Lots to see and do… Paella, Priorat and events around town. Vamos Rafa! (It was fun seeing him win a tournament on his home court.)
I’m on a roll – two posts in one day! Had some thoughts so going somewhat stream of consciousness on my Wednesday. Had class from 9 – 1. Four hours is a lot each day but still loving it thanks to an amazingly patient, kind, dedicated and talented teacher. I have a long way to go, but you can’t say I’m not trying. Point of reference – school is about 3 blocks from home. I pass by the beautiful campus of the University of Barcelona every day.
Came home for a quick change and walked the two blocks to the bus stop so I can make my way across town to meet a friend for our regular Wednesday singles game. Those who know me well, know that I’m better at doubles than singles, nevertheless we have great games every week. I walk in the door around 4:00 and head off immediately with Lilly – there are errands to be run.
The goal of this day’s excursion was to find some Rice Krispies. We did that at our first stop – a nice grocery store about 5 blocks from the house. You should know that there is another one closer (a lot are closer) but they don’t carry Rice Krispies. Off to Fruteca, our favorite little fruteria. We get the usuals – fresh milk, yogurt, fresh juices, clementines (oh, how we eat so many clementines), limes, blood oranges, and pre-packaged ibérico ham and fresh eggs. Net door is a bakery that we normally find with a line snaking down the block. We were in luck and walked right in. Bought a couple fresh loaves of bread, a tasty chocolate muffin and seasonal, delicious, sugary small donuts. With all the groceries and now fruit and milk weighing down our shoulders and filling our canvas bags, maybe we should make our way home. Then I remember the cute little spot for coffee on the way home – ODD KIOSK. Picture the cutest little pink kiosk, serving the best coffee brand in the city, stocked with curated and curious gay art. It’s amazing. And the owner in his adorable pink apron and awesome spectacles. I introduced myself (yes, in Spanish) and explained that we were soon to be neighbors! It’s actually just one block from what will be our new apartment in a few weeks! More on that later.
Coffee in hand, the bags were starting to get heavy. Dropped our haul off at the apartment with plans to go right. back. out. I had more errands. Again with canvas bags in hand we headed out for the liquor store (3 blocks from home). Got what I needed, even asking in Spanish for the ginger beer that was not in its usually spot on the shelf. The gracious employees knew just where it was in back, explaining that the shipment had arrived but it was not yet out. I feel more and more like a local every week. I promised Lilly that she could grab an A&W from Taste of America on the same block. It’s just what it sounds like – mostly American food imported and sold at ridiculous prices. I couldn’t pass up the bag of marshmallows though – I mean, we had a fresh box of Rice Krispies….we needed to make treats! Ok. Doubled back down the block, popped in the cooking store to do some recon on a soda siphon and French press. Didn’t need to buy anything but always fun to stop in. OK. Now around the corner to the gourmet store owned by the same people as the liquor store. These guys are total pros. I wasn’t sure how to describe them to you all – so I found this sweet picture online. Although the product line is slightly more updated than shown to included hand-carved jamón, cheeses, foie gras, the fanciest water I’ve ever seen, and a curated wine shop, this picture perfectly represents the space. The men all wear the same style uniform. It’s 2021 not 1960 and I love it so much! All I needed was a bit more ham (we ALWAYS have local ham in the house) and cheese and we were out the door. Walking back the few blocks to home I was reminded just how close everything is for us. And just how beautiful the surrounding architecture. Every day I notice something new and beautiful.
So, that’s a bit of a day in the life here. News from home is that our dads have both had their first vaccine shots…could it mean that travel is going to open up in the coming months? We feel like there is a light at the end of what has been a dark and lonely tunnel for them. We want to share all of this with our dads and whoever else can make their way over. Eventually.
Oh – and we are changing apartments! This apartment has served us well and was a great place to start our Barcelona life…but it is a bit small and has too many problems to overcome (still don’t have a fridge in its proper place, just one sitting near where it belongs in our tiny, tiny kitchen). We are sad to leave our kind, helpful doorman, Hugo. He’s the bright spot here! We will still come back and bring him sweets. Will post pictures when we get in our new place in a couple weeks. It’s 3 blocks up the street. That’s all for know. Love to you all.
