Tue - April 22, 2008
Wohelo! Just around the corner.
Last year at Wohelo, Emma didn't show up in many
pictures. Lots of time we saw the back of her head or the "Girls just wanna have
fun" effect that Brook experienced dancing in the Cyndi Lauper music
video.
We gave her a few pointers to help this year.
We gave her a few pointers to help this year.
The block - just get that other girl out of the
way!
The smother - no one else in this picture, only me!
The goose - no explanation required!
The smother - no one else in this picture, only me!
The goose - no explanation required!
Posted at 12:57 PM Read More
Tue - April 1, 2008
Windy days and time change
Today was really windy. I took this picture of the
highest peak in Andorra, Pic de Coma Pedrosa (2942m). I have been looking at the
snow blowing over the ridge most of the day.
Yesterday it snowed again. When we woke up, all the trees had snow on them. They looked really lovely. As usual, I left the house without my camera! We took the kids to school in the morning only to find the school yard empty. We went in only to find that the time had changed due to Daylight Savings time. So an hour behind schedule, the kids went to school.
Since a foot of snow had fallen (and was still falling) we headed up to Pal to ski. There was hardly anyone there and the snow was great! We skied for a few hours and went about doing all the things that we had put off to ski.
Yesterday it snowed again. When we woke up, all the trees had snow on them. They looked really lovely. As usual, I left the house without my camera! We took the kids to school in the morning only to find the school yard empty. We went in only to find that the time had changed due to Daylight Savings time. So an hour behind schedule, the kids went to school.
Since a foot of snow had fallen (and was still falling) we headed up to Pal to ski. There was hardly anyone there and the snow was great! We skied for a few hours and went about doing all the things that we had put off to ski.
Posted at 02:56 PM Read More
Sun - March 30, 2008
Skiing at Pal
On Wednesday the snow started to fall again. By
Thursday evening there was almost 3 feet of new snow on the ground. On Friday
Brook and I dropped the kids at school and headed up to Pal to ski. The snow was
great! Nothing like fresh snow! We started skiing at 9:30 and there was hardly a
sole on the mountain. The sun came out and we had a great morning skiing. At
10:30 and later the mountain got busier, and we had to wait a little to get on
the lifts, but not too long.
On Saturday we went back with the whole family. Brook skied with Erin and I skied with Emma and Eli. Just before the kids started school they went for a week of ski lessons. I had not seen them ski since before the very beginning of ski school. I was amazed at how both kids had taken to it. They did great! It was a wonderful day, and I we had great fun on the mountain.
Erin had a harder time, Brook took her on one little run then they hung around on near the cafe and waited for us. Sorry Brook!
On Saturday we went back with the whole family. Brook skied with Erin and I skied with Emma and Eli. Just before the kids started school they went for a week of ski lessons. I had not seen them ski since before the very beginning of ski school. I was amazed at how both kids had taken to it. They did great! It was a wonderful day, and I we had great fun on the mountain.
Erin had a harder time, Brook took her on one little run then they hung around on near the cafe and waited for us. Sorry Brook!
Posted at 03:25 PM Read More
Mon - March 24, 2008
Finding friends in Andorra
On March 12th while driving around, we
started to notice Andorran flags appearing on lamp posts and in shop windows. We
thought nothing of it, except we did notice people buying a lot more than usual
in the supermarket.
The next day, we drove down to Valle to take care of our daily shopping only to find the store closed. Not just that store, but every store. The only exceptions where the ski rental places and gas stations. With very little to eat in the house, no bread, and no wine we switched into panic mode. We headed for a gas station that we knew sold bread and wine and such, only to find that that part of the station was closed. We could buy gas but nothing else. The idea of leaving Andorra and heading to Spain or France crossed our mind, because we have never been in a place where Constitution day precludes the purchase of almost anything except for gas, ski gear and lift tickets.
We ended up eating dinner out at El Moli, where we go often and is in our town of Arinsal. Our waitress politely asked where we are from. Half joking I answered Uruguay! It was true that we had last lived in Uruguay and I took out my Cedula (residency permit) to prove the point. She took it and examined it then handed it back, and went about her business. A few minutes later she appeared again, and held up her cedula! Turns out she was from Salto an area in the North of Uruguay. She told us it was nice to meet someone from home. Her name was Anna and she had spent a month in Punta del Este a few years before.
