A Year in Review

February 15th marks our one year anniversary living here in Spain.  

 

The two nights before we left -- February 13th, 2012

 

This year has been such a wild ride.  I think initially planning this move, we assumed it would be two years of pure culture and adventure.  Having both happily lived abroad previously, I think we underestimated what the adjustment period would look like here in Spain.  I had no idea what kind of challenges this move would involve, and that the initial period of difficulty and frustration, as we tried to integrate our little family into this Spanish life, would throw us a bit for a loop.  Because it did.   I think it was one of the most emotionally exhausting years of my life -- intense highs, intense lows, questioning who you are and what is important.  This kind of lifestyle has a way of stripping our skin off to the bone, and exposing  insecurities and fears you didn't even know existed.  There are times you feel judged...for not knowing the language well enough, for no longer being a "career woman", for not rolling with the punches as easily as you hoped, or for not wandering around in an eternal state of bliss and thankfulness...and of course, the hardest part of it all, was being away from our families.  Not having the kids around their relatives, and missing those random Friday afternoon phone calls to my sister in the car.  The guilt about being away can be intense at times, even though everyone has always been, and continues to be, so supportive of our decision to move here.  Regardless, I know, ultimately, we made it out on the other side of this year a stronger family.  We've learned things about ourselves, and each other, we never would have learned without going through this experience together.  

 

And with these struggles, were victories.  For starters, I got to spend all day, every day with my children.  I know this is something to be incredibly thankful for, as this would not have been the case if we were still living in the US.  I was there with them through it all -- the cuddles, the fights, the stories, and the tears.  I was there.  It's time I will be forever grateful for looking back on this experience.  

 

 

I learned how to slow down -- mentally.  I haven't perfected it, and often have to remind myself to do it, but I'm trying to be more present in my life.  To be fully aware of each moment, and not constantly be thinking ahead to the next hour, day, or year.  Life is not a to-do list.  And happiness is a decision.  Be the person you want to be, and live the life you want to have.  You don't need anyone to tell you what kind of person you are.  There will always be times when the negativity takes over...and that's OK too.  Acknowledge it, feel it, then let it go and move on.  Keep trying to be the best version of yourself.  

I also learned that my husband has an incredible ability to rise to the occasion. I am so proud of what he has achieved this year.  He came into his first management role, and knocked it out of the park.  Not only this, but I truly do admire his effort to learn the language and how has fully embraced everything about Spanish living (almost to an obnoxious degree -- we joked early on he was having a Catalan identity crisis and he truly believed he was now Catalan).  He has always been a very friendly, outgoing person, but he managed to come into a work environment -- a team almost entirely made up of local Catalans and other Europeans speaking mostly in their native language among themselves -- and win them over.  He is a strong man, who has shouldered the burdens and stresses of a new work role and environment, and managed to come home and be emotionally supportive to me and the children as well.  I'm very, very proud.

 

 

 

We met some new, fantastic friends. Some through Chris's work, some from our town, and it has been a very new experience for me to be pushing past those initial getting-to-know-you stages, and moving right into the trusted friend stage. Some friends have since left Barcelona, some are still here...some friendships are just beginning. But I'm especially thankful to my close group of friends that picked me up during my first few months of struggles, dusted me off, and opened my eyes to the beauty of life here in Barcelona.  Whether it was with a day laying under a cabana in Sitges, early morning "venting" coffee, trips to Rome, Sunday lunches, or midnight birthday whiskey shots -- they brought me back to life, and I will be forever grateful and bonded to some of the amazing friends I've made here.

 

 

 

 

And then, of course, there is the travel.  The incredible places we've seen this year...that has always been some of our happiest times.  We learned we travel really well as a family.  Chris and I feed off of seeing a place for the first time.  Getting into a rental car, and driving down an unfamiliar highway to a place we've never been...for us, there is nothing better.  Here are some highlights from our travel this year:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I could sum up our first year, it would be mostly a period of adjustment.  Learning to let go of rules and expectations, and live more freely with a lighter heart.   I can fairly confidently say we have hit our stride here.  It feels like home, and we always have this happy feeling when we arrive back in the Barcelona airport...it's hard to explain, but it just feels good to be here.  The sun is always shining, the life is slow and purposeful, and the real value is in spending time as a family. 

