i came here to speak french.

there isn't a day that goes by that i don't severely mess up even the most basic of french. there isn't a day that goes by that i don't hear giggles when i speak.  

i am basically an overgrown toddler.  my only redeeming quality is that, unlike a toddler, i don't destroy their stores or museums like a bull in a china shop.

my french is pas tres bien to say the least.  but, i try.  and i have to say, the french really appreciate it.  to date i have found that, generally, people respond to me in english but when i continue in - my - stut - ter - ing - french, they respond kindly and encouragingly.  its like a nation of strangers is pulling for me.  "you can do it. yes! bon travail!"  

my favorite moment today was when the kids and i visited the local couturiere or seamstress.  in broken french, with 6 people and my 3 kids watching, i gesticulated and stuttered my way through a truly award winning charade-like explanation (i really want to sew this, but i no longer have a sewing machine.  we live right down the street.  is it possible i can burden you with this really lame task?) for, "will you please make this pillow cover?," that it hit me...I am basically a kid again.  what an amazing gift?!

everything looks and sounds differently.  i get lost.  i get distracted by some pretty cool shit that makes me stop in my tracks (even if it's not a good time to do so) and admire it. i eat and crave ice cream...daily. everything is new.  i can't really talk and when i do say something right, they cheer.  i also get insanely frustrated and have thrown some weird temper tantrums.  

but, overall, i am amped to be outside of my comfort zone and more than anything, i love that my kids get to see me this way.  trying.  making mistakes.  working through the muck and really enjoying it when something small and nice happens.

nice titties.

biarritz. so beautiful. so many people.

i've always heard that people, on average, place their towels approximately 10 feet away from one another at the beach.  well, that is definitely not the case here.  you're lucky if your new neighbor is a good sized baguette away from you.

despite the fact i've literally been rubbing elbows with these people, i am not the least bit bothered by their very close presence.  since i can't comprehend what they are saying (in french or spanish), i am not distracted by their possibly meaningless conversation or snarky remarks.  rather, their voices become a beautiful and foreign murmur.  

barcelona beach.

in a sense my bamboo beach mat has become much like my yoga mat.  a place to breathe, take in my thoughts and emotions, rise and fall upon, gain perspective and become centered.  my new happy place.

biarritz before it became crowded.

BUT as a spectator, my beach mat has also become a ring side seat for some fabulous people watching. things i've learned:

no one wears mixed matched suits here.  always a solid or striped bikini or an extremely beautiful (think malia mills) one piece.  with over 1,000+ people on a small beach (roughly the size of 3 football fields) i was the ONLY person wearing the california mismatched suit look.

speedos and topless sunbathing is still quite common.  so commonplace that i found myself comparing nipple placement, overall shape and "bounce factor" as they passed.  complete nudity, on the other hand, ain't cool...unless you're under 3 years of age.  and from what i've seen, africans really do have bigger penises.  even at 3.

no sunglasses.  overall, beach goers don't wear shades.  perhaps this is because of the aforementioned.  they want to make sure you're eyes aren't TOO focused on their partial nudity or baby's enormous wanga danga.

hats:  no baseball caps.  it's all fedoras and beautifully woven straw hats here.

people LOVE paddle ball and soccer, of course.  a game of either can take place right over you.

coolers.  they don't pack or bring them.  as our new friend annie (french born and raised) explained, french eat and drink at set times.  "we will leave the beach and eat a proper meal versus pack all-day snacks."  

day boozing, for better or worse, isn't a hobby here like it is on the beaches of south carolina and beyond.  catching a big buzz is actually frowned upon.  bakes sticks out like a sore thumb with his 2 (whoot whoot) beach beers per day.  folks here sip coca-cola light or bottled water with a straw.

beach chairs.  hell no.  you bring a towel and a cute little headrest - and that's all.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BRAND-NEW-BEACH-CAMPING-POOL-PICNIC-CHAIR-DESIGNED-IN-FRANCE-/171039991045

fresh water showers, much like the ones in hawaii, are always available on the beaches - placed near the exits of course.  considering most people spend ALL day here then rinse before heading to dinner, this makes perfect sense.  and when you leave the beach - even for just a quick break - you do not leave wearing only your suit.  everyone puts on something quite cute....as though they are trying to "coverup" the fact they've even been at the beach.

sure i could do with a less crowded beach, but i find everything else is so paired down that it isn't so bad sharing a beautiful day with a bunch of nice people - with a common goal.  enjoy the sand, surf and sun....and sneak a peek at some boobies of course.

always swim between the blue flags.

