It's Thursday, we should go to Ibiza...

Ibiza is located in the Balearic Islands which is just off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean.  It's a little bit further off the coast than say Nantucket to the Cape but a totally doable trip - just a half hour by plane.  Literally you hit your cruising altitude and they announce that they are preparing for landing.  Known for it's wild parties and nightlife, there is also another side to Ibiza - the relaxing side, especially in what is called the shoulder season (just before the tourism season begins and after it ends). 

So my friend Cristy asked me if I wanted to go to Ibiza for just two days to recharge and relax, it was hard to say no.  Not to mention that her intial proposal would cost us just 4 euros each for the flight.  Unfortunately that first option was also Liam's birthday.  So after some date finagling, we finally decided to go this past Thursday though the cost had jumped... to 21 euros.  A deal?  Oh yes!!!  And it got even better when she found us a 4 star hotel for just 25 euros.  So less than 50 euros to spend 2 days in Ibiza - how could I even think of saying no?  As she said, they are practically paying us to go to visit!  There are people that save years to go to this island and we are going for 50 euros???  That is the life I have to say, and I will admit, I'm incredibly lucky to have this life.

Ibiza here we come!!!

Off we go on Thursday for our journey. We are loaded up with just backpacks - there will be no need for bags of luggage for this trip. A sundress, a sweater and a bathing suit... oh and a book for the beach. That's it, that's all we need to jump start this adventure. We land in Ibiza and are at our hotel by 11AM. By noon we are off to explore.

View from my room to the left - you can see Old Town (the walled city) in the distance

Our hotel - 4 star for just 25 euros each!! 

The picture on the right, the tall building is our hotel - right on the water!

For once, neither of us did any research in preparation for this trip - and both of us are planners by nature.  But it was step one in the relaxation process - just let the day takes us where it takes us.

It decided for day one to take us to the Old Town in which is located in the town of Ibiza (spelled Eivissa here).  Our hotel gave us so-so directions and we were off to explore.  We walked along the beach for a little bit trying to figure out if this was the way to Old Town - given it was a dirt path, we eventually figured out that no, that was not the way we were supposed to go... but it got us to where we needed to be in the end and was a scenic walk along the way so all is good! 

We saw several little geckos along the path to the boardwalk - cute, but keep them a good distance from me, ok?

This was part of the beach "boardwalk" - or what we initially thought was the boardwalk...

we were wrong!

When we finally got on to the walking path, the views just became even more stunning. The water was turquoise in many areas accented with the dark of growth on the bottom of the Med. Palm trees swaying along the water - it was paradise.

 

View from the boardwalk

Another view from the boardwalk

That is til we had to start walking up and up and up.  At least it was a pretty staircase that we had to go up.  And eventually, that same staircase went down - whew!!!  But we definitely got our workout that day and it reminded me of the stairs we had to climb at the Spanish Stairs in Rome, only more narrow. 

This is only the start of the stairs we had to climb!  At least they were pretty!

View from one section of the stairs

We walked thru Eivissa and it was a lovely little town.  It had all the amenities you could expect but with an old world feel to it.  The marina was slightly disappointing as we were hoping for more dining options however, it was also a beautiful area to explore for a little bit.

  

Building along the center of town

  

 

Stunning hotel in the center of town - beautifully maintained and amazing colors that looked spectacular against the bright blue sky

These sailboats are probably the biggest I've ever seen - see the next picture to get a perspective of just how big they are!

With all the buildings surrounding those boats, all you can see is the masts soaring above everything else.  They were HUGE!

One of many upcoming shots of flowers

Old Town is a part of Ibiza where it had a walled city, or fortification.  This fortification which is a World Heritage Site is full of old, beautifuly windy pathways, roads and buildings covered in hanging flowers.  There is a castle and a cathedral up here as well.  The walled city was built in the mid 1500s to ward away the Berber pirates who would try to invade and plunder on the island. 

Cristy at the entrace to the walled city

This is me screaming like a girl because as I walked thru the tunnel all of a sudden I saw this guy's (look to the left of me) feet and thought there was a dead guy next to me.  We laughed til we cried on this one!

Our goal - to reach the top!

But first... lunch!!  Hmmm...where to eat?

Pretty flowers along the entry to the city

Cool arches

View once inside the archway

Drawbridge!  Who doesn't love a drawbridge?

The other side of the drawbridge

These looked to be roses though I can't be 100% sure on that

More stairs... I think they are never ending on this trip!  At least I'll have buns of steel right?

