It seems that summer has arrived!

Playing in the fountain after dinner

My first indicator of the season? All the expat families are gone. I really think I may have been the only one at my French school today. Not the only one in my class (also true) but the only one period. The international school let out last Friday, and most seem to have gone back to where they came from (literally).

Baby K and I aren't too far behind them, as we leave for the US in just a few days. We're excited to go and can't wait to see everyone. Six months is a really long time to be away from everyone you love. And I know there are people who only see their families once a year or once every few years, but that's just not me. The questions I get here are: are you ready- Yes; are you packed- No. Am I ready for a 10-hour flight with a mobile Baby K? Not sure, but it's coming regardless.

Celebrating Father's Day

Another indicator that summer has finally arrived is the weather, of course, which has been beautiful. Finally we've had a period with little to no rain and lots of sunshine. Apparently there's also a heat wave coming to Switzerland later this week, with temps hovering in the low to mid-30s (think 90-95 F). This is nice until you remember that pretty much no one has air conditioning over here. Like I said, luckily we're headed for the States in a few days and will be enjoying climate controlled everything.

The playground's a whole new place when you can walk!

We've been trying to get out and really enjoy the weather. This weekend was a particularly active one, as we ran a little over three miles on Saturday morning, then rented bikes on Sunday morning. And yes, we're always doing something or going somewhere in our life over here. This weekend was good as well, because Baby K has started napping for around three hours in the afternoon on a pretty regular basis, and seeing as our weekend days start around 7, BK and I have no qualms about napping when she does on the weekend. It's awesome.

BK and Baby K ready to ride!

Our family bike ride was good, until we pushed it a little too far with Baby K. We rode about 12 miles along the lake, stopping on our way back to let her play at a playground. After that she was not interested in having anything to do with her helmet. And BK was not so keen on letting her cry on the back of his bike. We also didn't realize that she wasn't feeling 100 percent that morning, probably as a result of happily sharing her cup and eating off of everyone else's plates at playgroup on Friday.

A quick stop at the playground

She's such a trooper that sometimes we just don't realize. So the end of our ride was spent walking along the lakes with the bikes; sometimes Baby K was walking, and sometimes she rode in the seat. Tears were involved, but we all survived and made a nice recovery thanks to the nap.

Enjoying our terrace

The days are really long here, so around 9pm can still feel like the middle of the day (not to mention that it gets light around 4:30am). BK and I have been spending our evenings on the terrace enjoying the weather and the views, trying to take it all in. I'm not sure if we ever take it for granted, but one thing is for sure, it never gets old.

That's all for now. I haven't had a random post in a while, so I figured, why not? BK and I are off to stand-up-paddle-board tonight for our weekly Tuesday night date-night. Fun times on Lac Leman! Can't wait to see many of you soon!

I see Gaudi and think gaudy...

Exterior of Sagrada Familia

Sorry, I know it's totally cheesy, but I couldn't help myself, and it's very much what I think about his work too. If you're not familiar with Gaudi, he is a Catalan (Spanish) architect that practiced modernism and was influenced by architecture, nature, and religion in his works.

BK and Baby K at Casa Mila

Barcelona has so many modernist buildings, but the funny thing is that most architects that follow this style, insist they don't have a "style", which is maybe what unites the whole movement. But, Barcelona's wide open streets and numerous squares make a great atmosphere for some really different looking buildings. We saw lots of them, so I thought I would share.

Casa Batllo

Casa Batllo
Casa Batllo is probably one of the most recognizable buildings in Barcelona. I personally find the building interesting looking, but don't really like the design. It kind of looks like it was designed to resemble a skeleton, and reminds me of some of the crypts we've been to see in old churches that are built out of human bones (yes, it's as weird as it sounds). Supposedly it was designed with a dragon in mind, which also makes sense. We didn't go inside of this one, but as it is on the Block of Disagreement, we did stop to compare all three buildings.

Casa Milo

Casa Milo
We did go and visit Casa Milo (La Pedrera), as it was highly recommended by our tour guide. It is well worth the trip. I don't think it's as popular as Casa Batllo, so we were able to walk right in when they opened at 9:00. For me, all of Gaudi's buildings seem like they are flowing, as they all have very curvy features. For some reason, most of his buildings make me think of Alice in Wonderland, like you're in some kind of distorted world or something.