I realize the reason I don’t post on a regular basis is that uploading photos isn’t intuitive, and it’s a bit clunky. I want to share what we are doing so I am throwing up my hands on the photos for now. Too many days have passed where I have something fun or silly to share, so here goes…
We’ve been meaning to hike around Tibidabo since we arrived and finally carved out the time this past Sunday to explore. After I played a great game of doubles with a friend and new acquantances, we hopped a cab which brought us to one side of the “mountain,” dropping us along the side of the road. We walked along the road on a well-travelled foot path wondering where the actual hiking and nature was that we wanted. After a few minutes we saw the group in front of us cross the road and jump on a gravel path. We followed behind. Success at finding a steep and rocky and shaded path! After a about 10 minutes we were united with the main trail finding ourselves among others out to enjoy a perfect Sunday. The path was wide enough for mountain bikers and walkers and adorable dogs. We followed along and found ourselves at the top surrounded by spectacular views. Along the way we were wowed by clear views to the Mediterranean and vistas up and down the coast. We could see nearly all of Barcelona. We spotted the field where Lilly plays lacrosse each week too. At the very top we were treated to views of snow-capped Pyrenees – but when we twisted our heads we saw the Mediterranean and the beach. Really, really good stuff!
Wandering to the foot of the famous church, we snapped off a quick photo or two and set off towards the bottom. Oh – at the top there is also a fun little amusement park. Electing to head down the other side of the mountain, we decided to walk and see just what this side had to offer. We had other grand views of the coast and could see straight to our neighborhood. We cut in and out of gravel paths and the side of the one road leading to the top. The cable car station was abandoned and is not currently run (sad, no tourists). We carried on, winding through a beautiful shady park. When we eventually found ourselves at the bottom we toyed with the idea of grabbing a bus back home, but because we hadn’t meandered in this part of the city we hoofed it back home. It is literally ONE long, lovely street from the base of the mountain to our apartment about 3 miles away. Hunger set in at some point so we grabbed hot dogs and fries, sat on a nearby park bench and recharged. With full bellies we carried on to home.
I don’t know that I’ve explained the latest lockdown/restrictions here in Barcelona, and they are worth noting. Restaurants are only allowed to offer in person dining between the hours of 8-9:30 am and 1:00 – 3:30 pm, and takeout can carry on throughout the day, ending at 10:00. There is a 10:00 curfew. We are also not allowed to leave Barcelona proper – AT ALL. Oh, and retail stores that are non-essential must close on Saturday and Sunday. And any stores over 400M can’t be open at all (shopping malls, large department stores, bookstore, etc.). It’s all so strange and surreal. In order to work around things we have developed a bit of a new “routine.” I have class from 9-1 Monday through Friday so David and the kids hang out then. Because we are up late that usually means the kid sleep in and get rolling later than they probably should. We typically make reservations for lunch about 2-3 days a week, taking advantage of the only time we are all available for a meal. David starts his work day around 3:00 and we start school. Dinners have changed since we can’t do late night dining like we so enjoyed early on. Now it’s takeout or a simple home cooked meal.
The sun was shining and all was right in the world for us. Even though the stores and restaurants were shuttered we had a full day. The view from our corner straight up to the top of Tibidabo we are gifted each day is grand (the road we walked home). Fun to finally climb to the top and see what all the fuss was about! We are grateful for all this beautiful city gives us every day.
*edit- I spent another 30 minutes fighting my phone, texting myself pictures from David’s phone and uploading to this post. This is not in my strike zone.
This is the strange story of how I sort-of got my Spanish residency card (it still isn’t ready to be picked up).
When I went to go apply for my residency card, all my papers were good but the passport-style pictures we had taken at Walgreens in the US were apparently unacceptable. When my mom and brother went through the same process a couple weeks before, (it took a long time to get an appointment for me) the employee who approved them was baffled by the size of their photos. After much struggle, they just cut off the sides to make it smaller (they were very dramatic about it). The same thing happened to my dad. I, which I thought was lucky, had two photos that were taken on different occasions, one is in my current passport and the other is a backup. Because I had two that were pretty similar, we cut off the size of one of the photos to match it to the size my dad’s photo which had been cut down.
