Austria & Germany - 2014

So, our big trip this year was to Austria & Germany.  It was all about beautiful countryside, food, beer, and play-play-play for the kids.  Seriously, children are thought of and well accommodated everywhere, it was really nice.  The trip wasn't all a walk in the park but it was good, on the whole.

We stayed at a farmhouse in the mountains in Austria for a week and it was impressionante!  The kids spent a lot of time on the trampoline...

 ...or swinging to the most amazing backdrop ever.

The farm was complete with ponies.  This was a mom and baby -- and mommy was preggers again.

 Apple juice in a beer mug because that's what is what glasses are 'roud here...

 ...bottoms up.

We traveled with our dear friends, the D'Mello-Corominas family (I think Maria was less than impressed with the food at the knudel festival).

 Just cause I like this one.

We, on the other hand, really liked our knudel, both the savory and the sweet.  Poor Aoife-Bean had been fighting a cough for over a month when we took this pic and was finally succumbing.  We took her to the doctor about a week before we left and all was clear.  At this point, however, she was fighting a full-fledged bacterial bronchitis.  Luckily, we got fantastic medical treatment and she responded immediately to a little antibiotic treatment.  There's always something.

Back to the knudel, this seriously tasted way better than it looked, it was probably within the top 5 desserts we've ever had.

 The annual knudel festival was, of course, accompanied by plenty for children to do.

Most mornings were foggy and totally beautiful.

 More for kids to do...

 ...and more.

 Off on a hike up to a waterfall.

 Another bridge shot, always good for these (poor Beanie still not feeling great).

 The crew with a waterfall backdrop.

Aoife and I made friends with the kitties on the farm, this was as close as Aine ever wanted to get -- at least she's smiling.

 Time to milk the cows.

 Lucky kitties, fresh milk.

 Lucky girls, fresh eggs.

The sun didn't come out everyday.  One such day we went to Sell Am Zee, a beautiful "lake" town (lakes of Salzburg) and it was definitely worth the trip, so pretty.

We were pretty much expected to pay a few cents for clean toilets everywhere.  However, most places they were attended by someone who cleaned and made sure that they were always stocked.  This one, however, was more like a self-cleaning-vending machine.  You actually had to pay to enter.  After each visitor it sprays itself down and then proceeds to blow dry itself.  It was pretty wild.  Aine was not impressed -- this is the before pic.

 We took a ferry ride around the lake, scenery both on and off the boat was super great!

 More hiking...

 ...weather leaving something to be desired.

 At least we're happy...

 ...albeit wet, wet, wet.

We actually got real bacon. With all the ham in Spain you'd think you could find frying style bacon ... not so much.  I don't know if it's just been so long since I've had it that this tasted so great or if it actually was some of the best I've ever had.  Either way, yum-yum-yummy!

Another day we headed to one of the Austrian ski resorts.  I'm sure they're amazing in the wintertime and during the summer many of them offer really impressive play parks for kiddos.  (Above) James on the ride up in the lift.

 The girls and ...um...THE VIEW.

 Again, James and...um...THE VIEW.  Wow!

 The play beings.

 Picturesque.

 Crazy slide #1.

She finds this easy and she's quick.  Good sense of balance, I suppose ; ).  Natural born dancer?

 More awesome swings.

 The best swing!  I think Aine could have done this all.day.long.  She nearly did.

 I couldn't resist.  I had a turn.  So much fun!!!

'Cause I love this one too.

 The house.

 The girls.

 Practicing the "selfie."

 Cute family.

 And again (we were in a horse drawn carriage, doing the tour of Salzburg the easy way).

 Aoife loved the horses.

 The girlies again on the main square in Salzburg.

 Gardens in Salzburg...

 ...she's 4 and a half and so comfortable with the camera.

 Stong.

 Lovey.

 Crazy slide #2.

 Another bridge.

 Crazy slide #3 (perhaps the craziest?!?).

 In Munich.

 This was so tall, so old, and so pretty.

This little architectural wonder was so practical.  It was nice and cool in this spot, pretty, and AGAIN, a good place for the kids to play.

 Cute.

 Crazy.

 We kept running across these lions all over the place.

 Did some bumper cars for the first time.

 My adorable driver.

Our kiddos did great with the food.  They ate everything including radishes and loads of sauerkraut.  The one thing they didn't like was the sparkling water all over the place -- bleh.

 More sillies...

 ...and more.

We visited the toy museum in Munich one afternoon (not the best we've ever been to). 

 Toys?  Hmmmm.

 The first barbies were curiously reminiscent to Monster's High -- scary then, scary now.  

Finally, I feel like I can't say enough good things about the biergartens.  They have got this right!  You can bring a picnic meal or buy food there, get good beer in a grown-up size glass, and the kids play, play, play.  Fan-freaking-tastic!

We spent a fair amount of time in them before the end of our trip -- we were tired and it was good fun for the whole faimly.

 Just a little perspective.

