A Trip to England for my Birthday Weekend!! Feliz Cumpleaños to me!!

In the midst of the chaos that is currently our lives, my birthday has arrived.  I don't know how it happened as it doesn't feel like it should be June yet.  In fact, my aunt sent me a message the other day wishing me a happy early birthday and my first thought was, "is she crazy, my birthday isn't for months".  Then I realized, time is passing by incredibly quickly here these days and in fact, it's here. Never in my life have I almost forgotten my birthday but it almost happened.

The kids and I flew into London Luton Airport on Friday night.  LATE.  Very. Very. Late.  So late I almost considered leaving Barcelona Airport and saying screw the whole trip.  The kids, more so Aidan, were that much of a mess.  Flying anywhere after 8PM is a bad idea.  But we made it and Josh had arrived about an hour ahead of us so he already had the rental car and we were off and running for our hotel, just 20 minutes away.

We checked into the hotel at midnight.  Seriously painful for us all.  But knowing the fun we had in store for the rest of the weekend, we trudged thru and got ourselves settled and into bed.  For the next morning we were heading bright and early to the WB Studios to visit the sets of the Harry Potter movies!!

Our very cool Fiat that also looks like a mini cooper yet much bigger car... we've decided though it's a little too big.  How un-American of us!!!

So while this was not my ideal birthday plan, I can't say that I didn't enjoy every moment of it either, because I did.  Josh and I were huge Harry Potter fans before either of the kids were even born (ok, that's suddenly making me feel very old!).  Our original plan was to do this trip the weekend of Liam's birthday (which happened to be a long weekend) but the cost of flights were double what they were for my birthday weekend (also a long weekend). And so off to London we went!

There were huge amounts of people visiting on Saturday at the WB Studios.  I knew this would be a popular site, but at the same time, it's  bit of a ways outside of London so I didn't expect quite so many people.  But then, Harry Potter is quite the phenomenon worldwide and has been for several years now.

Getting excited as we head in!

Chess pieces from the Sorcerer's Stone

Do you think they are really the originals???  That's a pretty big risk to keep them outside where everyone can touch them (despite the sign).

Lobby

Gift shop... for the end... it was torture for them to have to wait!

If I recall, I think it said they made 17 versions of the flying car for varying purposes.

Working the audio guide - he was much more into listening to it than Aidan

Awesome quote

Where the story all starts... and from here we started the tour...

The studio was amazing and tour was self guided.  There were a few speakers along the way that would get you in to the spirit of things.  And often times they would remind you that while it takes a village to raise a child, it takes close to a city to make a movie of this caliber.  The details that went into the making of the movie truly stunned me.  The set design and props alone were awe inspiring.  Details such as the Hogwarts insignia in the fireplace in the Great Hall to the candy boxes Fred and George created - all were made by someone.  And to see the scale model of Hogwarts that was used in the fly over scenes - well that was just amazing.  There was a video showing the making of Hogwarts in fast forward motion - it took 8 weeks and many people to construct this huge castle and it's surrounding grounds.

We watched a short movie about the making of the films, then the screen went up to show us the entrance to Hogwarts and the Great Hall... very cool entrance!

The boys in the Great Hall

The fireplace

The insignia in the fireplace - an amazing detail!

This is the Gryffindor boys dormitory.  On the tour they said that when they started filming the boys were only around 10 years old and fit into the beds fine... by the last year of filming they were all so tall that they had to bunch up their legs to fit on the beds.

Checking out the wands and the Mirror of Erised (and if you look closely, it's us on the right)

The kids loved the tour.  They are very into the movies as well and slowly getting into the books.  So for them to see how it was made put some things into perspective for them, especially for Aidan who has a fascination with the movie / tv world and how it works.  He was especially impressed with all the props and the details of them.

Gryffindor common room

Common room fireplace

The griffin that leads to Dumbledore's office and on the right, Dumbledore's memories

The Golden Egg from the TriWizard Tournament

Dumbledore's office

Potions

Green screens for where we would see the portraits come to life... and Aidan with the portal from the Chamber of Secrets

Door at Gringots

Cart they took in Gringots from the 7th book when they are trying to find the horcrux in Bellatrix's vault with the green screen for filming

Hagrid's motorcycle and sidecar with the green screen

Broom with green screen

Moody's trunk

The Burrow

Some of the many many props

They even made custom tapestries for the movie

Is that brotherly love???  Must keep this photo!

Liam really loved getting to "fly" on a broomstick.  The unfortunate part is that while we got our photos right away, they told us we would need to collect our video at the gift shop.  And guess who forgot the video?  Yup, Josh and I.  Shhhhh we haven't told Liam and are hoping he forgets that part.  But at least we got the pics!

Excited to fly!!!

We went out to the outdoor sets - #4 Privet Drive, the bridge and Harry's parents' house.  It was also home to butterbeer.  Aidan was quite the fan of butterbeer, but hey, who wasn't??  And butterbeer was totally not what I expected.  It was something like a cross of cream soda and butterscotch with a dob of heavy whipped cream on top.  Delish!!  Liam drank it a tad bit quickly and didn't feel so great after, I think perhaps a sign of too much of a good thing...

In front of the bridge to Hogwarts

The Knight Bus

Creepy head on the Knight Bus

Gravesite of the Riddle family

Butterbeer!

#4 Privet Drive

Anyone home???

