Family visits, vermut in hand, and Barça winning basically everything except the ones stolen by refs. Copa del Rey, Supercopa, La Liga—what a fun season to be a fan! 400,000 fans showed up for the parade, which felt about right.
The Vuelta a España Femenina came through town, so we stood curbside with drinks and enthusiasm. Cam and friends did their own biking, but downhill and in dirt. Took a trip up to Costa Brava with my sister for some sun and both Greek and Roman ruins. Strong spring!
While the kids were off in Cali, we snuck in a road trip birthday getaway—first to the Guadalest Valley, then up to Matarraña. Both were quiet, beautiful, and just far enough from real life to feel like we’d gotten away with something.
Stayed at VIVOOD and Torre del Marqués, which nailed the whole “peaceful with great views” thing. We read, played cards, floated, and occasionally remembered what day it was. Pretty ideal.
Spring Break in Tenerife, where we all got some much-needed deep breaths & relaxation. Plus I won the Wiki bet on The Canary Islands being Spain, but also Africa. Mostly tennis, beach, pool, and just enough sunburn to feel like we earned it.
We took a quick weekend hop down to Valencia to catch the UEFA Nations League match between Spain and the Netherlands (Países Bajos – the Low Countries) and had an awesome time. A game that had it all: overtime, penalty kicks, sudden-death penalty kicks, and a lot of pride for La Roja!
We stayed near Estadio de Mestalla, where the Dutch team was holed up. We didn’t plan it that way, but it gave the whole trip a sort of sitcom energy—especially when, while at a posh bar with the Dutch coaching staff, I tried my suave attempt to flash my Barça colors. (see video)
Before the game, we roamed the streets, rediscovered old favorites from Q’s lacrosse tournament visits, and finally tried Agua de Valencia, which is basically what happens when a mimosa, a Long Island Iced Tea, and sangria decide to co-parent. Tastes like summer and consequences.
Agua de Valencia recipe:
The match itself? Unreal. Spain won in penalties (5–4), after regulation and extra time had both teams deadlocked. The stadium roared. Kate, Cam, and I shouted ourselves hoarse. Cam may or may not have achieved full nationalistic transformation, draped in a Spanish flag, and all of us yelling ¡Vamos! ¡Va!
A few of our beloved Barça regulars took the pitch—Pedri doing beautiful Pedri things, Ferran “The Shark” Torres circling dangerously, and Lamine Yamal looking like a 17-year-old with a cheat code. Cam’s favorite Cubarsí was on the roster, though sadly had a knock. And yes, Cucurella’s hair was absolutely in attendance and just… simply… gorgeous.. For the Dutch, Barça’s own Frenkie de Jong played, but we were not conflicted on who to root for.
The city was all charm and oranges and winding corners. We didn’t get back to Barcelona until 4 am, running on adrenaline, pride, and maybe a little leftover caffeine.
Would 10/10 do again.
Winter in Barcelona with Paquito Homie—walks around the city, some light FCB brainwashing, and encouragement of his street art tendencies. Quick trip to the U.S. to give my dad some love. A Superbowl weekend in Costa Brava with the boys. Also, puzzles, cocktail bars, and visits from friends-soon-to-be-neighbors.
Austuras was unexpectedly spectacular, a spring-break getaway to some chillin’ in France, and visit to Uni in London, Spring had a lot of really special moments.
Hiking in the Pyrenees again – this time with Blaze (a dog that found us and led us for hours). Then a few stops at medieval Spanish towns.