When we went to the appointment, the size of the photo was not the issue, it was the background color. I do not speak spanish so all I heard the employee say to my mom was blanco (white). I assumed that it was because the background of my photo was too white. For one of my two photos I thought there was no way to argue that the background wasn’t white, because it definitely is. For the other photo I thought there was a little brown so we might be able to use it as a non white background, even though I would still qualify it as a white. Turns out, he was flustered that the photo (according to him) did not have a white enough background. So he made us leave and go across the street to get a new photo. I was not ready at all because I had no idea that I was going to have my picture taken for a government document that day. We walked in, I sat down in front of the white screen, the lady there picked up her camera, I took off my mask for no more than five seconds, she took my picture, I put on my mask, and four copies of my picture were printed out (because they only come in four packs, obviously). We went back across the street and it all worked out, but it was still an aggravating process. Since you are given your picture back, because apparently only a scanned version of your is needed, I now have four copies of a really medicare picture of myself. Because I don’t have in person school this year, I thought it would be funny to send them to family members back in the U.S. as my school picture for this year. So, if you receive a copy in the mail, enjoy! You can totally frame it, though it is only about 1×1 inches big.
I can’t believe we’ve been here almost a month already! Wow, it is speeding by faster than I even imagined. We don’t even have a well working shower yet—ours is like a combination of getting hit with a fire hose while someone simultaneously spits on you. But other than some upkeep issues, our apartment is ideal, and in the PERFECT location. All part of the experience—especially the shower, which is a true adventure.
Thank God Kate & Lilly have been on top of the blog. I did have good intentions—do have good intentions—but there is so much to do here. I haven’t written and I’ve barely read. When I do have free time I prefer to just set out (hopefully with Kate or the kiddos) in some new direction and discover more of what this amazing city has to offer. And it is so packed full that even the same route reveals new gems on each and every excursion.
I’ve always been someone who relishes the unopened gift on Christmas (I never tried to sneak a peek)—Whatever could be in there?? BCN is like a city of unopened Christmas gifts. Each night… or day… or Thursday… I don’t know, schedules aren’t really a thing… the gates and doors are closed on businesses, often covering their sign and any clues about what’s inside. You walk by some small, closed door without ever questioning what is behind the gate and graffiti art. Then one pass you see it open and discover some amazing cocktail bar or craft beer shop, a giant, multi-level bookstore, a store that sells nothing but rubber ducks, an art gallery, a barreled vermouth bar, a giant bike shop, and of course endless markets, cafes, and restaurants. I literally just saw a hotel across the street from us I hadn’t noticed until yesterday. Seriously.
The outside 
The inside 
And Gwen the perro
And that’s just here in our neighborhood.
Speaking of our neighborhood, for those familiar, we are in Central Eixample which is just West of Plaça de Catalunya (away from the water). The Plaça divides four sections of Barcelona: El Raval, The Gòtic Quarter (+ El Born) and Left & Right Eixample—so we are close to all the action! Rambla de Catalunya divides the two sides, so officially we are are on the left, or “Gayxample.” It’s got a ton of energy and a great vibe! Just beyond the quarters are Barceloneta (the beach) and Gracia, La Sagrada Familia & other Gaudi creations and I guess other things too… we have a lot more exploring to do!
One find not too exciting for everyone else, but great for me is the WeWork on Passeig de Gràcia. It has been a quick and easy place to go work rooftop, use a printer, and get away for calls where I need privacy. It is just one block away, in-between a huge FC Barcelona store and a Gaudi building, and open late. The time difference has had a few challenges, but honestly been a pretty easy transition. I LOVE having my mornings free to go for a walk, hang with the family, then start working in the afternoon. We may sneak out occasionally at 10pm for a dinner (totally normal time here), but that’s 4pm back home, so really able to keep US hours for the most part. And for travel it works great because we can take our time Monday morning—or any morning. Have I had a conference call end at midnight? Yes, but totally worth it. Oh, also WeWork has free coffee and beer.
Fractional Petsolt
Those of you I work with know I try to work in new places as often as possible… why not!? Here are my daily snapshots of a work location and view on Instagram @FractionalPetsolt
(COVID did make this a bit challenging back in SOP, but I did my best to keep it going)
I have so much more to share, but that’s it for now. Please read the blogs from Kate & Lilly about all the details and much better writing—I will try to do a better job of memorializing my thoughts about this adventure and share some stories too. I promise!