James and Lily Potter's house

I could go on and on about the tour to be honest.  The props alone were worth the tour - the detail that went into making this movie is beyond crazy.  It's well worth it if you are going to be in London and are a fan of the Harry Potter series.  The kids were thrilled to get "authentic" wands.  Liam's is Harry Potter's and Aidan got both Ron and Hermione's wands.  Liam would have loved a cloak but they were sold out and it turns out they only sell "authentic" ones that run 70 pounds each.  Yeah, not paying that for a dress up costume for my 7 year old.  We'll find something else on amazon.com :)

This was a case with automated, remote controlled props

The hypogriff actually was a fully functioning robot.  There was video to accompany it which made it even cooler to watch.  The thing was huge!

Bigger than my children...

Diagon Alley

Notice it says Olivanders has been in business since 362 BC!

As you can see, the lighting was pretty dark around Diagon Alley

Some of the architectural plans for the movie production.  There were even plans for Dumbledore's chair - not a detail was missed with this movies.

Some of the plaster models

The GIANT Hogwarts - this model easily took up about 20-30 feet of space when you add in the grounds and other buildings.  This is the Hogwarts seen in all the ariel shots and any shots where you see the entire castle.

It took 8 weeks to build the model.  There was a video doing a time lapse.  Very cool!

There is a wand case for every single person that worked on the movies.  This is just one wall of the cases - but they filled an entire room.  It takes a village...or perhaps a small city...

We got back from WB Studios and then lunch around late afternoon.  After a quick dip in the pool, we just took a few hours to relax.  Between our late night arrival and a busy early part of the day, I think we were all a little bit exhausted.  We did a lovely dinner out at an Italian place near the center of town. And bonus, it was on a park.  So after dinner, since it it light out til after 9 in England in the summer, the kids ran (and beat the crap out of each other) and played (and beat the crap out of each other) for a while getting a bit of energy out.  I'm excited for our new adventures in Amsterdam where they will finally, hopefully, have grass to play on regularly - you can totally tell how much they miss it...and beating the crap out of each other on it (hard to do when your apartment has no soft flooring and there are very few green parks to play in).

Park alongside dinner

Walking to dinner

This is the restaurant we went to for my birthday - notice the vines completely encompassing it!

Some much needed rough housing after dinner.  I'm amazed they are both still in one piece!

Oh don't worry Aidan, Liam will get you back...

And he did...

The little guy can hold his own!

Failed attempt at wheelbarrows

But the birthday wasn't over just because the clock struck midnight.  No, it's a birthday weekend!! :) On Sunday we met up with some old BFIS friends that moved at the end of last summer.  My friend Eleanor and her daughters Faith and Hope (and Faith's friend Zoe) met up with us at Chessington, an amusement park that reminded me a bit of Six Flags.  Faith and Aidan were in the same grade for 3 1/2 of Aidan's 4 1/2 years at BFIS.  And while the two didn't do a lot of talking with each other on Sunday, I could tell they were happy to see a familiar face outside of Spain.  It's a nice reminder to Aidan that we do, in fact, stay in touch with those we care about and make a conscious effort to see them when we can.  It's especially important now that we are leaving that he understand this... and I know from previous experience that he does, but it's nice to be able to reinforce that (coincidentally) right before we leave Barcelona.

The day could not have been more perfect weather-wise for Chessington.  Mid 70s (warmer than Barcelona lately) and beautiful out.  Given that ti's England, that's a long shot and we're glad we got in under the radar on that one!  There were rides for all, adventurous and not so much so.  I think all the kids had a great time and by the time 5 o'clock came around, I think they were all pretty spent.  And to think I thought it was odd they closed at 5 on a Saturday.  Nope, it's just about enough time for both the parents and kids before meltdowns set in!  With lots of traffic on the way back to the hotel, the kids had a little catnap on the way back and it was definitely a night for eating in at the hotel rather than heading out.

Aidan is in the red tee shirt - he loved the swing!

And the bumper cars

Aidan and Josh on an insane rollercoaster - um...no thanks!!!

Aidan claimed this was super easy... Ha!!

Liam immediately agreed it was not!

 Eleanor and Hope on the bumper cars

All the kids at lunch - a mini reunion

This also was a bit much for me.  Even Aidan freaked out a little when they first got on.  In the end he loved it.  It spun around and went up and down a track (like the pirate ship ride of the "olden" days).

Spinning as it goes along the track

Yeah they love it... crazy family!

Madagascar LIVE!!

Carousel - more my speed too Liam!

There was even a small aquarium here!

And the end of a super fun day!!! 

Liam's new favorite thing - "moose ears"

Monday was our last day in England.  It was a totally mellow morning spent in the town of St. Alban where we had been staying.  There was an adorable center of town with lots of shopping and of course, a bookstore.  As always, this is the one really big thing Aidan likes to do when we travel to an English speaking country - go to the bookstore.  And you know, even though I have a kindle now, it's one of my favorite things to do too.  So we bought a few more books to add to our ever so huge collection and everyone was pretty happy.

Center of St. Albans

English books!!!

Cathedral of St. Albans

Chilling at the park for a few before we head to the airport

After a delicious lunch, it was time to head to the airport and off to our next adventure, Amsterdam for house hunting.  No, the long weekend isn't over yet, just the vacation portion of it.  Now it's hard work, albeit fun hard work, for the next 2 days as we find a place to live in Amsterdam - but that's a whole other blog entry.

