We had a wonderful, fun-filled time in Barcelona this past year. Since it was our second longer-term visit, we really had a chance to simply be settled – which was just what we needed. Catching up with old friends and enjoying the local side of Barcelona has helped to transform this place from just a stopover to a place much more like home.

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Late in the evening (about 11pm) on May 17th, we were sitting around the dinner table with Pablo, Rosa and Willy. Pablo and Willy were getting ready for a flight to Munich very early the next morning – to see the 2012 UEFA Champions League Futbol match. As we were all visiting, the conversation turned to the question of why Ross hadn’t decided to join them on their weekend away. After (not too much) prodding and convincing, Ross bought himself a ticket for the same flight – leaving just 6 hours later! And they were on their way!

The photos and videos in the slideshow below offer us just a glimpse into the fun they had that weekend.

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Back in May (yes, we’re very late with posting these photos!) we had the wonderful opportunity to visit a very sunny Scotland. We’d been preparing ourselves for lots of rain, but were pleasantly surprised to have such great weather. And, we had wonderful company as well. We were able to tie this visit in with Chuck and Marilyn’s visit to the UK, our friends Brett and Jenn were in Edinburgh at the time, and we even got to see an old friend whom we’d met on the Inca Trail in 2009!

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After living in Sevilla for close to two years and a few visits since we’ve left, I had yet to see Semana Santa in person – though Ross had seen one during his first stay in Sevilla in 2006. Maybe because we’d always heard that the city becomes a mad house and that it’s impossible to get anything done at that time, or because of Ross’s previous experience (having lived along a procession route), but we’d always found ourselves avoiding it. However, this past April, we decided it was a perfect opportunity to tackle Semana Santa head-on and combine the trip with a chance to visit some dear friends. We’re sure glad we did!

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At the end of March we headed north to Ireland. And while we didn’t find any leprechauns while we were there, what we did discover was incredibly magical.

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We are very lucky to have some amazing friends who live in Zurich. While we’ve enjoyed various memorable weekends with them throughout Europe, we’d yet to spend a weekend in their hometown! So, I took the chance in March to head up for a few days. And, I’m so very glad I did. The weather was wonderful, the sights were great and the company couldn’t have been better. I want to send a special thank you to Stef for hosting me and to both Stef and Marc for making me feel so welcome. I’m so glad to have seen Zurich through your eyes and experience and mostly to have the chance to visit with such amazing people.

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I also want to thank Marc for sharing his photos with me to help complete this post!

In 2006, on a whirlwind and wonderful tour of much of Italy, we spent just 8hrs in Rome. While it was a great taste, we both knew then it wasn’t nearly enough time. So in February, we decided to spend a week there at a bit slower pace. And that’s just what we did – bask in the sights, tastes and wonders of Rome. Yet, we both left feeling it still wasn’t enough time. We’ll definitely be back again someday.

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For the holidays this year we headed north to the Basque Country then east to the northern coast of Catalunya. We were welcomed with open arms, full hearts and lots of tradition. We will not soon forget the beautiful memories we created on this trip!

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We spent a few wonderful months in Mexico at the end of 2011. We started out in Merida, hoping to explore part of Mexico that isn’t inundated with tourists as well as get a better handle on the Mayan culture and heritage sites. Then we headed for the beaches of the Riviera Maya to enjoy the Caribbean. We even convinced our families to come visit – which wasn’t too tough a sale. We had a great time and created some fantastic memories while we were there.

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We want to send a special thanks to those who shared their photos with us for this post. We wouldn’t have been able to tell such a great story without them. And definitely wouldn’t have created such great memories without you!

This post would be more accurate if it were named “A Few Stops in the US and a couple of days in Vancouver”. But, that felt like too long a name – so you’ll have to forgive us for that. 

We had lots to do this summer back home, so much so that it required a couple of visits! During those visits we were able to catch up with family and dear friends (who are actually better described as family) as well as create some new memories together.

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We want to send a special thanks to those who shared their photos with us for this post. We wouldn’t have been able to tell such a great story without them. And definitely wouldn’t have created such great memories without you!