Panoramic view

View going back down - the palm tree is framed just right

Love these flowers!!!!

More freaking stairs?  Seriously????

  

Cool canon overlooking the water

View from the top

In one direction the water, in the other direction a windmill

This was the plaque by the canon - interestingly the canon is called the 24 lb canon but it shot out 25.75 lb cannon balls.  But they reference that they call it a 24 lb canon because that is what they used.  Hmmm... someone doesn't have their math correct here.

View from by the canon

Yet another scenic view

You can't really see it well but on the arm of the light, there is a cool castle etched out.  On the right was inside a gated area

And is this guy supposed to be puking?  Perhaps a medieval representation of the party atmosphere on Ibiza?????

On the left - the very top!!  And the one on the right is the view from the top!

Cool pathway

And another one

Yup, more stairs...

These were the handprints of various arts and entertainment people that must frequent this area

More flowers - what can I say, I love them!

Same flowers, from the end of the pathway

And again with the sun above

These look like doorknobs to me - I really like the way it's put together.  Josh's mom has a picture of Doors of Ireland...this could be doorknobs of Ibiza!

More pretty flowers

I think this is my favorite picture of the whole trip

Hmmm...what do you think they might put in here?

After Old Town we decided to grab a bottle of wine, some chocolate and head back to the hotel for a little R & R before heading out to dinner.  The hotel had a decent hot tub and sauna area in which to relax.  I will admit, we're getting old as we went to dinner around nine and were back at the hotel and in bed by midnight - pretty much when the island is just getting started.  But we still had one more day in which to chill out and enjoy the scene and neither of us wanted to be hungover from that (and we were still feeling the effects from the bottle of wine at lunch).

On our way back to the hotel

View from the hotel room around sunset - unfortunately the sun sets on the other side of the island

Sailboat going between two small islands

Viewo f the walled city from our hotel as the sun finishes setting

On another note, not only did we not go out after dinner, but on our way back to the hotel we counted our lucky stars that we were in the hotel we were in.  There were several hotels along the way with young 20 something's hanging off their balconies screaming to each other with music blaring.  At 25 euros a night for our hotel, that could just have easily been us stuck in that mix (now I feel really old).  We lucked out that we were in a more age appropriate hotel for us :) 

The next day we designated as our beach day.  A friend of mine from home has been to Ibiza and Formentera and has been a plethora of information for me regarding both.  We haven't yet made it to Formentera but it's high on my list and I'm thinking perhaps the September shoulder season would be a good one.  Marco had told us via Facebook that we should check out the area of Ses Salines.  Given it's relatively close proximity to the airport we grabbed our bags, checked out of the hotel and hopped in a taxi to the beach!

The beach was rather hidden.  As a matter of fact the cabbie pulls into a parking lot for a small country store and we kind of looked at him like, did he misunderstand where we wanted to go???  He did not and pointed across the street to a path next to a small restaurant and told us to follow it...

The path turned into this really pretty walkway that led us to Ses Salines beach

Yes, the water was this clear...

For the first hour we were there, this was the only boat out in the water - as much as I'm not a fan of sailing, I do love the look of a nice sailboat on the water!

Shortly after we were relaxing on our rented beach chairs with a good book and just enjoying the views of the Mediterranean in front of us.  Now the beaches in Barcelona are fine but the sand is just ok and the beaches are all very crowded.  Where Josh, the kids and I go on the cape, the beaches are almost completely desserted.  So when I see more than 10 people on a beach, it's crowded to me.  This beach was about as close as I was going to get to those beaches at home but with crystal clear water and fabulous restaurants that fit right into the scenery.  This is where the non 20 somethings go to relax we decided... this was not the party beach for sure and we loved it!!

However, about an hour or so after we arrived we noticed a decent sized yacht pull up and achor off shore.  We didn't make much of it until the people at the restaurant behind us walked out with a container full of glasses and dishes and went down to the beach were a small tender was waiting to take them out to this yacht.  Hmmm... celebrities perhaps???  Or just the uber-rich?  Intrigued we did try to zoom our cameras to catch the name of the boat.  I don't think either of us got a close enough shot.  But as the day went on, more and more things and people went out to it - they brought food and they brought a vase of fresh roses along with a container of rose petals.  And then to top it off, they brought a huge water slide out to them.  Ahhhh to be one of the weathy, right??

