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. :)
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
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 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.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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| A beautiful Russian church |
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| "Live" music was everywhere! |
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| 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.
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| Another visit to the baths - so wonderful! |
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| 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.
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| Even more amazing in person! |
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| Yum . . . |
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| 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!)
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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!
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