Life is a Gift

BARCELONA – Seeley Lake resident and Seeley Lake Elementary teacher Kelsi Luhnow didn't realize that her simple decision to stop at her hostel before going to the plaza at Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain may have saved her life. She was within a couple blocks of the terrorist rampage that reportedly killed 13 people and injured more than 100 Aug. 16. Luhnow, a world traveler, said her experience will not stop her from traveling but it does heighten her awareness.

The past few years Luhnow has traveled to South America. This year she decided to go to Europe.

"I love traveling and seeing new places," said Luhnow. "I allotted more time in Spain so I could get more practice with my Spanish. With all the terrorist activity going on, I thought it was only going to get worse."

Luhnow started her travels July 15. She started her trip visiting family in the United States and then flew to Paris. She traveled around Europe, ending in Barcelona, Spain the evening of Aug. 15.

Luhnow enjoys staying in hostels during her travels. Not only does this help keep costs down and have a communal kitchen allowing her to cook her own meals, it also allows her to meet people from around the world.

On her first day in Barcelona, Luhnow walked through Las Ramblas. She visited Sagrada Familia, a cathedral that is one of the most famous landmarks in Barcelona.

"When I walked through, it was just so peaceful and like everyone just doing their own thing," said Luhnow. "There is a reason why a lot of people go there. It is a chill place where people go to stroll around and you don't have to worry about cars going down there because it is closed off to vehicles."

Thursday, Aug. 16 was the last day of Luhnow's travels. She had been at the beach with a friend from her hostel. They talked about going to La Boqueria market, within the Las Ramblas Plaza, afterwards to eat. Luhnow decided she wanted to stop at the hostel first to eat her leftover food and take a shower.

"I do remember thinking if our hostel wasn't right here on the way back, we probably wouldn't have stopped by," said Luhnow. "I never had a premonition 'don't go there.' It just made more sense to eat there and cool off a bit."

Around 5 p.m. Thursday night, a van drove through Las Ramblas traveling more than 1,800 feet through a pedestrian-only area. The attack reportedly killed 13 and injured more than 100. One of those killed was a seven-year-old boy. Towns outside of Barcelona were also hit with separate attacks from the same terrorist cell.

A line of people filed up the stairs of Luhnow's hostel, shocked and crying. Luhnow said they figured out through translation that "Someone was driving through people near Plaza Catalunya (marked with #1 on map) with a van and shooting."

They motioned the people to come into the living room and Luhnow gave them glasses of water.

"They were shell shocked," said Luhnow who tried to help but was unsure what to do. "I don't think they were very close to the carnage and injuries because there were only a few women that were crying. The rest had gathered information that they were close to. Those closest to the attack ran into nearby businesses that quickly went into lockdown."

Luhnow said the report of shooting was inaccurate. However, they may have been hearing the loud slam of the van running into things."

At this point Luhnow was unsure of what had actually happened.

"I was just praying that it was a failed attempt at something scary," said Luhnow. "I posted what I knew on Facebook and let people know I was alright."

Luhnow later found out that the terrorists' cell planned to drive a large truck into Sagrada Familia and set off bombs because it was another place people congregated.

"They couldn't get a big truck because they didn't have the proper paper work," said Luhnow. "They probably needed a CDL, or that equivalent, and they couldn't provide that so the rental company wouldn't provide [a large truck]."

Luhnow said the terrorist group also had a stash of gas cans stored in a small building outside of Barcelona. The house blew up on Wednesday, Aug. 15 and resulted in a couple casualties.

The terrorist's final plan was to drive a van through Las Ramblas.

The plazas are typically closed off to vehicles. Luhnow said in France they have barricades that prevent vehicles from driving on the roads.

"They must have done their research [found a way to enter] and drove as fast as they could and hit people as they went down," said Luhnow.

Two of the terrorists, one Moroccan and the other Spanish, were arrested. The driver of the van walked out into the University District and then hijacked a car. The driver of the car was stabbed and his body was put in the back of the vehicle while the terrorist drove off. The terrorist drove through a police barricade, injuring a policewoman and escaped. The police found the driver's body and did eventually catch up with the terrorist. He was killed in a town outside Barcelona when he threatened law enforcement and showed a fake suicide vest and knives.

Luhnow said that the media reports contained a lot of errant facts. When the body of the man driving the hijacked car was found, they made it sound like they had the terrorist.

"It was Spain's worst attack since the Madrid bombings in 2004 where over 80 people died at least from those attacks," said Luhnow. "These are radical Islam groups and their intent is to do away with the infidels."

Luhnow did go out with a group from the Hostel Thursday night following the attack but they did not venture far. They took a five minute walk to enjoy some dessert and came right back. The police had the area of the attack taped off and they weren't letting people into the plaza. Many of the shops were closed.

"I also hope people will make a distinction between the radical Islamists that want westerners to die and peaceful Muslims," said Luhnow. "There were groups of Muslims that came out right after the attack and said not in our name or not in my name. We want peace."

Luhnow thought the situation was handled very well. The law enforcement responded promptly and closed things off. The town also didn't make a mass hysteria other than the media dramatization. There was a moment of silence and people saying they were not afraid.

The next day, Luhnow said Las Ramblas tried to get back to normal and safely go on with life.

Luhnow said this incident is not going to scare her away from traveling. She feels that if it did, the terrorists have won.

"This shouldn't scare people from doing the things they love...don't let this be the reason you never travel," said Luhnow.

However she does have a heightened awareness. She won't feel comfortable walking in a large crowd if a vehicle comes up from behind her. If she is an unprotected area without vehicle barriers, she won't walk in the middle of the walkway.

"It's sad that we have to be like that but it is the manner that they are choosing to target people now," said Luhnow. "It's soft targets where it is big groups of people that are just going about their day, having fun and being relaxed."

"I'm thankful to be alive and I think God was protecting me," continued Luhnow who shed a tear for the innocent seven-year-old who was killed. "He's got a reason. God has a purpose for me."