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Mercado Central! Let's Go!

Time To Explore

After being in Valencia a week, and having our outings consist of busses and mass retail, it was time to get out and really see where we live.

Matt has set up a work space in his friend Javi’s office building, so that has left the kids and I to plan out our days together. We did some productive homeschool work the day before, so I didn’t feel too bad about playing hooky for the morning a couple of days ago. What good is homeschool if you don’t take advantage of the ability to adjust your schedule to do fun things?

I had heard about the Mercado Central and decided that the excitement of special treats would get the kids moving and out the door early enough to make it before the stalls started to close up for the day.

Walking Is Good For You - Unless You’re Eight And Your “legs are tired”

I’d been feeling cooped up, and knew we’d all benefit from a little exercise, so getting there by walking was my choice. We live about a mile and a half away from the market, and my map said it would take a little bit more than 30 minutes by foot. Clearly, the Google Map people have not met my children. The walk took closer to 45 minutes but, thankfully, the complaining didn’t start until about the 35 minute mark, and I worked my pep talk magic (read: threats of missing out on treats at the market, let’s be real) to narrowly avoid complete melt downs.

Worth The Walk

The Mercado Central building was completed in 1928, but the location has been the site of the market since the 13th century. It’s one of the largest in Europe and has more than 900 stalls.

The building is lovely from the outside, but the view from the inside is gorgeous. There are stained glass windows along two sides, and centrally located within the 8,000 square meter market is an enormous dome with stained glass inlay and colorful tiles. My pictures from the day don’t do it justice because it was so gloomy out, I can’t wait to go back on a sunny day to enjoy the full effect of the stained glass.

Farton, Or FART-ON If You’re Even A Little Bit Funny

The fruits and vegetables were what we passed first, but the kids were intent on trying fartons, long pastries that look a bit like a powdered doughnut, and authentic horcahta made from chufa, or tiger nuts as they’re called. We searched a little and found the stand, I ordered one horchata to start. After a quick taste, not one of us thought ordering another was a good idea. The general consensus was it tasted like extra sweet, dirty socks. I know people rave about this stuff, but diabetes was creeping in with every sip, and it wasn’t even a “worth it” splurge.

We added a bag of fartons to our order and took everything outside to enjoy. The fartons were a bigger hit. The name alone was kid gold, there were giggles all around. We agreed they tasted a little bit like soft sourdough bread with a sugar glaze. Not melt in your mouth good like a doughnut at home, but tasty. Just standing on the steps of the market, laughing and enjoying, was worth the purchase price.

Continuing our visit, we found a few more sweets. The kids chose macarons and strawberry meringue out of the multiple options. The artistry used to create some of the candies offered was impressive. We also sampled approximately a zillion chocolates, thereby insuring I would end up purchasing five times as much as I should have to take home.

Fast English Spoken Here

On to the “real” food. We met the proprietor of a stall that is one of the oldest charcuterías (a butcher shop specializing in pork products and delicacies) in Valencia, “Manglano”. He was so nice about speaking English once I explained I only knew a bit of Spanish, but his English was as fast as his Spanish, and his accent made it a challenge to understand everything he was telling me. At least I could partially follow along. He had us try a melt in your mouth jamón, and a manchego cheese that was smooth and sharp all at the same time. Of course we purchased both. We are obviously the crowd that is easily persuaded by the free sample.

After we added a few more items and made our purchase, we wandered over to the seafood side of the building. The kids were awestruck by the dried shark and sting rays in one stall, and the live crustaceans on ice caused a tiny jump when the proprietor rustled them up a little to make them move. I had originally thought I might buy shrimp for our dinner, but changed my mind thinking about all of the cleaning I’d be in for. I have a tough time working through pulling heads and shells with legs off shrimp. I feel like a big baby, but it makes me so squeamish.

What Could Be More Simple Than A Bus Ride?

After we tried a few more goodies, we made our way outside and took a quick look at the Church of Juanes Santos. The history in this title nook was intriguing, but the kids were eager to get home.

Considering our long walk earlier, and a full day at the market, the bus was the best option to get home. I managed to easily find our correct bus by using the route app, and felt rather triumphant and proud of myself. We didn’t have to wait long before the bus arrived.

