Last Days in Madrid

Kim and Jared at the Temple of Debod

Salmorejo (Spanish Chilled Tomato Soup)

Jared taking a peek at the Prado Museum guard telling us "No Photos!"
in front of an El Greco painting

We found Austin's famous Stubb's BBQ sauce and some throwback real sugar Pepsi
in a small store in Madrid

The kids loved their teacher, Paloma, who made us and the children
feel so welcomed and loved.

Taking a selfie at the Puerta de Alcala

Secret Conversations - Part 2

The Spanish story continues with my 3 year old daughter.

Around 7 o'clock this morning, I am looking at the back of Rocky girl's head as she stares out of the sunny crack I left open of her door.  (Remember, the light sleeping girls are bunking together.)  

Rocky:  [repeatedly saying something out the door crack that sounds to me like]:  "Blah blah, por favor.  Blah blah, por favor.  Blah blah, por favor.  Blah blah, por favor."

Kim:  [in Vietnamese and half asleep]:  "Stella, what are you saying?  Who are you talking to?"

Rocky:  [in English with very wide eyes and lots of factual expression on her face]:  "Mommy, I'm telling the birdie to get down so he doesn't hurt his foot.  There's a bird in our hotel.  The birdie is walking around in our hotel."

Kim:  [First thought, we're staying in an apartment, but I choose not to correct her.  Then not sure what to expect, I peek out the bright door crack and see a pigeon!  He's precariously perched on the living room window sill which we leave open at night to let in cool air.  I go out and he flies right off of the window sill.  I got back to our room.]

Rocky:  "Mommy, I was telling the birdie to get down so he does not hurt his foot."

Kim:  "What were you saying?"

Rocky:  repeats, "Blah blah, por favor."

Kim:  "What does that mean?  And why were you saying it in Spanish?"

Rocky:  "I was telling the birdie to get down please because the birdie speaks Spanish."

Folks, if you didn't know this already, birdies in Madrid speak Spanish.

Secret Conversations Between Siblings

Peanut and Rocky just had a "secret" conversation in Spanish in front of Jared and me.

-- Rocky is in her room and supposed to be sleeping.

-- Peanut just finished his homework so he gets a little bit of free time before bed.  Today, he got a new Lego set, so he's playing with it on the living room floor.

-- Rocky can see Peanut from her room because our tiny Madrid apartment is only 65 sqm (700 sq ft).

-- From her room, Rocky says something in Spanish.

-- Peanut says back in Spanish, I can't hear you.

-- Rocky repeats in Spanish with something about having play-dough.

-- They have a short conversation with at least 4 sentences each entirely in Spanish!

We have NEVER heard Peanut speak Spanish in the 4 years he's been in Spanish school and Rocky has had one year and says a few words, but nothing like tonight.  One month of school in Madrid, and they're having a full blown conversation.

Day Tripping to Toledo: Spain, not Ohio

Antibiotics kicked in and we're finally up and running.  So, on Saturday, we ran off to Toledo, which is a 30 minute speed train ride from Madrid.  This former capitol of Spain, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and well known for historical co-existence of Christians, Muslims and Jews.

Saturday @ 11:00 AM - We arrive in Toledo, Spain

View of Toledo; Catedral Primada Santa María de Toledo

Rocky giving Jared rabbit ears

Famous mazapan rolled in pine nuts and almonds from Santo Tomé;
tapas of Manchego cheese, oven potatoes, and peeled tomatoes

Train ride; Peanut helping a baby bird that fell out of its nest; walking around Toledo

Saturday @ 7:00 PM - we are back in Madrid at the Puerta de Atocha train station

Outside the train station:
Anticipating a shower ...

Good things come to those who wait

Two wet babies standing in the middle of the street

We emerged from the Puerta de Atocha train station and learned from a taxi driver that all the streets in downtown are closed because of a "fiesta" (or party), so our best bet to get home is via the subway.  Curious to know what was going on, we left the station and saw thousands of people in the street with rainbow flags.  It was Madrid's gay pride parade, which we later found out was billed as Europe's largest one!

