The Reluctant Traveler

David was reluctant, almost until the end, about this 7 weeklong trip. He made sure to let anyone willing to listen that he was being “dragged” around in Europe or that he was “wasting” his summer. He was not able to elicit much sympathy after all it is hard to feel sorry for someone who gets to travel to Europe as often as David does. Having said that…I completely understand his desire to spend time with his friends. He is at that age where friends become more and more important. My only hope is that in due time he will fondly remember this vacation.

Once the day of our trip arrives he is less anxious and is very helpful through out the process. He insists in putting the luggage in the car himself…trying to prove he is a big boy. James took us to the airport and I had forewarned him about putting on a strong face for David. David tends to be the sensitive type and I did not want him to feel bad about leaving his dad and his two sisters behind (Alex and Amina). So James acts very casual about the whole thing even though this is the first time him and I (and David of course) had been separated for more than a couple of days.

The flight is uneventful and to our surprise it goes by rather quickly. By the time we look at the clock we only have 2 ½ hours left!!! David managed to finally sleep for about 2 hours, I was not so lucky. Needless to say we arrive exhausted. Our friend Bernadette is already waiting for us and takes us to the apartment where we will spend a few days. Long story but we ended up with two generous invitations and decided to split our time in between the two places. She welcomes us with a generous breakfast of homemade bread and croissants. We talk for a little bit but then we go to our room to take a short nap. We could probably sleep for hours but we want to adjust as quickly as possible to our new schedule. After we wake up we realized she had been cooking to leave us enough food for three days!!! She is wonderful…before leaving she opens a bottle of champagne and brings some stuffed mushrooms and an assortment of olives and pickles. Even David gets a bit of champagne that he quickly transforms into a mimosa! I Love France!

Decisions, decisions, decisions

It has been a long time since my last post...since this is a blog about home swapping it is difficult to write about anything else in between exchanges. We arrived last August from our exchange in Portugal and Spain and almost immediately, we were receiving offers for the summer of 2010!!!

This is the time when we really wish we had more time and money to travel. Too many offers come our way, many from places we have not visited yet. We settle early on two offers: one in Amsterdam and one in Southern Italy. Then the fun of planning begins as well as the not so fun part of fishing for airfares. This year airfares have been higher than usual so landing a "good" deal has been challenging.

What is new this year...is that David and I will travel before James to spend time visiting friends in France. We will be staying mainly in Paris although we will visit friends in Mayenne and hopefully travel throughout Normandy. Although 3 weeks seems like a long time it never really is. We will make do with what we have! We realize we are very fortunate to be able to take this month long (and this case almost two months) trips every summer. So we should not complain but we will any way!

One of the challenging things about coordinating two exchanges is the logistics of it. James will fly to Paris to meet us and will spend a couple of days there. Coincidentally we will be in Paris for the last stage of the Tour de France so James, being and avid cycler, wants to attend. We will take the train to Amsterdam and spend a week there. Afterwards we will fly into Rome for the second exchange. The family is from Arezzo but will fly to Chicago from Rome. We will fetch their car then travel to their house. There are many details to be worked but I will not go into them.

Getting ready for a 7 week trip is lots of work! I have 10 days left and still have so much to do. I will try to post more often and add more pictures this time.

Our last week in Spain

We have been in Vigo for a week now. We were a little concerned thinking that switching 4 different homes in the same trip would be a lot of work. By work I mean, not the actual moving but having to tidy up every home we visit. To our surprise it was manageable! Last Friday we took a plane from Madrid to Vigo. Prior to our trip, we debated as to what was the most economical way to get here. Renting a car for one day meant driving 5 hours or flying which is the fastest but usually the most expensive for a family of four . In retrospect, driving would have been cheaper. We did not realize we had to take a taxi to and from the airport which adds to the cost. Normally, we take public transportation but it has to be available. That was not the case with this house as it sits on a maze of roads.
This is our first time in this region and it is quite a contrast from the South (which we still prefer). However, it is beautiful here...being so close to the Atlantic guarantees plenty of fresh fish. We have been to fish markets and the prices are reasonable. Of course there are so many varieties I would not even know how to prepare them so as usual I talk to people (something I do in the states as well) and ask them questions about what they are buying and how to prepare them.
We have visited many small towns with views of the Atlantic ocean. I have to admit it is very peaceful driving along the coast line. Or, walking around fortresses facing the Atlantic. Just breathtaking!!! We are partial to some Celtic ruins (at least 4000 year old) which look down at the town from a mountain above. The views of the River Mino Estuary are just spectular...words can not describe it!
It is hard to believe we have been here for almost a month now, so much more time is needed to learn about a region or a country for that matter. Having spent one a week in each region has its drawbacks as we have to rush to see as many things as possible. When we have a home base for a month, we become more intimate with a region.
We have loved our vacation this year and look forward for the next one!