So my birthday weekend is now done.  I'm a year older and a year wiser.  Thirty-eight wasn't my best year with much of it spent in a bit of a depressive state and feeling like our lives were forever in limbo. However, as I enter the last year of my 30s I can't help but think of how ridiculously wonderful my 30s have been overall.  We've worked hard, played hard and have done our best to enjoy every single moment of what life has to offer.  I'm really looking forward to what 39 brings this year - I know that this coming year will not be easy as we transition into yet another new country, but I'm excited for the new changes it will bring to our lives and how we will grow from the experiences.

Besos,
Julie

Travel Log

One of the best parts of being an ex-pat in Europe is the travel.  And we take every opportunity we have to do as much of it as we can.  Here are links to the places we've explored in Europe (some of them more than once)!!

This page will be a continuous work in progress as I expect that while our travel will slow down now that we will have more time in Europe and less urgency to see it "all" in a short period of time, it's something we really love to do.  If you've been following the blog all along then you've already been to these pages most likely - for me it's just an easy point of reference page and kind of fun to see all the places we've been to in one neat little package :)


Africa

TANZANIA

Europe

ANDORRA

Andorra la Vella


BELGIUM

Bruge

Brussels

Ghent


CROATIA

Dubrovnik

Rab Island

Split


DENMARK

Copenhagen, Trip 2 (cruise)


ENGLAND

Cotswolds

London

Ripon

St. Albans and WB Studios

Windsor / Legoland

ESTONIA

Tallinn

FINLAND

Helsinki (cruise)

FRANCE

Aix-en-Provence

Arles and Marseille (Provence)

Antibes (French Riviera)

Carcassonne (family)  Carcassonne (girls trip)

Collioure (with Meghan trip 2), (with Caryn and Ursula) (the first time)

Colmar

La Llagone (French Pyrenees)

Muespach and Strasbourg

Nice

Paris (Disney) (trip 1)

Paris (trip 2 - no kids!)

Paris (trip 3)

GERMANY

Freiburg

Munich (Oktoberfest)

GIBRALTAR

GREECE

AntiPaxos

Athens

Corfu

Hydra

Paxos

HUNGARY

Budapest

ICELAND

Various Parts of Iceland

IRELAND

Dublin

Killarney

Fanore and West Coast

ITALY

Amalfi Coast

Capri

Cinque Terre

Florence

Murano

Pisa

Pompeii

Portofino

Positano

Rome (girls trip)  Rome (without kids)

Santa Margarita

Venice

MALTA

Various Parts of Malta

MONACO

THE NETHERLANDS

Amsterdam (trip 1)

Amsterdam (trip 2)

Lisse (Keukenhof Gardens)

Zaanse Schans

PORTUGAL

Lisbon

RUSSIA

St. Petersburg (cruise)

SCOTLAND

Glasgow and Edinburgh (family)

Glasgow and Highlands (girls trip)

SPAIN

Espinelves

Formentera

Ibiza (girls trip)

Lanzarote (Canary Islands)

L'Estartit (Costa Brava)

Madrid

Marbella and Puerto Banus

Menorca

Seville, Cordoba and Cadiz (girls trip)

Valencia

SWEDEN

Stockholm (cruise)

Visby (cruise)

SWITZERLAND

Basel

Lucerne

Engleberg (skiing)

Falling Into Place

It's all coming together.  And admittedly, it's going a lot smoother than when we came to Barcelona.We were newbies then.  We had no idea what to do to "make things happen".  But now, now we're pros. This is just par for the course.  New bank account.  Check.  Social security appointment.  Check. House hunting lined up.  Check.  And the list goes on and on.  We've got lots going on but Josh and I, after 20 years, have become a well oiled machine.  We know each other's strengths and weaknesses and we play the game accordingly.  The pieces are all falling into place, some neater than others, but progress is most definitely being seen.

We had our pre-walkthru with our landlord the other day.  A pre walk thru you say?  Why yes. Because here in the land of Spain, things are not done the way we do things in the US.  And after being burned once and screwed out of lots of money, we've learned our lesson and are being pre-emptive this time around.

We are working on returning the car.  It's been a process and a half.  And while having a car was worth the headache, it's definitely been a pain in the ass trying to return it.  They definitely don't make it easy (or cheap) to cancel a lease.

We are winding up details here in Barcelona.  Things like canceling gym memberships, final playdates, lunches and dinners with friends, arranging for repairs to be made on the apartment (because there is no such thing as general wear and tear - it must be returned in exactly the same condition if not better) and so much more.

We have our house hunting trip to Amsterdam set up for next week.  Things are looking good as we've narrowed down the area we will live in, are working with a realtor and have about a half dozen places to look at to start.  The hope is that we will find a home we fall in love with and that we'll stay in for the indefinite future.

In the meantime we are also working abroad to get things together for the US portion of our move. And while things can never go as simply or smoothly as we would hope, it's all coming together on that end too.  Albeit, it's all costly though.  There are days when I wonder why we keep our house in the States since it's become a significant money pit and we aren't seeing any return on our investment, though Josh says it's not about our immediate return but our future one.  I get it but at the same time we are throwing a lot of money at a house we may never live in again.  But we just keep moving on and add it to the list of things to take care of or pay for in order to take care of and move on to the next item.

