Willow and Juanjo's SplashBlot

I missed my family a ton on Christmas this year but luckily a little bit of my family came to visit us here in Barcelona! My beloved niece Mealani and her family friend Melanie came and spent 10 days with us. May arrived recovering from the stomach flu but we all packed up in the car the same afternoon and drove to Toledo for New Years. Juanjo called his family from the road to tell them we were on our way (we’d planned to stay in Barcelona), and we had the traditional New Year’s Eve dinner and grapes with the family. It was really special for the girls to see New Years with family, a tradition that is completely different than New Year’s in the US. Then after dinner we took out the girls for the night, and stayed out ’til 5am, an early night by Spaniard New Years’ standards but more than enough with our jet-lagged girls!

On New Year’s day, after waking up just in time for the family lunch, we took the girls to Madrid for the evening. We wandered around, took pictures of the Holiday lights, and saw a movie. Both fell asleep on the way home!

The next day we went to Valencia for one night. Juanjo and I had been wondering how much longer the trip would be from Toledo to Barcelona if we took the coastal route (instead of the usual Zaragoza route). According to GoogleMaps, it takes the same amount of time. So we thought it would be fun to go back along the coast and spend a night in Spain’s third largest city, Valencia. We walked around there, enjoyed wandering through the old town, eating chocolate and churros on the main square, and meeting Fulbright friends for a drink. The next morning: breakfast at a cafe on the beach (including delicious Valencia oranges, which got us strange looks because Spaniards usually eat oranges for dessert after lunch or dinner), and a quick visit to the Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias, designed by Santiago Calatrava, Spain’s most famous architect today.

Sunday after New Year’s we drove back to Barcelona, where we stayed for the rest of the week. It was really fun for me to show the girls around Barcelona! We made a list of places to see and things to do (the Gaudi architecture, Ramblas, the port, the Cathedral, beach, Montjuic, after-christmas shopping…) and set about checking things off the next day. We walked a LOT, always the best way to see a city. We also cooked dinners at home with Juanjo, and watched quite a few “Lie to Me” episodes.

All in all I loved being an aunt for the time they were here, hosting both of them, showing them new places, and revisiting old ones (it was fun for both of them to be back in Toledo). I loved talking with them about college, high school, family, and life. I got a much-needed break from my work while they were here, and really enjoyed their company. Thanks for coming to visit us girls!

With visitors, 2 trips to Toledo, and getting back to work it has taken me a while to post about this year’s holidays. But I’ve been wanting to, because they were great, and because we took a lot of pictures. I missed my family and friends back home a lot, and was feeling it especially on Christmas eve. So Juanjo and I took a walk through Toledo, taking pictures of the Christmas lights (really pretty this year!) and looking for hot chocolate. We ran into one of his old teachers who took this picture of us.

I really started feeling the spirit of Christmas with the family. As is tradition, we had dinner with family (as well as the priest Don Juan, a friend of the family), then went to midnight mass in the Cathedral (the main altar, where we took pictures at our wedding). It was a beautiful mass, I especially loved the boys choir singing Christmas carols. Then the next day, on Christmas, we had lunch with family again, and some family friends. The food was delicious and beautifully prepared as always (Thank You Marisa!), and the fire in the fireplace made everything feel cozy and homey (Thank You Tino!).

A post soon with a New Year’s wrapup, and some pictures from Mealani and Melanie’s visit.

Cesar and Teresa hosted us last night for a weekend Thanksgiving dinner. Hot apple cider, Turkey, cranberry sauce, a delicious stuffing, and I made apple and pumpkin pie for dessert. The food was delicious!

The afternoon was a blast playing with the kids, including a family round of Bingo. The kids are full of energy, curious, active, and cuddly (especially the littlest girl). They’re also beautiful, especially the two girls who got haircuts yesterday. Good friends, a wonderful family, inspiration for how to raise our kids when the time comes!

Juanjo’s grandma turned 90 this past weekend! We celebrated with a special mass in the Cathedral in Toledo (Virgen del Sagrario Chapel, same as our wedding) and then a lunch nearby. She is an amazing woman, and it was an honor to be part of the celebration for her.

Born in 1919, she lived through the Spanish Civil War, the Franco years, the transition to democracy. She lost her husband young (46), and heryoungest son when he was just 52. Yet she makes an effort to laugh, to love, to be present with us all. She dresses beautifully, walks around town slowly but mostly independently. She jokes and smiles and keeps the conversation going.

I hope to be as sharp, healthy and present as Josefina at age 90!