Final Days, Deep Thoughts, and the Boat People

 As we wound our way back to home (hello, NYC and PHX) and back to life, we had some downtime. We’ve learned to ease back into reality as much as possible. I did have to log back into work, and I was ok with that. I am blessed to be able to take 2 straight weeks off and when it was time to dial back in, I did it with pleasure. 

That said, these long vacations do the job of helping the brain disconnect. Helping kill the “go, go, go” vibe we both get from the culture in the US and from our jobs and now also from our ranch. The downtime is critical to surviving the uptime. I don’t think I’m ready to get back into the life of a US citizen these days, if I’m being honest. 

Life in Europe feels slower. I enjoyed sipping my coffee the other morning in Barcelona and watching moms and dads slowly walking their kids to school. No fast walking. No hectic school drop off. Just a slow, leisurely walk. Often holding hands. You already know I enjoy the cafe culture. The “sobre mesa” vibe that is also well established in Latin cultures. It means to linger over the table. No rush to flip the tables. Stay as long as you like. Even when you stop ordering things. Just be present and enjoy.

Yes, please.

For years, I’ve wondered how to maintain that vibe once back in the States. I think I’ve about decided you can’t. At least not when you are still working full time for the man. You are not your own. And we don’t value stillness here. How truly sad. How amazing it is to simply be.

And so we go back to the craziness feeling, at least for now, a little lighter and very content. Full of the blessings of having been free, if but for just a time.

And now I also need to shout out to our fabulous, dear friend, Christiana. One half of the “boat people” who has been at our place for…well, 2 months now. The first month was a bit unexpected. The second month was to do us a massive favor and ranch sit. Normally Mark would be there, too, but boat work kept him in Mexico. Let’s not pretend it wasn’t a sacrifice for him, too. They’ve been apart this whole time. 

When Christiana is at the ranch, the pets are spoiled and everything is well cared for. The peace of mind this brings is worth its weight in gold. If you’ve ever read one single blog entry over on the Hope in Spades blog, you know taking care of the place is…really a chore:)

So, a toast to the boat people - making our dreams come true one ranch sit at a time while sacrificing their own. May we be able to return the favors you’ve given to us. You are the best!

Barthelona (IYKYK)

Well, the Malbec crew sailed on but the new to be named crew was just assembling in the great city of Barcelona.

We quickly found Ashley, who managed to survive taking a bus from the airport to nowhere and then walking to her hotel. SO great to reconnect. We have an accidental annual thing going now where we meet up in some random country and hang out. It’s pretty great, really. Her hotel was funky and fun with a 360 rooftop bar we intended to check out later. But first, we needed some lunch so we took off walking back to La Rambla - which is the major street through the center of the city with non-stop bars and restaurants. We remember it with such love - all of its outdoor seating and dreamy cafe culture. 

Unfortunately, the entirety of the street - for blocks and blocks and blocks was under construction! So almost ALL of the outdoor seating was gone! So sad! It’s literally my favorite thing.

But, we sucked it up and found a cute place with tables half in, half out and we made the best of it. We shared various tapas and tacos and delicious drinks. It was awesome to catch up with Ashley and we continue to be so thrilled for how much she’s grown and how amazing living abroad has been for her. 

By then, Pete and Mandy had landed and we decided to meet up on our rooftop. We didn’t have a 360 degree view, but we had a rooftop bar nevertheless! What a shame to have multiple rooftops to bounce around between. None of us stayed in the same hotel but we were within 1 mile from each other so totally walkable or a very short train ride.

Ash, Jason and I were up on the rooftop when I spotted Mandy and Pete walking in. Bam! So fun to introduce them to Ash and spend a few hours hanging out, eating, drinking and catching up. As it started to get dark, Ash wanted to walk back to her hotel and we were pretty darn pooped so we all called it around 8 or so. 

The next morning, Mandy and Pete had some work to do but Ashley came back up and we had breakfast at our hotel. Another terrific European breakfast spread. Never disappoints. Our awesome concierge told us where the locals hang out so we set off walking north to some amazingly lovely neighborhoods to chill with the locals. We came across singers, dance recitals, kids playing, many soccer games, and what truly seemed like entire neighborhoods being outside together in community. YOU KNOW I FREAKING LOVED IT. 