But there are still repairs that need to be coordinated for the immediate future (before I get home), during my time at home and then after our current tenants move out in September and our new, not yet found tenants, move in.  Things like painting the interior of the house - much needed updating there. Replacing carpets.  Repairing our falling down fence and power washing and staining our deck. In the longer term we need to replace old appliances though that also seems to be coming more into the immediate future.  Oh and let's not forget that our furnace died in April and had to be replaced.  And now, let's add termites to the list.  Ah and we don't yet have new tenants for the fall, so need to start looking into that in the next month or two as well.

Our POD (storage unit) was delivered to my parents yesterday.  When I get home next month, my parents and I will unload it, go thru it and determine what gets sold, donated or will get moved overseas to Amsterdam.  We'll also have to go thru my house in Attleboro and do the same (though on that end, I think it will take much less time since 80% of our stuff is in the storage unit) because the movers will be coming at the end of July.  Yes, that's one other thing we've been working on behind the scenes is bidding for and arranging for movers for the US portion of the move.

So now we have the majority of the details (ie, have movers selected) for the Barcelona and US parts of the move.  We know that we will return the car around the 20th of the month (also the last day of school), the movers will come on the 26/27th, cleaners on the 28th, final inspection and bank appointment (there is a special bank account set up with our 4 months of deposit that the landlord has to sign papers to release) on the 30th and we fly out on the 1st to our cruise of the Baltics.

Oh yeah, the cruise.  We've also been putting together the final details for that.  Though I'll be honest, I don't have the strength in me to put much effort in there.  We'll do an excursion in Russia because it's the only way for us to get a visa to enter the country.  But beyond that, I think we are just going to wing it on our own.  We've been doing that for 4 1/2 years on all our travel, why should the cruise be any different.  But there are still lots of details that go with a cruise that I'm not familiar with (having only done one before in my life) - special luggage tags, arranging transportation (apparently this cruise is like the only one that the boat is a good 2 hours from the airport) to the ship, picking dinner times, doing the online checkin and lots of other useless, miscellaneous stuff.  I think this is why we don't cruise.  But it's going to be fun and it will be our last hurrah for leaving Barcelona and a hello to our new beginnings in Northern Europe.  It will give us a taste of the travel we will hopefully do from Amsterdam now that we will be that much closer to those locations.

From the cruise, the kids and I head straight back to the US.  Literally, that same day.  Josh will head back to Amsterdam, though honestly I don't know if he has a flight booked yet.  Let's add that one more detail to the very long list of things to confirm.  We're working on our calendar for our trip home. Because of the issues with the school year starting sooner, we had to cut our trip short by a few days but we're still doing our best to see everyone.  I'm not going crazy this year like in previous years, quite honestly, it takes the pleasure out of coming home when I'm totally out straight and I've got enough on my plate right now.  So if people want to see me, they'll have to ask.  Sounds kind of snobby and selfish, but I just don't have the physical or mental capacity right now to go crazy with my schedule right now.  Hopefully I'll see everyone on my list but those I miss, I apologize now and please, come visit us in Amsterdam :)

While we are home, the kids will spend 3 weeks in summer camp in Maine.  That's the 3 weeks when aside from working (because let's not forget that I still work full time too so doing this balancing act of kids, husband living in another country 5 days a week, moving, etc while still working), I'll be sorting thru the storage unit, selling off old stuff, visiting with friends and family and just trying to keep my shit together.  During the 2 weeks the kids aren't in camp, we'll make not one but 2 trips to NYC, visit with family in different parts of the state and visit with their friends from home.  Plus get their stuff ready for camp (as much of it was shipped ahead from the camp supplier, but still need to go shopping for some of the supplies they will need, iron on labels on to all their clothes they are taking and pack it all up to be shipped out to camp within 5 days of arriving in the US).

In the meantime, once Josh hits the ground in Amsterdam in mid July, the movers from Spain should be there. Actually our stuff will go into storage for a few weeks in between the cruise and the move.  So he will arrange for the movers to get to Amsterdam and unload the Spain portion of our goods.  He'll get settled and find his way around the area of our new home so that when the kids and I land on August 17, he'll be able to show us pretty much everything we need to know and to take care of our immediate needs as the kids start school the following day.  No, no rest for the weary.

There are a ridiculous amount of pieces to this puzzle that need to fit together just right to make all these things happen, but we are close.  And they are falling into place.  This is where I excel, where I shine. All these months of waiting and anticipation of what's to come next now can be implemented.  It's not easy, nor is it necessarily fun, but we need to remember that often times we need to rise to the occasion in order to make things come to fruition.  If we don't do it, who will?

We still have a long road ahead of us and not a lot of time to make it all happen.  But like I said, after months of waiting, things are moving at warp speed.  The next few months are going to be crazy, chaotic but also another amazing part of this adventure into a life less ordinary.  We're getting excited about this next adventure and are looking forward to closing out this amazing chapter and starting the next one!

Besos,
Julie

Flights Booked Home... Now What?

After months of searching for reasonably priced flights, I finally gave in around March and booked our flight home.  It was painful to say the least, primarily because I know I could have gotten them cheaper had I done it earlier like I normally do.  But given we didn't know our future living plans, we had just been waiting and I could wait no more.  I try not to mention money often on this blog but let's just say that what I paid was close to double the highest I've ever paid to fly home and almost triple what I paid last year.  Yes, painful.  But it had to be done and aside from the fact that we've already paid for summer camp for the kids in Maine, I couldn't deny the kids a trip home nor did I want to deny myself a trip!!