semana grande

san sabastian's playa

while our old stomping grounds in SF are hosting "outside lands", we are taking part in a san sabastian's semana grande (big week).  every year this quaint seaside town hosts special event's ranging from marching bands, an amazing fireworks display (part of the international fireworks competition) to internationally known musicians playing for FREE on different stages throughout the city.

after spending the bulk of the day on it's crescent shaped beach, we walked to the old part of the city for a look around and devoured tapas galore.  i love that instead of making new buildings, people create new spaces in the old and gorgeous buildings.  use what you have.  this is civic pride at its best and you can feel it.  these people are very proud of their home.

tapas.  my favorite front + center

as our friend peter said, "tapas bars are like an ongoing cocktail party."  i love this concept and can't wait to bring this home with me as a fun way to entertain.  sure you can order patatas fritas, fried polenta with cheese and traditional tortillas from the hot menu, but the real fun is in gathering whatever delicious treats delight your eyes and tastebuds from the bar.

my favorite was sliced baguette with beautifully folded prosciutto, thinly sliced goat's milk cheese, a dab of fig aioli and topped with half a cherry tomato.  served with a gorgeous white wine of course.

peter introduced us to one of semana grande's celebrity musicians, julietta venegas.  check her out at:


hubba. hubba.  she's gonna be one hot granny one day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aonwODeKDV0


only a couple more days left in spain.  can't wait to see what happens next.

basque pride!
member of marching band we suckered in for a picture.

yo picasso!

while in barcelona, we spent one morning at the museu de picasso.  if you haven't been, google it.  even better, visit.  the museum / building itself is gorgeous.  it is comprised of 5 royal palaces from the 13th - 15th centuries.  exposed stone, wood, white plaster and high ceilings stand as the backdrop for elegantly placed works of art.  most canvases hang unframed and the others enclosed elegantly in blonde birch.  

a corridor in the museum

instead of being herded through a zig zag airport like line, you line up, single file, in a tiny street that probably hasn't really changed that much over time.  rather than having the kids stay in line for 45 min, bakes held our place so the kids and i could visit the beautiful galleries, artisan shops and gelato stands that occupy the street.  there are no big name retailers or starbucks in eye sight.  just local barcelonian vendors doing what they have done for years.  how refreshing.

entering the museum, you immediately get the sense you are entering a personal and beautiful space.  the royal palaces, now devoid of their gilded furniture and other over the top decor, create a "homey" feel.  quite appropriate considering the early works in the collection were donated by one of picasso's dearest childhood friends, jaume sabartes, and the bulk of the pieces by picasso himself (and his now deceased widow jaqueline - she was french!)  it is rare to find a museum dedicated to one artist and it is worth noting there are over 4,200 pieces of his art here! 

perhaps this is why our crew enjoyed it so much?  it is interesting to walk through galleries representative of a certain time and type of his work.  you can progress with each step as his work did over the years.  when picasso was just 17 he produced paintings that were so realistic they appear almost photographic.  in his later years, he created the cubist (sp?) and modern paintings we all visualize when his name is mentioned.  this change in style really began when he moved to paris in 1917.  things really changed for him.  i wonder if the same will happen to our children's art?  our children themselves?

we found that picasso, like our family, was obsessed with his dog (named lump) as we are with our dog, oz baker.  oh man do we miss our little guy.  it was fun to play "where is lump now?" with many of picasso's late works - especially his replications of valezquez's much earlier masterpieces.  you may recall from an earlier post that most spanish paintings during valezquez's day included a dog.  instead of a noble tall handsome breed, picasso's "lump" was a funny looking wiener dog...love it!  i also found that pablo, like myself, loved to wear stripes.  you can even purchase replicas of his striped shirts in the museum gift shop....i decided to pass.....

we are all quite inspired by this space and this man.  there is already chatter about replacing our california lemonade stands with weekend "fine" art stands.  with each piece purchased, you receive a free glass of lemonade (thanks emily).                                      

valezquez - notice dog, bottom right

picasso - where is lump??

           

your grandma is hot.

 

when i walk down the streets of barcelona (or madrid) i can't help but hum the "thrift shop" song:

"i'm gonna pop some tags, only got $20 in my pocket...."

spain is filled with tons of very reasonably priced stores.  as a self diagnosed "nice girl with a shopping problem," i keep wanting to ditch bakes and the kids' cultural tours and shop my ass off.  

i'm also taken - seduced even - by the local styles.  coming from the bay area, aka land of lulu lemon yoga pants, blue jeans and trucker hats, i am amazed that most women here wear flittering dresses, sandals and fedoras ...on a daily basis ...anytime day or night.  they also sunbathe topless and wear skimpy bottoms.  it doesn't matter how young or old either.