We stopped to listen to the singing. We watched the dancing. We tried to get tables in the shade but it was so busy. We walked and walked and loved every bit of it. We finally found a shaded table and were delighted when a wonderful artist came up into the piazza to perform while we enjoyed some local food and drinks. What a dream.

From there, we walked over to the Sagrada Família infamous cathedral. We knew the tickets to go inside were sold out but seeing the outside was good enough for us. It was FABULOUS. Jaw droppingly gorgeous. And we’ve been by it multiple times but that doesn’t do it justice to standing in front of it. Just stunning. 

After that, Pete and Mandy were done working and ready to hang so we grabbed an uber and went back to Ashley’s hotel and then met up with them. We had a nice drink up on the 360 rooftop and then we meandered through the Gothic district and enjoyed the never ending series of alleys and back streets. Eventually, we found a cool spot to sit and have some dinner. A great duo of…clarinet players?? Showed up and wow’d us. I will never tire of the artist culture in Europe. They show up, perform amazingly, get tips and then mosey on. 

Once it started to get dark, Ash walked back to her hotel and Pete and Mandy showed us how to ride the train back to our place. It’s funny how every country and sometimes each city in a country has a slightly different way of navigating public transportation. Once you get it, you’re good…but it takes a minute. 

We went to the bar in our hotel for a nightcap and were astounded that the lobby bartender was an actual somm. We asked one question about a wine on the menu and he started talking and finally we said - man. We have to applaud your knowledge. This is amazing! And he said - thank you, I am a sommelier. I said - we can tell! But when would you see this in a hotel lobby bar?!?!? Good heavens! What a treat. We got a glass of a terrific Rioja red. 

The next day, we wanted to hit the legendary Boqueria markets and then walk towards the water. We loosely agreed to meet around 10. The markets were not too crowded when we arrived so we sort of meandered through and around and delighted in the… literally everything…you can buy there. I was once again impressed by the decency of people- literally no one, of any age, did anything weird or gross or what have you with all the fresh food, candies, and snacks piled high all around. 

Pete and Mandy had a flight out mid day so we had to say goodbye to them after a quick lunch at a cool Italian joint off La Rambla. The three of us then walked down to the harbor front and right into the hotel where we were once quarantined for 2 weeks. 

Wow.

So much wow. The body just remembers. I knew exactly how to get to it, go to the elevators to floor 2. Where the bathrooms were. The bar where we legendarily walked the tab…twice. (Geez!). The breakfast area that so profoundly changed the way I eat that even today, 4 years later, I still eat what I learned there. This is to say - fresh veggies for breakfast. Always avocado. Always cucumber. Often tomatoes. Sometimes fruit or bell peppers. 

We got our drinks (and paid the tab!) and went outside to sit. Where we sat outside to chill every night of quarantine. What was new there was, shocking, so many orange trees! Growing tons of fresh oranges. If they were there 4 years ago, they would have been little new plantings. 

We walked the harbor front and tried to go to another rooftop our concierge told us about but they were full. We walked and walked and walked. I feel like I’ve walked most of Barcelona at this point. 

Now, we still had all the fun chips I bought in Montenegro so we decided to go up to Ashley’s rooftop and have a chip tasting. We also had saved a bottle of Nicora to enjoy with her so we had quite the fun evening shaping up.

The chips were all good - especially the Tzatziki Ruffles. We washed them down with some Chardonnay and were preparing to enjoy a glass of Nicora when a bartender, who had literally NEVER walked around the whole 360 bar, walked by and told us we couldn’t drink it up there. Rude.

But, we cannot be denied. So, we simply went down to the lobby and carried on the party. Before long, it was time for us to head back to our hotel to pack up. We’d already walked 17,000 steps so we grabbed a taxi and headed to the hotel.

The next morning, the plan was for Ash to come to our hotel and we’d share a van to the airport. We can all get into various airport lounges so we figured we’d get through security and then meet up and find a lounge.

Well.

We got through security and met up in the duty free shops - which are gigantic and wild. Took us a while to find each other even when location sharing!! We all had flights from the same terminal, so we followed the signs to the lounge that we had access to - planning to ask if we could bring Ash in with us as a guest. 