Casa Milo rooftop

Casa Milo was really interesting to see, and Gaudi and his family actually lived in this building and rented the other apartments out. I liked how there were windows everywhere, as the middle of the building is open. Baby K specifically liked climbing on all the stairs that are on the roof. She wasn't into letting BK and I listen to the audio guide, so hopefully we didn't miss anything too crucial.

In the Nature Square

Park Guell
Park Guell is interesting, but I say that mostly because it's a bit strange to me that we had to pay to get into the park, be there at a certain time, and there honestly wasn't all that much to see. We're not talking about an amusement park or anything, it's a park, with the non-paid park being a public park, as in green space.

Porter's Lodge Pavilion at entrance

I get it though, the area you pay to get into has a number of architectural and sculptural works by Gaudi. There are a few houses (our guide referred to them as Hansel and Gretel), the Dragon Stairway, Hypostyle Room (meant to be a market), and viaducts.

Hypostyle Room

The design is really remarkable and has the signature curvy, whimsical look of Gaudi. I will say, he was way before his time in repurposing items, as all of the tiles in the wall are made from broken dishes, champagne bottles, and other glassware. Even though it's not the best thing we saw, it's definitely worth a visit if you are in Barcelona.

Exterior of Sagrada Familia, still under construction

Sagrada Familia
I saved the best (in my opinion) for last: Sagrada Familia. This is seriously one of the most amazing buildings I have ever seen. I say that knowing it's pretty significant considering the number of places and things we've seen together while living abroad, and before. But, I would say this ranks up there with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. It's that incredible.

Entrance into the temple

The one side that is completed almost looks like everything is dripping. I think it is inspired by gothic cathedrals, but has a completely different look. I don't really like the outside, because for me, it looks undone and sloppy, but I get that it's supposed to reflect nature, and nature doesn't have straight, proper lines.

Nave of the temple

But it's the inside of the temple that really blows you away, I mean, it took my breath away. It has clean lines and everything is so grand, but also so simple.

Baby K just wanted to wander around

And then there's the stained glass windows and light in the building. The stained glass windows project all kinds of beautiful colors on the walls. There is no artificial light to highlight the structure, it's all natural...and amazing. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

You absolutely have to see it, as my descriptions and pictures cannot describe what you see in person. Like many churches in Europe it's under construction and will supposedly be finished by 2026, 100 years after Gaudi's death. Right now you can only really see two of the exterior sides of the church, as the other two are still being built. The one opposite the dripping side is super modern with sharp, clean lines.

I loved this building and would love to go back if BK and I ever visit Barcelona again, hopefully after it's finished.

So there you have it, my short take and thoughts on the various Gaudi buildings we saw in Barcelona. One other strange thing, there are no Gaudi buildings outside of Spain, so you'll have to make a trip if you want to see one in person. Hopefully you will!

Sunny, beautiful Barcelona

Square in the Gothic Quarter

Barcelona is beautiful! We had beautiful weather while we were there and incredible architecture surrounds you all the time. Initially we planned to go for a long weekend, but then BK decided to do a visit to the office in Barcelona, so we extended our trip a few more days. Barcelona has been on our list for quite a while, and this trip also just happened to be to celebrate our TENTH wedding anniversary!!  

Way back in the day

Our first day there BK headed off to work, so Baby K and I ventured out to explore a few things on our own. We stayed at Hotel Claris, which is in a great location, just one block off of Passage de Gracia. We had a leisurely morning (but not too much, as mornings with her start around 7), made our way to a small cafe for breakfast, and then went down to the Barcelona Zoo.

Barcelona's Arc de Triomf

If you only have a couple of days in Barcelona you can skip the zoo, but it's something that I wanted to do with Baby K. She's been to the Fort Worth Zoo before, but when she was much younger, so this time was fun because she was actually engaged and looking around at animals. The zoo is nice, and gave Baby K a chance to walk around some and play during the day. We stayed for a few hours, then knowing that we would be out and about the next few days, went back to the hotel so Baby K could get a good, long nap.

Up close and personal with the penguins

Baby K and I spent the rest of the afternoon poolside, then enjoyed tapas for dinner with BK. Thankfully our hotel had a rooftop terrace with a bar and restaurant, so after Baby K went down for the night, we turned the monitor on in the room and headed upstairs to enjoy the rest of the evening.

