Swiss Hut Hike

To celebrate the their upcoming marriage, Sarah and Peter (Rachel's sister and now brother-in-law) organized a weekend hike in Switzerland. A large group of us drove to the starting point, rode one of the steepest funiculars in the world (really!), and then began the hike to the hut. It took us about two hours to reach our hut, where we dropped off our belongings, and then continued to hike around the area until dinner time. The hut provided us with crocs to wear around the hut, a delicious meal, and a room with beds for all of us. It was the ideal way to camp if you ask us! All pleasure, no work! We loved every moment of being surrounded 360 degrees by the surreal mountain backdrop, spending time with our "Switzerland" friends (they aren't Swiss, but we only get to hang out with them when we go to Switzerland),  and celebrating Peter and Sarah!

The crocs we all got to (and were required to) wear around the hut.

The funicular on the way down. 

The whole group celebrating the happy couple.

Spring Visitors

This Spring we were so fortunate to have a revolving door of visitors! We always throw out the temptation to come visit us, but never know who will take us up on it!

Having visitors is always fun for us, for a variety of reasons.

1. It gives us a chance to vacation in our city. As we normally try to feel more like locals, we avoid most of the tourist places in the city. In small portions, it is fun for us to feel like a tourist again, and to feel the tourist energy in the city, overhearing conversations between travelers, and seeing people discovering the beauty and fun of the city for the first time.

2. It allows us the opportunity to show Barcelona as our home. We love planning itineraries for visitors, making maps and trying to create the best experience possible for people. In all of our travels, we have often wished we knew a local to show us the ropes, so we are excited whenever we get to do that for others. The more we ¨show off¨ our city, the more it feels like ours, which is an important point to get to as an expat.

3. We love having our worlds collide. We have had family, high school friends, college friends, and post-college friends visit us here. It is such a fun feeling to bring people from different stages of our life into our current being, to experience each other in new ways, and build stronger friendships because of it.

So a big thank you to the visitors that have come, and a reminder to those who have not, that the door is still open! :)

The fourth Grove family member to come visit... only one left!

Our friends Nate and Alisha came for about 10 days in May.

Our friends Emmy and Ehler came for a few days in June.

Italian Bachelorette Party

(Author: Rachel)

I have always loved planning surprises. I love the look on people's face when they discover something contrary to what they thought. This spring I had the opportunity to surprise my sister, so although the planning and execution was difficult, I jumped at the chance!

I was able to plan Sarah's bachelorette party (with major help from her friends), and surprise her by being there, when the whole time, she thought I couldn't make it or be involved. I revealed myself by jumping out from behind a tree while Sarah was on a walk with a friend. It was the beginning to a weekend of fun, laughter, and celebration.

We began the bachelorette weekend with a beautiful aperitivo and dinner on the patio of a friends' apartment. The sunset was unbelievable over the mountains, and we all enjoyed a relaxing evening full of some of Sarah's favorite food and dessert.

Surprise moment caught in action.

The aperitivo crew 

The sunset view during aperitivo.

The next morning, we packed our cars with picnic food, yoga mats, and swimsuits, and set off for the secret destination, which Sarah still did not know! About three hours later, we arrived at a beautiful villa in the region of Piemonte, Italy.

In perfect weather, we were able to have a delicious picnic on the lawn of the villa, and then spend the sunny afternoon lounging in the pool that we had to ourselves, surrounded by expansive wineries. After a few hours of soaking up the sun and poolside conversation, we moved into the cellar of the villa for a wine tasting session. The villa made their own wine, which we not only got to taste, but also learned all about the making process. In the evening, we proceeded to a local restaurant for a four-course meal featuring the delicacies of the region. After a couple of fun games, we called in a night in our beautiful rooms (with unbelievably comfortable beds, and intricately painted ceilings).

An ideal picnic

Our dinner

Sunday morning began with a gourmet breakfast buffet, followed with a yoga class in the sunshine, taught by Sarah's friend Nura. This was a perfect way to start the day. We, of course, all headed back to the pool for the rest of the afternoon, until we had to pull ourselves away and head back to "reality".

Didn't even mean to coordinate our yoga outfits!

An incredible group of women celebrating Sarah!

It was a dream-like weekend, and one that we hope to be able to repeat next Spring!

Edinburgh

We have heard from many, many people that Edinburgh is a breathtaking city, so we were excited when we had a four day weekend in May that we could spend there.  Edinburgh is not known for its good weather, so we didn't have high expectations, but were actually pleasantly surprised!

Edinburgh is an inspiring city - with it's rich history of philosophical thinking, its uniquely beautiful architecture, the large castle overlooking the city, and its unbelievable surrounding scenery. In the four days we spent there, we were able to take in each of those things.

We took a walking tour of the city, during which we learned so many new things about the history of Scotland, and the country today. We thought it was especially fascinating that Scotland has such a "dark" history, with many tales of ghosts and hauntings. However, we were not brave enough to do a night tour to learn more about this side of the city specifically.

Midlothian Heart - the one place in the city that it is legal to spit on the ground! A prison stood on this site, where executions used to take place.

"Bobby" was the dog that spent 14 years guarding the grave of his owner, and now is an icon of loyalty in Edinburgh. People from all over the world have left things at the dog's gravesite, including sticks, chew toys, and plane tickets!

The Last Drop is one of the pubs in which people would take their last drop of whiskey before being executed in the square just outside.

This old beautiful church is actually now a restaurant.

Museum of literature

The huge castle, which we did not go in, but enjoyed the view of it all weekend!

Springtime beauty

We took a bus tour from Edinburgh through the Highlands and Glencoe to Loch Ness. We were fortunate that this took place on a rare SUNNY day, making it impossible for us to take our eyes off of the scenery. We covered a lot of ground in about 8 hours of driving, and were able to take a boat ride on Loch Ness. We learned that the Loch (lake) is the largest fresh body of water in Europe, and has more fresh water than ALL the fresh water in England and Wales combined. They informed us that if it never rained again in Scotland, there would be enough water in that lake alone for everyone in the country to survive for 60 years!

The Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness.

The next day we were back in Edinburgh, and were able to really explore the city. We began to notice how familiar things felt and how much of a difference it made to have just a few things similar to our own country. Being able to communicate in English and understand those around us felt very different to us and kept taking us by surprise! We also appreciated the free tap water at restaurants, the large amount of thrift stores and used book stores (Rachel may or may not have purchased 8 new English books...), the variety of food, and some other small aspects that made it feel comfortable to us.

Up on Calton Hill,, this was originally called the "National Monument". It began in 1816, and was meant to replicate the Parthenon in Athens as a memorial to those who died in the Napoleonic Wars. However, funds were cut a few years later, and it was never completed. 

View of the city from Calton Hill

In the middle of the city, there is a large park called Holyrood park, which is a combination of a few different hills, the highest of which is called, "Arthur's Seat". We spent an afternoon hiking around the hills and up to Arthur's Seat. This was a highlight for us, as it provided 360 degree views of the city, and what felt like an "escape" from the city, while still being in it!

Part of Holyrood Park

View of the city from Arthur's Seat