Salud
So, based on this being a blog post about living in Spain, it is now safe to assume that I live in Spain. The day we moved was the day that most people were starting up school so people were posting on Instagram about how they went to school or whatever and my thought was, that’s cool too but I moved to Spain today (not that it’s a competition or anything). Here are some small stories that have happened since we’ve moved.
Tiny Cactus Smuggling
Last Christmas I got three tiny cactuses, and by tiny I mean none of them were bigger than my thumb. Anyway, when you travel internationally you are not allowed to bring over any living things in your luggage. Since the cactuses were so small, I just put them in an empty retainer case in the middle of my suitcase with the hope they would not be destroyed. They made it to the apartment completely fine but I forgot to open them for a while so one of the cactuses is now almost dead(oops).
The Climb
They say that, at most, only 891 have made it to the summit of Everest in one year so we had reason to be afraid. As we approached we could barely see the top through the glaring sun, but we knew we had to keep going. The first day we made it three levels, it was amazing how different the landscape was and how it reached further than the eye could see. A few days later, we passed through three and on to four, five, and six. By then, you could tell that the air was getting thinner as you wound through the pathways up, up, up. Every level provided some reward that you were not expecting to see. Another day went by and we reached the eighth stage but we couldn’t go any further, it was too much to tackle. Finally the day came where we again reached the eighth stage but this time, we were prepared to press on. There was no turning back as we stepped on the escalator and up to the 9th floor of El Corte Ingles. Awaiting us were treasures beyond imaginable, the cafeteria. It was filled with pastas and sandwiches and burgers and churros, oh the churros so covered in sugar and with a side of chocolate for dipping. At this point it was confirmed that everything we had gone through was worth it and that there were no regrets about what we ordered.
Eau de Q
The other weekend we went to the French Riviera. We were visiting a couple of cities and one of them (we didn’t know this until after we had already picked to go there) was my Grandma’s favorite town. The town is called Eze and it is a little medieval town with small winding streets going up and down with beautiful vistas hidden in gaps between buildings. The day we were there the Tour de France was passing through so we went and saw that, as you do. Before the bikes came through a parade with cars came through that threw random merchandise into the crowd such as random smallish and long paper banners that were for some a random car company that was in no way related to the Tour de France. We waited for the bikes to come for a while but when they did, they came in waves. That was pretty awesome except the kid in front of me when the bikes were passing by was waving his arms around making it impossible to take a clear picture. He also had one of those banners that were given out and he was waving it up and down in a circle which made it nearly impossible to take a picture let alone see. Enough about that, the next day we came back to Eze for a perfume experience. We went to a workshop and my mom and I created our own perfumes. Cameron helped my mom and my dad helped me but he claims that all the scents smelled good which wasn’t helpful but did make me feel good about my choices. After 2 ½ hours of perfume mixing our scents were ready for us to take home in a fancy bottle. They then had to ferment (I know that’s not the correct word but it is relatively funny when referring to a good smelling perfume) for two weeks. The car ride back was an absolute nightmare because everyone but me decided to try on the already crafted perfumes and cologne in the store which made the car a collage of those scents along with the ones we had been intentionally smelling for hours. That being said, we all smell very delightful now.
The More the Merrier the More We Rice
One night when we were in France we were trying to find a place to eat. Since none of us speak French we used the google translate app where you can hold up the camera up some words (like a road sign or menu) and it switches what it says to English. Anyway, we held up the app on my phone to the image of the menu on my mom’s phone and it translated. The translation was very off with the craziest menu item called “the more the merrier the more we rice.” We decided to turn the translated menu items into a poem, please read the picture and try and read it as a poem.
I’m totally behind on posts so this is from a few days ago and trying to catch up to today…
MONDAY: We seem to have trouble getting the kids up and moving in the mornings here so David set off to a nearby coffee shop to get some emails sent and gear up for the week. I was not long behind since the kids were zonked out. I had the most delicious açaí bowl at Juice Dudes across from the university (a block or so from our apartment). What I really needed to do was set a lesson plan for Cameron – school is starting for us. Sure, those veteran homeschool parents already have their weeks, months or even year planned out. Not me. I’m like a day by day person. Time for me to dig in and get to work so I can make it a great year for the kids academically.