I'm excited to see what is in store for us in year two...my hope is that we continue to push ourselves and focus on the small victories along the way.  I hope we continue to try and integrate ourselves in this community and lifestyle.  We will always be Americans, and will always miss some of the comforts of home, but my hope is that we can be fully present this year as we suck the marrow out of what this experience has to offer.  I don't want to let what is "easy" or "convenient" dictate what we do or where we go...I want to dive in, head first, and live the hell out of this year.  It's a beautiful world, and I will always be forever grateful for this two year reminder of just what is out there beyond our comfort zone.

The English Countryside -- Cotswolds

We always have a rough draft of a "places we'd like to see" list in the works...We've started the list several times, added, removed, and (happily!) checked some off over the past year.  The English countryside was on the list from day one.  Chris had visions, I had visions (which may or may not have come from a certain Cameron Diaz and Jude Law flick  ), and Evan wanted to see the land of steam trains and Peppa Pig....really, it was a must see for all of us.  We just weren't sure when and where exactly it would all go down. 

I regularly peruse the discount flight websites to see what deals are out there, and when I came across a Ryanair flight direct from Barcelona to London for 15 € each way -- we jumped on it.  We weren't sure where and what we would see at the time we got the flights, but at that price, I was sure we'd figure it out and be glad we went. 

Were we ever. 

Ultimately, after chatting with some folks and getting some tips, we decided on The Cotswolds .  An incredibly picturesque cluster of medieval towns about 2 hours west of London.  After some poking around on various accommodation websites, I came across an incredible deal for a cottage...exactly what we were looking for.  The cottage itself was located adjacent to the main street of Stow-on-the-Wold (one of the Cotswold towns), and complete with its own little yard, kitchen, wood burning fireplace, and two bedrooms.  Since this cottage was new to the market, and offered off-season, the price to stay for a long weekend was less than what we've paid to stay at a Days Inn in Virginia.  I freaking love a bargain, and this was the steal of my lifetime.  It was absolutely gorgeous, decorated as the cheeriest of quaint cottages, and the perfect combination of cozy and roomy enough for the four of us.

The Primrose Cottage

I have to say, the flight with the kids from Barcelona to London was our best yet.  Typically, traveling with children can be a combination of brain numbing tests of patience along with moments of sharing "look how cute and amazing our kids are" glances with Chris during a (often short-lived) quiet moment.  The airport can be tricky to say the least...children who want to run in opposite directions in a crowded airport is not conducive to getting from point A to point B relatively quickly.  Usually, we bring our double stroller so they can be restrained--er, I mean strapped in --  while we get checked in, get through security, and get to our gate.  This time around, we opted to just check the stroller to start, and let them walk.  At ages 3 1/2 and 2, they are finally at an age where they understand what you are telling them, stand in line for a relatively short period of time, and can walk with the group.  Ok, so Mia still ran ahead through the security machine sending me chasing her, and the TSA guard getting all stern with me for crossing "the line" before they were ready.  But we made it through the airport without any meltdowns or lost children.  Score one for us. 

Ryanair is a budget airline and the tickets are the price of lunch for a reason.  There is no assigned seating, no free drinks, no free snacks, and you are only allowed one teeny tiny carry-on (they count a diaper bag or purse as a carry on).  They DO however, give you the option of reserving a seat in the first few rows for an extra 10 € -- and even better, if you reserve your seat ahead of time, you don't have to wait in line to board, allowing you to board first.  Usually, if traveling alone or with another adult, I would suck it up and sit wherever I found a seat, but with kids -- we sprung the extra 10 € a piece for priority seating, and it was more than worth it.  After completing three transatlantic flights with these guys, this 2hr flight was a breeze.  Evan has always been a pretty good traveler -- give him a juice box and an ipad, and he can sit still for hours.  Mia was always the wild card, and without fail, would wail bloody murder as we were waiting to take off...I swear kids that age sense every one's anxiety about taking off, and it makes them crazy too.  However, for this trip, Mia was finally old enough so that she was not a constant wiggle worm on the plane.  She was happy with lots of snacks and her coloring books.  It's all about food with these two.  If they are able to eat constantly over the period of 2 hours, they are happy. 

It was a challenge packing for 4 people for 4 days in 4 tiny carry-ons...but it really helped knowing we were heading to a place that had a washer dryer, so really, we just needed two outfits a piece, enough entertainment for the plane, and our camera.  It was kind of liberating to travel so lightly!  We did also bring the double stroller, which has now been halfway around the world and back.  We bring that thing everywhere.  City Mini double stroller, folks.  If you have two kids, it will be your best friend.

