Top 5: Barcelona, Spain

 Before we headed home for the summer (now about 4 months ago!), Todd and I spent a week in Barcelona, Spain.  It was a new stamp in both our passports and the country did not disappoint.  Here are my top 5 for Barcelona (although it’s so hard to narrow it down to 5!).

**Side note: I need to tell you about GuidePal if you haven’t already heard about it.  It’s a pretty amazing travel guide app with tons of recommendations and maps.  You can file away restaurants, hotels, sights, etc on “My Trip” which will be put onto a map.  Best part is that you can download the guide and use the map OFFLINE as you are walking around the city.  It even locates you as you walk without using the internet!  It’s a pretty amazing app and I suggest you get it before your next trip.  We’ve used it for both Turkey and Spain and are big fans. 

1. Beach

OK, I love going to the beach so naturally this would make my top five.  The Barcelona beach was unlike any I’ve ever been to though. The water was just OK, the sand was a bit rocky and the women were often topless. OK, so now let me tell you the things I DID like about the beach.  The weather was perfect!  Todd and I rented chairs and an umbrella one day and sat right by the water reading our books an entire day.  On this day, we grabbed lunch at a nearby grocery store for super cheap.  The other day, we sat at a little place right on the beach for some yummy tapas and sangria.

2. Restaurant: Magnolia

We ate at Magnolia based on a recommendation from GuidePal and it was by far our favorite place we ate. Because of the Lumineers concert later that night (which was AWESOME, made me want slap my knee and buy a banjo!), we had to eat an “early” dinner.  The restaurant was pretty empty but the food was amazing!

Our best eats: Patatas Bravas (with yummy sauce to dip them in), Pan con Tomate (tomoato bread that is served everywhere), Tapita de queso brie rebozado (basically brie with a marmalade on top that you eat on crackers), and complimentary Rose Cava (sparkling wine)

We love tapas!

3. Montserrat

Wow.  If you love breathtaking views, then you should definitely visit Montserrat.  We took a train to this nearby little mountain town to find beautiful scenery and a neat story behind the monastery that is nestled high in the mountain (read about it here). We spent a day hiking to different caves and churches, marveling at the mountains around us that looked like a painting.

The Monastery at Monserrat

4. Wine Tour

We spent a day in the Penedes region of Spain, an area known for making wine.  After some research, we decided to book the tour with a company instead of find the wineries on our own.  We toured three wineries: Jean Leon Winery (Jean Leon opened a restaurant in U.S. with James Dean!), Torres Winery (largest winery in the area), and Freixenet (actually makes cava, or sparkling wine).  Beautiful weather and delicious wines made for a perfect day with the hubs!

Jean Leon Winery

5. Palau Guell

Barcelona is known for its architecture, especially by Antoni Gaudi.  He was somewhat of a genius and left his mark all over the city.  One of the places we went into was Palau Guell, a palace built for wealthy businessman, Eusebi Guell, (OK, wealthy is an understatement….guy had 7 billion Euros…) and his family.  Guell’s house was built in the city so it isn’t big square footage wise, but it is many floors high and each room is a unique design by Gaudi.  My favorite room was the main hall where the family entertained guests.  With tall ceilings, an organ (or a few) and a place for an orchestra to play, the hall even contained a “chapel” with doors that could be opened for religious get-togethers. Overall, it is a really cool house.

Rooftop chimneys at Palau Guell

I loved our trip to Spain.  It was a perfect mix of sightseeing and relaxing.  Who wouldn’t love 10 pm sunset dinners on the roof with a $5 bottle of wine or getting dressed up to see a show at the Opera House?  How about the random parade that marched in front of our hotel or having a drink where Pablo Picasso used to hang out? 

Dear Spain, we will be back.

Top 5: Istanbul, Turkey

Here I am again, terribly behind on updating my blog.  Good thing I mostly do this so that Todd and I won't forget all of our adventures, but for the few of you out there who might read this (OK, I know you are family) then I am sorry for the delay.

Turkey! Istanbul to be exact.  This is where we went for the second part of Spring Break (yes, I got 2 weeks off!) back in April.  Since we've moved here, people told us we MUST go to Turkey, that it's a magical place that can't really be described, something in the air there.... Well, we decided to check it out for ourselves and found that it did not disappoint.  It has a very laid back, European feel and we loved visiting.  I won't go through our travels in detail, but I will list our top 5 things we did while we were there.