Matt and I had reloaded my bus card online earlier that day, so I knew I needed to activate the top off on the bus, then scan for our ride. I did that, and the driver started to wave at me and tell me no. This led me to believe that I didn’t have enough rides on the card, that the top off hadn’t posted. That’s when I got a little flustered. I tried to show her the receipt on my phone, but she just kept saying things that I couldn’t understand at all. When I get stressed, or feel rushed, like when there’s a bus load of people waiting for me to sit the heck down or get off the bus, all of the little bits of Spanish I do know fly right out of my brain.

From what I could gather, I needed one more pass. I told the kids we needed to get off and figure it out. The kids had no idea why we were getting off the bus, and were questioning me as we exited. Just then, as we stood on the sidewalk at the bus stop, a lady popped through the door behind us and said she spoke a little English and could possibly help. To make a long story short, the driver was trying to tell me I had scanned one TOO MANY times, and when we got off, she thought we possibly had the wrong bus. Thank heavens for the sweet lady from the bus, if she hadn’t helped out, our fun day may have ended in frustration.

Fake It ‘Til You Make It

In the end, my maiden voyage into the city with the kids alone was successful. I know people who wouldn’t bat an eye at having a day out like that, but it’s intimidating for me. I’m convinced this new life we’re leading is going to grow me and stretch me to be more confident. I always say, “I/we can do hard things”. I have to keep remembering that when I feel a little overwhelmed. The funny thing is, so often hard things don’t seem hard at all once you’ve done them a few times. I can’t wait to feel that way about adventuring with these kiddos, even in a foreign land when, “too many”, might be mistaken for, “not enough”.

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Spain!

We’ve been here a week now, and it’s been one very long week. I haven’t been able to post until now because, honestly, this season of adjustment has been hard. I’ve been on a rollercoaster of emotions, and we’ve been wildly busy setting up house.

At times I question our sanity and wonder why in the world we would put ourselves through this. Right about the time I start to spiral the drain, something excellent happens, and I’m brought back up a little. But all in all, it’s been harder than I imagined.

The kids have done fairly well. Troy is craving alone time, we’re with one another 24/7 and he likes his space, and Grant had a little homesick moment that brought me to tears a few days ago, but for the most part, we’re adjusting.

I believe any move would likely produce these emotions, so there’s nothing too unique about them. The only real difference is the language barrier. We’ll be picking up Spanish as we go, and I’ve been looking into local courses that will accept the kids. With all of that said, onto my extraordinarily long post about our week!

Day 1 - Travel Day - “Toto, I’ve A Feeling We’re Not In Kansas Anymore” ~ Dorothy

We woke up at 3:30 AM to get ready for our flight out of London on the 21st. We made it to the aiport and had just enough time to eat breakfast. Other than a brief moment thinking our luggage was lost, the trip was uneventful.

One of the greatest blessings throughout this process has been a business acquaintance of Matt’s, Javi, who has helped us through many of the challenges we’ve encountered as we took on planning and navigating living in Spain. So many of our hurdles along the way have been buffered by him, and he’s gone further to help us than we could have ever hoped for or expected.

He and his wife Maria Angeles were there at the airport to pick us up when we arrived in Valencia. Incredible really, considering they both had to take time off from work, had to take two cars to fit our family of five and luggage, and had to drive us across town to get to our apartment. These are people who’ve never met us, people who just have generous hearts and were willing to go out of their way for strangers. The impact from kindness such as this almost knocks the wind out of you because it’s so genuine and pure.

I drove with Maria Angeles and Matt and the kids rode with Javi. As we drove she pointed out landmarks and explained the city. She speaks English really well, so we spent a pleasant ride chatting.

Once we arrived at the apartment, Matt and the kids made their way to the building to check in with our new landlord. Matt tried buzzing in, and no answer. After a few minutes, a couple of people exited the door, so he and the kids took the opportunity to go in. He disappeared for a while, and I was left waiting in the street with Javi and Maria Angela.

It was rather cold, the wind was kicking up, and my anticipation was killing me. I was so anxious and excited to see our home. A short video is all I had to go off of, so seeing it in person felt a little bit like a blind date, a blind date that would last five months. Stressful.

