OCTOBER = Castles, Football, Bikes, Hikes and many full plates!
We have a ton on our plate ... both figuratively and looking at these giant German plates of food ......
The last few weeks have been a nice pace - travel for three of us (not Ellory!) planning more travel for the ski season and just enjoying it here in Barcelona. We hit Germany for a 4 day weekend, Hayes and I hit the Pyrenees for a 3-day mountain bike trip and Ashley was in the US for 9 days…I’m now on the plane heading back to Barcelona from Germany. I was able to hit the Chiefs/Dolphins game with a fantastic crew of 13 guys from Barcelona - NFL in Europe!!! I’ll say I have had more than my yearly quota for German beer, schnitzel, and schweinshaxe. NO MORE German food/beer for quite some time …
Quick Hits
We don’t order meals anymore - we just order for the table and share. Tapa style. It doesn’t matter where we are or what is the norm - this is our new normal. I like having three different items to try/taste vs ONE meal! It is harder though, to balance how much you have eaten as you don’t eat your plate until it’s gone…you keep snacking! Para comparti!
It’s fun to see our American friends on social media post about their trips to Europe. The old buildings, amazing things and cultures, the architecture and history, the wonderful food, nightlife, and vibe. And we get to live it daily …. I’m grateful for sure.
Hayes is for sure becoming a man. He is acting more ‘grown up’ - getting some hairs around his body - and just changing. I love it….we had ‘the talk’ a while back and it was fun as hell….he is going to be looking Ashley in the eye sometime early in 2024 I think! He is able to hit the local bar for a sandwich and Fanta, or a local cafe for a juice and croissant …. and a 30-minute reading session. He is in love with the autonomy he gets here…and we always know he is very very safe.
I remember in the States when I didn’t know where the kids were I would get a bit nervous - my heart rate increased, and I got honestly, a bit scared….here when I don’t know where they are, I actually like it. I know they are just within a few blocks, and they know where we are, and of course, that they are safe. Grateful again.
I learn so much from random people. See below the bike trip with Hayes …
Ashley was in the USA for nine days. She spent time in KC and at our cabin with a friend. She was also able to drop off a special smuggled-from-Spain package with an old friend in Omaha - Hi Sherry and Andrea!!
Germany - they don’t put ice in drinks, but they do give kids gummy bears everywhere, and it has gorgeous mountains. More below …
I think about how a non-English speaker could travel in America. I can’t imagine how hard it would be. We are constantly greeted by people all over Europe who speak English, restaurants that have English menus, etc. We do NOT go to touristy spots - people just speak English in many places in Europe. A 10€ per hour barista or server in a restaurant that does NOT get tips happens to speak English - and maybe even Italian and French. In Germany, they spoke ‘a little’, which is pretty much conversational. I’ve learned ‘I only speak a little English’ means that they can have a conversation….I’m still amazed by this and wish American schools taught foreign languages at a much younger age. But I get it - we don’t need to - because everyone speaks English. I’m grateful for Hayes and Ellory’s opportunity to learn Spanish and how amazing they are getting!
Kids are thick into sports (Ellory scored 5 TDs in the opening Flag Football game), and Hayes MTN bike commitment is paying off (but its a shitload of time!). So much that his reading has suffered …. so, he now has to read on the way there and way back or ‘no biking’ and it’s like saying ‘no air’ if you know what I mean ….I wish I were a better biker, as I can’t keep up with him anymore!
Germany (x2)!
We had a 4 day weekend, so we shopped for a few cool places and direct flights and we found Munich - not a desire to hang in Munich but to drive south to Bavaria. Castles, pretzels, RICH food, and beer. We also were able to hit the Alps (many don’t know southern Germany is in the Alps) and the highest point in Germany - we rode cable cards, did some amazing hikes, and enjoyed the cool weather and warm food. We did NOT enjoy the schedule, though … Germans eat closer to American hours - which we are not used to. Lunch at noon, dinner at 6 or 7. We usually eat lunch 130-4 and dinner 8-1030p or so. They wouldn’t take ressies after 730p! We were routinely finishing lunch (ordering tapa Spanish style, which they seemed baffled by) when the early dinner crew was showing up …. we were told the wine bar closed at 7 when we tried to get round 2 at 715p! Oh no!!! I enjoyed the time there but was ready to come back. The food is good, but four days of it (soooo heavy and filling) is hard. I like German beer but I like Spanish wine better. I like the chilly but the sun no-coat Spanish October is wonderful. It was a great trip for 4 days!
As I said above, I returned to Germany (Frankfurt) for 3 days to watch the NFL game. My second NFL game in Europe (last year, we hit London for it). Too much beer and more rich food - I’m ready for my Spanish food and wine for sure … what an amazing crew I was able to run with …. we had 13 guys that are just tons of fun….I do feel very grateful to be surrounded by such extraordinary guys.