And I certainly didn't expect to have to change those flights.  But as I mentioned before, the kids' new school starts much earlier than we anticipated and rather than start off our new lives in a new country on the wrong foot, we've had to change the flights to reflect their new school's first day.  It means cutting our trip home short by a few days and having to re-arrange some plans we already had on our calendar.  And now it means that our trip will be more travel intensive than we planned initially.  But it will be worth it.

So now the flights are booked and re-booked... now what?  Well, now the scheduling begins.  Every single year I tell myself, I will not overschedule.  Every year I completely and totally fail at this.  I'm going to try it again this year.  I'm actually going to schedule in free time just so I don't schedule every single moment like I normally do.  Truly I go home every year and am miserable.  No, I'm not miserable about seeing everyone - that part I love.  It's the fact that every single moment is taken up and it's stressful and overwhelming.  Oh and don't forget that I also have to work in between everything. Out the door around 8AM each morning with plans each morning, afternoon and evening and then work when I get home around 10PM.  And I become totally manic and it's not pretty... at all.  My friends last year even commented "do you know your eyes are bulging out of your head?".  Yeah, I'm not surprised.

We still have 6 weeks to go before we are on American soil and I'm already stressed and overwhelmed. Is this an American trait in me or is this just because there is so much to see and do in such a short period of time?  I'm trying in vain not to put too much on the calendar.  And to really spend more time with family which I feel always gets shortchanged in the chaos of our schedules.

And this year, we need to add a move into the mix.  Now that we are moving to Amsterdam we have decided we will bring our things with us that were left behind 4 years ago when our journey was only supposed to be for 2 years.  Four and a half years later, we want those things - wedding photos, memorabilia, our nice furniture (sorry IKEA but I'm just done with you) and more.  But not everything can come, so it means going thru our storage unit and separating out "Amsterdam", "sell" and "donate". More things to add to my list of things to do.  At least with that, I'll get some quality time with my mom and dad sorting things out in their garage ;)

This year the kids will be in summer camp for 3 weeks in Maine.  It's their first year going and I'm excited for them - it will be a whole new experience in independence, nature, making new friends and having wonderful adventures.  I think they will love it.  Though now that our trip was cut short by a few days, I feel badly short changing them with time for their friends and family which now will be for 2 weeks instead of our usual 3.  And so my focus on those first 2 weeks will be 100% on them and their needs.  That includes 2 trips to NYC - one for each of them.  Trips to the Cape to visit with family. And trips to visit friends in our neighborhood.

So as our move is slowly coming together and our countdown to leaving Barcelona is on.  In addition to preparing for our move, finishing up school and getting organized for our new adventure, I'm also planning out the details of our summer.  It's fun, it's exciting, and it's overwhelming.  One thing is for sure though, the kids and I can't wait to be home.  Despite the chaos of it all, we love being there.  I think it makes us appreciate the precious time we have with everyone when we don't get nearly enough of it.  The anticipation of our trip gets us through that very long flight home.

And with Nana and Papa meeting us at the airport upon our arrival, armed with pizza and my favorite salad, coming home is always a happy reunion.  And while we are always quite exhausted after the long journey, just being back on American soil gives us the second wind we need to take in everything around us and it reminds us of how much we miss home.  No matter where we live over the coming years or where we have been, home will always be just that... home.  And in 6 weeks we'll back and can't wait to see everyone!!

Besos,
Julie

30 More Days

After all our ups and downs, lefts and rights, twists and turns during the last 4 1/2 years in Barcelona, it's hard to believe we are down to our last 30 days in Barcelona.  If you asked me 4 1/2 years ago if I ever even thought I'd make it to my last 30 days, much less be sad about it, I'd be hesitant to say the least.

Days.  I can't believe we are down to days.  How did the time that once seemed like forever now seem to be flying by so quickly?  There were times were the years couldn't go fast enough.  This last one, in particular, has been tough all around.  There have been so many wonderful moments though that make up for the ones that haven't been all that great.

In the next 30 days we have so much to do, but I don't want to forget to take the time to enjoy our last moments here because they are going to go by so quickly.  These past 4 1/2 years have been life changing for us in ways that I will never be able to properly describe.  And this next chapter will only reinforce what we have learned and how we have grown as individuals and as a family.

But things are starting to come together.  There is still more to do than I can wrap my arms around but we are chunking it up and taking it a piece at a time.  Tomorrow we will find out who our movers are so that we can finalize move dates. Once have that finalized, we can arrange for utilities to be transferred or shut off and the cleaning service to come in.  And we can book a hotel for our last nights then as well.

I meet with our landlord on Tuesday to do a pre-walk thru and determine what needs to be fixed and what does not.  From there we will start our repairs and work with our handyman to put cabinet doors (glass ones we took down to prevent the kids from breaking them) back up, paint walls and make general repairs.

And speaking of repairs, we're also working on trans-Atlantic repairs.  Because home ownership doesn't matter if you are 4000 miles away.  If it needs to be fixed, it needs to be fixed.  And lots of stuff needs to be fixed.  Why?  Because I'm 4000 miles away and have a million things on my plate.  But that's ok, it will get done and checked off the list along with everything else.

