Mom and Dad's Visit to Barcelona

With only about 10 days to work with and a lot of territory to cover, and being the uptight person that I am, I came up with a schedule for my parents and I for their visit.  However, given this was their first real vacation in more years than I can count, I also wanted to keep things relatively low key and fun without feeling the pressure of going from one place immediately to another.  Plus, my dad had surgery on his knee this spring and has had a difficult recovery from the surgery and so we had his limited mobility to work with.

And so this is what I came up with:

Day 1:  Chill out and relax - pick up the kids from school
Day 2:  Gym AM, Sagrada Familia, lunch and if time some exploring
Day 3:  Trip to Collioure, France
Day 4:  Gym AM, Touristy BCN daytime, dinner out
Day 5:  Tennis with kids, lunch on the waterfront
Day 6:  Sitges
Day 7:  Gym AM, Touristy BCN with kids (no school)
Day 8:  Gym AM, Touristy BCN
Day 9:  Spa!!!

It's amazing how fast those days went!  We had to make a few adjustments here and there to the schedule but overall we stuck with the general idea to do something fun in the morning, have lunch and then try to relax a bit in the afternoon before the kids got home from school.

In the last 4 years when I've gone home, I've stayed with my parents but never really would get a chance to hang out with them because as typical, I would way overschedule myself.  And even when I would have a few hours to spend, I would be in a semi manic state because I was so overwhelmed.  I feel like my parents haven't seen the "real" me in over 4 years so it was so great for them to see that I am, in fact, ok and "normal" again.

I also wanted them to see all the things that I talked to them about so much on the phone.  To see where I go to do my grocery shopping (which includes the grocery store, butcher shop/cheese shop, fruit/veggie stand and more depending on my needs), to see how we walk everywhere and only take the car when really needed, like to school.  I wanted them to try new things, which they did.  I wanted them to live outside their comfort zone for just a little bit and not only did they do it, they acted like it was no big deal, something I did not expect.

My dad, especially, acclimated well.  He got his bearings pretty quickly and within 24 hours had found himself a little cafe that he would walk to in the mornings to have a pastry and coffee.  I think it took me 6 months before I could bring myself to do that (I know, I'm crazy).  But I loved that he just jumped right in and made himself at home.  And it wasn't just my dad that jumped in but my mom too.  They tried new foods - various meats, cheeses, oils, sausages and turron - I think their favorite was dinner at Can Recasens (http://www.canrecasens.com/) where we were spoiled with traditional Catalan meats and cheeses til our stomachs were about to burst.  They went to new countries - not just to Spain but to France as well.  They had late nights, something that is definitely not the norm for them. They saw Spanish traditions that are unlike things we have in the States, like the Flamenco (Gina you would have loved this!).  And most importantly, we had time for bonding.

I also love that they had some time to bond with the kids and even with Josh whom they had only seen for about 10 minutes in the last 4 years.  We are on the go in the States and while they get evenings with the kids, it's not always quality time after a long day of playing and visiting.  I felt the same when Josh's parents came - it was just a calmer atmosphere that promoted the chance to just sit back, relax and enjoy each others' company.

Enjoying the Flamenco

The flamenco

To watch some of the flamenco check out this video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxsMZNJvom8

For a shorter one, check out this one:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXhYUiIeRwc

Mom and Dad on the beach

Dad taking a picture of Liam taking a picture of him

Liam took this one

And he took this one too....

Rollerblading in Barceloneta

Little break from our walk for my dad

Done... but watch out, someone may step on you!!!!

Enjoying vacation

Liam, Nana and Papa at Parc Guell

The last morning as the boys got ready for school and we headed to the airport :(

Liam and Papa at Parc Guell

Liam thought it was funny when Papa gave me bunny ears but apparently didn't find it as funny when he did it to him!

Aidan and his nana

Mom and Dad in Sitges

The visit was all I could have imagined and more.  It feels weird that it has only been a few days since they left - it feels like a lifetime ago already.  It feels nice to know that instead of 12-14 months til our next visit, I only have about 8 this time and I know that time is going to fly by.  And I love that now when I talk to my mom about the going's on here and the people, she'll have some faces and places to go with that conversation.  I think this trip has made us even closer!!

Besos,
Julie

Miracles Really Do Happen!!