After landing in London, we grabbed our rental car -- Chris was the brave soul who volunteered to drive standard on the left side of the street.  I don't know that I could have gotten the hand mechanics down to be able to use my left hand to shift, while simultaneously remembering to stay on the left side and look for signs.  A little crazy.  But Chris did great...it helped that we had rented his old car, the beloved Golf TDI, so it was a mini-reunion of sorts for him. 

So...we LOVED the UK.  It was kind of like visiting a one stop shop that housed all the things you miss about home.  Quaint villages, hearty comfort food, farm side bakeries, fireplaces and great (big) glasses of beer...It felt like we were home for the weekend.  Life was simple and easy again.  Not to mention, the people living there were insanely nice.  Everywhere we went people were practically tripping over themselves to help you, or offer advice.  It was interesting after living in Spain for a year, I've kind of become accustomed to certain social norms here in Spain.  One of those happens to be that people in Spain rarely apologize to you for anything.  Not because they are mean, or rude, but it just isn't part of their culture to be very apologetic (from what I've experienced).  For the first few months in Spain I felt like an idiot constantly saying "lo siento" every time I bumped into someone by accident, and never hearing it back...so I just stopped saying it.  In England, it was the total opposite.  I bumped into someone in the grocery store day one, and my instinct now is to just keep walking...I felt like a total jerk when I ignored her, and the woman gave me a look of total concern saying, "Excuse me, so so sorry!!!"   Oops.

Also interesting to note is the difference in the way children are perceived in the UK vs. Spain.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Spain is obsessed with children.  Here, children are king.  They go everywhere and are included in everything.  They are out all hours of the night, and can be seen in the fanciest of restaurants having dinner just like everyone else.  I didn't quite get that vibe in the UK.  We stopped for lunch in Oxford on the way from London to the Cotswolds, excited to have our first pub lunch by the fire...and as soon as we walked in with two small children in tow, it was as if the record stopped.  The staff were all very kind, but were quick to direct us to the "family room" downstairs.  We walked passed the warm inviting dining room, past the fireplace, and down the stairs into the unheated basement area (aka "family room") that was cold and empty.  The waiter was very nice, and offered to bring in a space heater, and turn some cartoons on the big screen TV, but still...we weren't in Spain anymore.  Regardless, lunch was delicious, and we could care less if we were alone.  It was actually kind of better that way, as we didn't worry about the kids disturbing anyone.

I felt this again the day we were walking through the city center in Stow-on-the-Wold.  An incredibly kind woman stopped her car when she saw us taking pictures to ask if we wanted a picture of all four of us.  After she took our picture we all started chatting about things to do and see in the Cotswolds.  As she was talking to us, Mia decided she had enough of the small talk, and decided trying to run across the parking lot was a much better idea...as I held her hand to keep her close, the terrible-two-tantrum was unleashed, and Mia started screaming.  In mid-sentence, the woman who had been helping us, looks down at Mia, gives a frown of disapproval and says, "Oh, dear." in her fancy-pants British accent.  It was classic (Chris and I laughed about this for days).  Had we been in Spain during a Mia meltdown, at least four people would have stopped on the street to practically do a puppet show for her until she smiled.  Usually, it is the parents who get the dirty looks while a child is sad in Spain, as if to say, "How could you let this beautiful creature be sad!!!" 

None of this detracted for our experience in any way...and certainly some places were, indeed, very child friendly.  It was interesting to me to see some of the cultural differences among the places we visit. 

Anyway, I'll let the pictures do the rest of the explaining.

We arrived at our cottage early evening to find the owner had baked us a homemade strawberry jam and cream cake, which was waiting for us in the kitchen.  This scored big points with the kids, and Evan declared he loved this "holiday house".

I had my slice with my first cup of real English Breakfast Tea...perfection.

We had gone grocery shopping at the local Tesco prior to arriving at the cottage, and stocked up on some familiar favorites...Cheerios, PB&J, cupcakes, granola bars, etc.... Amazing how many more American foods there are in the UK vs. Spain.  One of my favorite parts of visiting England was drinking the milk.  For some reason the milk in Spain tastes very different from the US, and for the most part, is shelf-stable and not fresh (you CAN find fresh, it is just not as abundant).  I am weird about milk, so I rarely drink it in Spain.  The milk in England was DELICIOUS, and I had my first bowl of cereal in a year. 

