New friends, old friends, family, America’s Cup, Costa Brava, and settling into our new home made for an unforgettable summer.
As I was enjoying lunch, a glass of wine, and a good book, my mind began to wander. āI feel like Iāve been here before.ā I set down my book and pulled out my phone to look at our family āBeen There Done Thatā Google Maps list. And I had been there. Not in that restaurant, but in that location. I knew it! That caused me to start browsing ā finding other places that have changed in the time weāve been here. There were some places I had been to as three different restaurants.
The city is organic and always changing. You might walk by a closed door a dozen times without giving it any thought, only to walk by and see a brilliant new restaurant or shop reaching far back into the space behind each building as if it has always been there. Or a favorite place that closes, only to be replaced by another favorite just a few weeks later. Or sometimes you donāt even notice an absence until something new pops up.
One block, four sides, photographed as it changes — the darkened prints are Els Perduts, the ones that are gone.
Barcelona has its own compass: the sides of every block face not north and south but the sea and the mountain — Mar and Muntanya — and the two rivers that bracket the city, Llobregat and Besòs. Each section below is one face of our block. Pass over a darkened print to bring it back.
MarThe sea side
BesĆ²sThe right side
MuntanyaThe mountain side
LlobregatThe left side
We got to meet our dear friends and celebrate multiple 50s in Porto and the Douro Valley. The Douro was spectacularly beautiful, and Porto and Gaia is a new destination favorite.
What happens when you turn 16? You get on a solo international flight the next day (because you can!) and visit your family in Minnesota and California!
We got to show Kate’s Dad his first safari with a celebration of his 80th! I’ve never heard Happy Birthday more — people so happy to celebrate Denny’s visit. A quick stop in Doha, then starting on the Zambezi River in Zambia (and a sneak across the river to Zimbabwe), then on to South Africa for some amazing game drives and great evenings under the stars.
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.
Spring was full of festivals and visitors– it was amazing seeing so many of our friends. Oh, and we bought an apartment!
Christmas in Barcelona before heading off to Bad Gastein, Austria for some snowboarding, skiing and very Wes Anderson views.
Enjoying Thanksgiving with friends from the state and friends from Barcelona.
We were lucky enough to visit the Living Table (Chef’s Table) at Disfrutar twice in the fall of 2023 — with two sets of amazing friends. Barcelona is home to countless great restaurants and lots of Michelin stars, but Disfrutar is something special. Earning its status as a Three Michelin Star restaurant in between our visits and named the Worldās Best Restaurant in 2024 by The Worldās 50 Best Restaurants — each visit was a six-hour experience to remember!