As is the Uruguayan tradition, everyone gave her kisses on the cheek as we left the restaurant.
The next day, we drove down to Valle to take care of our daily shopping only to find the store closed. Not just that store, but every store. The only exceptions where the ski rental places and gas stations. With very little to eat in the house, no bread, and no wine we switched into panic mode. We headed for a gas station that we knew sold bread and wine and such, only to find that that part of the station was closed. We could buy gas but nothing else. The idea of leaving Andorra and heading to Spain or France crossed our mind, because we have never been in a place where Constitution day precludes the purchase of almost anything except for gas, ski gear and lift tickets.
We ended up eating dinner out at El Moli, where we go often and is in our town of Arinsal. Our waitress politely asked where we are from. Half joking I answered Uruguay! It was true that we had last lived in Uruguay and I took out my Cedula (residency permit) to prove the point. She took it and examined it then handed it back, and went about her business. A few minutes later she appeared again, and held up her cedula! Turns out she was from Salto an area in the North of Uruguay. She told us it was nice to meet someone from home. Her name was Anna and she had spent a month in Punta del Este a few years before.
As is the Uruguayan tradition, everyone gave her kisses on the cheek as we left the restaurant.
Posted at 02:08 PM Read More
Let it snow!
This is Friday
This is Sunday
This is Monday morning
We just had a foot of snow fall overnight. Our kids
went out to play on the patio. Unlike other places that we have lived, there is
no such thing as a snow day here. Nothing closes because of snow. The roads get
plowed as soon as the snow starts to stick.
Posted at 08:50 AM Read More
Tue - February 12, 2008
Did I say Mallorca?
Quick change of plan, we decided we would be better
served living in Andorra, a small principality on the Spanish French border in
the Pirañas. We leave in one
week.
We where having coffee while sitting in bed one morning. We had our tickets to fly to Mallorca on February 19th, Brook took out her handy dandy calendar that she had bought, that was in Brazilian. Brook has always liked having calendars so she can keep track of things. In the back where maps of Brazil, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. We flipped through to the map of Europe and stared at Mallorca. We wanted to figure out where the ferries went, and how far they had to travel to go to the mainland.
We saw a place marked on the map that I had never seen before. Andorra. It had the circle with yellow inside that marks a capital. What the heck is that?
It was the11th of February, we would fly out to Mallorca in 8 days. We started to look into Andorra, a small tax haven located on the boarder of Spain and France. It was established as a co principality between the countries in the 13th Century. It was a partial member of the European community. Compared to the beaches of Mallorca it was much different, but the tax relief and the free (Spanish) education would make day to day living much more doable.
The table started to turn on Mallorca. After only 2 days of research we elected to change our destination. QED – we move to Andorra!
Getting to Andorra was not so difficult, because we had booked tickets to New York for June of 2008 from Uruguay, we changed those tickets and flew to Santiago Chile, then to Madrid. We stayed in Madrid for one night, and left for Barcelona the next morning. We had gone to bed really early and woke up in the middle of the night because of the jetlag. When we eventually woke up, we only had 30 minutes to get to our bus to the Airport. We had to skip breakfast.
In Barcelona, we had booked on the bus that goes directly to Andorra from Barcelona airport. It took 3 hours to get to our hotel. I had turned on my GPS at the beginning of the bus ride and watched the direction and altitude as we headed to Valle, the capital of Andorra.
Posted at 02:08 PM Read More
Thu - February 7, 2008
Nice to have visitors
Someone comes and someone goes. Another
adventure!
Sarah from California is visiting us. Kind of a
surprise - as we have not heard from them for a few years, in any event it is
nice to have visitors.
On the other hand, we are moving to Mallorca in Spain in 2 weeks. That will be permanent. We will be 2 hours from almost anywhere in Europe. So here we go again.
Update - Sarah's boat had to resupply and ended up not stopping in Punta del Este after all.
On the other hand, we are moving to Mallorca in Spain in 2 weeks. That will be permanent. We will be 2 hours from almost anywhere in Europe. So here we go again.
Update - Sarah's boat had to resupply and ended up not stopping in Punta del Este after all.
