Summer, summer, summertime

I feel like every year I'm reminded of just how amazing summer vacation is - it truly is one of the greatest benefits of being a teacher. All of a sudden, I'm rested, exercising everyday, crossing things off my to do list (that have been there for months!), and finally relaxing with afternoon siestas, on the couch with a good book, or a day at the beach. It's so wonderful!

I have about two and half weeks in Barcelona of true summer vacation and it already seems to be flying by. It's hard to believe that in just over a week I'll be heading back to the USA! This trip is full of exciting things - the most exciting being that Dani (my Spanish novio) is coming with me AND Mike and Sarah are getting married! I'll be in the states for almost a month, which is longer than I've ever been back for before. Seeing as this is Dani's first trip to the states, I wanted him to see as much as possible and that is definitely what we'll be doing! During this time, we'll be visiting:

San Francisco
Yosemite National Park
Lake Tahoe
Las Vegas
Utah (Zion National Park? Bryce Canyon?)
Denver/Beaver Creek
Indianapolis
New York City

It's going to be quite the trip! I have to admit, I think it will be fun to be a "tourist" in the USA again. We are visiting a number of places I've never been and driving through the west, which should be a lot of fun. I've never shown the US to someone who's never been there and can't wait to see what Dani thinks of it all. How will the reality compare to TV, movies, and music?! I can't wait to find out!

Needless to say, although I've only had a week of it so far, summer is as amazing as ever - and I expect that it's just going to get better. :)

4 Years Later and Still in Love . . .

It's hard to believe that I've been living in Barcelona for almost four years now! How quickly time passes. As one of the new teacher coordinators again this year, I've had the chance to spend some time with a few new teachers as they've arrived in Barcelona this summer. Being in this role gives me the chance to show off the city a little, as well as answer as many questions as I can about transitioning to life here.

So far, I've been able to take people around my current neighborhood, Poble Sec, as well as visit my old barrios - Born and Gotico. I love the moment when I hear people new to Barcelona say things like, "I love this place!" or "I'm so happy I moved here!" or "This city is amazing!" And I love that even after four years, I still feel that exact same way!

Between the energy and constant activity of the city, to the ease of driving an hour or two and being on gorgeous beaches, Barcelona continues to provide endless things to do. There is just so much to see and experience all the time - I love it!

One of the most consistently asked questions among international teachers is, "So how much longer do you plan to stay in . . .?" For me, until I begin to fall out of love with Barcelona or begin to desire something different, I can't really imagine leaving this incredible city. For now, my heart definitely belongs to Barcelona.

so many places in so little time

As always, when in the midst of the school year, my blogging takes a bit of a hiatus; and now that I'm on vacation, I have plenty of time to share some updates :)

I've been thinking about this post for since April, a month where every weekend landed me in a different country for a wide variety of reasons! Although I know that this type of travel is possible in the USA, it never happened to me quite like it does here. It's just so easy to get everywhere and I feel like there are more "reasons" to visit places than ever before.

During Semana Santa, I had my third literacy coaching cohort meeting. This time it was in Budapest - a city I was thrilled to visit again! In the hopes of also seeing someplace new during this week, I opted to head to Vienna and check out this Imperial city first. Although I enjoyed Vienna, I didn't find it to be the most exciting of places. (I think the very cold and miserable weather may have contributed to this!) However, it is a gorgeous place!

A beautiful Russian church

    

"Live" music was everywhere!

Beautiful corners and cafes

  





After a few days in Vienna, I headed to Budpaest via train. Again, I fell in love with this city! I definitely think it's one of my favorites in Europe. The mix of history, culture, and edginess give it such an interesting vibe. The fact that it's so inexpensive helps, too! Although the majority of my time was spent in an (excellent!) conference, I was still able to see the city.

Another visit to the baths - so wonderful!

Truly one of the most amazing sights there is!

 

 

 

 

After a week visiting a bit of eastern Europe, my third April weekend took me to Paris - for the first time! I'd been dying to visit Paris since moving to Spain, but just hadn't made it there yet. When I heard that Justin Timberlake would be playing there, I knew it was the perfect excuse to go. The city and the performance didn't disappoint!

I have to say, Paris was even more incredible than I expected. Just having a chance to see a place that is so often featured in books and movies in person was amazing. I truly loved everything about it - the Eiffel Tower, the parks, the French cafes. Wow.

Even more amazing in person!

Yum . . .

Arc de Triumf

And Justin Timberlake put on the best show that I have ever been to! Almost 2.5 hours and every song I could have hoped to hear. I've been his fan for a long time, but officially fell in love with him during this concert. (Sorry about the video quality - dancing and filming aren't the best combination!)