We're heading on vacation before heading home.  So I'm trying to organize our trip along with packing for 7 weeks (thank goodness for washing machines!).  But also trying to bear in mind that when we arrive in Amsterdam after our trip home, that the kids start school the next day and need to be ready for that as well.

While we are home, I will go thru our storage unit and ship most of our things to Amsterdam.  So I've been organizing getting our storage unit delivered to my parents and trying to get estimates for shipping overseas prior to us even leaving Barcelona so that when we land in the US, we'll be ready to hit the ground running.

We still have to turn in our car, hopefully in 2 weeks.  That's assuming we can get all the details worked out.  Who knew turning in a lease could be so difficult?

But before we turn in the car, we are heading to London for a few days.  And then to Amsterdam for house hunting.  So that's 5 days of the 30 that we won't even be in Barcelona!

In 19 days the kids finish school.  One more school year complete, this one more bittersweet than in those past.  Because this time it's us leaving instead of everyone else.  It's going to be a tear jerker and I'm not looking forward to it.

With the 10 days remaining after school gets out, we'll have Sant Joan, a bit festival for the summer solstice.  We'll schedule as many playdates as possible so the kids can see their friends before we leave. The movers will come and pack everything up.  The house will be empty and we'll head to a hotel, feeling more like tourists rather than leaving home.  

It's all so surreal.  I know we've done this before and it felt surreal then too.  I knew we weren't staying here forever, but at the same time, I didn't see us leaving either or maybe I was just in denial at having to ever need to move again (do you know anyone who enjoys moving??).

The goodbyes are starting.  I don't like it.  Not one bit.  I had lunch with my gym friends about a week ago, my last lunch as a group.  We had lunch with other friends yesterday, some really great ones.  And knowing I may or may not see them again before we go is heartbreaking.  Dinner last night with some of Josh's co-workers from the Barcelona office was also a farewell.  There are still lots of goodbyes to say.  Hopefully they will be more like, "see you later"'s rather than goodbye.  But we know of all that we will say goodbye to, most will be forever and only a select few will be of the see you later variety.

The kids will have to start saying goodbye to their friends soon.  And that's going to be heartbreaking for us all.  They have such a great group of friends.  I wish more than anything we could just take them with us.  And I hope that now that they are getting older it will be easier to stay in touch (at least more so for Aidan and his friends).

It's starting to really hit the kids.  I could see it in Aidan's face today as I was going thru his lego sets and asking what needed to be shipped "assembled" (yes, we are seriously going to attempt it... whatever it takes to keep a smile on his face, I will do) and what could be taken apart and packed away soon.  I cleared off all the shelves so we can start to put the cabinet doors back up.  The look on his face said it all.  It's happening.  And it's imminent.  And he's like a deer in headlights.  He's been thru it before but now he's older and wiser and he knows what's coming and he's trying to internalize it no matter what I say or do.   Liam is taking it in stride at the moment but I don't think the full reality of the time frame has hit him yet.

We're trying to get them both excited about the Netherlands and all that we'll have to do there and all the opportunities to go to new places and try new things.  It's hard though because while Josh and I are excited about this new opportunity, we're sad to be leaving here as well.  And I'm sure that sadness comes thru to the kids.  And so we plug away and keep a positive spin on things.  Even the weather. The weather in Barcelona for the last few weeks hasn't been great and we said to the kids that it's just the weather gods getting us used to what it will be like in Amsterdam ;)  They don't find it as amusing.

There is no doubt that the next 4 weeks, just 30 days, are going to be chaotic.  I feel like I just hit upon the tip of the iceburg on what needs to be done in those few weeks.  Thankfully I have the kids and work to help keep my mind semi sane.  But the balancing act will be a challenge.  Though I thrive in these kinds of situations when my plate is full.  Part of me is actually enjoying the chaos.  The other part wants to just get to August so that we can start getting settled into our new lives.  But the bigger part is just trying in vain to go along for the ride and take in every experience, no matter how stressful or frustrating it might get.  Because the end result will be worth it.

 So it's on.  30 days and counting.

Besos,
Julie

Our Last Visitors in Barcelona - Kyle and Kelly Visit!

Over the last 4 1/2 years we've been blessed to have many visitors.  Friends and family alike have come to Barcelona to share in this experience with us.  Some have come once, some several times.  And each and every one of them we have cherished.  We know it's a long way to come, a lot of money for flights and precious vacation time used.  And it means the world to us that you have chosen to spend that time and money with us.

And so while we are opening a new chapter to our lives, and hope to have many more visitors come to see us in Amsterdam (a side note here, it's a DIRECT flight from Boston unlike coming to Barcelona... you know, if that entices you at all), we still had one more set of visitors to join us here for one last hurrah as we get ready to leave our home away from home.  Kyle and Kelly.

And their timing, in my mind, was just perfect.  With all the stress in our lives these days, what we needed, was a reminder of how precious our friendships back home are and how great it is to just sit back, relax and enjoy simple conversation with great friends.  Conversation about all walks of life, nothing is taboo with these friends.  To let the stress of our lives melt away for just few days so that we may enjoy and cherish this time.