Matt finally came out after what seemed like an eternity, but was likely only 15 minutes. He had found the landlord, thankfully, barely catching her as she was headed out to the city center, and had our keys in hand. We waved goodbye, calling out, “Gracias!! Gracias!!” to Javi and Maria Angela, and headed in with our luggage.

We traveled seven floors in two trips since the elevator is approximately the size of a double phone booth. Once we all made it up, Matt worked to unlock the door as I stood in the back of the pack trying to capture the first entry on video. That was a bust, but alright in the end, because the entry was fairly lackluster.

We brought our suitcases to our prospective bedrooms and toured our new home. It was what I remembered from the video, but what the video couldn’t convey was how terribly cold it would be.

There’s tile throughout the apartment, and on this chilly day, the entire place felt like a refrigerator. There were heater units in each room, which would have been a perfect solution, if we were able to figure out how they worked. We added “how to work the heaters” to the list of things to ask the landlord and decided to head to the grocery store because we were all exhausted and hungry.

Our neighborhood market, “Consum”, is right bellow our apartment, which is very convenient. We walked in and I realized this was not going to be a convenience food trip. I knew we needed to eat soon, my head was pounding, telling me that the breakfast we had in the airport at 5:00 AM was not going to get me by any longer, and I was positive the kids were starving as well. But, everything needed preparation and cooking. We went with a pizza from the refrigerator section, one of the only items that was close to ready to eat.

We made it back home and that’s when it all took a turn. We noticed the tile throughout the apartment was noticeably dirty, and as we took an in depth look at the kitchen, we realized it was filthy as well. We also discovered the fact that there were hardly any dishes or silverware, and the few pots and pans that were in the cupboards were worn and unclean.

I felt deflated and disappointed. This is where I was going to be preparing food to feed my family for the next five months, and I couldn’t even imagine making food to feed them lunch at that moment.

As Matt fiddled with the oven, trying to get it to turn on and heat up to make our sad little grocery store pizza, I went into the front room and sat. I felt a huge weight on my chest. A dark cloud of sadness. I missed my warm clean home and my kitchen, my ability to provide my children the simplest of things, a meal. And I was cold even though I still had my jacket and scarf on.

As I was stuffing the tears down and typing out a text venting to a friend at home, Matt came in to tell me he figured out the oven, so I followed him into the kitchen to get the pizza started. That’s when I discovered the dripping greasy pan and rack inside. I broke. It was more than I could handle on top of being exhausted. Matt graciously took over, washed the mess and made the lunch while I texted the landlord asking how to turn on the heat. The message back was, “There are not central heat. Only there are heater”. So I gave up and took a nap, still dressed for a winter storm.

Since Maria Angeles and Javi had kindly invited us to enjoy a meal at their home that evening, I was forced to pull it together. Javi picked us all up at 8:30 PM. Spanish family life starts late in the evening. Siesta here is real, shops and businesses close for hours in the middle of the day, and many people nap. Dinner time is typically around 9:30 PM, they were eating early on our behalf. Javi took us on a little tour of the surrounding city, showing us so many historical buildings, as we drove to his home.

He and his family live in a nice apartment on the other side of the city. It’s small by American standards, but here in the city, it’s considered fairly large with four bedrooms.

After meeting their two fantastic children, Sarah (18) and Guillermo (16), and getting a tour of their home, we sat down to an incredible home cooked meal of traditional tapas. All of the items were labeled with adorable tags, tortilla: potato omelette, croquettas de jamon: dough combined with ham, formed into little oblong shapes, breaded and baked, and pan con tomate: bread topped with a fresh tomato spread and topped with jamon, to name a few.

The conversation was fabulous, deciphering English and Spanish translations, talking about the differences between our home life and the life they lead. The kids enjoyed comparing school life and what they do in their free time.

We brought along a few gifts, one being “Exploding Kittens”, a card game we have a blast with at home. Troy taught Guillermo to play, thankfully he has a great command of the English language and followed along really well.

The evening ended after midnight. Following a full day of travel and emotions, we settled into our icy apartment, dressed in our warmest clothes, tucked in as tightly as possible.

Our Apartment ~ White Balcony On The Top Floor

Jamon With A Hoof

Our Angel Family

Day 2 Trying To Hold It Together

Matt messaged the landlord again, she was already planning on coming over later in the day to go over any items that we had concerns about, but we wanted to clarify the heater issue and let her know that the cleaning crew must have ditched out half way through to take a siesta, because our bedrooms were clean, but the floors and kitchen were missed completely. She had us contact the house cleaner, who came by to take care of what I hadn’t already done myself.