Let’s back up a little bit. Remember those sleepyhead kiddos? Yeah, had to get them moving because we were hoping to show them the beach. We ambled our way down to the water after taking a little pitstop in the marina to gawk at the luxury yachts. I pulled one up online to see what the story was – on sale for 4.1 million euro. Outside our budget but fun to look. Cameron was loving it all. Anyway….to the beach. We weren’t dressed for a dip or basking in the sun but we did pack the frisbee. Cameron and David played for a while, Lilly read and I watched the people go by. It is quite pleasant, yet at the same time sort of eerie, how few people are out and about. We did notice a large police presence – huge pick pocket and petty theft area. We always have our guard up. David and Cameron dipped their toes in the water and on the way Cameron saw more topless old ladies than he wanted. I guess one was too many. Welcome to Spain, kid. Found a delightful little beach shack and sat a spell to enjoy a cold drink and a few tapas. We could not ask for a better view. Pinch me. This is just a Monday in Barcelona.
Because of the way David’s work day is arranged we spend the morning doing the fun exploring and family time and then follow it up with school/work. It’s totally flip-flopped from our routine back home but it is working out really well. Once we got back home it was high time to dig in. Lilly is pretty much on her own – too smart for me. Cameron on the other hand is stuck with Mrs. Petsolt for his first year. I would say it’s a hybrid of some online lessons and other curriculum we picked out together. English and grammar lessons were fun and easy. Math, Cameron’s long suit, was up next. I had a lesson plan and everything – remember that “extensive” planning from this morning? He took a couple shortcuts, did all the problems in his head and made 3 silly mistakes. Lilly was sitting across the table as I so wisely stated, “Cameron, you won’t get it right if you do it wrong.” The kids starting laughing hysterically at my pearl of wisdom and Captain Obvious statement. They wrote it down, put my initials by it as its author, and date stamped it. Maybe you had to be there, but I guess I need to work on my catchphrases and quips in the weeks to come. Tough crowd.
Charcuterie board for the grownups and Cameron’s lemon chicken, a crowd favorite, for the kids again outside. One thing we are finding a little strange – we have yet to see one other person in our neighborhood or within our view use their balcony. I don’t know why that is the case but we are on ours every day. There are many shuttered hotels around the city – one directly across from our place which explains a few of the empty balconies. In other, more dense areas of the city folks definitely take advantage of their outdoor spaces.
Lilly and I went in a used book store down the street and fortuitously found an English copy of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night which she needs to read. We also found some of Cam’s favorite graphic novels and left with 5 books for 10 euro, a good little find. Cameron ended the night catching up with a friend back home. Love that.
TUESDAY: I am embarrassed to say I am already forgetting what we have done day by day. We seem to be settling into an exploring routine and then schoolwork/work. Guessing day 2 of school was fine. Honestly, I already don’t know which end is up. Well, we did get our first delivery of groceries. The delivery man made his way up (the doorman buzzed our apartment and all of a sudden we learned our phone has a screen and it works!).
Dinner with David’s former UNC professor was the highlight – we got to meet her family and catch up on so many things. Dinner started at 9:30 and we were kicked off the sidewalk at 12:00 – no one allowed in bars and restaurants after midnight. Happy to oblige, but we could have chatted for hours longer. Grateful to have a familiar and very friendly face here in our new city.
WEDNESDAY: Oh, right. I brought the kids to the Egyptian Museum (10 minute walk). Cameron had a world history lesson on Egypt and Mrs. Petsolt (that’s me) thought to tie it all together with a hands-on visit. Don’t panic – the place is not crowded on a normal day. There were a sum total 8 people. Pandemic safe. Sort of felt like I was crushing the home-school thing until the kids seemed utterly bored with all the plaques I was reading. Late night movie choice was The Imitation Game in honor of Lilly starting a heavy stats class. Again, David and I thought we were being pretty clever.
THURSDAY: What a treat to meet up with Ashraf and Ayaan to play tennis. They met us at our apartment and we grabbed a bus to the courts – straight shot down Gran Via to a great little club. Cameron and I vs. Ashraf and Ayaan. We tied our set at 6-6. Awesome!! Pretty pumped to have found courts and a place we can take lessons. They also offer paddle ball which we might just try that as a family. I mean, why not, right? We are up for just about anything and outside sports are safe.