The yacht offshore 

The tender bringing the dishes out to the boat

The restaurant bringing food (the guy already halfway down the stairs) to the boat

And finally bringing the water slide out to the yacht.

Our final lunch was at a beautiful restaurant called Malibu that was right on the beach.  Set just above the beach we had amazing views of the Mediterranean and fantastic food and drinks to go with the view.  This was the perfect end to the perfect trip - can't wait for the next one!!!

View of the yachts anchored just off shore from the restaurant

Cool thatched roof makes the enviroment feel even more relaxing and tropical yet nicely upscale

I had a fantastic time recharging my batteries in Ibiza!!   Cristy enough for making the plans for this one!  Next up, we've got visitors coming this week and we couldn't be more excited!  Then it's off to Venice the following weekend.  Lots of fun and exciting things happening!

Julie

It's been a week so time for another birthday! Feliz Cumpleaños Aidan!!

Yes, Aidan and Liam are only 8 days apart.  I'm not sure who's brilliant idea that was but I suspect it was mine.  And for the most part, their birthdays being close has worked out nicely in terms of birthday parties, etc, but it means it is a cake and cupcake making crazy week for me!  Now that Aidan's birthday is done I will be happy to have no more cake (or cake batter for that matter) for quite some time.  My waistline will thank me!

Anyways, I digress... yesterday was Aidan's 7th birthday!  How in the world did he become 7?  It was bad enough that my baby Liam turned 4 last week and is growing up so fast, but now Aidan is 7!  I don't really feel old enough to have a 7 year old but I guess I am.  He has grown both physically and emotionally this year.  He's gotten very tall and is still very lanky and athletic.  He has a passion for sports (he started jiu jitsu this week along with his regular tennis) and for drawing.  I'm constantly amazed at the things he draws these days and how creative he is.

His birthday was relatively low key like Liam's.  And like Liam, his big present was his brand new basketball hoop (or basketball hula hoop as Liam says) - this one for much bigger kids.  And he LOVES it!  He's been out every night (we gave it to him this weekend) shooting hoops and it's a nice thing that both Josh and I can do with him too. 

Josh assembling the hoop... he needed my assistance to which I replied that I put together bunk beds on my own without his help.  I helped nonetheless :)

Aidan's first game of one on one... it didn't end well but we'll try again

Having just thrown the ball but I didn't time the shot too well on my end

Yesterday morning Aidan got to open one gift before school, such a bummer that his birthday was on a school day!  But he was very excited to get a few new guys from the movie Rio (hmmmm Liam got some of those guys too... wonder how that happened?).

Aidan opening his present in the morning.  As you can see, Liam has a very short memory and seems to have forgotten that his birthday was last week and thereby these presents are not for him.

I brought cupcakes to school as well and I really loved how his teacher singled him out on his special day.  He got to sit in a special chair and all the kids sang happy birthday to him.  The teacher also had a posterboard with pictures of Aidan and the kids got to ask him questions about the pictures.  It was all very very sweet.  And the cupcakes were a big hit too!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GqeL4jwqfk

The kids singing to Aidan

The poster Aidan's teachers made for him

Aidan in his special chair at the head of the class

Giving out cupcakes

After school poor Aidan had to wait for Josh to get home before opening his presents.  I'm sure as a kid that felt like a million years!  He wasn't super thrilled with some of his gifts but what do you buy the kid that has every toy known to man??

A game...

Another game... hmmmm

Seriously is this going to be another game?  Actually, it was a magic set which he was excited about.

The coolest present - Nerf tag for Aidan and Liam

The gun is a little hard for Liam to work since it has a pull back

before you can shoot but he loved it too!

Blowing out his candles

Liam:  I want that big piece (as in 1/4 of the cake!)!

I think overall he had a really nice birthday or so I hope!!  Happy 7th Birthday my big kid :)

Love

Julie

Welcome to Julie-ville USA!

Julie-ville?  Yes, that's what my friends here call my neighborhood at home in the US.  It's mainly because I talk about it so much and have made it out to be pretty much perfect... and it's damn close to it! 

Before I get going on this entry, I first want to preface it by saying that I love all of my friends and family... dearly and truly... all of you.  So I don't want anyone to take offense that I'm singling out one particular group, but I feel in this case (as you read on, you'll see why), it warrants it.  Read on...

