Living in a Spanish house

When we arrived in Rota last July base housing was not an option for us.  Because we only have two kids we only rate a three bedroom house on base, which there is a waiting list for. I'm so glad that we were forced to look out in town because not only does our house have a pool but it is a five minute walk to the beach. Also, instead of living in a three bedroom standard military home we live in a five bedroom, beautiful Spanish house! However, there have been some things we have had to adjust too...

Last night I was frustrated because I was doing laundry and cooking dinner at the same time and the circuit tripped...AGAIN! This happens all of the time and then I realized that I had the washer, dryer and oven on, which you are probably thinking is no big deal.  Well, here in Spain it is a big deal. So, I had to shut off the washer and dryer until after dinner.  This got me thinking about how many adjustments that we've had to make since moving into our house in Spain. Our house is beautiful and we love it but there are some things that are a little frustrating. For example...Spanish people do not use dryers...they hang dry everything. Our house didn't even have a dryer when we moved in so I guess the circuit breaker isn't used to running a washer and dryer at the same time. I have gotten used to washing a load then drying it before I start another load...but sometimes I forget!

One of the biggest adjustments has been the outlets. Spain is on the 220V system.  Therefore none of our small kitchen appliances, lamps, alarm clocks, night lights, chargers, televisions, etc. fit into the outlets. The base gave us transformers but you can only have so many things plugged into one at the same time. So, when I vacuum I have to make sure nothing else is plugged into the transformer because the vacuum uses a lot of volts. We also only have 3 transformers so there isn't one in every room. Rebecca and Lily don't have transformers so they don't get to use their cute little night lights that match their bedroom sets...we just keep the hall light on now!

The biggest adjustment for us has been the lack of central heat and air conditioning.  Since we live in a beach town the houses were built to only be used in the summer so there is no central heat. Although we live in Southern Spain it does get cold in the winter. Not two feet snow, below freezing cold but it has reached 40 degrees at night, which is cold. Especially because our house is all marble floors. We have radiators in each room that are fueled by gas. You have to make sure to turn them on at least an hour before you would like the room to be warm. We usually only heat the girls' rooms at night and the living room because utilities are so high. Coming from Virginia we were used to central air.  Our house only has two air conditioning units...one in the living room and one in our bedroom. So, on really hot nights in the summer we have slumber parties with the kids!

Pictures of our house coming soon!

Adios!

Barbate, Spain

You can see the village of Barbate in the distance.

Barbate is a small village about an hour drive from where we live.  There is a National Park there called Breña y Marismas de Barbate Natural Park.  There are 22 natural parks in Andalucia and this one is the smallest.  We decided it was a good place to take the kids since the trails weren't super long and the ride wouldn't be too long either.  We found the town of Barbate very easily and once we knew which direction to go in the Park was easy to find too.  We picked a trail that was 7.2 km long and would take us to the village of Caños de Meca but our car was on the Barbate side and we weren't sure if the girls would've survived walking 7.2 km there and back.  Instead we walked about 5km and then turned around. The views of the village, ocean and cliffs were spectacular.  I think we made a good decision to turn around because the wind was really starting to pick up and the sand was blowing.

One of the cliffs.

The girls sleeping/protecting themselves
 from the sand on the way back.

The girls were great on the hike! They rode in the stroller and walked the way there.  The walk must have wore them out because they both slept on the walk back to the car.


After the hike we drove into the village and ate lunch at Casa Oscar, a restaurant located right on the beach.  They served traditional spanish tapas and local dishes.  We ordered a few different tapas to start with, I would definitely recommend the green peppers and we got the chicken kabob for the girls.  They were two euro for a kabob and french fries.  Rebecca ate them up! Barbate is known for their tuna so we ordered tuna stew with rice.  It was very similar to paella except with tuna.  It was delicious and a must try if you ever make it here. Lily loved it and ate two servings!

Because Barbate is only an hour away and the park has a few different trails we can go back here anytime.  Maybe on a Sunday since the park is always open and everything in Spain is closed on Sundays so we don't usually have much to do!

Three Kings Parade

Three Kings Day is just as important as Christmas day in Spain!  Everything, including school is closed.  The night before Three Kings Day there is a parade where the Three Kings lead a procession through the streets throwing candy and treats to the  kids.  The kids in Spain get their presents on Three Kings Day the next morning!

We went to the parade in downtown El Puerto de Santa Maria, about a 5 minute drive from where we live.  We were told before hand to be careful because the candy actually gets pelted at you.  Which turns out is true!  I never thought that I would tell my kids during a parade to cover their head and close their eyes so it wouldn't hurt as much if they got pelted with a piece of hard candy.  The parade consists of a bunch of floats (some Disney related), a live Nativity scene (with lives animals and all) and then the Three Kings.  There are kids on all of the floats pelting hard candy at the viewers...and lots of it.  Once the candy is thrown everyone runs to grab as much as they can.  We didn't come prepared with bags like the locals but it didn't matter, the empty stroller caught enough candy to last awhile...I had to hold Lily to shield her from the candy! Here are a few pictures from the parade.

