“Is this safe?” someone asked on one of my international Facebook groups. They must be American, I said to myself with a sigh. I’ve had more than a few international friends tell me it’s usually us Americans who ask questions about safety. Whether it’s walking the Camino de Santiago, traveling on budget airlines, or car…
Category: Europe
Four Years Ago
Four years ago: An alarm on my phone would sound at 9pm reminding me it was time to get ready for bed. Today: I rarely go to sleep before midnight. Four years ago: My vacation dates were pretty much the same time as every other teacher and every family with school-age children in the US….
Learning Spanish: An Update
Yesterday Michael and I hosted Thanksgiving dinner for 18 guests, all but two of whom were native Spanish speakers. And the two who were not native? They’re pretty much fluent. And guess what? I was able to follow nearly every conversation. Whether we were talking about the differences between buying a home in Spain versus…
If They Build It. . .
I have recently acquired a fear of blind curves. More specifically: blind curves in Spain. In the US, such road hazards are preceded by one or more signs: an image of a curvy road, the words “blind curve ahead,” or an encouragement to beep one’s horn to alert oncoming traffic of your impending arrival. Unfortunately,…
Outrageous Goals
I don’t do it regularly. But every once in a while I make myself some (outrageous?) goals. I put a date on them. Put them out to the world. Take baby steps towards them. And then the world opens up, embraces my idea, gives me an avenue I’d never imagined, and hands me my wish…
Oh, The People You’ll Meet (Part 1)
In a book given to many college graduates, Dr. Suess talks about The Places You’ll Go. I think the sequel should be called Oh, The People You’ll Meet. Thanks to modern technology (i.e. Facebook, e-mail) and not-so-modern means (i.e. word of mouth), I have had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful people in the few…
Sweet Dreams
“How does it feel to sleep in all those different beds?” my youngest sister Meg asked me. Before I could reply, she answered her own question. “I guess it’s okay since you do it all the time. . . “ I reflected later on how many beds the average person sleeps in over the course…
Living The Dream
I’m living the dream. If you saw me now, sitting on a chaise lounge on my private deck overlooking the ocean, you might think my dream was to live on a tropical Caribbean Island. But no. My dream? To live next door to my husband. I love Michael. I enjoy living with him. But there…
Best Moments of 2017
It’s that time of year again. Here goes, off the top of my head, and therefore in no particular order. The moment Michael proposed. Of course. The moment I tried on my first wedding dress. I detest shopping. So my mother came down and we booked an appointment. In an hour I had tried on…
How to get to Europe for $183.53
If you want to go to Europe and think flights are too expensive, stop saying that. Here’s how I paid a grand total of $183.53 for a flight from Newark to Madrid (via Dublin) and returning to JFK (via Dublin). Apply for a Chase Sapphire Preferred card. There’s no annual fee for the first year,…
RenaissanceRebecca 