Before Paradise

Before actually taking off to Formentera, there were a few final events that happened that I must share with you. Then we will be able to kick off our shoes, put on our bikinis and join me in my adventures through paradise. As you well know after having read my blog that towards the end of July is Sant Pol's Festa Major and this is major for me, since it is one of my now many favorite places. Since Cyrus and Julia were in town one last time before heading back to the new world, we decided to relive the past one more time and celebrate this festivity together. Unfortunately, the group that initially initiated me had dwindled. Susanna and Sergi were still waiting for Gerard and an all night party wasn't necessarily Susanna's idea of fun. The other Susanna and Marc were MIA and so the key links were missing and somehow this changed the feeling of the last two years. Although we had a great time, it just wasn't quite the same and even the music seemed different. But we still managed to boogie our booties and go for a dawn swim (even though I was the only who went for the swim...).

We had a yummy dinner in a Brasserie in Sant Pol, the guiris as they have been deemed , ordered Sangria and we sat around and watched the few stars in the sky and reminisced about the past. I know you can't repeat the past and with time things change and nothing is ever the same, but you still manage to laugh and just have a good old time.

Having Julia and Cyrus near me one last time was in itself an honor and escaping into the dark sea for my annual swim at dawn was renovating. This time, there were no croissants, but there were smiles and cheers as I jumped into the cool water and thanked my stars above for everything I have around me.


And in the end that's really what it's about, not necessarily expecting the past to be the same, but living in the now and appreciating what it is as it is.

Later that week, I went for another late evening swim. There is nothing like jumping into the warm Mediterranean after a very long day of work and then meeting your buddies up for wine tasting and mouth-watering tapas before going on holidays and that is exactly what we did.


And then of course I had to have one last look at my Susanna before leaving. I knew that Gerard (who was already 3 or 4 days late) was going to appear while I was away and so I visited Susanna and saw her as Susanna before becoming a mommy. As always, she was stunning and taking it lightly. Deep inside I knew that Formentera would be a way of turning a page, of going on holiday and coming back to a new chapter. Of celebrating time as it ticks by.


And life continues, changes and all. And Heidi goes away on holidays and there is nothing like the sound of that...

A Mangiarsi il Figato

And then Summer rolls around, slowly, the days start getting warmer, you start stripping off the layers of clothing that have been covering you for months, your skin starts glowing with periodic sun kisses and I get the gang together to have dinner before everyone takes off on holidays and Barcelona becomes a ghost town.

This year's event was Italian, pizzas, Lambrusco and togetherness. I can't stress how wonderful it is to have a table full of your favorite people, your neighbor and her beautiful daughters, Cyrus paying a last visit before Julia takes off to DC, Susanna about to become a mother...all of us eating, laughing and living.

Of course, the main attraction was Susanna's immense belly but little did we know that there was competition in the group. Yes, Alex our friend has a monster of his own growing inside, but this is no little Gerard, let me tell you. We laughed hysterically at the comparison of these two and bid each other farewell, because in Barcelona you bid each other farewell at the end of July since chances are you won't see each other for the next month.

After three years of living in this city, I still can't get used to the fact that everyone takes their holidays very seriously and the city becomes a ghost town, shops close down, restaurants become non-existent and suddenly you are left friendless since everyone goes to their summer homes, on their cruises and escapades. And like a good citizen of Catalunya, I am packing my own bags and heading to Formentera and closing down shop for a few weeks.

Let's Go Camping!

After the overwhelming events of babies and bellies everywhere I needed some fresh clean air, greenery and a little nature to still my mind and invite the summer in. And so there's nothing better than packing your essentials, grabbing a tent and going to the mountains. Oriol, Mollie the dog and I decided to do exactly that. Turns out that Oriol knows quite a bit about mountains and so we headed towards Garotxa, near Girona to go hiking and waterfall hunting.