We're a close knit neighborhood, no doubt.  I've heard a few Stepford Wives references and while they make me laugh, perhaps they aren't that far off sometimes!  The boys get together on Thursday night at various houses in the neighborhood and hang out.  The girls see each other after work, most often with the kids, but get out at least once a month as a group and we do girls weekends away at least once if not twice a year.  For the most part, our kids are all around the same age.  As a matter of fact when I was pregnant with Liam, coincidentally, 8 of us were pregnant that year... perhaps there is something in the water! 

We do block parties and bonfires and luminaries at Christmas time... and really so much more.  We get together on the weekends and when in need, these are the people I go to.  If there is an emergency, we call each other.  If we can't be there in time for the bus, there are 5 other parents to call to ask them to help out.  They are my support system at home and I'm theirs.  Playdates?  Easy peasy as Aidan would say - just walk out the front door and you've got at least a half a dozen kids playing outside your front door.  Our children are all best friends and as a result we have all become close as well and even as the kids have gotten older and in some cases gone to different schools or decided to just hang out with the boys or just hang out with the girls, our group still stays together. 

When we found out we were moving to Barcelona, the first people I told aside from my parents were my friends in the neighborhood.  There were smiles and there were tears... those that said congratulations and those that said please don't leave us!  I was a mixed bag of emotions.  In one way, I was super excited to go on this adventure - a chance to not only see but to experience a part of the world that most people will never get to do.  But on the other side I was torn, I felt like I was betraying my friends by leaving and felt incredibly guilty overall.  I tried to minimize my excitement of things to come because I felt bad about leaving them.

I still feel some of that guilt today.  Josh and I have talked off and on about a possible move to Australia next.  It's in the talks - some days I feel good about it and others I don't (today I'm in the let's NOT move to Australia frame of mind).  But we'll table that discussion on the blog for another time since it's not being resolved on our end any time soon.  Regardless, that guilt still comes in to play when making future decisions as well.

Back to telling our friends.  When we moved I was worried about staying in touch, about whether our friends would still be our friends once we lived abroad (though if they are truly friends than the answer to that question of course is yes, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a thought or concern!).  And about what it would be like someday when we move back.  We chose not to sell our house because we knew that some day we wanted to come back and be a part of this special group of people. 

But the reason I wanted to write this entry is because my neighborhood is special and one of a kind.  I know very few people who are as lucky as we are to have the kind of friends that we have in our 'hood.   I don't think I realized how lucky I was though until I left. 

I do not have the same support system here in Barcelona which honestly took years to build up at home and we've only been here a little over a year.  However, keep in mind that we are in a city now and not the burbs and so our friends are spread out.  But if I had an emergency, it would take at least 20 mins for the closest friend to get to us here.  The kids' friends are also spread out around and outside the city.  Playdates are a challenge because (1) the kids get home at 5 which is late to have a playdate and (2) we don't have a car to get my kids home from another kid's house and or return someone else's child. 

But aside from the support system and playdates which are certainly important, what's more important is the true friendships that we have.  Not only have our friends been huge supporters of Josh and I thru this entire transition - via skype, email, facebook and phone calls, but they have gone above and beyond in helping us from abroad.  From running with my friend Sue via the web (we will run again Sue!) to having the boys take Josh's car out for a drive, they have continued to be not only amazing friends, but amazing support even from afar.  And the support doesn't stop there. 

We've had some problems at home in the last few months that have caused a lot of stress for us here in Spain since it's hard to deal with from so far away.  In the interest of some people's privacy, let's just say that we had to ask our tenant to leave our house and leave it at that.  Our friends have rallied for us during these months in support, asking us how they can help out.  And now that the house is empty for the moment, they are going above and beyond again - helping us with legal documents, taking out Josh's car, setting up appointments to meet with movers (to put our items in storage), finding new tenants for us, appointments with repair people, letting in the sprinkler people to turn on the outside water, etc etc.  They have done all of this without asking for anything in return and do it out of the kindness of their hearts.  It is moments like these when I realize how lucky I am to have them in my lives that I can't return home quick enough.  It's weeks like these last few that make me say, no Josh, we can't go to Australia because we have to go HOME. 

I want each and every one of you to know how much I love you and how much I miss you.  Words can't describe how much you mean to us.  You are the most wonderful friends we could ask for.  We are enjoying every moment of our adventures overseas but no matter how much fun we have, one thing that helps me get thru those days that aren't so fun, is knowing that eventually we will come home to be with all of you.  And the kids and I can't wait to see you all in June!!

