Kids finished school 23 June - a few weeks of camps - a few weeks of vacations and now we are on our way to the USmofoA!!! Here is a short recap of the last few weeks since school got out….
Quick Hits
Summer is flashing by!
It’s not as hot here in Barcelona as in the US - the days have been warm but with the mountains and beach here the breeze is always nice.
We have another friend moving here! Andy will land later in August. If you have ever thought of moving internationally (even if just for a year or two) there will never be a better time than NOW. Your health likely won’t get better, your kids will never be the perfect age, you will never ‘have enough money’ and there will always be an excuse or reason to not do it. It’s not for everyone by far - but if you are that certain person that has thought of it …. trust me …. the thought isn’t going to go away and it’s going to haunt you the older you get.
I ordered new contacts for 70% less than in the US and with no doctor’s visit or prescription here. I don’t know why you can’t order contacts and glasses within a prescription in the US.
We don’t see our friends much in the summer. Usually, people here scatter once the kids are off school. They travel, go back to their home countries (we have friends this summer in around 16 countries) but one thing they rarely do is spend more than a few days or a week in Barcelona.
Many stores are closed. Many in Europe take August off - it’s their break. Coffee shops, restaurants and bars, flower shops, liquor stores, bakeries, fabric shops, mechanics, etc - most of them in our neighborhood have signs up ‘Be back 1 September for vacation’. I love this pace of life - time off and relaxing with family is (or should be) more important than more money having your business open.
Summer
This summer is much different than last summer. Last year, our first in Barcelona, the kids did one 4-day camp and we spent the rest of the summer traveling. We hit Italy 3x, Greece, Sardegna, France, Switzerland and other places here in Spain. This summer we have been around Barcelona, kids in bigger camps, and we are heading to the USA for 3 weeks now in August.
The camps offered for kids here are amazing. Hayes did a 7-night sleepaway mountain biking camp in Andorra. They rode all day every day! He participated in maintenance class, technical courses, and coaching all day on how to be a better rider. There is no better place than the Pyrenees! They had their own lakes, rivers, and tents and he enjoyed every second of it. Ellory did the school camp again (only 4 days) and then after a week break (we had visitors!) they were back off to the Pyrenees mountains for another camp. They split up, Hayes on a mountain bike and hiking camp and Ellory learning about nature (fort building, camping, bugs, etc). The camp was amazing - neither of them allowed screens (they did a group movie the last night under the stars) and they were capturing many local Spanish-speaking kids and English speakers as well. I am super excited for them and the camps we find for them next year.
We had a week off in between and then hit the Costa Brava for a little over a week. Back to Barcelona for a few days with friends in town from Providence RI (FISH you should MOVE HERE!) and now we are heading to Kansas City (on a delayed Delta flight as I type this, our connection in Atlanta is probably 50/50 at this point!). We will spend time in KC, Wichita, Sioux Falls, Brookings, and then at our cabin in the Black Hills National Forrest for a while. We will see nearly all our family (I just saw my brother, who lives in Singapore) on this trip. We are unsure when we will return to USA as a family (I am likely to be back for ski trip in January and a work trip end of Q1).
Visitors
My Father visited again! I feel so blessed he enjoys coming this way and seeing us and the kids. My brother had to be in London so he figured wtf he would come to Barcelona while so close. It was great we were able to postpone my dad’s Father’s Day trip so he could see Robert and Charmaine. I took them to Cagliari, Sardegna, where my father was born. Only my dads’ 2nd time since being born there and my brother’s first - it was nice getting to share it with them (even if only for 25 hours!).
Next
I am already looking forward to school starting in September and getting back to a bit of a schedule with the kids in school and my gym/padel/lunches with friends. September will be a great month with a family trip to London (and Stone Henge!) and Ashley’s father visiting for the first time (all that pressure finally worked! - now we will have to plan trip 2 while he is here).
I will write about our US trip next time. I’m excited and nervous at the same time. It’s a long story you likely wouldn’t understand and would be hard to tell it right anyway, so I’ll not type here…but be open to chatting with you anytime you wish to call!