Well.

We went through passport control which was super weird. We had a section where we scanned our passports and our fingerprints. We had a photo taken. ok fine. And then we walked around a corner and had to do the same thing again. How weird!  By the time we got through all that, we were trying to find Ashley. She’s now traveling between EU countries and not classified as “international” like we were so she got sent off in another direction.

This is where it all went wrong! 

What slowly and painfully unraveled was that we never saw her again! So abrupt! So sad! She couldn’t come to our gate area or lounge because even though she was flying to a different country, it’s not “international” because it’s in the EU. We couldn’t get back out to where she was without redoing all the passport control crap. And, we only had an hour anyway before boarding by this point.

So, it was fine. We all made our flights and whatever. But it was also just too abrupt and a bummer to not have a hug goodbye and the last hour together to hang! Dang it! Until next time when we somehow meet up in our 7th country to continue this hilarious streak we have going!

What fun to have friends living abroad who can pop over to meet and hang and enjoy this beautiful life. I don’t know what this crew is called, but I’m here for it and looking forward to more adventures.

 

Final Sea Day- Underway to Barcelona

 Our last full day was a sea day. You know we love this. But also, it was the last one!! How could this be??

We were up for brunch- hoping to sit in Valentin’s section one last time. Rich and Ginny met us. We ran into Mike and Diana and Sue and Jerry on the way in- they were just finishing up. We said our goodbyes to Valentin, in case we wouldn’t see him again. What a sweet, young man!

We headed back to our cabin to get packed up. Ugh. Hate it. So annoying. Also, too hard to figure out what we’d need in the next 3 days and then the 2 after that and then the 1 after that. Bleah!

The ship ran a laundry deal- thankfully- where for $30 they’d wash, dry and fold everything you could fit into this brown bag. Well, hold our beer while we cram everything we own in that sucker!! Is that still a rip off? YUP. Did we do it? You’re darn right we did! We need clean clothes and there is ZERO chance of getting a washer on a sea day that’s also the last day. 

Once mostly packed, we headed up to the Sanctuary deck to find the Malbec crew. We all enjoyed a rare (for this voyage) sunny by the pool. 

We had one last group dinner at the Japanese steakhouse that night. We popped up to Rich and Ginny’s beforehand for a glass of wine with their friends from Albuquerque who were also on the ship and then we all went to dinner together. It was lively and fun and WAY too much food - holy cow!! We all went to the Crooner’s bar for a nightcap afterward and that place was hopping! Oddly, there were plenty of seats inside but all the staff were roaming between the outside tables. By the time we got a glass of red, we really needed to head back up and finish packing.

I hate it.

We all had our hugs and goodbyes and promises for the next time - and I hope all of it comes true. What a delightful group of humans from all over the place who share a love of adventure and joy. Cheers to the Malbec crew!!!

What is Raisins!?

The next day, we awoke in Sicily! This was the final port I missed on our ill-fated COVID cruise. I was stoked to get to see it. 

Ginny mentioned the one thing she wanted to do was see a cathedral in the town center. It was legendary for ringing bells at noon and then a choreographed “dance” to Ave Maria, which was played throughout the piazza. We were able to quickly find the cathedral once we walked off the ship. We were about an hour early, so we cruised around and popped in and out of various shops killing time. We found Sue and Jerry and eventually, Rich and Ginny.

When the clock struck 12, the whole piazza fell silent. It was AMAZING. First, the bells rang. Then, while Ave Maria played, window by window, the golden statues moved and told the story of Jesus. Absolutely breath taking. Except for the cafe getting new windows right then and the workers who wouldn’t pause for 11 minutes to allow this gorgeous display to continue uninterrupted. You’d have like 30 blissful seconds and then - a loud drilling sound. Lol. Ah, life goes on, I suppose.

After, we walked around with Rich and Ginny. We were hoping to find some wine bars (enoteccas) but they seemed to all close at 1 or 1:30. We finally settled on a restaurant which was awesome for sure but took most of the rest of the time we had. I wanted to try the regional pasta dish with sardines but, horrifically, it also was rumored to have raisins. RAISINS for crying out loud!!  When I ordered, I said, “No raisins, please.” She said, “what is raisins?” So, to help I said, “Raisins.” Finally she said, “Ah, uvettes!” So now I can speak some Italian and have a delicious meal with no uvettes. We had just enough time after that to have one glass of wine at another place near the cruise port. We shared some arancini (fried rice balls) and a cannoli, as they are known for both. Delicious! 

