Wrapping up Barcelona

There are no words to describe the kinds of emotions we had as we soaked in our last few months living in Barcelona. There was an ever-growing list of things, places, and people we were going to miss when we got on that one-way flight to the U.S.  Deciding to leave Barcelona was never an easy choice, and even once we made it, we questioned if it was right. We never felt like we were “ready” to move on or “done” with what Spain or living abroad in general had to offer us. But it came down to a few factors that tipped the scale and made it evident that in some important ways, it was time for us to move onto the next chapter of our lives.

We had to take a picture with this sign, because it is a frequent thought as we remember our loved ones far away!

We hosted a music recital for our wonderful students that we have been privately teaching for a few years.

One of our favorite plazas to relax with a drink on a weekend.

We did many hikes around Montjuic, and especially loved watching the Spring flowers appear.

This buildings in Barceloneta have such ornate facades. So many unique ones!

Our final date at the Bunkers. This was probably our absolute favorite place in the city. This visit we even experienced being caught in the rain, but it was no less beautiful!

We tried our hardest to not allow ourselves to wallow in sadness as we went through our last few weeks, but to simply continue what we have been doing for the last four years, which is taking in every bit of our surroundings with gratitude while being fully present. There was not a single day that we lived in Spain that we took for granted. Every time we went outside we took notice of the beauty of our city, the details of Spanish culture and cuisine, the aromas, the sounds, the amazing opportunity we had to live in such a dreamy place. Our dinner conversations frequently revolved around new things we discovered we loved about Spain, what we were grateful for that day, or what small thing evoked awe.

 Our last few weeks were jam-packed! When we weren’t packing up our apartment, we were socializing, revisiting our favorite places, continuing to uncover new corners,  and soaking up the Barcelona sun. Here are some pictures that highlight our last adventures, meals, and memories in our city.

We took advantage of perfect Summer weather with many picnics in Parc Ciutadella our last week.

We celebrated the holiday St. Joan in the small town of Creixell with our Catalan friends. It included fireworks on the beach and throughout the region all night long!

Our final dip in the Mediteranean.

Will always be obsessed with the streets in Barcelona.

This corner was steps away from our apartment, but every single time we passed it, we stopped to admire the view.

                               

Our final meal of tapas in Barceloneta

Pimientos, Bravas, Berenjena, Pan con Tomate...No, it wasn't healthy. Yes, it was delicious.

We strolled through Ciutadella on our final evening and enjoyed time with this amazing friend who just so happened to be re-visiting the city at the perfect time!

Our final ride on our beloved Bicing bikes. We loved having city bikes and used them to get around the city (mostly to the beach!) multiple times a week!

This is truly how we found the Arc as we walked home from the Parc.

Our bags were packed and ready to load out in the morning.

Our final toast of Cava with pomegranate seeds.

After lowering our bags through our window down to the street for an hour, we said goodbye to our wonderful home.

Managing our bags at the airport was a bit of a challenge.

Pretty surreal walking down this jetway.

Unbelievable sights from the skies over Switzerland.

And arriving to a beautiful sunset in Iowa.

 Trying to wrap our minds around what all we had done and experienced since moving abroad is an impossible task. Although we had traveled a good amount before, and maybe would have considered ourselves somewhat “cultured”, nothing compares to building a home, navigating through the challenges of expat living, forming relationships of all different kinds, and adjusting to an entirely new normal. For us, we felt particularly fortunate, because our marriage began in Spain! We left from our wedding and transitioned right into living abroad, traveling to far away lands, taking in such strong and unique experiences, which provided a unique foundation for our marriage. The things we saw and experienced, the people we got to know and learned from, the unbelievable sights we stood in front of…it was more than a nice experience, a pretty picture or an interesting story. It all shaped us, broadened our worldview in ways we did not previously know to be possible. It is hard to put into words, but the truth is that we are not the same people that first stepped onto that Spanish soil. And we hope that even though we will now be living in the U.S., we will not default back to the people that we were when we last lived here, but will carry with us the changed mindsets, and live out the values that we have built after the experiences we have had. The next chapter of our lives has a lot of unknowns, but we are in it together, and can’t wait to see what adventures lie around the corner!

Figols

As we were wrapping up our time living in Europe, it became difficult to choose how to spend our weekends. Do we soak up every second in our beloved city that we adore? Do we see as much of the surrounding countries while we have access to cheap and short flights? Do we dive deeper into our own region that we have grown to love? While we have tried to make the most of every moment living where we have, when it came to the end, we still felt torn about how to use the last of our time. 

Having flown so much in the Spring and also getting to the point where we felt more local, we decided to spend our last few weeks staying in Catalunya. In June, we drove to a tiny village in the Pre-Pyranees called Figols. Figols is about as authentic as it comes. We were definitely the only non-Catalans in this tiny hillside block, which had one corner café for local neighbors ot gather and play cards in the morning. At the end of a school year and before a big move, it was a perfect getaway to the quiet mountainside. We had every meal on the terrace overlooking the mountain, drive a bit further into Andorra for a longer hike, and hiked around the village on the small trails surrounding us.

 

The highlight of the weekend was realizing that this region is known for its paragliding. We have both wanted to paraglide for many years  (and almost did on a previous trip to Switzerland!), so this was a perfect opportunity. We walked into the one company in town, and were signed up to go the next morning. After a twenty minute ride up a very rocky road, we set up our parachutes on the flat edge of a mountain, and our guides coached us through how to run towards the cliff, and our parachutes would float up and lift is right off the ground. Sure enough, it was just as easy as it sounds, and within a few minutes, we were soaring over the beautiful countryside with a bird’s eye view. It was breathtaking to see the layers of mountains all around us while feeling the breeze in our face. It was an experience we will not soon forget!

When we left the mountains, we returned to Barcelona for the last ten days of school and the final stretch to the end!