Berchtesgaden

For our final long weekend of the school year, it was a tough decision how to spend it. Our good friends Sarah and Andrew were going to be meeting us somewhere in Europe before coming to spend time in Barcelona. We ran through a few options of what to show them in Europe, and consulted our "must visit" list. After sifting through a few top contenders, we happily set our sights on visiting Bavaria, and Berchtesgaden National Park. Incase we have not made it evident, we adore Germany and everything about it. We couldn't think of a better way to spend three days than exploring the German mountains and embracing our favorite country one more time!

We rented a house in the mountains that was surrounded with nothing but green grass and forest trees We could even see Salzburg, Austria in the distance when it was clear!



                        

Our first day we went to the famous Lake Konigsee. We took a boat across the lake, stopping to glance at St. Bartholomew Church, and continuing to the end of the lake to hike to the tallest waterfall in Germany. Although the weather fulfilled Berchtesgaden's predictable clouds and drizzle, we were fortunate that in the middle of our hike, the clouds split and the sun shined through! The sights that awaited us were indescribable. Snow capped mountains and crystal blue waters... we were all memorized to say the least. The pictures speak for themselves.

                     
                     

St. Bartholomew in the morning clouds

St. Bartholomew in the afternoon sun.

 
   

After a breathtaking hike, we continued the fun at the local Brauhaus with German food and German beer. After a full day outdoors in the mountains, the next morning we were ready to drive about 10 minutes across the border into Austria and see what it had to offer! More next time!

Final visit to Lugano

Lugano has always been a special place for us. From the first time Rachel visited and fell in love with this dreamland in 2008, to her second vacation there in 2011, then surprisingly working the Summer Program in 2012 before moving to Barcelona. Since living in Spain, it has been like a second home to us. Along with the joy of visiting family there, we also have built a wonderful group of friends at TASIS. Our last visit there in May was wonderful as always, but also a bit emotional, as we are unsure of the next time we will be there after we move from Europe. We soaked it all in one more time and savored every moment.



We visited the Madonna del Sasso church in Locarno on Saturday morning. The weather started cloudy but to our pleasant surprise, the sun eventually did show itself!

One of Rachel's favorite places in Ticino is Valle Verzasca. Although she had visited this valley twice, Devin had never been. So we drove into the valley and enjoyed time on the rocks, watched a couple of brave people jump into the ice cold water, and a few others bungee jump off of the dam.

       

                

   

We don't have pictures of the lakeside drinks, the delicious dinner we had in a grotto, or the picnic we had with friends in the park, as we were too much in the moment to remember to capture things on camera. We cherish the time we have had with family in Switzerland and are grateful to have such a beautiful place to have explored so frequently. We hope it will not be long before we are back in this gorgeous land!

Spring Visitors

Although Barcelona is breathtakingly beautiful all year long, the Spring in this city is especially striking. Every year before the summer heat arrives, the days get longer and longer, colors start to pop and tourists begin to crowd the streets. The city is filled with a new energy, one that we have not been able to deny.

Although we spend much of our time living here gallivanting around the globe, we also truly love time in our own amazing city! Some of the times that we feel the most affection for our city is when we get to share it with those we love. This year we have had many visitors for varying amounts of time, and we will highlight some of our times with them here.

In April, Rachel's lifelong friend Hillary came for a few days. This coincided with a weekend that Devin was out of town, which resulted in a very fun girl's weekend! Hillary and I have known one another since I was in 7th grade. We lived only a few blocks from each other in Iowa City, went to the same high school and even both left our beloved Iowa homes to go to APU! Spending time with her in Barcelona was indescribably wonderful. Hillary has a way of bringing positive energy to everyone around her! She isn't afraid to express her positive thoughts and impressions and when hosting someone, it is so satisfying to hear them enjoying their experiences and witness them falling in love with my city (like we have)! We packed our days very full with amazing food, bike rides, hikes, and hours upon hours of meaningful conversation and laughter. I have to say, I was exhausted when she left, but in the best possible way!

We hiked up Montjuic on a sunny Sunday and had amazing views!

This trail beside the castle and overlooking the port is one of our favorites to walk.

 

                  

These are my favorite tiles in Barcelona, and our feet passed over many of them.

I always feel a little guilty when the weather isn't perfect for visitors. So when Hillary and I walked to the beach to sit on the sand before dinner, and it started raining as soon as we set foot there, I was a bit disappointed. However, Hillary just said, "Awesome! I get to see Barcelona in the rain! What a unique experience!" She is so right. Barcelona is dreamy in the sun, but it's also gorgeous in the rain.

Hiding from the rain

What's a better dinner for girl talk than red wine, cheese and bread?

   

Devin got home just in time to join us for a meal in Hillary's last night in town.

  Only a couple of days after Hillary left Barcelona, Rachel's cousin Kyler arrived. This was Kyler's first time out of the country, making it a unique opportunity for us as hosts. We loved showing him the "ropes", and introducing him to some of our favorite aspects of European life. After a couple of days in Barcelona, we rented a car and drove to a couple of our favorite towns on the Costa Brava to show him a glimpse of Spanish life outside of the city. After four days together, we sent him on with lots of love as he backpacked through Europe for the following five weeks. He had many more adventures ahead of him, and we were happy to have been his first stop!

We went to a wine festival nearby, where we tried a variety of Catalan wines.

The ever so beautiful Tossa de Mar

        

In May, Devin's best friend Andrew and his fiance, Sarah visited us from Los Angeles. It was also their first time in Europe. We met them for a weekend in Germany (more on that later!), and then flew to Barcelona for a week. We had a blast showing them the best of the city, and then also rented a car and went to the coast for their last weekend. We stayed in an incredible old fortress converted into a hotel. We lounged in the yard, hopped from beach to beach, picnicked in the sunshine, and strolled through the small villages.

We started the weekend at one of our favorite coves (calas), Sa Tuna. We enjoyed the remaining sunshine and skipped rocks.

A quick walk along the rocky coast line.

We went to Begur for dinner and introduced Sarah and Andrew to our favorite bottled beer here while sitting in a plaza, watching the small-town street life.

We weren't perfectly equipped for the amount of sun we were receiving during our picnic, so we had to improvise...

Our paradise. This place was seriously unreal.

The hammock made it impossible to want to leave.

A few weeks after Andrew and Sarah left, Rachel hosted a bachelorette party for her friend Melody. Melody works with Sarah (Grove) at TASIS, and has become a good friend of ours in the last few years. A group of 9 girls came to Barcelona one week before Melody's wedding and had a fun-filled weekend!

Brunch at our very favorite, Flax and Kale

Grabbing a cafe in the beautiful Placa Reial.

We purchased snacks at the Boqueria and climbed Montjuic for a picnic in the grass overlooking the water.

After we showered and got all dolled up, we hit the town!

The sisters at dinner

Started Sunday with brunch on the roof of our apartment.

Before they headed back to Lugano, we had a quick lay on the beach to soak in all the goodness that happened during the weekend.

We are so thankful for those who have visited us and given us the opportunity to share our favorite features of our city and the surrounding area! And since we are done hosting for the year, we now look ahead and hope that we feel as much pride and endless devotion for the next place that we call home. Until then,