The kids loved seeing all of the adults in costumes - some more clothed than others.  Dance club music was blaring, men dressed in women's clothes, colorful wigs as far as the eye can see, Madrid's main arteries were closed to cars and filled with partiers ... what's there not to love?  Rocky even broke out into the Gangnam Style dance in the middle of the street.

Sunday @ late-morning - Jared and Rocky on the couch

After yesterday's long day of walking and fun in the sun, daddy was wiped out.  Rocky helps daddy with a leg and foot massage.

What To Do When You Get Sick While Traveling

I've learned a lot on our visit to Madrid, not about Madrid, but what to do when you get sick while traveling.

About 14 days ago when Peanut was sick, we thought he might need a doctor so we talked to the kids' school and one of the teachers took us to the local hospital.  We had the choice of seeing a physician immediately for 200 Euros or scheduling an appointment for a later visit for 150 Euros.  In either case, we would have needed to have the English speaking teacher accompany us because this hospital, while very nice, did not have English speaking doctors.  It ended up that Peanut did not need a doctor after all.

Rocky's Doctor Exam in Our Apartment

Lesson 1:  Five Star Hotels are Very Useful.

Then Rocky got sick and on Wednesday, woke up with a painful ear infection.  I knew the ear infection would not go away quickly without some antibiotics and, in Spain, you need a prescription from a doctor to get some.  I tried to think of some ways to get her help without dragging her around town or imposing on the school.  Madrid has, what seems quite nice, an Anglo American clinic, but they did not have any appointments with a pediatrician or ear, nose, throat doctor until the next day and Rocky was in too much pain to wait.  

Then I came with with a brilliant idea.  Why not call one of the five star hotels in Madrid and see if they have a doctor on staff?  We called the nearest hotel and they did not have one on staff, but they use a private clinic that makes house calls and -- the doctors speak English.  Within 2 hours of my phone call, a doctor examined Rocky without us having to go anywhere, for 120 Euros.

Lesson 2:  Doctors in Madrid make house calls.

Here's who we called:

Santa Marta Clinic

Phone:  916.32.25.40

Receptionist and Doctors speak very good English

Lesson 3:  You have to mix your own prescriptions in Madrid.

With a prescription for Azithromycin in hand, I ran over to the corner pharmacy.  I was prepared to wait about 30 minutes to get the prescription filled like I do at home.  However, the pharmacist just picked the box and gave it to me as I stood at the cash register.  I was expecting a suspension liquid, but this box was way too light, so luckily I asked, and learned that in Spain, you mix your own prescriptions.  One big difference between Madrid and Paris is not as many people here speak English, so it forces me to speak Spanish.  Combining the pharmacist's little English with my remedial Spanish and lots of "sign language", we managed to understand each other and I figured out how to prepare the antibiotic.  (I did double-check the prescription insert (written in Spanish) and compared it to what I found on the web in English to make sure I got the formula right.)

Hanging Around the Apartment

Madrid, Spain - workers

We've been cooped up in the apartment for the past 9 days because Peanut got sick, then J, and finally Rocky.  Luckily these guys have kept me company as I've watched them dangling from this 7 story building across the street.

Amusing Challenges When Traveling

Little challenges always pop up for us when traveling to a foreign country and staying in a rental apartment.  Amusing little challenges that you don't really think about when you're at home.  For us, there seems to be a recurring theme over the past four trips to Paris, Barcelona, Paris again, now Madrid, and I'm sure in Vung Tau.

1.  Finding the building's trash bin.  For some reason, the property managers/landlords seem never to know where to put the rubbish.  We've been in Madrid for almost 2 weeks and just found the trash bin last night.  No more illegal dumping for us.

2.  Where is the nearest grocery store?  Paris was a little easier this year because I became familiar with the names of the stores over last year's trip so a search on Google Maps was possible.  Also, Nana Ruthie Pooh was a big help doing reconnaissance around our new apartment before we arrived.  Our Madrid property manager gave us a book with information about the area, but unfortunately, it was useless.  So we kept an eye out for stores as we walked the kids to school and found a couple of express stores a few blocks away.  Little did we know that there was a bigger (according to European standards) store just one block away.  In Europe, it's a big deal to find the nearest store because everything you buy, you have to carry back.  That includes heavy items such as water, milk, etc.

