Surgery takes me to Switzerland!

Author: Rachel

Okay, so it wasn't my own surgery...

It was my sister's! Sarah had a hip operation in early November, which thankfully, went very smoothly. Sadly, her recovery is slow and long, and as you can imagine she gets quite bored being by herself all day! Immediately after her surgery, her mobility was extremely limited, which meant she really needed some extra assistance. This is yet another moment I am thankful to live only a short flight away and be able to visit her and help take care of her for a weekend. Amazingly, this coincided with the time that my mom also was able to visit Sarah due to family sick leave. Having a weekend of Grove Girl time was indescribably lovely. Even if we spent much of the time in the apartment since Sarah was not very mobile, as long as I am with those ladies, I'm beyond happy!

My mom and I did get to go out and hike a bit each day, and we even all made an early Thanksgiving dinner together. It was such a treat to have a weekend to just lounge around, playing games, painting each other's nails and cooking together. I am so thankful for any time with these women, let alone unexpectedly being together in the middle of the school year!

At the top of San Salvartore

Happy Early Thanksgiving!

The beautiful sun setting on the mountains

A lakeside cappucino

Strolling through Morcote.

Sis is improving every day!

My heart <3

Exploring Catalunya

This Fall we have really had a blast exploring our own region. While it is so easy to jump on a flight to a different county for a weekend, we have lately been enjoying a more relaxed way of traveling. Being in the fourth year of living here, we realized that our surroundings have so much to offer us, and we should not overlook them. It's also been a nice change of travel style because we can get our fix of adventure without having to be exhausted after a whole weekend away.We have been able to very cheaply rent a car for just one day of a weekend and drive to the mountains, coast, wineries, and even a gorge. We hope you enjoy the pictures of some of the favorite places we have discovered in our beautiful home of Catalunya.

We started our Fall hiking with a Saturday getaway to Sant Llorenc National Park. This park is located just outside Barcelon. We were thrilled that within only a 45 minute drive, we were breathing completely fresh air and could see far in the distance!

Another weekend, we drove about three hours to reach the beautiful Mont Rebei Gorge. The vibrant colors and cliffs were absolutely breathtaking.

On a Monday afternoon, we ventured beyond the famous Montserrat to a beautiful winery, Oller del Mas, which now occupies an old castle. We got to taste four different ones, including one from a 50 euro bottle. It was certainly the nicest wine we have ever tried!

One November Saturday, we drove to the coast for a beautiful hike along the steep cliffs. We never tire of finding new beautiful coves on the Costa Brava.

We feel so fortunate to live in this beautiful country, and specifically in this beautiful corner called Catalunya!