Hotter than...

Southern Spain can be scorching hot during this time of the year. Rule #1 always, no, never travel to Spain in August. We look quite tanned despite our efforts to evade the powerful sun rays as much as possible. Long gone are the days of careless tanning in an effort to achieve the ¨desired¨ look. Now, I follow a philosophy of avoiding premature aging and cancer!!! In places like Arcos de la Frontera and Vejer de la Frontera the heat feels even more intense. We loved these small towns with their whitewashed facades, narrow streets, wrought iron windows displaying georgeous red geraniums. There were not many souvenir shops or stores of other kinds for that matter but we liked having it to ourselves (or so it felt as there were not many tourists in sight). By mere chance we found a restaurant which sat in the courtyard of one of the town hotels. The food was reasonably priced and they welcomed us with a complimentary glass of Sangria. I am not much of a sangria drinker as I prefer "Claras" or "Tinto de verano" but this sangria was actually good...I loved the mint flavor. It did the trick, after walking up hills for a while we immediately felt refreshed and rejuvenated. We have made it a point to always carry a big bottle of water as it helps when we go on these long walks. We learned this the hard way!

Dejavu in Sevilla

We were here 5 years ago and it is amazing how some things never change. Sevilla is as charming as ever. We walked through some of the same streets and remembered restaurants we had dined in. We decided to eat at the best "Freidura" in Sevilla, coincidentally, we celebrated David´s birthday in a restaurant across the street five years ago!!! They serve the best fried sea food and although we are not big on fried food...this a must have. We ordered a mixture of cod, shrimp, calamari and other seafood we do not recognize but are willing to try. One of their specialities is their adobo marinade which has a delicious and mouth watering lemony flavor. We washed it down with one of our favorite Spanish summer drinks a: "Clara" a mix of half beer and half fanta lemon. It may sound gross but it is quite refreshing in the summer and very popular in Spain.
We strolled the small narrow streets and marvel at some of the small stores which have been around since the mid 1800s! We stopped at a "papeleria" a kind of art supply store but much more interesting. I have been looking for a fountain pen and found just what I was looking for! One can't never have enough fountain pens.
James loves Sevilla so we spent two days sightseeing. On our last day, we went to one of our favorite tapas´ bar. The tapas were just amazing, the quality and the presentation just lovely. David has become more and more open to try different foods so I am not too surprised when he loves the octopus! The only thing that could have made our visit better would have been cooler weather. No wonder Sevillanos leave the city and find refuge in the nearby beaches.

Sleepless in Cadiz

We left Portugal after saying our goodbyes to our friends and people we have met during our short stay in Portugal. Lunch is packed so that we can stop in our way to Spain and save time and money. It took us about 4 hours driving from Lisbon to Cadiz. However, it takes almost 2 frustrating hours trying to find our next house. I am sure the directions we were given would have made sense to anyone familiar with the area... but it did not help us and we ended up driving through God forsaken roads with cows as our only company. Luckily, we had plenty of daylight left so getting lost was not as bad...in fact we passed through some beautiful mountains with plenty of windmills against the background. We found the house which is located right in front of a golf course. The house is the summer house of our friends Isabel and David (who happens to look like Clark Kent). It is a cute house in a small complex with a pool within walking distance. David has been loving the pool so we have been going every evening as the weather is extremely warm during this part of the year. Sleeping has been a challenge because of the hot weather. We realize how air conditioning is a luxury in some parts of the world. Nonetheless we love the area and have made it a point to become familiar with the main grocery stores. This is an important step for us as we depend on eating at home to make our travels affordable. Speaking the language does make it easier when I talk to the butcher or ask for a sample of the many varieties of food. I am sure charades will work as well but it is always a pleasure talking to the locals.

Breezy and Hilly Lisbon

Breezy and hilly Lisbon

As our time comes to an end, we realize how much more time is needed to explore this beautiful country...so as usual, we will assume on day we will return. We loved the quaint town of Sintra with its narrow streets and magnificent castle, a testament to its glorious past. Cascais was another beautiful city, right by the Atlantic ocean although not at as charming as Sintra.
Lisbon, ah, Lisbon...we definitively did not have enough time to explore this old and beautiful city. We walked through very steep roas in the Alfama neighborhood. I have never been to San Francisco but Lisbon is supposed to be hillier and much older of course. We visited the maritime museum, one of the best of its kind...James and David loved it. There were many model ships of different eras. The Monastery of St. Jerome was an impressive structure. We loved the food and the prices were more reasonable than in Spain.