Posted at 08:59 PM Read More
Sat
- February 2, 2008
This is the Beach in the High season
This is what the high season looks like I took this
picture in the first week of February. The busiest time is from the last week in
December through the first week in January. We had to paint the inside of our
house during that time as the painters we hired had gotten paint everywhere
(except where we wanted it - on the walls). By mid January we had finished and
moved into our new house.
Posted at 08:41 AM Read More
Thu - January 24, 2008
WTF? Here we go again!
After 4 months, we are on the move again... this
time to Mallorca in Spain
A week after our things arrived from the shippers,
we have already decided to move to Mallorca. We like Uruguay a lot, but we
wanted to move closer to my family. So, after 4 months here, we launch for Spain
on February 19th. We had booked flights to NY in June, but changed them to fly
to Mallorca in February. We are getting everything ready and will be on our way
again in less than a month.
Posted at 08:37 PM Read More
Sat
- December
8, 2007
The High Season is about to begin
Punta del Este is a vacation destination for many
South Americans. The Summer season starts right after
Christmas.
Two days ago the traffic lights near the Punta
started to flash. Yesterday I was stopped by a light on the Rambla for the first
time. Restaurants that have been closed since we got here are starting to open.
The blinds, sealed tight on many apartments are starting to be opened and
cleaning people are preparing everything for the property owners
return.
Punta del Este in the off season is only 30% occupied. It should be very interesting to see it when its in full swing.
Punta del Este in November
Punta del Este in the off season is only 30% occupied. It should be very interesting to see it when its in full swing.
Punta del Este in November
Posted at 09:06 AM Read More
Thu - December
6, 2007
At last!
My desktop computer is finally here and I can post
again
After spending 7 weeks stored in a customs
warehouse, I finally got my computer. I have been using my laptop for the past 2
months, and you cant imagine how nice it is to have my desktop back
again.
So we are now living in Punta del Este in Uruguay. We are enjoying the onset of the summer. We have bought a car, a house, and are more or less set up. We are having the house painted inside before we move in. That will happen as soon as we close, and that happens in a few day. It is pretty likely that we will have christmas in the new house. Kind of like the first post on this blog!
So we are now living in Punta del Este in Uruguay. We are enjoying the onset of the summer. We have bought a car, a house, and are more or less set up. We are having the house painted inside before we move in. That will happen as soon as we close, and that happens in a few day. It is pretty likely that we will have christmas in the new house. Kind of like the first post on this blog!
Posted at 06:14 AM Read More
Sat
- December
1, 2007
Life in Punta del Este
Punta del Este is a tourist destination in
the summer time, just like Friday Harbor (we live in Punta del Este, as
it’s in the Southern Hemisphere it is now summer here). The difference is
that the high season starts right after Christmas and ends in late February. The
number of tourists and those with summer homes here is also a lot higher. About
75% of apartments near the beach have been closed up until just recently, when
cleaners and gardeners are busy preparing them for the return of the summer
residents.
Another thing that happens around this time of year is
the busting of the tax evaders. At the start of the busiest time of year, the
local restaurants have been temporarily closed, with the windows covered with
stickers showing the business owners have been playing fast and loose with the
tax code. After being closed for a few days, during a big tourist weekend
everything is back to normal, the stickers are gone and its business as
usual.
The relentless promotion of the Christmas season that had
started in America in late September has still not happened here. I am holding
my breath. Seeing snow scenes and Santa’s sled doesn’t jive with the
actual season here. Halloween was an indicator of what was to come, everyone
waited until the day before Christmas before getting serious about shopping.
As is typical, a social aspect to Christmas shopping is important.
Meeting people that you know while out shopping and exchanging greetings
accompanied by the traditional kiss on the cheek is par for the course.
Christmas eve takes on a South American twist in that Everyone cooks dinner on
the BBQ and waits until midnight then set off a ton of fireworks before opening
gifts.
Uruguayans
and those from Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay all enjoy a traditional barbeque
called Parilla (pronounced parija). It is a family event that happens mostly on
Sundays and special occasions such as Christmas and new years. Friends and
family collect around a specially designed barbeque area that is either close
to, or part of the house. The process of “parilla” takes hours.
First you light the wood, then the fire has to get going so that
the embers fall from the cage that holds the wood. Then you cook the meat. Most
invitations for such events start at 8:30 or later. You may not eat until 11pm
or midnight. We have still not gotten used to the late dinners.