The beauty of Kyle and Kelly is things are just so easy.  You don't feel like you are entertaining people, it's like being family.  We just hung out and enjoyed each other's company.  Josh, unfortunately only got to see them for 2 days and then had to head back to Amsterdam for an offsite leadership meeting. But the time we got was quality.  After they arrived on Saturday morning, we just relaxing in the sunshine on the roof, catching up over a lunch of freshly roasted chicken.  That night we headed out to Boca Grande for dinner, adults only, where the catching up continued.

Kelly and Kyle at Boca Grande

On Sunday we went to Sitges for the day.  On their last visit, we took them to Collioure but we missed Sitges, one of our favorite places outside of Barcelona, an easy 40 minute train ride away.  And while lunch was of an American faire (as Aidan begged and pleaded when he saw the restaurant had ribs) and the service was lacking, even for Spain, the view could not be better, nor the company.  The kids rode bikes and their heelies and we just wandered around town for the afternoon until it was time to take Josh to the airport.

Kyle, Liam, Aidan and Kelly

The true home of Bacardi

Monday was our last full day as this was a quick trip.  Since we didn't get to go to Sagrada Familia or Casa Battlo on the last trip, that's where we went while the kids were in school.  As it was a rainy day, it was perfect for doing indoor touristy things.  I can't believe we didn't bring them to these places on their last trip 3 years ago - so I'm especially glad they made the repeat visit as those are essential when visiting Barcelona.

Tuesday it was time to say hasta luego - see you soon.  Because in a matter of weeks we'll be home and seeing them again.  And we can't wait!

Besos,
Julie

Our Favorite Barcelona Traditions

As our time in Barcelona is coming to a close, I can't help but take note of the things I have grown to love and appreciate here.  Every culture has certain traditions - some have been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years... others, perhaps a generation or two.  One of the perks of living in Europe is that it's full of traditions, many of which are older than the United States itself.  As it's these traditions that make me smile (most days) as we go about our daily lives, I thought I'd share a few of them with you.

Random Festivals
Gracia, the neighborhood we live in, is known for being a bit of a party place.  When we tell people that we live in Gracia, they often ask if it's really loud because of all the partying.  In reality, it's not loud at all and we love the liveliness of where we live.

And what we also love are all the random moments where we are walking and there will be people swing dancing in one square, preparing areas for bonfires in another square, or setting off firecrackers in yet another.  And during certain times of the years, blocks will be blocked off so that a group can setup tables and bbq or have their own little mini festival.  It truly feels like a neighborhood even though we are in the heart of the city.

We also have the Festa de Gracia here where streets compete for the best decorated streets.  It's amazing and they spend the entire year gathering materials and prepping for the big reveal in August.  Seeing the streets truly come to life is breathtaking.

 http://www.megustatuzapatos.blogspot.com.es/2012/08/hanging-out-in-hood-festa-major-de.html

Ball de Baston and Bastoners
Speaking of random festivals, my friend Jodi and I were walking thru Gracia the other night and right smack in our "clock tower square" (otherwise known as the Placa de la Vila de Gracia) there was a festival of bastoners having a competition.  This is a square that we often find these random events.  So we stuck around to watch for a little bit.

While the Ball de Baston is known in other parts of Europe, it is especially popular here in Catalunya. The origins of this dance ritual dates back to 1150 - that's quite a tradition!!

A few videos of the bastoners...

http://youtu.be/4c5BfuJXaKo

http://youtu.be/4NSjFREJxNM

http://youtu.be/fWqyQkC8rUY

Caganer and Caga Tio
Caganer:   This little Christmas tradition does his "business" in Catalan mangers.  They range from traditional Catalan peasants to famous characters like the Queen, futbol players and even Darth Vader!  This tradition started around the 17th/18th century and he is known to bring good luck and good harvest with his poop!  Strange little tradition but one that we have some what strangely embraced, now owning at least 6-8 of these guys including traditional peasants, Darth Vader, Yoda, Bart Simpson and a Smurf.  You can have your own pooping Catalan tradition if you go to www.caganer.com!

Caga Tio:   Yet another pooping Christmas tradition.  What is it with Catalunya and poop??  I mean really!  The kids love them though!  The caga tio literally means poop (shit) log.  You feed him sweets starting on Immaculate Conception day and then on Christmas (we do it Christmas Eve) you sing this little song to him and then beat him with a stick til he poops presents for you.  I can't find how long this pooping log has been around but I suspect a very long time as it's only been in recent years that he's added the legs, hat and face - he literally was just a log before!!

 http://www.megustatuzapatos.blogspot.com.es/2010/12/our-new-catalan-christmas-traditions.html

These are our caga tios (the big logs in the back) and a few of our caganers (we have since added a few more since this picture).

El Amolador
I don't know how long this tradition has been going on, but I imagine it's been quite some time. Perhaps at one point he wasn't going around on his moto, but rather on foot, but the Amolador is a fixture in Barcelona.

The Amolador is the guy who sharpens your knives.  He walks around the city with his moto that has a grinder attached to the back of it and he blows his special whistle to let you know he's nearby if you need your knives sharpened.  This tradition just brings me back to a different time when you had your local blacksmith, knife sharpener and more.  Josh had no idea he existed til about a week ago... I guess when you are in an office 12 hours a day you miss this kind of stuff!