Top 5:
1. Dinner at Giritli's
We ate at Giritli's on the first night we arrived.  It was within walking distance from our hotel and was a great first meal because we got to taste a little bit of everything in the Turkish world of food.  With a fixed-price menu (and unlimited wine), we tried loads of mezze and fresh fish.  Todd loved all of it.  I am a bit pickier of an eater and didn't go back for seconds on some things (sardines, olives, anything pickled...) but I appreciated the chance to get to sample things I normally wouldn't have ordered.

Our spread at Giritli's

2. Basilica Cistern
The entrance to the Basilica Cistern is not very grand, but once you walk downstairs and let your eyes adjust, it's a pretty amazing site.  The cistern is about 100,000 square feet in area and was once used as a water filtration system for surrounding palaces and buildings. It has been kept up quite nicely and still contains water.

Basilica Cistern (You really just have to see it in person!)

3. Bosphorus Cruise
We decided to take the Bosphorus Cruise on our first full day in Istanbul.  It was somewhat chilly while we were in Turkey, but the beautiful, sunny day we picked for the cruise was perfect!  The two hour cruise took us down the Bosphorus with Europe on one side and Asia on the other.  There was an audio tour that went along with the ride (which we usually love) but because we were on the "wrong" side of the boat, we couldn't see any of the buildings they were talking about.  We just took off the headphones and enjoyed the ride. Check out the website here for the best (cheapest) ferry to use and times they leave.  

This guy

4. Hamam (Turkish bath)
Todd and I were pumped about getting a Turkish bath.  They literally wash and scrub you to get all the dead skin off your body.  We've done it once before (in Georgia, the country not the state....quite an experience!) and couldn't wait to do it again. We chose to go to Suleymaniye Hamam because it is one of the few that doesn't separate guys and girls.  It was a nice experience, but obviously caters to tourists (not necessarily a bad thing) and our scrub wasn't the best that we had.  Our advice: don't skip on the hamam, but if you want a thorough scrub then try somewhere less touristy.

5. Grand Bazaar
If you like to shop, you must go to the Grand Bazaar.  It's one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world.  It's really more like a maze where you find more and more stuff with each corner you turn.  We could've spent days in there.  Plan to find any and everything you could ever want!

So many great things about Istanbul, it's hard to have a top 5.  The city is so rich with history, shopping, good food, and sidewalk cafes perfect for a tea break. And with that being said, we pass on what everyone has said to us....You MUST visit Turkey someday.  It really is quite magical. :)

Double H Tours: Part 1

 Our friends from Jackson, MS, John Mark and Ashlee, came to see us last week in Dubai. Yay!  Our first (hopefully not last) visitors and we had a blast showing them around Dubai. 

So, Todd and I are not that couple that just hops on a plane to a new place and figures things out once we get there.  Whenever we try it that way, we feel like we don’t make the most of our time and usually miss out on seeing something.  All that to say, we like to create itineraries for any trip we go on, and JM and Ashlee’s trip to see us called for a Dubai itinerary so that we ensured we made the most of their time! J  This will be a two-part post. I will go through and tell you what we did each day including links and photos when possible.  Who knows, maybe someone reading this will find some good ideas to copy on their next vacay to Dubai!

Day One: Thursday JM and Ashlee arrived on Thursday night.  We basically introduced them to our cat, Sheikh, talked them to death and then let them sleep. J

Day Two: Friday

Quick trip to Umm Sequim beach (my favorite Dubai spot) to take in views of the sand, water and iconic Burj Al Arab.  We snapped a few pictures and then went to the Mall of the Emirates to go skiing at the indoor skiing facility, Ski Dubai.  Yes, we took our friends snow skiing on their first day in the desert.  But now they can say they have been to the beach and snow skiing all in the same day!  Skiing was a blast (after a rough start for a few of us trying to remember how to ski).  Obviously, the ski slope is inside a mall so there are no black diamonds, but it still has high enough slopes to entertain you for an afternoon.  After skiing we enjoyed hot chocolate at Avalanche Cafe (recommended), the little coffee shop at the top of the slopes.  Later that night we checked out Barasti, a restaurant and bar right on the beach. Barasti has a fun atmosphere, but slow service for dinner (not to mention hard to snatch a table).  

So glad our friends Chris and Bea could join us skiing!

