Meanwhile, Kirk made a trip to Rio de Janeiro for a week to watch a couple of the matches live. In between seeing Argentina beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1 and Chile knocking Spain out of the tournament 2-0, Kirk managed to squeeze in beach time at Ipanema and Leblon, whilst staying in Copacabana near the massive fan zone on the beach. He also made trips to the neighborhoods of Lapa and Santa Teresa for dinners and sight seeing.
Unfortunately two of the USA games were at midnight - though I did stay up for the first half of the first game (we won) and didn't manage to watch the 2nd game (ended in a tie) at all. Does wearing a USA scarf to bed count as supporting my team? I hope so!
Teia and I spent Father's Day together lounging around and dreaming about being in Brazil. Kirk soaked up the Brazilian sun while getting a massage and a lovely fake tattoo of the Cristo Redentor on his back - Happy Father's Day!
This month marked what would of been Indiana's 8th birthday and also when we put her down a year ago. We will always miss our Indy girl - she was a sweet dog with a big heart and a lot of spunk. On the exact day that we put Indiana down Teia woke up from her nap giggling like crazy. I like to believe she had a visit from our furry little friend.
Kirk's cousin Molly (just graduated from high school and will be heading to WSU in the fall) flew out for a 2 week visit starting in Holland and then Spain.
We also had a visit from our dear friends Karey and Jon. Karey, Jon and Molly rented bikes one day and got lost in the city. They managed their way through Vondel Park, Albert Cuyp Straat and around the 9 Straats. It wouldn't be a visit from the States if they didn't enjoy chocolate, stroopwafel, poffertjes, and finally a boat ride around the canals. Thanks for visiting us Karey and Jon and we hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in Europe!
Molly joined us on our week trip to Spain first starting off in Barcelona (where we stayed with the Larter's again). Since we were flying to Spain during the USA World Cup match we watched a recording of it when we arrived. Teia reunited with her buddy Dylan - otherwise known as "Duh Duh".
While in Barcelona, Kirk and Molly took a tour of the Sagrada Familia and walked around the city a bit while Teia and I stuck around the Larter's abode. After they were back Molly and I popped out to walk on the Passeig de Gracia for some shopping and iced tea!
That night we went to dinner at Mosquito (a sort of asian fusion tapas style feast). Our friend Grant (who would be joining us in our 2nd half of the Spain trip) met us for the evening too. Dinner was amazing and definitely a place I would love to return to. After bites we continued the evening at a random block party with live French rap and beers before finishing at Boca Chica - a bar known for its African Attitude cocktail and dancing in the bathroom - yes there is a dj booth right next to the stalls.
Then it was on to our next part of our Spain trip - Callela de Palafrugell where we were joined by our friends Melissa & Grant, and their boys, Reid & Blaine. This tiny beach town is a perfect getaway for families. Our rental house was about a 10 minute walk to the beach and there was lots to do - biking, running, swimming in the Mediterranean, shopping, and eating awesome paella which I ordered for almost every meal.
My favorite particular spot in Calella was Platja Port Pelegri - a tiny beach which provided us with an awesome view, soft sand, and an delicious restaurant where you could sit down and eat while the kiddos played along in the sand. Our rental house was equipped with a pool, bbq and ping pong table - making it easy to want to lounge around all day. Teia really enjoyed spending time with Reid and Blaine - digging around, playing with trains, reading, singing and dancing. We unfortunately couldn't find a way to watch the Netherlands beat Mexico in the final minutes of their match, but were happy that they won! As for US we fell short and lost to Belgium despite an amazing showing from our goalkeeper, Tim Howard.
It was a short stay but totally worth it - thanks for the awesome time Melissa, Grant, Reid and Blaine! After our trip to Spain, Jake and Annie-Rose rapped up their trip with one final night in Amsterdam. So we went to Pata Negra for dinner and sipped on Sangria while swapping stories of our recent travels. It was also Molly's last few days before heading back home and living up her summer before classes start at the end of August. Good luck at WSU next year.
