes, a rope and

carabiners, paleo protein bars. My beloved hair gel. My big bottles of curly hair shampoo & conditioner. After some research, we found an online service, Parcel Monkey, that helps the novice maneuver through the strange world of international shipping. Easy.

But when we arrive in Spain, I get an email notifying me that the "foodstuff/liquid" in my box has got to go. Crisis. What am I going to do about my crazy hair? Ladies at the gym suggest Amazon UK. It seems that the Seattle-based online retailer is growing in Europe. But all orders ship from the UK. And sure enough. I find the gel, it will cost me 21 pounds. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

I click purchase. A buzz is in the air. Victory is in hand. But no! There's a "problem with my purchase." After some more effort, I come to learn that the EU is one "country" only when it comes to keeping Americans from staying there more than 90 days (maybe some other stuff too. TBD). But if you want to ship liquids within the EU, Spanish regulations say "no bueno."

Spain flexes its muscles against the European Union Commission in

other ways too. Like they are being taken to court for passing out plastic bags to shoppers like tissue paper. The EU Commission has sent Spain a final warning, informing the member state that it must either implement EU rules on lightweight plastic carrier bags or face infringement proceedings before the European Court of Justice.

Spain. With your cool buildings and great cheeses? Why you gotta be so tough? No to shipping hair gel? Giving the EU the finger? No lo sé. No lo sé.

My hopes dashed. Desperation sets in. Then . . . brilliance. I have friends travelling from Seattle to Barcelona in 48 hours. They graciously agree to deliver the Gel of Glory. My mom's good for another bottle next week, she says. Quick thinkin' Bloom!

And there are other toys in the the box. To celebrate, we head into

Barcelona with our climbing gear. Rock climbing in Catalonia is huge. Some of the best climbing is here. Including La Dura Dura ("The Hard Hard") -- which at 5.15c is the hardest climb in the world. The freakishly strong Chris Sharma completed the climb in 2013. The project took him two years. In his off-hours, he started a climbing gym in Barcelona.

Off to Sharma Climbing BCN we go. First a stop at the local gear store for some shoes. (Will the Boy's feet ever stop growing?). For this trip to multiple neighbourhoods, we decide to drive. Driving in Barcelona is always hair-raising. I find it's best to think of driving a car in the city like you are steering a boat. Lanes are suggestion only.

We are psyched to finally be climbing in Spain. The gym has a bar. A dude with a guitar is singing songs by the Cure, Depeche Mode, and the Smiths. It's Just Like Heaven.