A Whirlwind Vacation (7 page)

“You're so lucky,” Katie told Annabelle. “You're going to have one of Pierre's paintings in your new house.”

“I'd rather have it in my old house ... and stay in Boston,” Annabelle said with a heavy sigh.

“It will be okay,” Katie assured her. “You heard what Pierre said. Change can be good.”

“That's easy for you to say,” Annabelle replied. “Nothing ever changes for you.”

Katie thought about all the changes the magic wind had brought her on this vacation. “That's what you think,” she murmured.

“Are there really four
thousand
animals here?” Katie asked Vicki as they entered the Faunia, a giant zoo in Madrid.

“It looks like there are at least four thousand people here,” Mrs. Garcia noted. “This certainly is a popular tourist attraction.”

Katie looked around. Mrs. Garcia was right. There were crowds of people everywhere. Many of them were studying giant maps of Faunia.

Vicki nodded. “Faunia is a super place,” she said. “You can visit the whole world in one afternoon.”

“I always wanted to take a trip around the world,” Mr. McIntyre joked.

“And you will,” Vicki assured him. “Today we will visit a tropical rain forest, walk around in the dark with bats flying around, and hang out with penguins in the South Pole.”

“I love penguins,” Annabelle squealed. “They walk so funny.”

“I know,” Katie agreed. She put her heels together and started to waddle around like a penguin. Annabelle did a penguin walk of her own.

“Quick, take out the camera,” Mrs. Garcia shouted to her husband. “Get a good shot of the girls acting like penguins.”

Mr. Garcia took photos of Katie and Annabelle as they waddled around.

“I can do that, too!” Mrs. McIntyre joked. “Look at me. I'm a penguin.” She waddled over toward her husband.

“I guess we'll go to the South Pole part of the park first,” Vicki told the group. “You folks should feel right at home there.”

“I can't believe the Penderbottoms, Miss Cornblau, and Miss Framingham went to an art museum instead of coming here,” Annabelle said. “This is so much fun!”

“The Prado is a pretty incredible art museum,” Mrs. Carew told her. “It's got an amazing collection of paintings and sculptures by famous Spanish artists.”

“I'd rather be around animals than just about anything,” Annabelle told her.

Katie was happy to find that she and Annabelle had something in common. “I want to see all of the animals, even the bats!” she announced.

“Don't forget about the snakes in the rain forest,” Annabelle added.

“I love snakes,” Katie assured her. “We have one in our classroom. His name is Slinky.”

“We have a turtle in our class,” Annabelle said. “A snake would be so much cooler.”

Katie was shocked. But not that Annabelle had a turtle for a class pet. Katie was surprised that for once Annabelle wasn't bragging that what she had was the best.

This was going to be
una buena día
—a good day. Katie could just tell.

Katie was right. Faunia was the greatest animal park she'd ever seen. The rain forest had been especially incredible—all warm and steamy. She'd seen birds whose bright colors were as beautiful as the rain-forest flowers. In fact, everything in the rain-forest exhibit was beautiful ... even the lizards!

Annabelle, on the other hand, liked the penguins the best. “Those penguins were hysterical!” she giggled as they left the park. “I liked when they went sliding around on the ice.”

“I really felt like I was in the South Pole,” Katie agreed. “It was freezing in there!”

“I'm glad we got our picture taken with those parrots on our shoulders,” Annabelle noted.

“Me too. I'm going to put mine on the bulletin board in my room,” Katie assured her.

“I'll have to hang it in my new room,” Annabelle told Katie. She sounded sad.

Katie knew just how to cheer her up. Nothing made Annabelle happier than eating!

“Vicki, can we stop for a snack?” Katie asked as the tour group left the park.

“Absolutely,” Vicki replied. “And I know just the place!”

Vicki had the bus driver bring the group to a café on Cava de San Miguel, a street that was built back in the Middle Ages! The adults all ordered fried pockets of dough filled with beef. Katie and Annabelle asked for fruit salad instead.

“I can't believe how old this street is,” Katie said as she looked around. “A real knight could have been standing right here once upon a time.”

“Maybe a princess rode by on her horse,” Annabelle added. She waved her hand like a princess greeting her royal subjects.

“It would be so cool if we were wearing costumes like people wore back then,” Katie remarked.

“You mean like those?” Mr. Garcia said as he took out his camera. Katie turned around in her chair. A group of street musicians were heading their way. They were dressed in long black capes and bright yellow sashes.

“Oh, here comes a tuna!” Vicki exclaimed as the waiter put a platter on the table.

Katie looked at her strangely. “I thought you said these fried sandwiches were filled with meat, not fish.”

Vicki laughed. “No, not
tuna fish,
Katie. That group of street musicians is called a
tuna.
The musicians in a
tuna
are called tunos. Tuna groups have played music on the streets of Madrid for hundreds of years.”

Katie giggled. “Oops.”

The strolling musicians played their song as they traveled down Cava de San Miguel. They stopped as they reached the café where Katie and her tour group were sitting. One of the tambourine players walked over to Katie and reached for her hand.

Katie jumped back.

“It's okay,” Vicki assured her. “He just wants you to dance.”

Katie blushed. She didn't want to dance right in the middle of the street. Not in front of all these people!

But Annabelle did. She leaped up from her chair and began swaying back and forth to the music. “Come on, Katie,” she urged. “It's fun.”

Katie watched Annabelle. She did seem to be having a good time. Slowly she stood up to join her.

Annabelle grinned and curtsied low. Katie curtsied back. Then the girls began to dance wildly, right in the middle of the street.

Katie laughed.

“What's so funny?” Annabelle asked her.

“I'll never be able to look at a can of tuna fish again without thinking about dancing,” Katie told her.

“Me either,” Annabelle said with a laugh as she twirled around again.

When the
tuna
finished playing their song, the grown-ups all reached into their pockets and gave them some change.