Feliz Navidad

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from Spain!

Everything is going well here after two months so far, the longest I've spent in one household in more than two years. Carlos continues to go to physio every weekday morning and I'm taking free Spanish lessons at a library. We're both working on writing, walking a lot, cooking, exploring around Barcelona, and spending time with Carlos' family and friends. Carlos and I are also working on getting permission for my residency, so we can stay here together until we're ready to travel again.

 

Walking to Castillo de Figaró

Exploring near Carlos´ family´s place

 

Arroz al horno with Carlos´family

Recently one weekend, we took a trip with Carlos' parents to his father's small hometown of Navarrés, about an hour from Valencia. It was lovely to spend time with them and to see the rural, agricultural area. The countryside, surrounded by hills and full of fruit orchards was at its autumn prime with beautiful colours and lots of ripe fruits—oranges, mandarins, lemons, and persimmons. It was fun exploring tiny Navarrés and the surrounding area, trying many types of fresh seafood, and walking around a nearby castle with a long history going back until Moorish and Roman times. It was also interesting hearing stories from Carlos' father Andrés about life growing up on their farm—the challenges and good memories, too. We stayed in the house that's been in his family for four generations and visited a small section of nearby land that the family still keeps for vegetables and fruits.

Picking persimmons

Castillo de Xàtiva

 

This month, the apartment here in Barcelona will be a nice international mix. Carlos' friends from Lithuania will come to visit us this week; and the next week, friends of mine will come—a lovely, energetic couple from Hong Kong and Taiwan who were my roommates when I volunteered for two months in China during 2012.

For Christmas, we'll spend time with family from both Carlos' mother's and father's sides. I'm looking forward to experiencing their Spanish/Catalan and family traditions. Catalonia, the province of Barcelona, has many traditions unique to just this region, so it will be fun to learn more.

Barcelona Christmas market

We're also looking forward to seeing my mom and dad, who plan to come visit us in May 2016 in Spain, and afterwards travel in Italy and Finland. Carlos and I plan to join them in Finland, and we continue to dream about all the possibilities after that. So, this may be my last post here because now the journeys won´t only be with Julie.

Wishing you and your family a warm and special holiday season. Feliz Navidad! :)