Tonight the kids wanted to show David the cafeteria at El Corte Inglés department store. Oh, now I remember. I brought the kids there on Tuesday for lunch. I’ll post those pictures because it was pretty epic. The view was amazing overlooking the city and they pour a VERY LARGE GLASS OF WINE for a very low price. And they serve chocolate y churros. What could be better? You could also catch a glimpse of the water. This is a beautiful city. Reminder – this is a 7 minute walk form our apartment. And we learned tonight they have sangria on tap. Have I said it before? I love this town!
Unrelated to anything – but this cracked me up – check out the picture of all the navy uniform shoes at the department store (there were two more full racks not in the frame). You really get an idea of how many Catholic kids are wearing uniforms. I had the option of like 2 pair that fit the bill for the kids when we chose back in NC – BLACK ONLINE. We opted this year to forgo the uniform – anything goes at BCN Academy.
THURSDAY PM: We are packing up for a quick getaway to Provence & the French Riviera. If all goes according to plan we shove off around 7:00 am in our rental car…. a short 4.5 hour drive and we will be in Aix-en-Provence, a first for three of us. Stay tuned for more on that. Putting to good use a book gifted to David from Sue – Epic Drives of the World. We are going to enjoy the views….
The bottom line at this point – we love all things Barcelona. We love the urban setting, the proximity to markets and items we need (oh, I didn’t even mention that a brand new Aldi opened up YESTERDAY three blocks from us). I mean, could we get any luckier? There is much to see and do safely here. Finding our groove on the cadence of school will take a little bit of time but we are able to knock through a lot of material everyday. Cameron is attentive and good company. I might think differently in a month but for now I’m pretty damn content sitting next to my guy for several hours each day, learning together.
Where do I even start with our first several days living in Barcelona? I swore I would get online and post all the goodness that happened to us as it happened. Then we just went and enjoyed all that was thrown our way…. so here I finally go.
We arrived Monday without issue. Flights were on time (early), all 8 of our checked bags arrived, van was there to pick us up and had us at our new apartment ahead of schedule. David and I had seen this apartment in person in early March and luckily it didn’t disappoint. Besides being vastly ill-equipped (think no strainer, sheets or even one sharp knife) it is just right. We set out to visit our first retail store in 5 months. And why not start with the very best – El Corte Inglés. Nine glorious floors of an old school department store – think travel agency, restaurant, groceries, food court, furniture, electronics (electric scooters too) and all the perfume, shoes, make-up and clothing anyone could dream of. Kids got to pick out their own sheets and towels (they enjoyed this much more than I thought they would), picked up some groceries then headed back to the apartment. Dropped our haul and sought out the gourmet shop around the corner. We were the only guests and had them surprise us with a specialty ibérico ham tasting, our favorite local delicacy. We were walked through the flavors and differences and sipped local red wine, nibbled on olives, cheese and pan con tomate (bread with tomato). We were in heaven!! A perfect first “meal” in Barcelona. We chatted at length with the manager, Marta, who let the kids and I go behind the legs of ham and try our paper thin slicing skills. We didn’t do so bad for our first try and were even invited back. Here’s an article about a gentleman famous as a cortador de jamones. Read about him! Today I looked to pick up some jamòn at the grocery store and Lilly just looked at it in disgust and said, “I just want to go see Marta!” That kid cracks me up.
Marta training Lilly 
Cameron as a budding cortador de jamones 
With the very sharp knife I still really had to use a lot of force to cut it
We were pretty excited about our new home and took us a while to wind down. We didn’t even take a nap once we arrived and the adrenaline was pumping. Our apartment has large giant glass doors that lead to two terraces but luckily have wooden doors behind them to block out the light completely. Sacked out until about noon on Tuesday. Guess we were tired after all.
Tuesday we set off to explore a couple of neighborhoods we like – The Gothic Quarter and El Born. Saw some ruins, wandered the streets, nibbled along the way. Covered about 8.5 miles on foot. Back to El Corte Inglés for more groceries. It’s an easy 7 minute walk from our pad. The organic food market is on our block for more basic needs.