You can see the Amolador walking his moto bike along my street.  To hear his "whistle" click the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-1BNWMxjmA

Castellers
I think the castellers are one of my all time favorite traditions here in Barcelona.  We've seen them on countless occasions and each time I'm fascinated.  Castells are human towers (castellers are the people that make up the tower).  They originated in the area of Tarragona in the 18th century.

Per Wikipedia "A castell is considered a success when stages of its assembling and disassembling, can be done in complete succession. The assembly is complete once all castellers have climbed into their designated places, and the enxaneta climbs into place at the top and raises one hand with four fingers erect, in a gesture said to symbolize the stripes of the Catalan flag. The enxaneta then climbs down the other side of the castell, after which the remaining levels of castellers descend in highest-to-lowest order until all have reached safety."

We have seen competitions during La Merce and festivals where Castellers participate as well.  And to us, the best is when we just hang out in our favorite square and find that there is a practice session or a little competition going on.  Totally unexpected and so much fun to watch.  We were there once when a tower fell and it was both scary and fascinating.  All you can do is watch and hope everyone is ok.  I should also mention that the enxaneta is always a small child so you can imagine what it's like when you see a small child fall from the top of the tower!

What I would consider a "mid size" tower in our favorite square.

A huge tower during La Merce

http://megustatuzapatos.blogspot.com.es/2011/11/rise-and-fall-of-human-tower-castellers.html

Mercado
When we first moved here, I found it difficult to adjust to going to 50 different markets for all my shopping needs.  Ok, maybe 50 is a stretch.  But even still, it was tough trying to navigate and figure out who sells the best (cheese, meat, veggies, etc) of their specialized items.  However, over time, I've come to not only streamline the process, in part because I've found the vendors I prefer for each of my needs, but also because I love that they truly specialize in those areas.

And it also feels very much like a small neighborhood like we used to have growing up.  And yet, I'm in a decently sized city.  But my meat/cheese guy and I chat all the time.  I know he's from Argentina and has 3 kids.  I know he's a runner like me.  And every time I go in, he says, "300 g of turkey"?  So I've gotten to know these people and it makes this city feel more like home.

So while I'd like to say I don't practice my Spanish much, I actually do with each and every one of these people.  Sure, saying 300 grams of turkey is easy.  But getting to know each of these vendors (admittedly, I don't know any of their names) means talking daily in Spanish with them.  And I do.  So that's a bonus on top of getting all my shopping done!

I also love that because of the mercado and specialty shops, I can get something from someone who is an expert in that item.  If I were to be able to ask questions (and there have been times where I can muster up the Spanish), I know that they can tell me everything I want to know about their items and what makes ham A better than ham B or where this cheese came from and how it's made and if it's strong or smooth.

And the fruits and vegetables, items primarily only in season.  I can't get raspberries in December.  I can't get blueberries in the off season ever.  There are moments where things like this are annoying, like when I decided that I wasn't going to eat baked potatoes anymore but instead I was going to eat sweet potatoes.... only sweet potatoes weren't in season.  Who knew sweet potatoes had a season?  But like everything else, they do.  And so when you wait all year for those special items to come in season, it makes you appreciate them just a little bit more.

Correfoc
Last but certainly not least on my list is the correfoc.  Correfoc literally means - fire run.  I'm thinking hands down probably our favorite tradition here in Barcelona!  This is the most insane tradition that I have ever experienced.  That doesn't mean there aren't more wild ones out there, I'm sure there are.  But this one involves fire, sparklers, a lot of people in crowds and relatively narrow streets.  There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this event would NOT fly in the US.

The correfoc starts with the opening of the gates of hell.  But before the gates open there are massive fireworks set off right in the middle of the street. This is right next to buildings and trees.  Not to mention people standing in crowds right next to them as well.

After the gates of hell open, the devils start to run thru with their pitchforks of fire/sparklers.  These aren't just any sparklers like you would have on the 4th of July but winding, wild sparklers that can in fact, cause significant injury.  And I have no doubt that it must.

There is also a kids correfoc.  Aidan went last year with a friend.  My cousin Meghan was in town and she and I arrived early to the adult correfoc and caught the tail end of the kid one.  Yeah, it's exactly the same as the adult one only it's set during daylight hours.  Aidan came home with his shirt singed from all the sparks.  Thank goodness the kid wears glasses!!

Interestingly this is not an ancient tradition, while it certainly appears to be.  Apparently this is only just barely 30 years old, having been started in the post Franco era.  But unless someone outlaws it (and I just can't see that here), I can see this wild and crazy tradition continuing on for many more years to come!

http://megustatuzapatos.blogspot.com.es/2013/09/gegantes-castellers-and-fire-oh-my-la.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/jediknightsmarcus#p/a/u/2/aDOPRxvzm7A 

This is part of the opening ceremony before the Gates of Hell are opened for the devils to run thru!

http://www.youtube.com/user/jediknightsmarcus#p/a/u/1/6VdWY5xnSio

This is when the Gates of Hell have opened and the parade of running devils begins!

http://www.youtube.com/user/jediknightsmarcus#p/a/u/0/kyxXSIb6FCI

Devils running into the crowds with fire!

I have no doubt I'm missing a ton of things on this entry - after 4 1/2 years things that were once completely unique to Barcelona or Spain have become a part of my every day life.  It doesn't mean they aren't special, just that I might not remember to put them on here!!  So you may very well see another entry with more reasons why I love Barcelona!!

Besos,
Julie