Love always,
Julie

Feliz Cumpleaños - Happy 4th Birthday Liam!!

I still find it weird that we're going on our second round of birthdays here in Spain.  I guess it makes it official that we've been here for over a year in that case.  Stranger still is that when we move back home, Liam will actually have lived in Barcelona longer than he will have lived in the States.  And his birthday just reminds me of that.

Liam was super excited about his birthday this year.  He knew that it was on May 2nd, but of course had no idea when May 2nd was.  He also knew he was turning 4.  Of course since then whenever I tell him he is 4, he replies that he was 4 only on May 2nd.  So I'm guessing that means he's still 3????  I love all the new things he's learned this year and see him turning from a toddler into an adorable little boy who has a lot to say to us!! 

His request for his birthday?  Vanilla cake with vanilla frosting... and a basket ball "hula" hoop (in other words a basketball hoop).  I'm pleased to say he got both as well as cupcakes in his class which also made him very happy!!

We're keeping things low key this year so there won't be a birthday party, just a little celebration with our little family and we make take the boys to Port Aventure (like Six Flags).  Aidan's birthday is only a week after Liam's so we'll do something just us and perhaps celebrate when we come home in a few weeks (yes only a few weeks away!).

Here are some pics of his big day!

Liam actually got his basketball "hula" hoop on Sunday since we knew he'd want to play with it right away!

Long shot!

Morning of Liam's birthday - he gets to open one present before school.  Aidan is NOT thrilled that it's not his birthday (his is only a week after Liam's).

Birthday hat that he got in school and a picture of him in school when I dropped off the cupcakes

The sad little cake I made - a baker, I am not... but I tried!

Opening his first gift - a smurf...not super excited

Ahhhh but this is a skateboard - woo hoo!

Aidan "helped" Liam a lot even though Liam is perfectly capable of doing it on his own now.

Scooby Doo toys and a spongbob flashlight... he's been dying for his own flashlight and even better, this one shows a picture of Spongebob and friends on the wall when you use it.

Trying out his new skateboard.

Me presenting the cake to Liam - must say, not looking my best... and yes, we still have our xmas cards up - they are a nice reminder of home!

Blow out the candle and make a wish!!!

Love

Julie

It Smells Like... Team Spirit!

As a native New Englander, I know a little something about team spirit.  We are die hard Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics fans.  And if you dare enter into a bar anywhere in the Boston area claiming to be something else...well... I wouldn't recommend it.  New Englanders are passionate about their sports.  We rally for the hometeam like nothing I had ever seen.  That is, til I moved to Barcelona.

FC Barcelona (known as Barca) is our local "futbol" (that's soccer for those of you at home) team.  And the people here are passionate about Barca even more than us New Englanders are about our sports.  Don't think I'm right?  Come visit, I'll prove it to you.  Not only do I regularly see people walking up and down the streets with banners on game day, but when they win a game, you literally hear the screams thru out the neighborhood.

Now I remember when the Red Sox and Patriots won the World Series and Super Bowl respectively back in 2004 (the year Aidan was born which is why I remember it - don't ask me any other sports years!).  There was a huge amount of cheering and yelling for sure.  But could I hear it thruout my neighborhood?  Were people lighting off firecrackers in the streets and honking their horns?  No, they weren't. 

Last night, Barca played Real Madrid - Real Madrid is to Barca what the Yankees are to the Red Sox. The enemy! And every time they meet the match is called El Capital. Why, I have no idea and since this is a quick entry, I haven't got time to look it up. The season ends at the end of next month and there is still at least one or two more games to be played against Real Madrid, more than in most seasons for some odd reason. Anyways, I'll be honest, yes, I cheer for Barca...but do we watch the games? No, not really. However, you can't help but get caught up in the spirit. Last night as Josh and I lay in bed reading, you could hear the screams and shouts from thru out the neighborhood. We could tell when someone made a mistake from the booing and when they scored a goal from the cheers. We heard them scream Messi, Messi, Messi! He's our Tom Brady.

 

Lionel Messi - Picture from a web search

And at the end of the game, there was plenty of horn honking going on and firecrackers going off... I'm going to say that without even looking online at the score that they won.  My guess is it was even more crazy down in the center of the city where people were likely hanging out of their cars with banners and impromteu parades going on as well... I wouldn't be at all surprised!

So if you think you have team spirit you may want to reconsider how the people of Barcelona celebrate a victory and climb on board the Barca bandwagon!!

Julie