3.  Sleep configuration.  We haven't had much luck finding three bedroom apartments for this year's three month vacation to Paris, Madrid, and Vung Tau in our desired neighborhoods, so we've opted for two bedrooms.  That always poses to be a bit challenging since Rocky-girl and I are both light sleepers.  We've tried putting the kids together, but Rocky gets so excited she won't stop talking to her brother.  We've tried giving Rocky her own room and Peanut sleeps on the floor in our room, but I can't sleep because I hear Peanut moving around all night.  Our third try was to put me and Rocky in one room with the white noise machine and the deep sleepers in the other.  We usually get the mix right by the time we leave for our next destination.

4.  Dinner time ... not!  We eat dinner at 7:00 PM, which apparently is extremely early according to the French and Spanish.  We thought we had it bad last June when we were searching for restaurants that opened by 7:30 PM for dinner in Paris.  Then we got a taste of Spanish eating times in December when we were in Barcelona, but lucked out when we found a great Pakistani restaurant that served all day.  Since we've been in Madrid, J and I have poured over Yelp and the web to find decent restaurants that serve dinner, not just tapas, before 8:30 PM since Madrileños don't start dinner until 10:00 PM.  We're still looking.

Walking to school in Madrid, Spain

One surprise discovery is the kids have become great walkers.  Thinking back to Paris, we hoofed it for 1 hour across the city from the south end of the 15th arrondissment to Notre Dame, which is about 3 miles, with Peanut and Rocky walking beside us.  We'd walk around and play for a while, then walked back.

In Madrid, we walk 20 minutes uphill to school every day, crossing one very big intersection.  I think the kids are getting used to walking everywhere as the whining is kept to a very tolerable level.

Visiting Friends in Spain's Beach Town of Los Boliches

I still pinch myself when I take a moment to remind myself that I'm - sitting - on a beach - in Spain.  I am so grateful for the wonderful life I have with my very loving and patient husband and healthy and happy kids, and on top of that, we're fortunate enough to have the time and means to travel like we have over the last couple of years.  Taking a quick tally of the trips we've taken over just the past 2 years, I believe we've been to 13 fabulous destinations including 11 international trips.

On the fast train:  Notice the sleeping passenger in the big photo; playing games; train station

We took a break from the big city of Madrid and hopped on the AVE bullet train to visit some friends in Los Boliches near Malaga.  I love the public transportation system in Europe, especially the bullet trains.  In a couple of hours, you can go from the capitol city to a beach town with very little effort and no driving or traffic!  Cruising into the train station 10 minutes before departure is also a huge bonus, unlike flying where you have to arrive at least 1 hour in advance.  

Beach time at Los Boliches, Spain

The sea breeze and cool, fresh air have been a treat from the pollution of Madrid.  Yesterday, we enjoyed some sand, sun, and very cold water.  I tried taking photos of the kids and found that they love doing these weird robot poses.  

We witnessed a few historical events so far during this 3 month vacation.  We celebrated the 70th anniversary of D-Day in France, were there during the coronation of Spain's new king, Felipe VI in Madrid, and watched reigning champions Spain's La Roja essentially be eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup by losing to Chile.

Fresh Churros and Hot Chocolate

I discovered these delectable treats while in Barcelona in December 2013 and got to enjoy them again beach side.  This churreria brought out the churros piping hot.  Our fingers burned a little as we broke off a piece to dip into our thick, pudding-like hot chocolate.  The kids were wired from all that sugar afterwards, but it was worth it.  