We spent three splendid days surrounded by nature and people who actually smile with you and talk to you. There is something magical that happens when you remove yourself from the city, it is as if you remove that on-defense skin that we wear, where we don't smile, talk or look into the eyes of the fellow stranger sitting next to us. But when we are camping, surrounded by the creaks and sounds of the woods, we drop our defenses and actually make friends, even if they don't speak any of the languages we speak, you just simply smile and acknowledge that, yes we are all here on this earth, keeping clean and taking advantage of it...and that is exactly what we did on this weekend.
So the weekend went as follows, I got off of work and we headed to Sardenes which is a great little campsite with an old hostal in which the travelers of the good old days lodged and dined in.

The site itself was calming and just breathing in the fresh cool air of the mountains already had me giddy with joy, mind you that just a few days before I had had my wisdom tooth pulled out...so I needed some oxygen.
After setting up camp, Mollie, Oriol and I went to check out the trail we would be taking on the next day and on the way back we decided to go on a nice run where I got to show off my cool running skills to the dog who really could care less. After showering and getting that, "Yes! I'm at a campground" feeling, we went to an old medieval town nearby called Besalu, with a lovely stone bridge and old medieval homes and mini altars in the streets to protect the city. I found the imprisoned virgin quite interesting...a virgin behind bars:

The moon was full and the frogs were croaking and I was in mountain heaven.
After strolling around the town we headed back to our tent and prepared for the long day ahead of us.

And little did I know what I was to expect. We packed up our lunches and headed out hiking. It started out wonderfully on a dark mossy path trailed by the sounds of the river next to us. Oriol explained that the old moss covered stone walls I saw were territories marked by the traders of centuries ago that came from France to Catalunya. The path was famous for the bandits that hid in the woods and attacked the traders. You could also find old deteriorating remnants of hostals where travelers used to sleep in. I could feel the stories and life that the forest breathed and it was unreal to know I was walking on a path that was used centuries ago.


But then of course things started getting rough...Oriol couldn't ring the bell of the tower and just a few moments later we witnessed an 8 year-old do it

and then my turn came of inability. I tend to have a terrible fear of walking on wet rocks with a dash of vertigo and when you are in the mountains, you have heights, rivers and rocks. And of course, in order to get to a waterfall you have to climb and get wet and try to get over your fears instantly. Turns out that Mollie the Labrador is afraid of swimming (don't ask, but I think she's the only Labrador afraid of swimming in all of the eh Universe...). So here I am, perched on a rock contemplating my possible death as Mollie swims around frantically in circles trying to get out of the mess she just got herself into and Oriol and a helpful stranger trying to get over to the other side of the river as Oriol is telling me to stay still and soon he will rescue me. As I think back now, I laugh at how ridiculous both of us must have looked, the dog and I, but at that moment I have to admit I was quite shaken and frustrated. Needless to say, after Oriol pointed out the 80 year old woman with the walking stick who was climbing with grace and ease and if she could do it I could too, I finally made it to the other side and my prize was a view of an amazing waterfall with what almost resembled a blue lagoon. The water was crystal blue and breathtaking...literally.

We swam, took in the sun and I mentally told myself that my fears were in my head and that on the way back I would take it with ease and work on this silly terror that over takes me. Luckily, we were all in good spirits and I promised Mollie and myself a piece of steak after this.

We drank water from a famous fountain that had ice cold water and that had been around forever and made our way back to the tent.

That evening we sat around and rested our tired bones and Mollie her worn out doggy paws as children played football around us and laughter rang through out the campground. Then that night we went to a town nearby named Tortella which is known for it's organic food and eco-friendly citizens and had the best dinner I had had in a long long time as the town's teenage rock band played indoors.

The next day we went to Banyoles, which has Catalunya's largest lake and witnessed globalization come to life. Africans, Brazilians, Morrocans, Catalans and even a Californian were all swimming in the same waters and speaking in Catalan which was the best of all. It was so chaotic that it was harmonious and it reminded me of one of Monet's paintings. I shared my peach with the little Brazilian girls next to me as Oriol taught the African kids how to dive and Mollie napped in the shade. And it was exactly that, picturesque...

We dined at the campground's hostal that night and went over all the wonderful activities we accomplished and I considered leaving the city and exchanging it for something as simple as this, breathing and living nature. But the next morning I woke up, we re-entered reality and my phone started ringing...it was time to get back to work.