Ok, that title might be slightly unfair, but after almost 4 years of living abroad, I never thought I'd see the day when my parents finally touched down on Spanish soil.  But I can say it was probably the highlight of my time here and we've had some pretty amazing times over the last 4 years so it's a high standard to reach!

You see, when we were in the planning stages of moving, I just assumed that they would come to visit us.  Sure, they weren't big travelers but what a great chance for them to come and see us and explore somewhere new with us.  What I didn't know until after we moved was that part of the reason they weren't travelers was because my mom didn't just not like to fly but had a deep rooted fear of flying. She had only flown 2 times before we moved here - a rookie ;).  My dad loves to fly so I knew that he wasn't going to be a problem to get here, but I wanted them both to visit.

Now I hate to fly, so I get it.  I also get that her fear is significantly worse than mine but a fear nonetheless and nothing to be dismissive about.  But I stayed on top of things, even perhaps playing a guilt trip or two about getting here and how much I wanted them to see Barcelona and to see that we are not only surviving but thriving.  That we don't live in a 3rd world country.  Time marched on and no plans were made.  There were always reasons - work, money, surgeries.  All valid reasons but there never seemed to be the right time.

My brother got married in Minneapolis last year and my mom had no choice but to get on a plane - she certainly wasn't going to miss his wedding.  I remember flying around 16 hours that day and my plane landed about 45 minutes right before theirs - they got off their plane and I met up with them.  My mom proceeded to tell me how exhausted she was.  You can just imagine the look of death I gave her since her flight was 3 hours to my 16.  But for her, this was exhausting - it was her first flight in 25 years.  It was way out of her comfort zone and at the time (I was so beyond exhausted) I don't think I understood just how terrifying it all was for her.  And I wasn't very sympathetic.

But she survived the flight and so I got back on my "visit Barcelona" bandwagon again since the flight was fresh in her memory.  And we did the back and forth... again.  Yet another year had gone by and we'd been here 3 years.  Some of our visitors had been 2 or 3 times to their none.  All I wanted was for my family to come visit.

When the bombs went off in Boston on that fateful day in April of this year, I called my mom and said "we're done messing around, I'm booking your flight right now while we are on the phone."  I think the whole conversation terrified her.  Hell, I think the next several months she spent obsessing about this flight.  And we had many talks where I suspected she was going to tell me to cancel the flight and every time I felt the conversation going that way, I would re-direct (as she taught me so well) and move the conversation somewhere else.  I wasn't going to give an out.  Unfair, I know.  But my intentions are honorable, right??

Time started to creep closer and it became the basis of much of our conversations.  About what to pack. About what we were going to do on their visit.  The fear was slowly starting to turn to excitement.  The countdown was on!  We were hitting the point of no return and I felt pretty confident that they were actually going to make it here!

My dad has some mobility issues so I arranged for extra assistance in the airports and I think that helped to make the transition between flights a little less stressful for them.  Neither of them slept on the plane and as I had stated to Aidan a few times before, I was a little nervous about what to expect when they got off the plane.  Was I going to get that look of death for putting her thru such a traumatic experience?  Was it going to be pure exhaustion?  Or was it going to be total exhilaration for having conquered such a huge fear and anticipation of what was to come during the visit?  I was hoping for the latter!!

I braced myself for the worst as I waited at the T2 arrivals gate.  I tried to think of how I was going to get her home to Boston if she refused to get back on the plane to go home in 10 days.  Was this flight going to traumatize the rest of the trip???

What I didn't expect was the HUGE grin on her face as she and my dad exited the baggage claim area. Never in a million years did I expect to see such a smile on her face after flying on her first transatlantic flight.  Something she had been terrified to do.  They made it!  And the 10 days have flown by so quickly, tomorrow they head back out to Boston - it's going to be a sad day for us all, having to say goodbye for another 8 months (though better than our usual 12-14 months at least).  And I haven't heard one word about her being worried about the flight home.  I'm so proud of how far she's come on this trip, leaving her comfort zone and embracing new and exiting places, things, food and more.  She even uttered the words "the next time I come to Spain" the other day.  See, miracles really do happen :)

More to come on their visit soon!!