Thanksgiving in Madrid

I have been really bad about keeping this blog up to date. I think that will be my New Year's resolution...to keep up with this blog!  

Since I am so far behind I am just getting around to writing about our trip to Madrid for Thanksgiving. I am one lucky girl and get to go home for Christmas every year (thanks Eric!) so we knew that we would be spending Thanksgiving in Spain. We weren't sure how we were going to spend the holiday so after some thinking and planning we settled on Madrid. As it turns out three other families and a few other people that Eric works with were also going to Madrid. We decided on the train to Madrid, it's a four hour ride and the train station is right here in El Puerto. I thought that the girls were going to love the train...and they did...but they wouldn't sit still! They were up and down the whole ride, which made it seem a lot longer than four hours but finally we made it. There were 14 of us traveling together on the train so when we arrived at the station in Madrid we all walked to the Metro together to the subway to where we were staying. I'm sure we stuck out...14 American's carrying luggage and trying to read a subway map to figure out where to go! 

Finally, we made it to the apartment and got settled in. We stayed near the Opera Metro station, which I definitely recommend to anyone visiting Madrid. The location was perfect. You could walk just about anywhere or take the metro. There were tons of restaurants, shopping and sites right near us.  

Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving evening we had reservations for dinner at a restaurant called Cornucopia. An American is part owner and they would be serving traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone we had traveled with were going here for dinner so we had a big group. That made for a fun night and made it feel a little more like Thanksgiving. The food was good too!   

Rebecca on the walking tour.

There are tons of things to see in Madrid. I would definitely recommend taking some kind of guided tour so that you don't miss the important landmarks and don't have to worry about reading a map. There are a number of different tours you could go with and you should definitely check out the tourist office at Plaza Mayor.  They speak English and will give you all the information you need and want to get around Madrid. We did a tour that wasn't offered through the tourist office, but it was a free walking tour! Yes, free...the guides work for tips!  It was a three hour tour. I was a little worried about how the girls would do, which was why we picked this one, we could leave if needed. But, they were fine...Lily even slept for 2 hours of the tour! This is the website where you can get the information about the free tour - http://www.newmadrid-tours.com/daily-tours/free-tour.html.

A taste of tapas.

Of course Spain is known for their tapas so we decided to do a tapas tour. The tour visited three different tapas bars and your ticket price included tapas and a drink at each bar. Children were welcome and didn't have to pay full price. There was a big group of us that we traveled with who did the tour which made it even more fun. The tapas and drinks were good and we visited tapas bars that we wouldn't have otherwise. Here is the website where you can get the information for the tour - http://www.newmadrid-tours.com/daily-tours/tapas-experience.html.  

At the playground.

Because Eric and I are traveling with two toddlers we are a little limited in what we can do and we want to do kid friendly things. If you visit Madrid you should go to the Prado museum...we didn't but we heard that it was a great museum. We took the kids to Parque del Retiro, the most popular park in Madrid. You can rent a row boat and go out on the lake they have there. They have a few different playgrounds in the park and they also had lots of kid friendly street performers...the kids loved the bubble guy.

Yummy!

On our last night in Madrid we found a Dunkin Donuts...well Dunkin Coffee but it was still exciting! We went back the next morning for coffee and donuts. It wasn't exactly the same but it was a little taste of home.  

Not sure when our next trip will be...we just got back from the states and are a little worn out from traveling. I think we are going to stick to day trips for a few months!

Adventures in Burlington, Vermont

Vermont Teddy Bear Factory

We had a great time in MA and now it was time to start thinking about heading home.  Since we've never flown Space A from the states back to Rota we weren't really sure what route we were going to take.  We started looking online to see what flights were looking like leaving from Dover or Norfolk, and even Westover, MA, which was kind of a long shot.  Through a friend of Eric's, we found a C5 that was flying to Burlington, VT to get supplies and then flying direct to Rota.  This seemed perfect (and too good to be true) Burlington is only a 3.5 hour drive from where we were in MA.  Eric called the flight line and sure enough this flight was leaving on a Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.  We decided to take a gamble and go for it...C5's break down a lot so we were risking that.  We were also risking the flight being cancelled or just not taking Space A passengers because of hazardous material on board.  

On Wednesday morning we packed up, picked up a rental car and headed to Burlington.  We went to the flight line first thing to learn that the flight had already been delayed until Thursday morning at 7am.  No big deal, we got a room for the night and decided to take in some sights in Burlington.  At 3 a.m. that night the phone rang, the flight was delayed until Friday morning.  Okay...another night in Burlington and we were able to take in some more sights.  At this point we were also a little nervous...what if this flight never took off and here we are in Burlington, VT...not near any other place that could get us to Rota.  On Friday we arrived at the flight line at 7:45 a.m. for what was suppose to be a 9:45 a.m. flight.  We were delayed a little but finally took off at 11:30 a.m.  We were the only Space A passengers on the flight...so we had the plane to ourselves.  Eric says he finally took me on a private jet...somehow it didn't really feel like that.  We arrived in Rota around midnight Spain time.  

