Our first day in Spain

I've been going back and forth about how to recap the 2 weeks we spent in Barcelona and Provence...I don't want to do a day by day, step by step overview (for your sake and mine!), so I'm going to organize it a little differently.  But, with that said, I'm going to share all of our first day there, because it was really one of the best. 

IAD - JFK - Madrid - Barcelona - train - metro - walk. 

It was quite an ordeal to get to our lovely apartment, but we made it, backpacks and all!  I was most excited about this day for several reasons - one, we had finally made it to Spain after years of talking about it and 2 - my wonderful friend Emily and her husband were meeting us there from England!  Timing was perfect - as we arrived at the apartment, they came walking up from the other direction!

Once we dropped the luggage off and freshened up a bit, tour guide M took us off to get some delicious tapas for lunch at Pura Brasa. 

While Emily ate her hamburger, the rest of us had calamari, scrambled eggs, blood sausage, grilled fish and more.  A few pitchers of sangria and tons of food later, we wandered off to explore.

We happened upon this great market, right around the corner from where we were having lunch!

Olives, onions, and other antipaste type items in these enormous barrels.

Tons of different types of tea

A wood burning fire pit, just set up in the street!

Amazing paellas in enormous pans

After the market, we wandering around this square a bit, stopped for a quick espresso recharge, and then headed towards the beautiful museum.

The Museo Nacional d'Art de Catalunya is beautiful and very grand.  It's housed in the former "Palau Nacional" at the foot of Montjuïc.  We didn't care to go in, but did walk up to the doors for the view back down the hill. 



After wandering around the grounds, we headed back to freshen up before dinner - after the long redeye flight and hot day, we were grateful for that!

Dinner at Vinateria del Call was fantastic.  Probably my favorite overall meal in Spain.  It wasn't the fanciest or the most expensive, but it was just the best of everything.  The restaurant was tiny...and slightly complicated to find in the old Jewish Quarter of Barcelona.  Walking through the old, tight, stone streets felt like we were on a movie set, it just didn't feel like it could be real!

The wine was delicious and very inexpensive.  We asked for suggestions on local Catalan wines, and had a great white and red. 

The food was tapas style, and we ordered at least half of the menu by the end of the night!  The gentleman who waited on us was great fun.  We started with meats and cheeses, which were amazing.  Then we had at least 2 rounds of dishes come out, maybe 3 - fried peppers, chorizo, croquettes, fish, tomato bread...and so much more.  We ordered desert, then had a glass of port, and then he brought us a special sip of a cordial, Ratifia Russet.  Mom got the name of it and a store to find it and bought a bottle to take home! 

The food and wine were wonderful, atmosphere cozy and inviting, and company perfect!

We said goodnight to the parents and powered on, determined to get some Barcelona night life in with our friends.  After a bit of a walk and (ridiculous) search for absinthe, we gave up and settled on an Irish pub with plenty of beer!  Emily and I chatted while the boys played darts, and enjoyed our time together!

After grand hugs and goodbyes, we got into separate cabs, heading home.  They were leaving the next day to head back to England, and we had some sightseeing to do!

We're baaaack!

Planes, trains and automobiles to make it happen, but we arrived home late Saturday night from an amazing 2 week European trip. 

As you've already seen, we spent a beautiful (and hot) week in Barcelona with my parents, and then headed north to Provence in the south of France, where we stayed for another week. 

I can't wait to tell you all about it and share my photos!  Both places were beautiful and unique. 

We ate some amazing (and weird) foods, drank delicious wines, and got away from it all!

And now we're back to life...so bear with me as I take the next couple of weeks to recap Gaudi architecture, French markets, Provencal food and wine, and so much more!

Guest Post: The elephant in the nursery

One of my closest friends, Emily, has quite a story that she has decided to share with the world.  First posting this on her blog, The Bewgs in Britain, a few weeks ago, she has already received amazing responses.  She feels that this is something we should talk about rather than hiding from.  Her story is incredibly touching, and so elequontly written, I asked to share it with you. 

The elephant in the nursery
by Emily

I've been debating for a very long time about writing a post on this topic - and based on a recent email I received - I feel it's high time to actually sit and write this one out. It's going to take a while to get all the way through this...hope you are ready for a monster post!

You find someone you love, you get married, have kids, live happily ever after. That's how it is supposed to work, isn't it? Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way! For some (and as I'm finding out, most) the kids part isn't as easy as some make it seem. We've all gotten the gleeful announcements about other people's pregnancy where they appear to not have a care in the world and they are just so excited to tell the world about their good news. I am happy for them, I congratulate them, I want to be a part of their excitement, but deep down I keep thinking...'why isn't that me?'

I know I've been thinking (and feeling) that for the last 4 years (47 months, folks). {We even have friends that have just had their 3rd child since we have been trying to have our first!} I thought that the most pain and disappointment I/we would feel would be the end of each month, when the hope for 'next month' starts all over again. Months then get filled with testing and symptom checking - that I think can literally drive you mad. People say 'to relax'...but I'm willing to bet that the people who tell you that are the same ones that got to travel the easy road to 'parent-dom'.

We were patient and came up with lots of excuses as to why things weren't just working for us: perhaps it was our stressful jobs, or our long commutes, or what we ate or didn't eat, or what vitamins we took or didn't take. Perhaps there was something 'wrong' with us. The only thing that was actually true - at least two months it was because we were living on totally different continents, literally! We beat ourselves up, tried new things, took more tests, got monitors and test sticks and all sorts of paraphernalia , and analyzed every little thing. None of it worked.