Baby Galore!

So prepare yourselves because when I say Baby Galore...I am NOT kidding. The next few episodes will be for all those mommies in waiting, in mommying and in considering whether it's time to be a mommy for the first time or for the second...This is for all those beautiful bellies that surround me and the precious creatures that come out of them:

First and most importantly is the progress of Susanna and little Gerard. The time is getting nearer and her belly is, well, getting bigger. But she continues to look just as stunning and maintains her figure and grace quite well.

In celebration of this graceful mother-to-be, I decided to plan a little baby shower, American style to welcome Gerard to the world and to introduce this strange concept of baby food eating contests, blue everywhere and surprising the parents to be so much that the baby could quite possibly decide to come on that very day... The Catalans didn't quite understand why we were doing it before the baby is born (it is custom here to celebrate the birth after the baby comes, logically, but when have Americans ever been logical?). The great thing is that Catalans will never say no to good food, a party and drinking so here we go!


The week before, Susanna (the one who's not expecting...), Jenny and her precious little Lucas, Marta (who is expecting and yes there will be a test after this blog)and I (WHO IS NOT EXPECTING!)got together to finish our to do list, buy the necessary gifts that Su was still lacking and to plan the surprise. I got to learn an array of Catalan vocabulary for babies and laugh as I bought the gifts for the contests (wine and condoms of course!). We had a great time and I was excited to see that the girls got more and more excited as the party got rolling.

And then came the big day...I suddenly found my home invaded by strollers, babies, baby food and armor, and about 30 people in my living room waiting for the parents to be to arrive on the first hot day of the summer...just like any baby shower should be.

Needless to say, when Susanna and Sergi finally did arrive they were shocked, very shocked to find my living room full of their friends celebrating them. I feared that Susanna would go into labor and she reminded me that only I would be capable of making her cry, yet again, and surprising her.

I loved seeing the surprise on her face and I loved seeing all these people come together in my small hot living room. Of course we had baby food eating contests, guessing the size of her belly's circumference and guessing the date the doctor had given her. Surprisingly, the men were more into the games and the ones who walked away with the winning prizes! Men never cease to amaze me in these matters.

The little ones were everywhere and Olot was the star of the day as Susanna and Sergi gave it a try and handling a little one before their very own baby boy comes along (and I can tell you that I think they will be okay).

In the end, we were a merry group with full bellies and happiness. My first hosting of a baby shower went quite well and I was glad to see the Catalans play along with me and to see Susanna walk away with a basket full of useful goodies.


A week later, the mommies to be, organized a dinner and all but me was lacking a child or a belly with a child in womb, but they insisted that I join them and represent the single party. Although I didn't have much to share in terms of birthing, breast feeding and all the other sexy things that come along with being a parent, I joined in the fun and became the official photographer, documenting the event. Write this down, in the last 6 months, 9 friends, 9 of these women have either had a baby or will very soon have one...check out the bellies, from the largest being Susanna to the two latest announcements Irene and Sonia. I was flipping out and decided to avoid drinking the water in this country!


I have also decided to consider opening my own English school for toddlers, since with this gang I will be able to make a load of money and make sure that the Catalans speak better English then ever.

Then just a few weeks later, I went down to Tarragona, which I hadn't been in ages and celebrated yet another mommy to be, Idoia's great friend Ana. We laughed as we sipped on gin and tonics and watched the thunder storm from her gorgeous pool as she mopped away, barefoot and pregnant...and this is not a cliche. The greatest part was watching Santi, her friend sit around as she calmly mopped up the storm's remains. A classic moment of the misfortune of being a pregnant woman.


Later that night, of course, I enjoyed the company of the beautiful Idoia and Carles and opted for seriously not drinking the water. Although it's lovely seeing your friends create their families, I will stick to helping myself survive for the time being, since that alone is a job in itself...



And so this is for all the mommies out there, Congratulations! And may your children turn out to be the explorers and dreamers that this world needs more of and if you ever need an english speaking babysitter, you know who to call!