That was a nice step in the right direction, but as we thought, there was no heat. It was the middle of the day, yet we were all inside dressed as though we were ready for a snow storm. So, so cold. Thankfully the landlord brought a couple of space heaters up, they were welcomed for sure, but didn’t eliminate our need for bundling up. Still, it’s the little things.

The night before Matt told Javi about our lack of towels and kitchen items, as well as our lack of heating. As another blessing, Maria Angeles showed up at our apartment with huge bags of towels and linens, dishes and silverware, and space heaters. I have never been so happy to hold an armload of clean towels. I did a happy dance, maybe shed a tear, and said a prayer of thanks. Javi’s parents, who’ve never met us provided us with all of these things from their own home. I was, and continue to, feel blessed beyond belief.

The View From Our Front Window

With Rain the Next Morning

Day 3 You Get Slippers, And You Get Slippers, You All Get Slippers!!!!!

It was a slow morning, but we decided to head out to shop for some of the things we still needed to help make our apartment feel like home. Our list was long, but remember, we’re relying on public transportation, which means everything must be carried home. We ended up at a store called El Corte Ingles, very much geared to the tourist crowd and people wanting to buy small appliances. It was similar to Macy’s in the United States, but included a grocery store. Very interesting to say the least.

We picked up a few kitchen items, and most importantly, slippers for the entire family! I have never been a slipper wearer, but I haven’t stopped saying how much I LOVE them from the minute I popped them on and created a barrier between my cold toes and the freezing tile. Yay slippers!

With the space heaters we had been a bit warmer, until the outlets blew late in the evening. Matt couldn’t see that a breaker needed to be flipped, so we went to bed cold, wondering if there was a problem with the power, hopeful the landlord would respond to our text questioning what we should do to get the power back. She didn’t respond. Brrrr.

Day 4 Professor Mom In The House!

After a freezing night, Matt decided to try the breaker box and got the power back up before the landlord responded to do just that. At that point we were just thankful it was going to be bearable again.

We had done a little homeschool the day before, but this was a real full day of school. I worked with the kids to get organized, realized we were severely short on basic school supplies and tried to figure out how I’m going to keep the kids on track. Homeschooling is never easy, but this situation is particularly challenging. I have confidence though.

We also explored the corner park. It’s pretty cute, with equipment I haven’t seen at our parks. Sadly, no swings for Jillian and Grant. They both love to swing, so we’ll need to go on a hunt for a park that has them. It was crazy cold, and Jillian didn’t want to go home, so I bundled up and watched, channeling my mommy mind powers to will her to tiredness. I finally insisted we needed to head home before it was dark. I was just happy she had a little fun.

Due to the business of gathering the essentials for our new life, our kids haven’t had too much time to play and just be kids. I know we’re just getting settled, but it was really starting to get to me. This little bit of park time was a nice break. I’m also feeling the stress of helping them find other kids to play with. They can only be expected to play with only one another for so long. Add “kid friends” to the list of things to get to make this place feel more like home.

Day 5 Pinch Me, This Is The Real Deal

Javi drove our family out to his parent’s home in the suburbs of Valencia on this gorgeous Sunday afternoon. We were treated to the most incredible experience. The true Valencian family table, complete with Sunday Paella, made on an open fire. I’m reserving the details for another post so it won’t get lost in this extra long ramble of our first week, because it was just that special. Just know that this was a day I will never forget, with people who are warm and a joy to be with.

Day 6 Faux CrossFit And Real Food

We took a family field trip on the bus to Carerfour, essentially Spanish Walmart, to get more household items. We need so many things to complete the apartment, the list seems never ending.

This trip also allowed me to see my route to the only CrossFit Gym I may be able to get to. The one I originally was hoping to attend is less than two miles from our apartment, but sadly, the path to get there includes walking under, or over, train tracks, and I’ve been told it’s unsafe. People walk the entire city at all times of day and night safely, but I guess the train track area is to be avoided.