Pyrenees on TWO wheels!
Pedal Hard - Dream Big…that is the motto of Jordi from MTN Bike Dreams - the guide I hired to set Hayes and me up with a few days in the Pyraneese. He took care of an amazing apartment in town, booked our dinner reservations, and toured us around the mountains for endo/DH rides for 3 days. Hayes learned so much about riding - his two-wheel skills are growing fast. I love these solo trips with the kids - and can’t wait to get another on the books with Ellory. Hayes and I talked about growing up, about friendships in US and here, and about what our options are after our ‘commitment’ here in Spain runs out at the end of June. I’ll not spoil the surprise with what Hayes wants to do (stay in Barcelona, move to the USA, move somewhere else ??!). We rode bikes from 10a until 7p, then cleaned up and had amazing dinners …. all surrounded by cooler temps, fresher air, and the amazing Pyraneese mountains. And only an hour and a half from our place in Barcelona. Our guide, Jordi, is just like many here - a wealth of knowledge. Here is a guy that, for a living, takes people on custom private bike trips - to the Pyraneese (where he lives), or to the Apls in Switzerland or Italy, the Dolomites, Morrocco, or anywhere else he has clients wanting a trip. He meets and rides with so many great people and has the typical Spanish mindset - live well, enjoy life, don’t work too hard, don’t worry about money, love your family and friends, etc. I love hanging out with people like this and learning from them about perspective. How much should I work? How could I think about money and earning, saving and spending? How do I dedicate time to my friends and loved ones? We can’t wait to do another trip with him when we finish Ski season!!
‘BUSY’
I feel I constantly write about being ‘busy,’ but it’s self-inflicted and by choice. We went from Germany to the Pyraneese for trips, Ashley took off to the USA, I’m now going to Germany for NFL football, and next week is 3 dinners out, Hayes Bday party, and a giant 5th-grade playdate type week. Then Dad and Vicki come back for the 5th time (for a month!), and we have Thanksgiving, then head out on PBNB trip for 12 days (secret for Ashley - just us and Alex/Marta). Then a 4 day ski weekend, then Christmas, Christmas break, two ski trips, then I go to the USA to ski with my idiot high school friends (not you, Jesse), and then a Dad’s weekend ski trip - this all over the next 10 weeks or so. All that with holiday parties, kids’ sports and events, and lunches and dinners … oh, and some work here and there I suppose. WHEW. LETS GOOOO!!!!
Struggles
I used to write about struggles - I’ve not lately, but trust me they are plenty. I wish I spent more time learning Spanish - it’s been slow learning lately, and I really want (and need) to get better. The kids are ‘busy’, (meaning we are busy) and I didn’t like it when I felt that way in KC and I don’t like it here - but we are unsure what activities we can give up to flex more time. Weekend games and biking are starting to be challenging for sure (we only have one car!). Another area I’m frustrated with is I’ve been slow to heal lately. I broke my collarbone last year, but it healed quick (2x faster than the surgeon predicted). Then I tore my hamstring in the US, and it’s been VERY slow to heal it’s maybe 80% healed in 12 weeks - even with very aggressive therapy), and I just cracked my ankle and grade 3 tendon tears while on the bike trip with Hayes. Ugh …. I don’t know if I’m just getting old or something else is going on - but not being 100% in your joints and bones is just torture for me. I have to be active. I am frustrated beyond belief as it hinders my gym workouts, padel games, and overall mobility - which has downstream effects on much (energy level, body comp, sleep, etc). I don’t know why I just shared that - it’s a bit embarrassing, but I guess I GNF’s….
Next up ——>
I can’t wait to see Dad and Vicki - they are here for a month, but our time will be limited with them as they are traveling to Seville (an amazing town) and then watching Hayes and Ells while we go on a long trip…we will have to make our few days count! Thanksgiving is forever my favorite holiday - we are celebrating this year in Barcelona for the first time, and we are not hosting for the 2nd year in a row …. I’ll struggle with it, but we have a friend hosting 30 for Thanksgiving meal, and it’ll be amazing …. just different.
Ps, I can’t believe it’s November 2023. We all hear ‘time flies’ but holy shitballs, it’s flying …. oh and one more thing - I watched the new Sylvester Stalone show on Netflix…I was a BIG Rocky and Rambo fan, and he had a great quote - Life is addition up to the age of 40/45. Then, it’s subtraction. Your children are moving on, your friends move on, people start dying, your job goes away, and your health slowly takes off … it’s just a time of loss… just something I’ve been thinking about quite a bit since I heard it.
PICS BELOW!!!
Next writing is Thanksgiving and internal thoughts as we approach 2 years here….