"i wear your grandMA's clothes, they are incredible, she is totally awesome!"....
if your grandma were from spain, i really would want to wear her clothes.  

we spent the bulk of the morning walking around the "las ramblas".  the former river of rain and sewage runoff (part of the year) was turned into a street during the 15th century and since been used a major gathering place for barcelonians.  daily, hundreds of street vendors set up shop.  it is a sea of color, smells and attractions.  we enjoyed delicious smoothies and plan to return today to the massive fruit market.  

gorgeous buildings line the street and ancient cathedrals remain tucked away in what used to be the old city walls.  our favorite was the barcelona cathedral.  the kids and i loved the goofy faced gargoyles and elevated, lacey walk-way connecting the main and secondary buildings.  a group of musicians playing flutes, steal drums and bass set the tone for an upbeat look around.  if you peek in to the gates, you can see a fabulous and lush courtyard.  i could spend the day there.

this picture shows the kids and bakes' hands on one of the oldest portions of the cathedral.  no clue if the kids understand truly how amazing this is....

it was a hot one, so we opted to cool off in one of the "las ramblas" fountains.  legend says that if you drink from these fountains, you will return to barcelona one day.  sip sip!  i personally can't wait to come back, take in the sights, hang with your grandma and of course shop......."with $20 in my pocket!"....

great shops to check out:
natura for cottons, linens and block print fabrics
oysha for beautiful and fun lingerie
hakei for contemporary clothes, shoes, etc
zara of course - keeping the dream of wearing stylish dresses, daily, alive
pull and bear
hoss intropia
sfera
the list goes on and on....

love her colors, shoes and bag!

does this paella make me look fat?

yes.  hell yes.

7 hour stretches on the road, more bread, cheese and wine than humanly necessary and very limited exercise means my booty is booty-licious.  

while helping myself to yet another helping of vegetarian paella (we have to order veggie so char will eat it) emily informs me, "mom.  i think you are starting to gain weight."  while chewing my curd and washing it down with more red wine, "emily.  i'm working on my rubenesque figure." 

i go back and forth on what to do.  just go for it and enjoy the hell out of this trip?  or, start cutting back on bread, wine and cheese?  my mental squirrel in traffic decision making tactics are starting to drive the rest of my family nuts.  "stop talking about it!"  "just do whatever!"  "mom, you are so nice it doesn't matter if your butt shakes a bunch."

it is hard not to focus on your body when you are sunbathing next to topless women and nearly nude men on spain's mediterranean coast.  thankfully our recent location is sitges spain, a gay destination.  trust me, these fabulous fellows don't care what i look like.  

we arrived late afternoon to a 19th century mansion and cafe lined beachfront and a nightlife that truly rivals ibiza (factoid from lonely planet).  we are all in heaven.  it is so nice to be out of valencia.  it smelled of rotten eggs, had "crab breath water" (thanks harry) and way too many high-rises.  the beaches and town of sitges is just our pace by day and what we wish was our pace by night.

well, i think i will take a walk on the beach today.  get the lay of the land and fool myself in to thinking it is real exercise.  i may even skip today's gouter and do what any self respecting, jiggly butted mother of three would do.....topless sunbathe...again.

adam & eve ... and char ....

(rubens)

char: "so.  we shouldn't eat apples anymore?"
me: "no.  you can totally eat apples char."
char: "ok.  but just not from serpents, right?"

if your family is like our own, and you haven't really delved into the details surrounding christian beliefs, a visit to the museo del prado is a great way to start the conversation.  

this museums houses some of europe's most famous pieces of art.  i personally love seeing some of the artwork i studied in college.  pulling from my art history days and sharing this with your kids is even cooler.  it never fails to amaze me how different they see things and how much i learn from seeing things through their eyes.  first, these paintings are "so big you could make a fort out of them."

and, never before have i noticed HOW MANY dogs are almost every single painting from the 15th and 16th centuries.  we counted over 30 dogs in just one hallway's worth of paintings.  now i'm on a mission to find out why.  were they really such an obvious part of daily life that they needed to be pictured in even the most mundane of scenes?  more to come....

peter paul ruben's adam and eve won over tiziano's adam and eve (created almost 100 years apart but depicting almost identical images) with the baker kids.  they preferred ruben's fox and macaw and liked that adam appeared more concerned about eve's actions.  for what its worth, i think adam is hotter in tiziano's version.

charlotte continues to show concern toward the consumption of apples....

(tiziano)