One final thing we witnessed on our way home on the last night was a complete shut down of traffic in all directions for about 12 minutes as over 10,000 skaters made their way through the city.  It was so well organized, so spirited, and so cool to see.  Some of the skaters ported music on their way down and there were organizers who skated ahead and behind to guard every intersection.  There were also health professionals on hand just in case.  The folks I talked to told me they do this every Monday during the summer in Munich.  How cool is that?!?

We were impressed.  The kids were more than content to watch, and dance along, the entire time.

So, those are the highlights.  It was a big trip.  I think we'll stick with something a little more low key next year but it was a nice adventure -- and probably about time.

So, that's summer more or less, up until now.  There's only so much of it left...off to enjoy some more.

XO

Mommy & Daddy Beach Getaway -- And Other Firsts

...and two, albeit, not consecutive nights without children (more on that below).

While Grandma and Grandpa were here they made their way to France and spent some time with friends.  I think they enjoyed their time.  We partook in some family time around the house doing the kinds of things we do during the summer, evidence below : ).

Grandma and Grandpa also generously gifted us our first child-free getaway EVER.  This is just the way it's worked out for us living in Barcelona.  I think, however, now that we have a regular Catalan babysitter, some good friends, and grandparents visiting on a regular rotation (hip-hip-hooray) there will be more of these in our near future.

We visited a great winery, enjoyed a long lunch, took a LONG dusk walk along a beautiful beach, shared a bottle of said wine on our patio, and slept in a bit in the morning.  After that, we went and got our kids because, heck, they're our favorite people in the world (and, truth be told, since I had been in NYC the week before I missed them).

 Beach cuties.

The sand and water here, in El Vendrell, are so much nicer than the beaches closer to home.  And Aoife LOVES playing in the water.

Loving the sand.

 Yes, we need three umbrellas for shade because we really are that white and burn that easily.

 The right way to "beach it."

 Getting just a little sun.

 My handsome partner-in-crime.

 She thinks being buried in the sand is about the best thing ever, can't you tell?.?

 She worked very hard...

 ...to make Mommy a mermaid.

 Close up...

 ...at a distance, with a heart, my heart.

And pizza for dinner, seriously like some of the best pizza ever.  It was called, The Sinatra, I am documenting that so that next time we go back to El Vendrell we get the exact.same.pizza.  Delicious!

Later that week the girls had their first ever slumber party -- at school of all places.  They had A BLAST!  Aoife struggled to sleep a little, Aine not at all, which is exactly what we expected.  They were in great and capable hands with people they love and who love them so we were confident it would be a success all along.  They had dinner together, played games, including tracking down magic with their flashlights on the patio, and turned in side-by-side along with their friends.  We enjoyed a night free of children, another bottle of wine (are you noticing a pattern here?), a movie, a late lie-in, a morning walk and coffee, a tasty menu (set, all-inclusive lunch) and just generally being together.  I think we might get the hang of this (every now and then at any rate).

We've had a lot of  "firsts" this summer, some documented above, more to come later.  I suppose that won't go away just yet as our kids are so young, I hope it continues to go so well!

Stay tuned for the news from Austria & Germany.

Love, love, love!

Xo

Moving Along with Summer - Besalu

While Grandma and Grandpa were here we were mostly still working and in school but we did manage to squeeze in some fun and mini-getaways.  One such adventure was to La Garrotxa, a beautiful region to the north (and just a little east) of us.  We stayed in a little bungalow in the woods again, they're just super affordable and idyllic for the kids.

One of our favorite stops during the trip was in a little town called Besalu, it's beautiful!  We'll be back! 

Here are some highlights from the trip, overall:

 Playing in a little pueblo closer to our campsite...

 It's ballet (or peace signs) all over the place these days, even in front of picturesque bridges.

 Coca for breakfast, oh yeah, and we are soooo tired.  Can you see it in our eyes?

 Thanks, Grandpa!

 Why don't we swing this way all the time?!?

 The girls discovered a fun bug on one of our hikes.

 Grandpa, ever adventurous and so not bothered by bugs, snakes, lizards ... all things "boy."

 However, Aoife can't be convinced.

 They always look good like this, my sweet little crew.

 Nice shot, I think they may have been looking at Grandma's camera (?).

We just made it in to lunch, and that's really saying something, on one of our days out.  We'll try and find this spot again.  The food was excellent and the price outstanding.  The service was also great -- an older guy who warmed up with everyone, a natural born charmer.  We all liked him and he like us, as you can see evidenced by the fact that not just Aoife and Aine got chuppa-chupps for later : ).

Yes, that is a ham vending machine!  Why lose the business during medio dia, or otherwise?!?

 And it was begging for a picture ... or, er, two.

 The lovely scenery at the water's edge of Besalu.

Fun, crisp and cool!  So nice on a hot day!

There should be more of Stuhan Summer 2014 rolling out soon, so stay tuned.

Besos.