Rich and Ginny lived in Sicily for a few years in the beginning of their marriage when Rich was moved there with the Navy. It was fun to hear their stories of what like was like there some ~50 years before.

Later back on the ship, we sent Stefan a note and told him what bar we’d be in. He brought us a bottle of Chardonnay and we gave him a bottle of his favorite Nicora- the Euphoric. He was so excited. Rich and Ginny popped in and then we went to dinner together at the restaurant. No one was all that hungry so we mostly had an appetizer or just picked at our food. 

We were thrilled to have a sea day coming up - but also sad as it would be our last full day on the ship!!

I dined with the cats in Corfu

So, we wake up parked at Corfu. Which I had to google map about 87 times trying to remember where it was and also try to understand Greece- it’s really all over the place, if we’re being honest. I freaking love every inch of it so I was stoked.

Also, it was POURING. Like - dogs and cats. Can’t see out the window. That kind of rain. No rain coat. No umbrella.

We walked down to the gangway and decided - nope. We went back up to a coffee bar and grabbed a coffee and sat by a window to wait for the rain to clear out. The captain said the forecast was that by mid morning it should stop.

Sure enough! Around 11:30, things looked like they were clearing up so we headed back down to the gangway. We saw Mike and Diana coming in - they had rain coats and were mostly ok but others were absolutely soaked!! 

We cruised off the ship and tried to make sense of the port. I tell you - having been literally around the world to …I don’t know… a whole lot of ports, there is never any consistency. We thought there was a shuttle to take us to town. In fact, we had a piece of paper we signed to buy ticket for that round trip. But we saw no princess staff - which has NEVER happened. 

What we did see was some bus so we got on it. Listen. I would never do these things in the states. But for some reason when traveling, you just hop on busses. I don’t know what to tell you. Anyway, the bus went like… 1/8 of a mile. Which is to say - 1 minute. And then everyone was like - oh, should we get off? So we did. Where were we? We don’t know. 

Turns out, we were still in the middle of the port. There were 2 signs. One to go to Albania and then one to go to wherever the other place was. We still didn’t know. I’m all for Albania but I felt like staying in Greece made sense so next thing you know we’re walking across a very large parking lot, dodging busses, taxis, etc. and just trying to figure out if we can even walk out of this port.

Frankly, this is not our first port rodeo. We’ve screwed this up in many countries. Several continents. Both hemispheres. #Askmeanything 

So, we finally make it out alive and then realize, you know, we are literally nowhere near town. This is why there was a shuttle to take us. Which we didn’t take. Well. Decision time. We decided to just walk over to the other side of the street where we saw a cafe and have lunch with the locals. That was our goal anyway, right? Maybe we won’t see the “pretty” part of town or go into the tourist area - but local food is our goal and there was a place right there. 

We stroll in and find the dude who tells us to sit anywhere but then shows us a table. Cool. There were some local workers in dining and also - a whole bunch of cats. That’s when we knew this place was legit.

We had yet another absolutely terrific Greek meal. We got a pitcher of local white wine which was…ok. Doable. We later learned the restaurant owner bought the grapes every year and made it for their own use. Mad props, man! How cool. Not our fave, but a pleasure to try it. 

The rain was completely gone and the sun was out. What a treat! We walked back to the ship and unfortunately COMPLETELY forgot the one thing we wanted to buy on this island… they are known for their kumquats! My grandpa used to grow these and my brother and I love them. I was going to buy him a bottle of the liquor they make from them. Dang it!! We did find a Christmas ornament in the terminal shop before getting back on the ship. 

Later that evening, my brother sent a text asking what was going on and I said, “I dined with the cats in Corfu.” He said, “That sounds like a jazz song.” Maybe it should be.

We went up to the sanctuary deck and found the Malbec crew enjoying the sun. Another beautiful day in a beautiful place. We dined together in the sanctuary restaurant and headed to bed earlier than the night before, praise the Lord.