Bioparc Fuengirola is this town's zoo.  I wasn't very excited when our friends suggested it, but am always up for trying something new and of course, finding some good outdoor entertainment for the kids.  To my surprise, the Bioparc was very well done because you could see all the (healthy) animals at different angles.  We especially loved the spots with the glass because you could see the animals in full detail.  Rocky actually got scared when the tiger got close to her because it seemed as though he was going to rub right up against her.  My favorite was seeing the gorilla up close.  Being separated by just a pane of glass, I was excited and nervous at the same time as I watched his wide chest expanding as he took in air.  His muscular bicep was the size of my thigh and each finger was the width and length of a medium sized banana.  He looked as if he were in his quiet meditation spot, so we tried not to bother him too long.

What's for dinner?

We've enjoyed tapas and even some flamenco dancing and music the last 2 nights, but I did notice something "different" on la carta (the menu).  What is item number 7?  And is that something you should try in public?

Au Revoir Paris, Hola Madrid

Au Revoir Paris, France

Hola Madrid, Spain

On Father's Day, we said goodbye to Paris and hello to Madrid.  Even though it was a cool 65 degrees in Paris, my kids pretended they were in Saint-Tropez ... and went topless.  I was bracing myself for 90 degree Texas heat in Madrid, but our first days here were rather pleasant.  I know the heat is coming in a week or so, but am glad Madrid is giving us a chance to get acclimated.

We are in Madrid to scout out the possible future home for the Phanbergs and put the kids in summer school so they can play with Spanish speaking kids and hopefully, be encouraged (or forced) to speak Spanish.  Peanut has been in a Spanish school for about 4 years and his teachers tell us he understands it very well, but we've never heard him say more than a couple of words.  Fingers crossed that the little plan J and I hatched works!

J found a summer school in Madrid a couple of months ago and we got to visit them in person today.  The teachers and head of the school were incredibly warm and welcoming.  I am always anxious when leaving the kids at a new place be it school, summer camp, dance class, etc., so I was filled with anticipation to see them at the end of the day and hear about their experience.  Peanut and Rocky have never failed to reassure me that they're flexible and resilient kids.  They had a good time, so, in my mind, it's a done deal.  Sign us up!  The kids have their special activities and J and I have free time to explore the city.  It's a win-win!

How to Pack for a 3 Month Trip

"How do you pack for a 3 month trip?"  Several friends posed this question over the past few months and I've put a lot of thought into it as well.

Our challenge:
- Pack enough stuff for 4 people to last 3 months
- Destination temperature differences:  65-85 degrees Fahrenheit and then 90 degrees and 100% humidity
- Walking big cities and humid beach towns
- Kids are not dry at night (which means, one full suitcase is dedicated to diapers.  Lots of debate, but in the end decided to bring them.)
- No more than 3 large suitcases

After numerous spreadsheets and research to find the best suitcases, I'm excited to say, Mission Accomplished!

Here are my tips:

1.  I love the 27" Victorinox Avolve suitcase.  It weighs only 9.8 lbs and the capacity is perfect.  Even if you stuff it, you can feel confident that you'll be within the allotted 50 lbs weight limit.  The weight limit isn't a problem when you're at home with a scale nearby to make adjustments.  The problem comes in when you're packing at your destination without a scale and hoping you don't have to unpack your suitcase at the airport check-in counter.  This suitcase has 360 degree wheels, but doesn't spin around uncontrollably like others.

2.  Schedule a "packing dress rehearsal" one week before departure.  Even with my numerous spreadsheets and liberal pruning, I could not account for the exact space (and weight) all of our belongings would actually need.  Remember, we are packing for 3 months.  An honest packing dress rehearsal played a key role as a stress reducer and confidence booster because it gave us time to negotiate about any items that needed to be left behind.

3.  As a sidebar, I also have a favorite backpack.  When we fly, we're going to foreign countries, usually for the first time, where the four of us manage on our own without family or friends to assist, so we must be able to carry and keep track of everything ourselves.  I find a backpack to be a traveler's best friend.  It keeps my hands free to help Rocky in the airport bathroom, push a stroller, etc.  The Deuter Speed Lite 20 is great.  It took me a long time to find a lightweight, streamlined backpack with chest and waist straps that was easily packable yet sturdy enough to protect my back from poking book corners or markers.