Besos,
Julie

The Time We Almost Moved to Amsterdam

In the world of an ex-pat there is one thing that is predictable and that is that nothing is predictable. We came here for 2 years then said, what's one and a half more which them turned into 3 1/2 more.   So it's no surprise to me that even with a committed time frame here in Barcelona that it was possible for things to change, yet again... 

I delayed this post for quite some time (as in months and months!) for obvious reasons as it has to do with Josh's job.  And so it's stuff that I didn't necessarily want to make public until the time was appropriate.  However, as it's important to our experiences here, I kept a journal as we went through the process so you could experience it "first hand" when the time was right.  And since it's now been months, I think it's "safe" to post :)

Written Jan 20th...

Last night Josh and I were on our way out to dinner with friends.  As we were walking towards the metro he turns to me and says, "Do you want to have a heavy conversation or light?".  I thought he was being facetious as I had lectured him while we were in Andorra about not talking enough to me about life, work, kids, etc.  I figured heavy meant let's talk about work, finances, etc and light perhaps about our upcoming travel plans.  Never did I imagine the words that would come out of his mouth when I said "heavy".

To me heavy meant he wanted to talk about work and stuff that's been going on there lately.  Things he might not want to talk about in front of the kids.  There's been a lot of shake up and he's been under a lot of stress.  I didn't expect "What do you think about moving to Amsterdam?" to be the next words he would utter.  The words I replied back with aren't really PC for this blog... you get the picture.  And certainly not the conversation that I was expecting to have on the way to meet our friends.

In the end, we had a great conversation about our lives here in Barcelona, both the pros and cons and where we see our futures.  And from there the next step was for Josh to open some dialogue with the powers that be in the Amsterdam office (still remaining a part of Vistaprint).  The job would be a great opportunity for him and an internal move, and while I am not super hot on the idea of a move to the Netherlands, my days here have been feeling a bit disenchanted lately.  Maybe a change will do us all good?  Though upon looking at the (snowy) weather there, I still think I'd prefer to stay here!!

Written Jan 26...

Josh was in meetings all week with his worldwide marketing conference.  Each night he had a dinner as well so he was getting home late which didn't leave a lot of time for us to talk and the wait was killing me!!!  At this point we don't even know if there would be an interest in him going to Amsterdam.

It wasn't til Friday evening that Josh was able to initiate a conversation with the appropriate person regarding a possible move to Amsterdam.  You can't imagine what my week was like.  Trying not to obsess because I have nothing yet to obsess over and yet of course, given my type A personality, totally making lists in my head of all that would need to be done prior to a move and all the research that I should be, but wasn't, doing.

The good news, there is an interest.  The bad news... well, there isn't any news yet.  But the dialogue has been opened and Josh plans to have another conversation this week to find out more.  In the meantime, let the waiting game begin.

Written Jan 27...

While this is still not my ideal situation, Josh is pretty excited about this opportunity.  And so I've begun to do some pre-emptive research.

I have to say, the Netherlands has an amazing ex-pat website.  It is a part of their IAmAmsterdam campaign and was founded in 2008 to help ex-pats settle in.  There is even a first month guidebook.  If only I'd had something even close to this when we moved to Spain.  So I took a quick glance, not wanting to overwhelm myself when we don't even know for sure if we are going.  But my thought was, let's start seeing what information is available and getting our ducks in a row.

I also took a look at the international schools - because school will also determine where we would live which then means I can start to figure out what we could expect for rents.  Josh had said he looked at a few when first thinking about this move.  But while I trust Josh in many things, education is not necessarily one of them.  It's not that he doesn't want the best for the kids, he just has a different criteria than I do that defines the best.  So I took a look tonight to see what "the best" is.  And honestly, just because it's the most expensive does not mean it's the best.  I have it narrowed down to two schools. The Amsterdam International School (the most expensive) and the Amsterdam International Community School.  The latter is subsidized through the Netherlands which reduces it's cost but means that more is controlled by the government, more like a public school.  The schools in the Netherlands are set to a very high standard so this might not be a bad thing.  Also interesting to note, swimming is mandatory and children must pass swimming exams.  I'm sure this is related to all the water in and around the Netherlands, just never saw a place where it was mandatory.

I found the school research a bit overwhelming especially when looking at tuitions that made me want to vomit.  We have no idea what will or won't be covered by Josh's work at this point.  Oh wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.... we don't know that he has a job there yet and here I am already figuring out tuitions.  I should just go to bed...