I’ve been truly missing working out, specifically working out with my CrossFit family and lifting heavy weights. I researched as much as could about the area gyms, and the only other thing that came close was at a globo gym, and was called “Cross Hit”. I died a little inside when I read that, and then died laughing when their only promotional video was of a bunch of oiled up body builders. Something tells me I may not be happy there.

So, it looks as though going to the gym will include a thirty to forty minute trek via walking and bus riding. Good thing I can couple it with stops at the Spanish Walmart, so I guess it’s not too far off from my state side life. Walmart on my way home from 5:00 AM CrossFit was always my go to.

On the way home I also found the second market near our house, “Mercadona”. When I walked in, it was like the angels began to sing. It’s larger than the one under our apartment, and it has more of what I need to feel comfortable cooking meals here. It’s still a far cry from my local Ralphs at home, and the packages contain about 90% less than my regular Costco purchases, but the cashiers are kind, and the selection is passable. They do sell pig snout (or is it cow??), but they also have meat I recognize, and a selection of bread my kids will eat. Winning.

Bell Peppers The Size Of My Forearm 

Day 7 The Real Beginning

Today the kids and I ventured out on our own to the famous Central Market of Valencia. I pulled out the bravery card and took the leap of faith to travel the streets by foot and by bus alone with the kids, and it was more than worth it. This one deserves it’s own post as well, I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

For now, we are getting there friends. To a point where we’re not just existing, we’re living. We’re exploring, we’re enjoying. I’m not wanting to hide under the covers in the morning and call Spain a big mistake. I’m ready to grow and find my way. Wish me luck, I will absolutely need it.

Saw This Building Walking Today, And It Was A Reminder To Just Keep Looking Up To See The Good

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We Made It!

We landed at London Heathrow on February 15th! Week one of our trip was spent there being uber tourists.

Preparation

I woke up bright and early to spend my last morning at home working out with my 5:00 AM CrossFit family. That was exactly what I needed to kick start my day, because I had quite a bit of last minute packing left to do.

They say time stops for no one, that was particularly true when it came to this trip. Packing for myself and three kids, was tricky. We committed to a single checked suitcase a piece, with a weight limit of 50lbs. Each kid successfully stuffed a school size backpack with their technology, jackets, and an extra pair of clothes. Grant managed to make his favorite stuffed animal fit in his bag as well.

I purchased some space saver bags on cyber Monday last year in anticipation of our trip. They’re essentially enormous ziplock style bags that allowed me to smash and squish all of the air out and create vacuum sealed bricks. I had to laugh at myself as I laid on each bag to get all of the air out, but it was totally worth it.

Arrival

The apartment we rented was outside of the tourist area of the main city center. I waited longer than I should have to book our flat, and didn’t have many options left for the size we wanted at our price point, so we happily landed here. In the end, it was actually a great way to experience London. We stayed in The Arsenal, Woolwich. The area was home to all things military starting in the late 1600’s. There’s a lot of new development in the area, and it’s where many people who work in the city live. It was so much less “touristy”, and we were able to live like locals.

The building we stayed in is called The Royal Arsenal, formerly Building 22, and it served as offices for the Arsenal site until 1967. It overlooks the remaining gates from the 1856 Shot and Shell Foundry. There are historical cannons and guns lining the streets and old buildings sandwiched in between new high rise apartments and trendy restauraunts. It was definitely a happy accident. We took time our first day to grocery shop and explore.

Day 3 Let’s See London!

We finally made it to the city! We decided to start by touring The London Tower. We took the Beefeater tour, walked through the castle and saw the Crown Jewels. My husband likes to read and soak it all in, I’m in between, and the kids were more interested in looking and moving on. We could have spent even more time there exploring, there was something for everyone. We visited on a Friday, so they had a few live events taking place. At one point actors took the crowd all around the castle grounds under the premise we were being attacked and needed to protect the castle, my oldest was most interested, so we followed along. They had a few other events for the younger kids throughout the day as well.

Right outside The Tower on London is the hop on hop off bus tour stop for The Original Bus Tour. We had stopped for a coffee right outside the Tower of London and didn’t realize we were about to miss the last hop on opportunity for the day. We raced, trying not to lose anyone, to the stop and made it just in time for the last bus. I had purchased our tickets online the night before, so we were able jump on the last departure of the day and start our tour.