Breakfast on Day 1

Our adorable cottage

Trying to cheer up the little man with some kisses

Happy again, and all bundled up for our first day of exploring

One of the few times they agreed to wear gloves

The first day we actually ended up driving out to Worcester -- a town about an hour away -- to pick up a lens replacement for our camera.  We had been limping along with a broken lens for about two months, and were unable to find the lens we needed in Spain.  Chris located a store close to where we were staying in the UK, and we agreed we needed to get the replacement so we could truly capture how beautiful this place was.  After scoring the lens, we headed back to the Cotswolds region, stopping at Chipping Camden for lunch.  This time we ate right in the pub, fireside and all :) 

Loving the home baked bread

...and local ale.

Outside the restaurant in Chipping Camden

Window Shopping in Chipping Camden

Chipping Camden

After finishing lunch and walking around a bit, we headed back home to light a fire, pour some wine, snuggle up, and....do absolutely nothing.  It was fabulous.

Fire master getting us all set up...

Success!

Actually reading a book!

Before bed that night, I had promised the kiddos we could make cupcakes...a box of Muddy Puddle Peppa Pig cupcakes had magically found its way into our food cart at the grocery store.  So together, we whipped them up.  Miss Mia especially enjoyed this...

 

Playing some games they found in the "goodie closet"

Day 2 dawned, and we had plans to head out and explore more of the town we were staying in, Stow-on-the-Wold.  

 

 

View from our bedroom window at sunrise

Miss Mia and I ready to explore

Heading out of the cottage

The light in this place was absolute magic.  It was like a fairytale...

Mia in the Magic light

Heading through the little path beside our house that connects to the main street...yes, we made them hold hands because it was too cute not to!

Peeping through

It was Sunday, so some of the stores were closed, and the town was pretty sleepy at 10am...we wandered through the Main Streets, snapping pictures, and looking at the architecture.


Stow-on-the-Wold

 

 

After getting our big tip about The Farm from the woman I mentioned previously (the "Oh dear woman"), we jumped into our car, and headed out to find the famed farm and farm store.  When we pulled in, we were speechless.  This wasn't just a farm.  This was the most beautiful piece of property I'd ever seen...huge stone homes clustered together alongside perfectly manicured farm land.  The cars parked at the store to this place were pure craziness...SUV porches, BMWs...a family got out of a Range Rover that looked like they were there for a Ralph Lauren photo shoot.  I looked down at my 10€ converse sneakers and cringed a bit. 

The Farm

Homemade organic soups inside the farm store

Organic produce...it was so beautiful it looked fake

Cured meats

Pheasant!

Inside the stinky cheese room

Seriously on the verge of a happiness meltdown. 

I was trying to play it cool in front of all the fancy locals, but we were snapping pictures like lunatics and yelling, "OH MY GOD THEY HAVE POTATO SOUP! HONEY! LOOK AT THIS QUICHE! THE PASTRIES! DID YOU SEE THESE PASTRIES?!"  Kind of not so cool.  I couldn't help myself.

Inside the beautiful farm gift shop...we scored some homemade lavender candles and a real wool XMAS ornament

The farm grounds also had a spa with treatments and yoga/pilates classes.  Seriously, this was the life.

Exploring the farm

It was freezing outside, so after we had enough walking, we loaded our farm goodies in the car, and headed home to have some lunch and let the kids take a nap. 

A lunch of homemade bread, beef stew, meat pate, vegetable quiche, olive tempenade, cherry tomatoes, and real Gloucester cheddar cheese.  And English tea of course. 

And wine of course.

Sharing a room was way too fun...after giggling under the covers for 45 minutes, down they paraded, VERY proud of the fact they were not napping that day.

Haha!  No nap!

Let's PLAY!

After the non-nap time, we regrouped and decided to head back out to explore another of the Cotswolds towns -- Bourton-on-the-Water.  This town was described at the "Venice of the Cotswolds", as it was built around a network of little streams and rivers.  Yet again, another picturesque town, full of beauty and friendly folks.  .

 

We mostly just wandered until we found a Railroad store that was set up with a huge model train display. Evan is positively obsessed with trains, and was more than excited to have found not only a toy train store, but a huge exposition of model trains. He sat inside staring at the model trains, and used the little controls to make them start and stop. We stayed inside close to an hour, and then had to practically peel him away...He likely could have spend the entire afternoon in there.

We stopped on the way home to snap a few pictures of the countryside...I never did get any good shots of the sheep that were everywhere. 

Our final day we woke up to a light covering of snow!  It was the grand finale to this magical weekend.  I was very sad to leave...often while traveling, 4 days is plenty of time before we all feel ready to get home and get back into our routine.  But this place felt so comfortable.  It felt like we were home, it was very hard to leave.  I recommend this area to anyone looking to visit the UK, it was well worth the visit, and a vacation we will most certainly always remember fondly.