Written Jan 30...

So today Josh was supposed to have a talk with the powers that be regarding this possible move.  It was going to be a day to shed some light on if this is something that might actually happen.  The anticipation is definitely killing me and I'm sure Josh feels the same.  So when I instant messaged him at 10:30 this morning, I can just feel his disappointment when he said that the meeting was changed to next TUESDAY!  Yes, pretty much a full week away.

This stresses me for different reasons, reasons Josh can't comprehend.  There are some many logistics that go into a move like this and a big one is the school.  A lot of schools are planning for their 2013 academic years already.  And while I understand that things are a little different at international schools since they don't always get the kind of notice with people coming and going that those at a traditional school can supply, I still recognize that I need to get those applications in stat if we are doing this.

I also feel like we are just sitting here, in limbo... waiting again.  It reminds me of when we embarked on this journey 3 1/2 years ago.  But I'm almost more stressed now because now, now I know that this is hard.  The move isn't so bad, it's manageable.  Yes, it's a lot of logistics, but it's not difficult.  It's the settling down into a new culture and new environment.  I cried for months the last time it was so hard. And while I've been through it before, the fact that I know what to expect is actually a little more intimidating than the unknown.

Written Feb 5...

So I've just been trying to put this all out of my head for the last week.  Josh and I talked the other day and it was decided that if this move doesn't pan out, we will continue to go on as we were in Barcelona and stay here as long as possible.  We love Barcelona, he's overall happy in his job and we don't want to leave unless it is an amazing opportunity.

Josh talked with the head guy today.  They talked about the position, the pros and cons of the company, etc etc.  And Josh is excited about the prospect.  And nervous.  He knows that being excited about it could (a) lead to disappointment if it doesn't come to fruition and (b) that it makes a position harder to turn down if the financials don't work out to make this a feasible move for us.

Next steps?  Josh has to talk to the hiring guy to find out what we would be talking about financially (at least that's what I hope the next conversation is, I'd imagine that's what the hiring manager does, right?). And so, let the waiting game continue.

Written Feb 14...

Yes, another week has gone by.  Another week of just waiting and wondering.  The good news is that things are starting to look up... well, sort of.  Josh had a talk with his boss this week about where everything is heading and what the scenarios are.  The good news is that we are pretty secure here for at least another year to 2 years unless he decides to move on to Amsterdam which his boss also was supportive of him doing.  He's talking to the hiring guy in Amsterdam on Friday so perhaps this week we will start to get a better idea on what our long term plans are.

On another note, in the last few weeks we've had our renters on the Cape give their notice.  Thankfully they are looking at the end of April so it gives us a little time but it still adds stress to our lives just when we don't need it.  And it looks like the same might be true in Attleboro as they are looking to buy a house, but I'm hoping it won't be til closer to summertime in that case!

Written Feb 28...

We are getting to a point of frustration these days.  We don't know which way is up and are trying to figure out what our future holds.  Josh wants to stay in Europe, I'm torn.  We are still waiting to find out what is happening with Amsterdam - Josh's meetings have been rescheduled 3 times now and the latest is supposedly going to happen on March 6.  The good news is that because I'm so sick of waiting, I'm also stressing (a little) less and just trying to continue on with my every day life.  I'm resigned to think that we will be staying in Barcelona for at least the next year though as we know, that could always change.

Written Mar 6...

And yet another meeting - cancelled.  This is getting old.

Present day...

So given the title of this entry is we "almost" moved to Amsterdam, you probably know what happened next.  Nothing.  The back and forth continued and then there were some changes in the office in Amsterdam that just made us think, now is not the time for this move.  We're still open to new opportunities but for the time being we are just going to focus on the here and the now and enjoy our time in Barcelona until the time comes for the next adventure.

Besos,
Julie

The Reverse of the Curse of Collioure!

So my last 2 attempts to go to Collioure have not gone so well.  Last year when Meghan was visiting, the one day we had to go up to France, it was downpouring rain - I'd even go as far as calling it torrential.  The normal 2 hour journey took us closer to 4.  And it was pouring when we got there and somehow NOT ONE THING was open.  We had to opt for pizza and a quick run thru the rain and then less than an hour after we had arrived, we headed back to Barcelona.  Total fail.  But at least I was able to say that I took Meghan to France.