I highly recommend shopping your activities online the day before. In every case I was able to get some sort of discount or bonus. For example, we saved approximately £30 by ordering The Tower Of London tickets the night before, and by choosing the early option with arrival prior to 10:30 AM. They do require that you show your ticket purchase at the group sales window, before getting in the main line, because they don’t accept e-tickets. We found that out the hard way and waited in the entrance line twice.

The Original bus had a buy 24 hours, get 48 hours deal. They also had an online purchase deal, but I found a coupon code that gave us an even better discount.

The tour was a fun way to see all of the hot spots in London without having to walk everywhere. We enjoyed the view from the the top of the bus, but it did get pretty chilly. We made it about half way through, but knowing we had another day or more left on our pass, there was no pressure to complete the tour. We hopped off and headed to Victoria Station and took the DLR home.

Day 4 Time To Rally For More Sightseeing

We joined The Original Bus tour where we left off and hopped off at Buckingham Palace. We didn’t watch the changing of the guards, this time of year they only do it a couple of times a week, and we didn’t want to battle the crowds. I like the idea of scheduling a tour on our next visit so we can watch it with a guide for the best view, from what I’ve read, that’s the best way to do it.

Taking the bus a few stops ahead led us to the London Monument To The Great Fire Of London. The incredibly steep, winding, 311 steps up the narrow tower to the top of the Monument gave me that tingly feeling down the back of my legs, and it almost brought my oldest to his knees. Once we were up though, the view was well worth it. There’s nothing like a clear day in London, we could see for miles.

On to lunch at the bottom of the Monument, and then a quick hop on the bus to finish out the ride, and catch the ferry for the tour that came along with our bus pass. Sadly, this was a disappointment for the most part because it was too cold to be on the top of the ferry, and the tour guide gave up trying to describe what we were seeing because his PA wasn’t working well.

Ultimately, we ended up getting off early. We did have a chance to see the lights of London and take a picture with the London Eye in the background. My little one was really hopeful that we would take the ride, but with time constraints, mixed reviews, and a high price tag, we decided it wouldn’t fit our list this time.

Another rush hour ride on the DLR, complete with the pushing and shoving, and ultimate sardine feel for a few exits, and we were home. Thankfully our entire ride wasn’t as crowded as the beginning.

Days 5 & 6 Taking It Easy, AKA Preventing A Sightseeing Revolt

The next couple of days were spent in Greenwich. The Emirates Air Line Aerial Cable Car was on the top of the visit wish list, so we took it over from Woolwhich. Sadly, it was a very cloudy day, so visibility was incredibly limited. There’s still a thrill in riding high up over the Thames River, no matter how far into London you’re able to see.

Greenwich is home to the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory. The Maritime Museum is there along side the Queen’s Castle and some other interesting sites, but with the weather being so ugly, and the fact that we were tired, we only made it to the Cutty Sark and Observatory. Greenwich is a pleasant diversion from the tourist hub of the city, and we were one of only a handful of families at each site.

The Cutty Sark is the oldest remaining clipper ship built to transport tea from China to Brittan, and was the fastest of it’s time. The “Captain” gave us a lively tour, and there were plenty of hands on activities for the kids. We ate our lunch there and had tea. I can’t say that it qualified as a “proper tea” by any means, but it got the job done.

The Royal Observatory is the site of the prime meridian, and the origin of the name Greenwich Mean Time. Essentially it’s is the spot that all time is based off of. My husband was thoroughly enthralled. By the time we left, it was rainy and the wind was blowing, thankfully we made it back to our bus before the sky opened up completely. A steamy London bus ride later, and we were home, ready to pack and prepare for our flight out the next morning.

On To The Next Chapter

I was so thankful for our opportunity to see London, but I had Spain brewing in the back of my mind the entire time. It was a strange limbo. The unknown, the eagerness to be where we were “going”, and the mess of living with all of our stuffed suitcases, made me a little bit anxious to move forward. I was ready for our next adventure!

There are so many details about our little side trip, but it’s time for a new post, because now we’re in Spain!

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Adventure Awaits

Does everyone think it would be great to live in another country - or just us?

A year ago my husband and I went on a date and I presented my plan. It was a plan that was so far from what he considered my normal, that he questioned who he was taking to.