 

 

After three amazing weekends outside of Spain, my last one led me up the Costa Brava - the stunning coastline north of Barcelona. With stops in Roses, Cap de Creus, and Tossa del Mar, I was again amazed by just how beautiful the country I live in is! It's hard to believe that in just an hour or two, I can be in place that looks like it was taken from the Caribbean.

I am reminded again and again how lucky I am to live where I live and have the opportunities to explore so much, so easily. What a great month this was!

Creating Memories

 

Last weekend I went to Venice with Anne, Tanya, Tessa, and Lauren. This was a trip we had talked about going on for well over a year. With Lauren now in Madrid, we decided we had to make this reunion happen - and I'm so glad we did!

In just about 48 hours, we explored a stunning city, ate great food, enjoyed lots of spritzs and red wine, told stories, and had so, so many laughs. I left feeling full, sore from laughing, and SO grateful for having these ladies in my life.

Without a doubt, I think it's trips like these that bring people closer. The moments you experience together, the stories you share, and the laughs you have really create memories that last. I know there are moments from this trip that will continue to make us laugh for a very, very long time.

I think the older you get, the more difficult it can be to create new, strong friendships. I've known these ladies for almost four years now and I really think it's time, shared experiences, and some important commonalities among us that have made our frienship that much stronger.

I can't wait to see where our next adventure will be!

Feeling lucky about . . .

 Just before break, Tessa, Anne, Tanya and I were discussing what we thought 2014 would be the year "of." We all agreed 2013 was a great year, but that we were also ready for the next one - and expected it to be even better. And so we decided that 2014 would be the year of "luck." Who knows what exactly this will entail, but I can't wait to find out!

This idea has prompted me to also think about all that I already feel lucky to have in my life. For example:

• my health
• an amazing family 
• really, really great friends, in Barcelona and around the world
• a steady job that I love
• the fact I get to live in Barcelona
• enough money and time to travel

In addition, there are so many things happening in 2014 that I already feel so lucky to be part of:

• my parents visiting in February
• January girls' weekend in Venice
• being part of a literacy coaching cohort with upcoming meetings in The Hague and Budapest
• seeing Justin Timberlake in Paris in April!
• Mike and Sarah getting married in August (and officiating their wedding!)

I mean, I'm a pretty lucky girl already :) I can't wait to see what else 2014 has in store for me - and you!

A Moroccan Christmas

Since moving to Spain more than four years ago, I've spent Christmas in Seville with Anna, in Denver, and in Barcelona - once with Anna and once with my whole family. This year flights home were extra expensive and I knew I wouldn't have any visitors to Barcelona, so I decided to make Christmas a bit of an adventure! I was looking for a country I hadn't seen and something that was a bit more physical (that time on the Camino was really motivating!). After lots of searching, a week trip to Morocco in order to do some hiking in the High Atlas Mountains seemed like the perfect fit.

It's hard to believe, but this was the first trip I'd taken on my own since moving to New Zealand back in 2002!  I knew Morocco wasn't a place I wanted to explore completely by myself, so I opted for a trip through Intrepid Travel, a company a number of friends had used before. The "Atlas Panorama" included a few days in Marrakech, then 4 nights/5 days in the High Atlas Mountains.

Upon arrival in Marrakech (during the middle of the Casablanca/Bayern Munich Moroccan World Cup Final), I instantly felt that I'd been knocked a bit outside of my comfort zone! The differences in language, people, culture, religion - everything! - were instantly clear. And although this was uncomfortable, I also loved it. I think it's so healthy to be outside of one's comfort zone -- this is when growth happens.

Jamaa el Fna, the main square in Marrakech, is full of action!

I have to admit that I fell in love with Morocco. The energy and craziness of Marrakech was exciting to be a part of; the flavors and spices of foods were such a welcome and delicious change; the people could not have been kinder and more welcoming; the landscape was varied and gorgeous. It was great to spend a week eating healthy food, getting lots of exercise, and not drinking - the opposite of a typical Christmas holiday!

Mountains, rivers, hills, rainbows - wow!

 I think my photos (see right sidebar) give a pretty clear picture of the trip. What they don't show as clearly are some of the great people I met on this trip. There were 16 of us total - ages 21-71, coming from countries like the US, Australia, Ireland, England, Finland, and Malta. What a mix! This group provided lots of laughs and some amazing stories. Many of them were so fit - I can only hope to be in that kind of shape a bit later in life! It was quite inspiring. I have no doubt that I will cross paths with some of them again in the future.

most of the group on one of our shorter hikes

 Although I missed my family a lot this holiday, I'm so glad I decided to spend Christmas 2013 in Morocco. I was able to see a new country (one which I will definitely return to), experience a bit of disequilibrium, spend lots of time in nature, and meet some really great people. I wonder what Christmas 2014 will hold . . .