My last attempt was even a bit worse since it involved my car.  While Caryn and Urs were visiting in June we decided to hit Collioure on our way back from Provence.  Hit being the operative word apparently.  When a bus hit my car, smashing in the passenger side, upon our arrival into Collioure, I wasn't exactly thrilled.  And it was then that I decided there must be a curse upon Collioure!

And while I was a little apprehensive about making the voyage yesterday, I'm so glad we did.  The sun gods were shining on us and we made the trip in just over 2 hours.  Along the way we decided that if we had enough time we would also head up towards Perpignan and go to the Sigean Africane Reserve - a wildlife reserve smack in the middle of France.  We'd been a few years ago but it was summer, crazy busy and super hot - we figured it could be a fun side trip (and it was).

But first Collioure.  We arrived just around 11 and walked around for a bit, meandering in and out of the little streets filled with artisan shops, cafes and colorful homes.  We also walked along the water getting a birds eye view of the town from the jetty area.

Love the colorful homes behind the boys

And the boats are probably my favorite part of coming here

Family portrait!

Me, Liam and Meghan

A friendly moment among brothers

Do you see a theme with the boats?

Me and my boys :)

Many famous artists painted in Collioure and there are these frames placed in areas where those works of art were painted.  I think this "Aidan in a frame" will be worth something some day...

Josh and his boys

Walking along the wall to the church

Liam in front of the church

Aidan on the rocks

My view of the town from the church

This may be my Christmas card this year...

Look at how deep it gets in the middle!

Flowers along the building

Castle

Watching the fish

We finished up lunch and a little more walking by just around 2 and decided it was worth it to head to the Sigean Africane Safari near Perpignan, about an hour drive from Collioure.  It was a pretty drive and one that I recognized most of along the way from previous drives to this area.

It was refreshing to see that there was no line of traffic lined up outside the zoo.  The last time we were here, 3 years ago, it was literally a caravan of cars, bumper to bumper thru the entire park.  It took something out of the safari like feel that you are supposed to have.  Now with this reserve, the animals are actually able to come right up to your car.  They cannot leave their areas of the zoo - like the lions can't head over to the gazelles - there are borders that prevent them from leaving but allow cars to enter and exit and at the areas where there are dangerous wildlife, like lions, bears and rhinos, there are guards to make sure everyone is safe.  And in those areas, windows must stay up (something Josh was trying to convince the kids otherwise - thankfully they finally have chosen to listen to me!!).

It was pretty cool seeing all the animals right up close to the car and we saw a lot of babies too which was cool - baby giraffe, ostrich, zebra (OMG soooo cute!), bears and more.  And the animals didn't seem phased by the car at all which shows how immune they've become to them.  That for some reason gave me a little bit of a level of comfort, though when the ostrich was near those windows went right back up!

It's Pumba!

How cute is this baby zebra???

And the baby ostrich?

This looked like a zebra donkey combo (his legs were striped) - apparently endangered

Liam ran near the flamingos which just had one chain (nothing else) blocking them from the zoo - apparently that was enough because they stayed on the correct side of it... but I was a little nervous they might go after Liam after he scared them!

By far, our favorite, and most hysterical part of the drive thru the safari was the bears.  Right at the entrance there were bears attempting to mate and a few others just lying around.  If I had any beverage in my mouth, I would have spit it out upon arrival at that gate and seeing one bear on top of the other. Perhaps a "holy shit" might have come out of my mouth.  The boys were fascinated.  But the best part of the conversation went something like this:

Josh:  Hey look, two bears are doing it!
Julie:  Oh that poor girl bear, she looks like she's trying to get away!
Liam:  Well boys like doing it.
Julie:  Where in the world did you hear that?
Liam:  Big Bang Theory

Perhaps the boys have been watching a little too much tv these days!

If you could see the look on her face you'd see she's not a happy camper!!

Anyways, that was the highlight of our trip to the zoo.  We walked around the actual zoo for a little bit before heading back to Barcelona since the kids had school today and Meghan had to head back to the US :(  this morning.  But I'd say that the curse has in fact, been reversed!!

Besos,
Julie