"You're kidding! Right? Who is this, and where is my wife?"

I told him I wanted to travel to Europe, live in three countries for two months each, for a total of six months. I told him I knew just how we could make it happen, and I laid the foundation for what would be our current reality.

You see, I’m a homebody. It’s part of who I am. I live in California. I don’t take risks, I like my routine, and I love my people being just a few minutes away. I’m predictable.

Talking to a friend one day about a family selling their home and traveling the US in an RV, and subsequently hearing a pastor at church talk about taking his kids into the mission field in other countries, I realized my kids live in a bubble. They haven’t seen much more than bits and pieces of California in their lifetime, and they have no first hand experience in order to help them understand this isn’t everyone’s reality. Despite hearing about, or reading about, other parts of our world, our kids are left to their imaginations. I myself have only been a handful of places.

Just living your average life

It just felt sad to me. My husband has a portable job, working for himself, totally internet based. We’re flexible, and love the idea that we can go anywhere we’d like, but, we NEVER do. We get busy. We don’t plan. We use our finances in other ways. We stay stuck, right here in suburbia.

I told him, “I want to do this, and this is how I see it happening”. I explained that February would be our month to take off, after the holidays, only a few months left of school for the kids. I would pick up the last few months and homeschool while we were away. They would be the perfect ages to appreciate it, 8, 10 and 13, and, they could carry most of their own luggage! My mom was planning on selling her home to move closer to us, she could do that, and move into our home to care for our pets for the six months we would be gone. Done.

His adventurous spirit was ready to go at that very moment. I, on the other hand, needed a year of planning. We’re so incredibly different that way.

My husband was on board with my plan, just not my initial idea that we move around so much. He wanted a home base. A place we could always come back to. I had mentioned Spain was my choice as our first stop, and he thought that would be a fantastic place to set up “home”. The weather would be much like California, and there’s plenty of ocean to help us feel less landlocked. We’d have the incredible opportunity to learn more Spanish and have the kids pick up as much as possible, and I also had some friends from many years ago who live in Madrid. It just became the “place”, without too much discussion.

The devil is in the details

We soon found out we would only be allowed to live in the Schengen countries, which is inclusive of pretty much all the European Union countries, minus England, Scotland, Switzerland and a few others, for 90 days without a visa. That’s 90 cumulative days, regardless of the country. Every day is counted, even if you go from country to country. That didn’t fit our plan, so, a Visa is what we needed to ensure this would be the trip we imagined. In future posts, I’ll write more about that undertaking, but just know, it was incredibly labor intensive, there isn’t much information to guide you through the process, and every mistake costs you in time, money, and stress. My husband saw it as a challenge, I was ready to throw in the towel and just live in Scotland, which wouldn’t have been too terrible, for the extra three months.

The details are long, they are at times boring, but if you ever decide this is the path for you, know this, the moment you get the message your visa is approved, is the moment you realize you’ve been holding your breath for endless weeks. The release is lovely.

Home away from home

So we’re here, days away from embarking on a trip that causes me to jump for joy one minute, and gasp for air the next. I’m far from even knowing how to be ready, but on February 14th, we’ll board a plane headed for memories that will last a lifetime. For the next 5 1/2 months we’ll call Valencia, Spain, home.

We have an apartment on the 7th floor of a high rise building, in a busy neighborhood. We’ll use public transportation, and walk to get where we’d like to go. The grocery store is directly bellow us, thankfully, but I’ll be cooking in a kitchen the size of a walk-in closet. The kitchen also houses the washing machine, which lends itself to multitasking at it’s finest. No dryer though, so I have to decide if I have faith in the clothes lines outside our bedroom windows. I’m extremely doubtful that my binge watching of “The Gran Hotel” with subtitles did much for my Spanish, or to get me ready for the culture. It did, however, reinforce that cuchillo is the Spanish word for knife throughout 60 episodes, and make me wonder if everyone in Spain slaps people when they get angry.

So many people are eager to follow our adventure, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to document our experience in a way that isn’t too boring. I decided a blog will allow us to lay out how we planned the trip, and the path we had to take to get our visa’s as well. I’m hopeful that our experience might be beneficial to others who may feel the itch to step away from life as they know it, and take a leap of faith and fun. Aprovecha el día.