Moroccan Cooking Class

On Saturday, Lindsey, had the opportunity to head to the white-washed town of Vejer de la Frontera with some friends for a cooking class at Annie B's Kitchen (http://www.anniebspain.com/).  It was a fun-filled day of cooking, eating delicious food, and enjoying the company of some good friends.

The menu consisted of:

-Carrots and Cumin salad
-Moroccan Spicy Carrot Dip
-Moroccan Courgette Puree
-Baba Ghanouj
-Moroccan marinated chicken thighs topped with Cucumber and Mint Salsa
-Chickpean, Orange and Mint Salad
-Vegetable Stacks
-Bulgar Wheat (sort of like a cous-cous)
and...
-Cuerno de Cazela and Mlousa - two types of almond pastry cookies

The Moroccan Courgette Puree topped w/Pomegranate seeds

Vegetable Stacks

The Main Course!

Plaza de Espana, Vejer de la Frontera

Madrid Visit #2: Madrid, Escorial, and the Valley of the Fallen

Part 2 of Tim's visit to Spain was a trip north to Madrid.  This was our second trip there and now that we had a grasp on the city we were able to see a bit more and explore some of the outside areas as well.  Many people here don't speak too highly of Madrid, but we think it is a great family-friendly city to visit.  It is also very vibrant, as there were many demonstrations during our time there...fortunately, none were violent!

The home of Real Madrid-Santiago Bernabeu Stadium-which holds 110,00 people!

View of Catedral de la Almudena from Palacio Real

One of the doors at the entrance of Catedral de la Almudena

Tim and the kids outside of Palacio Real

Tatum posing in the Plaza de Armas at Palacio Real

Mom and MJ diligently studying Rick Steves

Another view inside the Plaza de Armas

Owen throwing one of his many fits during the visit

The Temple of Debod-an actual Egyptian temple in the center of Mardid

MJ enjoying the swings in Parque Oeste

Tatum playing at Parque Oeste

Owen getting motion sickness!

Tatum taking MJ on her first trip down a slide

Chocolate and Churros at San Gines in downtown Mardid

Owen enjoying churros

Entrance to Parque del Retiro in Madrid near the Prado

Outside of El Escorial-a palace at the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama

Inside the Basilica at El Escorial

The ceiling in the library at El Escorial

Valley of the Fallen:  This is a Civil War memorial built by General Franco.  The cross is nearly 500 feet high and the basilica is carved 820 feet into this mountain.  Franco is buried inside here in addition to 40,000 soldiers from both sides of the civil war. 

Time for a snack after our day trip to El Escorial and Valley of the Fallen

Dr. Tim Visits!

 
After a whirlwind trip to Belgium, settling into the new routine of getting up early again and going to school, we were lucky to have another visitor here to Spain.  While Tim may have felt a bit overwhelmed with our constant chaos, fits that seem to spring up out of nowhere, crying, laughing, and general craziness, we truly enjoyed our week with him.  He arrived in Spain on Saturday afternoon and we kept on running until we parted ways on Saturday morning in Madrid.  While he was in town we/he covered Cadiz, Seville, Ronda, Zahara de la Sierra, and Madrid.  Although we had a wonderful time, for the first time since moving to Spain, we found ourselves desiring a sense of normalcy (i.e. early/normal bedtimes, home-cooked meals, and a routine for the kids) - still we are so thankful for this opportunity and we try to be sure that we do not take it for granted!

Plaza de Toros, Seville

...Ronda - a view from Mike and Tim's hike in the gorge...

Castle, Zahara de la Sierra

...downtown Zahara...

School Begins

The school year has begun here in Spain and the kids are "off and running."  Both Tatum and Owen are attending schools out in town; Owen is at a Centro Infantil and Tatum is at a Colegio.  Their immersion into the schools seems to be going very well as they are both full of smiles at pick-up time.  It is a longer day than both are used to (Owen is gone from 9:15-1:30 and Tatum 9-2) but they have adjusted well and come home for quiet time before afternoon play.  While it will be at least a few months before we truly see them picking up on their Spanish they are being spoken too only in Spanish while at school so they are going to have to learn at some point!

Here's to a year of fun and learning!

Waiting outside to get in the gates (no parents are allowed beyond the gates)

...and she is off!...

Brugges, Belgium

 What to do on Labor Day weekend?  Why not head to Brugges, Belgium!  That is exactly what our nutty clan did for the long 4-day weekend.  Joined by our friends, Matt, Amy, and Max, we spent the weekend in the beautiful city aka "the Venice of the North."  It was a long day traveling which consisted of planes, trains, and automobiles, but it was worth the time to experience this wonderful city.

The city center is just the right size for a 3-day trip.  In the end we were able to see all of the sights that we had hoped to visit while in town.  Saturday we hit the pavement on two-wheels enjoying a scenic half-day tour of the city which ended with a cold beverage at a local restaurant.  On Sunday we toured the city by both boat and carriage rides which were so much fun for the kids.

 
In addition to riding, boating, and biking through the city, we found lots of time to squeeze in chocolate (where else is chocolate so yummy!), Belgium waffles, beer, good food, and to take a tour of the only remaining brewery in Brugges, the De Halve Maan Brewery (http://www.halvemaan.be/).  Overall it was a great weekend filled with good company and fun!