Little did I know, rather than a baby, we would get a badge of honor, twice. Our first miscarriage was scary for all sorts of reasons. I was so, so, so happy to be pregnant. I was late and we were going away for the weekend to a family wedding. I took the test as we were packing our bags to go (so I would know whether or not I should be drinking over the weekend)- and when those two lines came up I just burst! We spent over an hour in the car talking about everything and looking at dates and where this event would fall, it was all so exciting! Then we made it to the wedding venue, and I had to pretend to drink and dodge questions and fake eating the pate. I can still remember the looks when I consumed a massive hamburger the night before the wedding that even the boys at the table couldn't finish. Looking back - we were so happy and excited about our news that was still just ours to know about. That first pregnancy ended about 10 weeks in. We got really good care at the hospital (our first real interaction with hospitals in the UK) and despite having to be 'American' and ask lots of questions/demand follow-up tests - we can't fault the staff at the Early Pregnancy Unit.

About a year later, we finally got a place with the Fertility consultant at the hospital where we did LOADS of tests (some painless (cough...Daniel's) - some rather uncomfortable (most of mine!))! She put us on Clomid for a trial run to see if that did any good. Our second cycle of Clomid proved to be a success. It was a holiday weekend and I was just a few days late. I took a test and it was positive. I was over the moon with hope again (although a bit tempered - as I remember all to well how it all crash-landed before). I remember thinking that it is so unfair to people who have had previous miscarriages - it's always in the back of your mind...and you will never be able to allow yourself to be so excited so soon.

As bad as the first miscarriage was - this second one was a doozey. Not only was it a miscarriage - it was an ectopic pregnancy. I knew what could happen with those - and the possibility of surgery/losing an ovary/tube or both was positively frightening. The nurse at the EPU (same one we saw the first time!) was worried. We had scans every other day and I was told at one point that they didn't want me to leave the hospital and that surgery was probably going to have to happen. There was no food in the house - and I was planning to go to the grocery store after my appointment. I said that I couldn't stay at the hospital - 'I had things to do and take care of' before we starting talking surgery. Looking back now...how silly! That trip to the store was horrible! I was in a significant amount of pain and only made it through half of my list before I decided I needed to go home (got the things I couldn't trust Daniel to find on his own!). I spent just about two-weeks on 'house arrest' - and thankfully was able to give my body enough time to sort itself out - that surgery wasn't needed. The whole month of May was a complete write-off for me at work. Thankfully my boss is amazing - and I was able to 'work' from home during that time.

The positive result following the Clomid cycle - gave us a bit more hope. Unfortunately, the results continue to be the same. We have another appointment next week - so hopefully we will start to look at what happens next in this crazy cycle of fertility care.

I used to get really upset when other people (or even TV actors) announced their pregnancy. I would smile and congratulate and then cry my eyes out in private. Thankfully, over the last 47 months, that reaction has gotten less dramatic - and I would say that we are far more relaxed about the whole thing. No more tests and daily monitoring - just the Clomid and cycle day awareness. It makes for a much easier life!

One of the reasons I wanted to post about this topic is that miscarriage is one of those things that people 'don't talk about' - and I really think that is a shame. When we have told people about our situation - we often hear 'oh - that happened to us'. Its amazing to discover this community of people who dont necessarily share their experiences openly - but who have gone through quite similar things on their path to having a family. Knowing that there are loads of other people in the same boat - makes it easier to not blame yourself for what happens. It's also so encouraging to know that there are families out there that have been through multiple miscarriages that eventually end up having successful pregnancies and beautiful children. I even think that our experiences have made Daniel and I a stronger couple and as much as we would love to be a family of three - we are incredibly lucky to be a family of two (+3 furries) at the moment.

Hola de Barcelona!

We have been in Barcelona for the last week, having a fantastic time.  My parents are here with us as well, and we had some great friends join us from the UK for our first day.  It's been action packed, fun filled, hot, and we've enjoyed (almost) every minute.  Here are a few photo highlights to enjoy as we make our way today from Barcelona .....

...to Provence, France.  We will also be spending a week there taking a cooking class, shopping in the markets, exploring the tiny towns, visiting some wineries, and soaking up the beautiful scenery.

State Theater

Last Sunday evening, one of my favorite local bands returned to the State Theater, and we of course had to go!  It was 'date night' with a good friend of mine - we hadn't seen each other without a huge group in a while, and wanted to spend some time together.


source

The State Theater is a popular, small live music venue in Falls Church.  Built in 1936, the theater operated as a movie theater until the late 1980s.  After a multi million dollar renovation, it reopened in the late 1990s for concerts and events. 

Sons of Bill is one of my favorite bands.  The same friend introduced me to them a couple of years ago.  They are a local group from Charlottesville, and get up to this area usually a couple times per year.  They've played at Iota Club in Clarendon, State Theater, and a couple of other smaller venues.  Made up of 3 brothers and 2 good friends, they play mostly country rock.

Whenever they're in town, we try to go see them.  We always get a chance to say hi to James, the lead singer, who's just such a great guy.  We love going to see people who really appreciate you coming and speaking to them.  It's always a great time.  They put on a fantastic show full of lots of energy.

They were the 2nd of 3 groups to play on Sunday.  It was perfect - we had time to grab a drink before the show and we weren't out too late on a school night!  This time, we ate dinner at the theater, and were plesantly surprised!  The food was pretty good!  We shared the hummus and chips with the Italian Beef sub.  It all went great with our Blue Moons!  We stayed for a few songs by the headlining band, but were ready to head home after that.


The State Theater is one of my favorite venues - if you haven't been there for a show before, put it on your list! 

This is us from one of the other shows we've been to - please excuse the awful blurry cell phone quality!

I love it when we have our 'date nights,' and especially when they involve going to see Sons of Bill.