On what was only our second full day in the city we wandered up to another great neighborhood, Gracia. I think if we were not living smack dab in the middle of town this would be the area for us. Great markets, lovely independent shops, lots of young families out strolling. There is an annual street festival that would have been happening here now- but COVID. Major bummer since the neighborhoods decorate above the streets and alleys in elaborate fashion in the middle of each August. There were a couple folks who still made an effort but nothing near the creations I have seen from past years. So, the pandemic really has changed things around the world. What I will say is this – I would much rather there NOT be a pandemic and huge economic problems in Barcelona (and around the world, obviously). However, the lack of tourists around the city is AMAZING. Traffic is down, you are not shoulder to shoulder at street crossings, people are respecting your personal bubble in a big way, virtually 100% mask compliance, hand sanitizing stations at the front of every store, extra cleaning measures, a ban on smoking when 2 meters distance cannot be maintained. It’s really the perfect time for us to start our adventure. We hope that world travel will again be possible, but we are making the most of having the city to ourselves. Since we didn’t want to stray from tradition too much we made tacos for dinner – a familiar taste of home. Again, too excited to sleep and up until about 2:00 am.
Overhead paper display 
Selfie in Gracia
Yesterday we did more to make our apartment feel more like a home and picked up some much needed supplies. I sort of feel like I’m outfitting a college dorm. Cameron had me get the fixings for his lemon chicken – lemon and chicken! He was the master in the kitchen and sautéed up a tasty little meal for us complete with fried rice and broccoli. The kitchen has room for about 1.5 people so it was crowded with the two of us side by side, but we made do.
The vast majority of the locals speak English and quickly switch to it to help us. I usually make it a point to tell them I’m practicing my Spanish and they gladly swap back and offer to teach me. Everyone is grateful I’m making an effort and are very patient. It will be slow going since there are not a ton of human interactions. I suffer from a major lack of confidence with speaking Spanish. Luckily I understand most of what is said TO me. Today was a first for me when the plumber showed up to assess the repair needs for our two showers and a door. I was able to explain in Spanish what was wrong (yes, I was pointing a lot and letting him fill in the blanks) and communicate our needs. At least I think I did!
Oh, one thing that cracks me up is that we are now the proud owners of one of those rolling carts so we can haul our groceries across town. So even if I can’t speak the part, at least I can look the part.
Cameron bought a new skateboard on DAY 1 with birthday money from the grandpas and has been riding it daily on a pedestrian promenade around the corner. I’m in heaven on a bench reading my book, people watching and keeping an eye on my guy and his improving skills. Lilly is my shopping partner – she is willing to hoof it to get groceries and helps pick out new things to try. David is working from our apartment and one of several WeWork offices a stone’s throw from home. So far we’ve been able to find a nice balance and sneak in dinner at home with him in between meetings and calls. He never ceases to amaze me with how he gets it all done. Tonight he’s having a traditional campout on the family room couch with Cameron like they do back home complete with late night TV watching and making a bed on the couch with all the blankets and pillows. The only thing missing is the popcorn I failed to buy at the grocery store. I know this must be so emotionally stressful for the kids. Although we are packing the days with fun it is all so new to them. Since they have not be allowed out much at all in the last five months they are getting used to a new normal.
Cameron’s new skateboard! 
As he wizzes by me….
We are recycling even more than we do at home (we faltered at times in all candor). The kids are in charge of bringing down the trash and recycling and getting it into the color-coded bins on the corner. It’s kind of nice not to have to wake up Cameron on Friday mornings and tell him to hurry up and get the recycling bins to the corner because he failed to put them out on Thursday! Now I can nag him EVERYDAY.
Last night after David finished work up around 11:30 pm we meandered to the corner restaurant for our first pitcher of Sangria (this trip, not EVER). 🙂 I think we will become regulars. While we were chatting and catching up outside there was a table of police officers eating and another with sanitation workers drinking coffee in the middle of their night shift. We are pleased to find a local joint we can frequent.
Will continue to wander the neighborhoods and explore as we can, including the beach about 25 minutes away on foot! Maybe it will even cool down and we can get in an early morning run or a little hike to cover more ground. For now, we will be content fiddling with the 3 different AC units in our apartment in an attempt to regulate the temp. So far we love all the quirkiness this new urban living has presented. The kids are taking it all in stride and embracing the change. Tonight we made burgers and dined al fresco on our little terrace. We love the sound of the cars buzzing below. This suits us.
Well, that’s a blow by blow of the first few days in country. Nothing too exciting as of yet, but we are loving every minute of it. Will try to engage the kids to share their thoughts in the coming days on the blog.