Day Three: Saturday

Today’s main event was Aquaventure, the waterpark connected to the Atlantis Hotel.  I haven’t had the chance to check out the Atlantis, or the man-made palm islands on which it resides, so I figured Aquaventure would be a good excuse to check it all out. We got there around lunch time and the lines to get in were massive!  Fortunately, they moved pretty quickly and we were in hitting the slides before no time.  Sadly, there seemed to be only a few rides and the slides were done before we wanted them to be.  It was getting to be late afternoon and even a bit chilly as we rode around on the lazy river (which had bursts of waves at times) so we decided our last ride should be the scary "Leap of Faith".  This slide dropped straight down 9 stories and then took you through a glass tunnel surrounded by sharks.  It was....really pretty cool and a great one to end on! Only bummer was I had water in my eyes going through the glass tunnel so I couldn't see anything!

For dinner, we went to one of our FAVORITE places in Dubai, Loca. We have eaten at this restaurant more than any other since moving here and so far it is the best mexican food we have found.  Prices are those of a "swanky mexican" place, but the food is worth it.  

Heading in to Aquaventure!

The Atlantis Hotel

Day Four: Sunday

Todd had to work today so JM, Ashlee and I hopped in a taxi and went to the Jumeirah Mosque for a little Islamic cultural learning 101. If you have never been to this, I HIGHLY recommend going.  A volunteer at the mosque (same lady both times I went) basically sits you down and explains why things are done the way they are done.  She covers everything from the 5 pillars of Islam to the black abayas that ladies wear to the bad reputation that Arabic/Muslims have gotten in the media.  It is very informative and she answers any questions you ask.  

After the mosque, we grabbed lunch at Lime Tree Cafe, a yummy spot near the beach.  Then we headed to Jumeirah Beach Park to lay out on the beach for a few hours.  I love this beach for only one reason- you can rent chairs and umbrellas for very cheap here.  Other than that, I think there are plenty of prettier free beaches to go to in Dubai. The weather was so nice and breezy that we didn't even need an umbrella that day! For dinner, we went to Festival City and ate at Wafi Gourmet.  We shared different types of lebanese/arabic dishes. Quite tasty! 

Getting ready to go in the Jumeirah Mosque

Volunteer explaining different face coverings worn by Muslim women.

Day Five: Monday

Today was the day to tackle the "old" part of Dubai.  We headed over to Deira and made a quick stop at the Fish Market to get a whiff of all the fishy-ness.  We also swung by the fruit and vegetable market where JM and Ashlee stocked up on dates for a sweet price.  Next, we headed to the souks (which just means "market").  This is the only place in Dubai where you can really haggle for the stuff you want to buy..stuffed camels, scarves, magnets, AliBaba pants (I bought 2 pairs, thank you!)....and on and on. We then took an abra, water taxi, across the Creek to another part of the old city called Bastakiya.  We ate lunch at Local House where we heard we could get a good camel burger.  Service was really slow, but the burger was actually pretty tasty! Not that I will be eating them on a regular basis (started feeling guilty passing several camels later in the week), but camel meat is said to be very lean! After lunch, we stopped by the Dubai Museum which is a cool and inexpensive museum to visit if you are in the area (but not really worth making a special trip to see).

As we were heading back to our apartment to change and get ready for the night, it started raining (of course it would rain in the desert while we had friends in town and outdoor things to do!).  So, we changed our plans for the night and went to eat at Al Hambra, a tapas restaurant next to Madinat Jumeirah (a cool place with lots of shopping and restaurants itself).  Delish!  We shared different small plates and a pitcher of sangria and we were not disappointed!  Al Hambra, we will come visit you again. :)

Fish and fruit market

Souk

JM showing off a local headdress with the salesman who showed him how to put it on.

When in Dubai...eat camel burgers.

 And that is the end of Part 1. I will post the rest of our outings soon in Part 2!

Golf and Goodbyes

Todd and I at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship

Two weekends ago, Todd and I drove to Abu Dhabi (about an hour and a half drive) to go to the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.  We met my aunt and uncle there, and our friends, Nora and MJ, went as well. Originally we wanted to go because it would be a good chance to see Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy play. This tournament is the only one that Tiger plays with in the entire Middle East region. Unfortunately, they did not make the cut from the day before (well of course they didn't!), but we went anyway and enjoyed a beautiful day on a beautiful golf course. 

Our friends, Nora and MJ

Little known fact about me (or maybe you already know) is that I used to take golf lessons in middle/high school (can't really remember when it was?).  I was even in a golf tournament with my best friend, Christinann, in which I won second place! (OK, ok, there were only two people in my age bracket, but still!)  If you know me at all, you know that I don't do sports....any sports.  So for me, this was something of an accomplishment.

My other run in with golf was when I worked a couple golf tournaments with my cousins, Seph and Tate.  I really enjoyed running score cards and following the golfers around.  I even got to meet some well-known golfers, including Gary Player who is famous for being in shape and insisted I punch his stomach to confirm that he did have a six pack!