Tapas, tapas and more tapas

The next day was our actual anniversary and also the day that I booked our eight hour walking tour. Yes, I know, it sounds like a lot of walking, and it was, but it's how we like to see the places we visit.

Okay, this was a short one, but I think I may break Barcelona up into a couple of different posts, as I have a ton of pictures to share, and we saw a lot of stuff on our all-day tour that I want to tell about. Get ready for some very gaudy Gaudi!

An update on our ol' boy

The cone makes his ear stand up weird like that

We've been keeping our family updated on this ongoing saga, but for those of you who don't know, Tanner was diagnosed with diabetes just before Christmas. I'm sure I mentioned it in one (or a few) of the posts around that time, most likely because I was severely disturbed by the amount of weight he lost while we were in the US (yes, there is guilt here) and he was at the kennel. Anywho, all that said, the Tan Man has carried on, recovered from the drastic weight loss and carried on with life. Sort of.

For such a small and active dog, I'm not sure how he can have such high sugar. It usually takes about a month to regulate the sugar and get it to where you (the vet) wants it to be. Not for us though...in April we were still struggling with why Tanner's sugar was so high. His fructose readings were completely normal, which baffled the vet, because his glucose was so high. To give you an idea, 4 to 8 is a normal reading, and Tanner's was 33.

So we did lots of trying things out, changing things around, and consulting with other professionals, until the vet was finally satisfied that his sugar was stable. The only problem is that his sugar is not as low as normal, but they've now decided that the low for him is "his normal" and will do.

In the meantime, while all of this testing and what not was going on, Tanner went blind. I say in the meantime, but in reality, he went blind within a couple of weeks of being diagnosed with diabetes. It is a really sad thing to see, as he was bumping into, falling off of, and heading straight for anything he didn't realize was in his way. His eyes are completely cloudy and you know he literally can't see anything. If you call his name, he looks up and in your general direction, but he definitely isn't making eye contact with you. He will totally run right into your leg if you're walking past him- something I was not used to.

So, we decided we could fix at least one of these problems and decided it was worth it for Tanner to have cataract surgery. We're about three weeks out now, and we're not quite sure what the result is.

As per most things, they do things a bit differently here than in the US. In Switzerland, if a dog has cataract surgery it means the doctor will go in and clean out the cataract in one eye (which eye depends on how the vet is feeling that day- for Tanner it's his right) and the lens in the eye is not replaced. He will still be able to see, just not perfectly. His sweet spot now is probably 10 to 12 feet away. He can "see" other stuff, just not clearly.

In the US, on the other hand, they would have removed both cataracts and replaced his lenses with new ones. He would have been able to see perfectly (by dog standards) almost instantly. The thing with the surgery is that it's not a life-saving surgery. It's a quality of life surgery. In Switzerland, they go with the most practical and least complicated operation. Whereas, in the US, it seems that they go with the most expensive? Maybe I've been over here longer than I realize and am starting to buy into the thinking...

Big cone; little body

So what is Tan up to these days, you might wonder? Pretty much the same thing as before, which is a bit infuriating. When we brought him home from the operation, we quickly realized we now just had a blind dog with a cone around his head, as it takes 10 to 12 days for their sight to come back. This was hard to watch as he stumbled around the place he had finally learned, now that he had "la protection" around his head.

10 days later we were able to take the cone off and still aren't sure of the results. He definitely does not run straight into things like he used to. He does, however, almost run into stuff, then take a last minute turn to veer away from whatever the obstacle is. Progress, considering I could not take him on a walk before surgery, as he would run right into a light pole with no second thought about where he was going.

How he spends most days, now without a cone

So that pretty much brings us to now. Tan is still recovering and (hopefully) getting better each day. BK and I have to remind ourselves to be patient with him, as he is relearning lots of things in his environment. The thing that is killing me is the lack of sleep at night. This is not a blind thing, but goes back to the diabetes. Something has gotten off, and now he is back to waking numerous times per night. The locals here always comment, "Like the baby." Um, no, Baby K has been sleeping through the night since she was three months old. I can't handle the dog not sleeping.

Wish us luck. Hopefully we make more progress in the coming weeks and Tan becomes more agile and healthy. We've changed his diet a bit to see if that may help the sugar issue as well. We'll see; here's to hoping for more better days in his old age!