Portland: A new home and an expanded family

Hello all! This is the new home of los Stuhan. We have lived in Portland since August 2007 and are beginning to settle in here. We left the blogging world for some time as we transitioned into our new home and everything is going great, albeit a little wet. As everyone should already know, we are expecting a baby very soon (weeks, not months) and our life together will be changing once again. We've decided to take up blogging again as a way to share this new adventure with friends and family who want to keep up with us. It won't be pictures of European dream destinations, but instead we hope to post pictures of a beautiful little girl who will be all of our love, hopes, and dreams distilled into big-eyed stares and cooing--also some pooping, as results may vary.

So, as Spring begins to brighten up our corner of the world we hope to share the sights around our new town, as well as snapshots of our little Aoife (as soon as she comes) so that everyone out there can get a glimpse into our lives and maybe see some of the beauty of their own reflected back at them. We love you and wish everyone our best!

Festa dels Cors de la Barceloneta

Wow! It's festival time again, and now it's right outside our door!

















For those who are keeping track, we live in the Barceloneta. It's a little neighborhood on a peninsula that sticks out from the old city and into the Mediterranean. It's kind of primitive down here, serving as a guarantee that when something is going on it's bound to be authentic. The Festa dels Cors de la Barceloneta started in 1916 and it is a very local affair. There weren't many tourists out, but plenty of drinking, dancing, and otherwise celebrating Catalans, young and old. Roaming bands and dance troupes snaked their way through the area, gleefully banging drums and shaking what their mommas gave them. I'm not sure what time we got to sleep, but it was late.

This picture is the test run on the Saturday before the Monday festival. I think it was just an excuse to test the beer taps.

Paris ~ Worth the hype!

Bonjour!

We returned from Paris yesterday, and while it was nice to be home, we were definitely dissappointed at having to leave. As soon as we arrived in the heart of the city it became immediately apparent why Paris is one of the most popular European destinations.


Where to begin? Well, just walking through the most beautiful city that we have ever visited ranked high on our list of things to do. We set out on the first day and we were amazed at how the wide boulevards consistently gave way to tall trees and open green spaces. Barcelona is great, but it's claustrophobic by comparison--although I still prefer "cozy".

First, we wandered along the Seine and found our way to the Place de la Concorde, went up the stylish Champs-Élysées, and ended at the Arc d'Triumph. Later in the day we saw Notre Dame and criss-crossed the Quartier Latin. Then, as though we were just getting started, we went to the late opening of the Louvre and gazed on her holiness, the Mona Lisa. We stumbled along the museum corridors on sore feet for a few more hours until we couldn't take any more. It was now time for dinner.

We had a young Beaujolais to accompany our steak and salmon, which had been preceded by French onion soup and a warm goat cheese salad. We finished it off with a carmelized pear tart that would have been lovely with a cafe au lait, but James was falling asleep and Maggie had been breaking in new sandals that afternoon--we were exhausted!

Jour deux: We started the day at a little bakery around the corner from the hotel. Their pastries were amazing and by the end of the trip we were starting to think that Alexandre Eiffel's creation seemed a little less emblematic for the Paris that we had experienced; it had ceded this distinction to the almond croissant.

We continued on to the Musée d'Orsay, a railway station built in 1900 that has been converted into one of the city's premiere museums, showcasing 19th and 20th century artwork. This was a highlight of our trip and was the most aesthetically pleasing museum enclosure that we have seen. It's collection was fascinating and bereft of the 15th century religious artwork that most visitors to European museums tire of quite quickly. You know...crucifiction, crucifiction with gold-leaf border, resurrection, resurrection with gold-leaf border, angry-looking Mary suckling the baby Jesus, euphoric Mary suckling the gold-leafed-haloed Jesus...you get the point.


Afterwards, we headed up to the Montmartre district for sweeping views of the city and a close up view of the Sacré-Cœur. Bon chance! There was a gastronomic festival going on and we got to sample regional delicacies like Bordeaux wine and cheese that could gag the most daring turophile and that I am sure would put hair on your feet--which is where the stuff comes from anyway.


Some time after this came the crêpes, the 11.60€ pair of coffees, and before we knew it we were back at the hotel and changing for an evening meal. This time we sat opposite the Notre Dame cathedral, drank black beer served slightly below room temperature, and relished the end of a whirlwind weekend adventure on the occasion of our five-year anniversary. It seems like longer, but Maggie insists it doesn't. We have finally learned to agree to disagree. Congratulations to us!

Καλημέρα, to all our friends and family! Part 3 (Athens) Scroll down to Part 1 to start

After returning from our cruise we had two more days in Athens before returing home. What can we say? It was great! We got in to everything free because it was Easter weekend, so that meant the Parthenon, the National Archaeological Museum, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian's Gate, etc. Want to see some of it? Come a little closer for a peek...

We found some nice little restaurants to indulge our lamb cravings, wandered outdoor markets, and never even got lost. Oh well, there's always next time.

All in all, a nice trip. We're grateful to be home safe, and our missing luggage was delived as we were finishing this final entry. Take care everyone, and we look forward to talking again soon!

Καλημέρα, to all our friends and family! Part 2

Day 5, Santorini (continued): As we were pulling in to the harbor at Santorini we started to realize that something was wrong. Another cruise ship that we had seen many times on our trip--it shared our itinerary--was sitting the in the bay and listing badly to starboard. This is what we could see:

At about this time we were told over the ship's intercom that there was a serious emergency with the Sea Diamond--the other ship--and that our disembarkation at Santorini would be delayed as we were to assist with the situation. As we watched, all of the passengers filled the upper decks, their orange life preservers lining the rails as local boats swarmed around the ship to see what they could do to help. The evacuation lasted hours, and at one point the ship had to be towed off the rocks as seen here:

We ended up spending the entire afternoon and early evening sitting in the harbor under orders from the port authority. We took on hundreds of people who filled empty cabins and who slept in our lounges that night. We were scheduled to return to Athens the next day so the effect on our trip was minimal, we just missed our final stop. Everyone on our ship just felt thankful that we were weren't on the other ship as it was a striking reminder of the risks we take on a daily basis. If we ever go on a cruise again we will take the evacuation drill on the first day very seriously.

Our final views of the ship were not very encouraging, and as it turned out the Sea Diamond sank early the next morning. While we were having our last breakfast on the boat we heard some of the rescued passengers talking about when they were going to be able to retrieve their things; within an hour they would have heard the everyhting was lost. Unfortunately, it looks as though two French tourists who have been missing for days may have been trapped somewhere on the ship, though they haven't confirmed anything yet. The explanation at this point seems to be that even with all the latest navegational systems on the ship, human error or inattention were still responsible for allowing the ship to scrape alongside a reef and open a gash that instantly flooded numerous decks and began the hours-long ordeal of its sinking.

Finally, here is a picture of beautiful Santorini that we would love to visit someday, if we ever again have the chance.