One of Kirk's other cousins, Savannah, and boyfriend Austin, joined us for the second leg of our summer trip - this time in Provence. This was Savannah's second time visiting - she joined us last summer in Italy as well. Austin just graduated high school and will be attending UW in the fall, and Savannah will be at senior at Eastlake.
We flew into Nice and made the drive to Les Arcs where we were met by the Larters, Keyrouses, Derek and Ariel. Our home was amazing - the mansion sat on large plot of land and had everything - pool, field to play soccer, ping pong, large kitchen, dining, living space, our own bedrooms and bathrooms, and even a trampoline. It was easy to let the little ones run around all day. That evening we stayed in as a group and cooked steaks for dinner - a superb way to start off the week!
The next day we hung around the house, sat poolside, went for a jog, read, napped and enjoyed the sun. Then in the afternoon we hopped in the car and explored the area a bit.
Our next day trip was to Aix-en-Provence. Here we walked around the city center, grabbed some grub at a cafe on Cours Mirabeau and bought some local tasty treats called Calissons at confiserie Leonard Parli. Calissons are a traditional French treat made out of paste of candied fruit, almonds, and icing. It definitely reminded me of marzipan but sweeter. Most of the worlds supply is made in this area of Provence. While we sampled and picked out our calissons the store owner gave Teia her first lollipop ever - she was definitely pleased! In the evening the group went out for a lovely dinner at Lou Galoubet in Draguignan. Thanks for staying in and watching the kiddos, Savannah and Austin!
For our next drive we headed out to the Gorge du Verdon - considered one of the most beautiful canyons in Europe. The drive took about 2 hours and as we made our way back we stopped at honestly one of the prettiest lakes I have ever seen at the end of the Verdon River. Warm turquoise water and the hot sun made this stop worth it! We ended the night with the chef's menu at Le Relais Des Moines - a delicious restaurant near our house rental outside Les Arcs. That night the Netherlands played Argentina. We stayed up until overtime and found out the next morning the final outcome. Unfortunately the Netherlands were knocked out. Holland went on to play against Brazil for 3rd place (winning 3-0).
The next day we lounged around all morning and did a quick trip into town. In the city center of Les Arcs they have a little Carrousel. Teia absolutely loved the ride (her first one ever) - immediately crying for more! We ate some tasty crepes covered in nutella and bananas and even had gigantic churros. We washed down everything with a tasting at Chateau Font du Broc buying a couple bottles of wine to share with everyone back at the house. A game of Celebrity took place that evening with the ladies dominating the men!
The following day we drove to St. Tropez and spent the morning at Cap 21. This beautiful beach front club/restaurant was an excellent place to enjoy coffee, cover ourselves from the hot sun...and not. It was incredibly windy but absolutely breathtaking. We all enjoyed a yummy lunch before diving into the Mediterranean. The water was a bit 'sharp' - it took my breath away - but totally worth it! After that, Kirk, Savannah and Austin cruised around the town of St. Tropez for a little while. Taking in the vibe and checking out the billions of dollars worth of yachts in the marina!
For our final day we slept in, played a little 2v2 soccer, and then sat poolside while the fellas served us up tasty bites, pina coladas, and rose. Our last feast together was a team effort of creating a meal out of all the leftover food from the week. I really enjoyed sitting around the table together, laughing the drinking the night away!
It was a sad day when we left - we were so fortunate to experience this trip with lovely people in a beautiful home!
Before getting to the airport we swung into a neighboring beach town for a bit of a stroll and lunch on the beach front. A nice way to end our trip until we left my backpack (which had my laptop, phone, and wallet) in a parking lot. Lucky for us, after frantically leaving the airport to search the parking lot and calling my phone repeatedly, the French police answered my phone and indicated that my bag was turned in by a good citizen. We continued on to our flight and Kirk hopped in a cab to the station to retrieve our bag. It was a struggle to communicate and convince the officer that Kirk was the owner. She didn't understand that yes, the wallet had my name in it, but I was at the airport getting on our flight and that Kirk was my husband. You would think knowing my code for my phone and the photos of us together on the computer would be enough proof. She finally gave in and let Kirk take the bag and thankfully he made the flight back with us! Phew!!!!