If anyone can strike up a conversation with a stranger, it's these guys.  And they did...a couple times.

All that to say, I really enjoyed going to the tournament in Abu Dhabi.  It reminded me of lots of good memories that I hadn't thought about in a while.  It was also our last weekend to see my aunt and uncle on this side of the world. (OK, that's a lie.  I couldn't resist going to see them one more time in Bahrain this weekend.) They are being transferred back to the states in a couple of weeks after about 20 years of living overseas.  It's been nice to have them close by and we are sad to see them go!  Thankful for the 5 months we got to share life with them as "ex-pats".

Todd and I with my aunt and uncle, Brenda and Thom

Incredible India

Oh, India.  You are a country like no other. You are smelly, dirty, either too cold or too hot, but there is something about you that keeps making me want to go back.

Todd and I spent a week in India.  Left Dubai on Christmas night and returned on the 1st.  This trip was very different from when I spent a summer there in college doing missions.  Here are a few differences....the summer I was there, the temperature was over 100 degrees, I wore no make up nor did I ever fix my hair, I wore local clothes, sat on dirty slum house floors to teach my students, huddled around the A/C unit in my room to cool off, and walked or rode in rickshaws around town.  This time, the temperature was too cold for my liking (especially coming from Dubai, where I have no winter clothes), we had a driver who took us everywhere, ate at decent restaurants, and huddled around the space heater to get warm in our hotel.  I also noticed Muslim influences in Indian culture so much more where I only saw Hinduism before (amazing how spending a few months in a Muslim country changes your context of seeing things).

In Agra at the Taj Mahal.  It was so foggy when we first got there, but most of the fog finally lifted and we got a few good pics.  I love the love story behind the Taj. (Look it up if you don't know it!)

At the base of the Taj Mahal.  

We did ride a few rickshaws!

Elephant ride through town.

In Jaipur at the Amber Fort.  Such pretty hills and mountains surrounding this fort.

I love that I got to experience India again, and this time with Todd. And I have a feeling it won't be our last trip to India!

American Thanksgiving in the Middle East

It's happening.  We have been here just long enough that we are starting to get homesick.  So thankful to have my Aunt Brenda and Uncle Thom not too far so that we could spend Thanksgiving with them.

 We took the short hour flight to Bahrain on Thanksgiving night (my first Thanksgiving in 27 years that I had to work AND go to school!) and celebrated the holiday of giving thanks, eating food, watching football and being with friends and family on Friday.
Speaking of friends, our friend, Nailah, went with us to Bahrain.  We teach at the same school and live on the same floor in our apartment building.  She's fabulous and I'm so glad she came!

Sweet Molly. She's really good at laying around. :)

My aunt and uncle are such great hosts.  Since living overseas, they've always had big Thanksgivings and invite all their friends.  This year they hosted about 35 people!  Needless to say, we stayed up late the night before cooking desserts and making sure we had all the ingredients for the tons of casseroles we planned to make (yum!). Thanksgiving morning was spent watching the Macy's Day Parade (old tradition) and then sitting by the pool (Think it should be my new tradition!).

We did get to see a little bit of Bahrain before we headed back to Dubai.  A few things I learned about Bahrain:

1. It's an island

2. They have protests there due to differences between Muslims (Suggested read: After the Prophet by Lesley Hazelton)

3. Bahrain is connected to Saudi Arabia by a causeway.  Many people live in Bahrain and work is Saudi (like my uncle!)

4. Sometimes you try to go to something (like a museum telling the history of a fort) and it is closed because of a holiday you didn't know about (so I can't really tell you anything about the fort in the pics below!). :)

Missed the rest of my family this Thanksgiving, but even so, many things to be thankful for this year (including Skype which let me talk to most of them)!

Our Family is Growing

No, we are not pregnant, but we are excited to announce that we have a new addition to our family!  Meet Sheikh Gundy the cat.

Some of you know that we've been talking about getting a cat for forever. Well, we finally gave in and found this cute little guy who was abandoned by his mom and rescued by a lady who runs a "cat hotel" here in Dubai.

What's with his name?  We wanted to name him something that had to do with the Arabic world, so we picked "Sheikh" (pronounced shake) which is what the rulers are called here.  His middle name, Gundy, is after one of our best friends from college, Justin Gundy.  We once told him we would name our first pet after him. :) He's probably hating that we named a cat after him (maybe it would be better if it was a dog??), but it's now written on this blog so there is no changing it! :)