We took the tour and of
course sampled ice cream!

We ended up having a mini vacation in Burlington, VT.  We did all the touristy things in Burlington, ate some good food, went shopping and even took naps.  It was a perfect way to end our time in the states.  We were able to spend time together as a family before heading back to our life and routine in Spain.

So...what will Space A be like in December when we try to fly home for Christmas?  Who knows...we already have round trip commercial tickets and I am just fine with that!

First Space A Flight

For awhile now we have been talking about our trip back to MA in October.  The plan was to take a military flight to take advantage of the low cost...it's FREE!  Well, the time had finally come.  I was a little nervous about this trip since I have never flown Space A and was doing it for the first time without Eric and with two toddlers.

The main thing to remember when flying Space A is that you have to be flexible and patient.  I started trying to come home on a Tuesday and got on a flight on Friday.   I was really trying to get on a flight to somewhere in New England but had to settle for Dover, Delaware.  I boarded the plane with the kids at 8:00 p.m. Spain time and arrived in Dover at 5:00 a.m. Spain time (11:00 p.m. eastern time). The girls did great...they slept most of the time.  We flew on a C17, which means we sat in jump seats against the walls of the plane, there was cargo in the middle of the plane that was being transported (No pics to post because I'm not sure if we were allowed to take them).  The great thing about the C17 is that once in the air you don't have to stay in your seats.  I was able to make a bed for the kids on the floor so they went to sleep.  The downside is that it is really cold and really, really loud.  

Once in Dover I checked into a hotel...thanks to a really nice retired military couple for driving us to the hotel or I would have had to walk three miles with the kids at midnight with luggage and without a stroller...so again THANK YOU! Although we slept on the plane we all slept for a little while longer at the hotel.  The following morning I picked up the rental car for the last part of the trip...the drive to MA.  I have to say this was worse than the plane ride.  I was so tired and have never driven 7 hours with the kids by myself...even as I write this I don't know how I did it.  However, the kids were so good during the drive...they slept most of it and then kept themselves entertained with Leap Pads, iPad, coloring books and snacks.  I think the highlight of the trip was when Rebecca threw up all over herself while I was driving over the George Washington Bridge...too many snacks!

Finally at around 4:30 in the afternoon we arrived in Townsend, MA...I was so happy and grateful that we made it.  The kids were so good throughout the whole trip!  Although it was an almost 24 hour trip to get home the cost was about $200 compared to flying commercially, which would have cost $3000 or more.

Next up...the trip back...that included an impromptu mini vacation!

Lisbon, Portugal

Columbus Day weekend was the first long weekend where we felt adventurous enough to take a trip from Spain.  We decided on Lisbon, Portugal since it was drivable and we wouldn't have to deal with planes or trains.

We left Rota around 10:00 in the morning and arrived at 4:00 Lisbon time (they are one hour behind Spain).  I found this great apartment on homeaway.com to rent for the weekend.  It was 10 minutes outside the city with street parking and the cost for the whole weekend was what one night in a hotel would have been.  The great thing about the apartment was that the girls were able to sleep in a separate bedroom from us and their was a kitchen so we didn't have to eat out all the time.  The apartment also came with cable and wifi, hotels usually charge for wifi use, so that was another benefit.

Our first night we took a cab into the city center of Lisbon.  It cost 10 euro but was worth not having to worry about the car.  We ate a Portuguese restaurant that was okay and then found a Starbucks!  Yay...coffee that isn't the size of a shot!  We spent the rest of the time walking around and checking out the area.  The girls were in the stroller and pretty content since they had gelato and were pretty wiped out.

On our way up the mountain

View from the top of the Castle

The next day we ventured into Sintra.  It was a twenty minute drive and is known for its architecture, landscape and castles.  We parked in the center of town thinking this would be a good central location.  It was...unless you want to visit the Castle of the Moors...and walk there.  After pushing the stroller up steep hills the hills turned into stairs and Eric had to carry the stroller while I carried Lily and Rebecca walked.  The kids were troopers though and made it to the top.  The walk down was a little better because we took a different route that didn't involve stairs...still about a 5k walk down.  After our walk down we ate at a cute little restaurant then headed back to the apartment to take a nap!

Wiggling like fish!

The last full day in Portugal we took the kids to the aquarium.  It was huge and the kids really enjoyed it, especially the penguins.  After the aquarium we took a sky ride that both the kids loved and the views were beautiful.  After the aquarium we went to Belem, a little town a short walk from our apartment that is known for yummy custard pastries.  The place to get these pastries is called Pasteis de Belem.  We got some pastries and coffee (at Starbucks right next door) and enjoyed our snack while the girls napped in the stroller...Yay! 

The ride to and from Lisbon took about six hours and had its ups and downs.  The great things were that we hit no traffic, it seemed like whenever we took a road trip from D.C. we had to add at least two hours for traffic, and the drive was beautiful.  The not so great things were that we weren't sure where to pull off to eat, go the bathroom and gas up since we don't know the area or the language.  The other down was the girls were done being in the car after four hours!  

Off to start planning our next adventure!