Our first invitation to a parilla was for 8:30pm when our younger
kids start going to bed. Fortunately the host was from Rhode Island, but had
lived here for over 10 years. He understood our needs and changed the time to
6pm. It was lovely. He and his girlfriend, their 3 kids (who arrived and walked
around the table kissing everyone on the cheek) and his Mother and Father hosted
a delightful evening including Chorizo, short ribs and a selection of salads.
The addition of Scotch and “Tannat” the local grape varietals
of red wine kept the event true to the Uruguayan way. At the end of the evening
we exchanged phone number with the parents, and promised to do it all again.
Unlike in the US, people in Uruguay don’t walk around with
to-go cups of coffee. Instead they have a gorde, that is encased in leather with
a silver rim and a straw for their Yerba Matte, and to keep the drink going they
all carry a thermos under the crook of the arm that they carry the gorde
in.
There is a whole isle in the supermarket for different types of
matte and nothing else. It is not exclusive to Uruguay, but Uruguay consumes
more matte than any other country in South America. I tried it, it looks like
lawn clippings in a cup and tastes a bit like it too. It is somewhat
interesting, enough for me to buy a cup and make it from time to
time.
Uruguayans
and those from Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay all enjoy a traditional barbeque
called Parilla (pronounced parija). It is a family event that happens mostly on
Sundays and special occasions such as Christmas and new years. Friends and
family collect around a specially designed barbeque area that is either close
to, or part of the house. The process of “parilla” takes hours.
First you light the wood, then the fire has to get going so that
the embers fall from the cage that holds the wood. Then you cook the meat. Most
invitations for such events start at 8:30 or later. You may not eat until 11pm
or midnight. We have still not gotten used to the late dinners.
Our first invitation to a parilla was for 8:30pm when our younger
kids start going to bed. Fortunately the host was from Rhode Island, but had
lived here for over 10 years. He understood our needs and changed the time to
6pm. It was lovely. He and his girlfriend, their 3 kids (who arrived and walked
around the table kissing everyone on the cheek) and his Mother and Father hosted
a delightful evening including Chorizo, short ribs and a selection of salads.
The addition of Scotch and “Tannat” the local grape varietals
of red wine kept the event true to the Uruguayan way. At the end of the evening
we exchanged phone number with the parents, and promised to do it all again.
Unlike in the US, people in Uruguay don’t walk around with
to-go cups of coffee. Instead they have a gorde, that is encased in leather with
a silver rim and a straw for their Yerba Matte, and to keep the drink going they
all carry a thermos under the crook of the arm that they carry the gorde
in.
There is a whole isle in the supermarket for different types of
matte and nothing else. It is not exclusive to Uruguay, but Uruguay consumes
more matte than any other country in South America. I tried it, it looks like
lawn clippings in a cup and tastes a bit like it too. It is somewhat
interesting, enough for me to buy a cup and make it from time to
time.Posted at 03:22 PM Read More
Thu - November 1, 2007
Impressions of Uruguay
So we bought a car not long ago, this is how
you do it in Uruguay. You go to the bank and get the cash you need. This is done
more or less the same way as Las Vegas, only they are more anal about the whole
process here. The money that we took to the car dealer was in cash, with. big
wads of $10k each and small ones of $1k each. Cars here are very expensive, but
no one blinks an eye at when you drop this kind of cash on their
desk.
The teller opened her drawer,
and found she was a bit light on dollars at the time. No matter a quick visit to
the vault and here you go. In the interest of secrecy, they gave me a giant pink
envelope with "Banco de Republic Y Uruguay" on it.
So with a pink
bundle with the national banks name on it the size of a brick bulging in my
pocket, I left the bank and headed home. After all the dealer didn't open for
another couple of hours. I think walking to a US car dealer with cash would
cause a second degree terrorist alert!
We had some wicked wind the
past few days. The surf was wild and the tide was super high. Some trees blew
down and the temperature dropped a lot (50f) some trees blew over and closed a
couple of streets, but not much of that.
The surf almost engulfed
the entire beach.
When
the storm was over the beach had been reshaped and was a simple flat plane
sloping down to the water. Now the temperature is heading back to the 80's and
90's.
This
is the same area a day later - without the wind. The surf is over 100 feet back
from where it was and the waves are more or less gone. Punta del Este is the
collection of buildings that are above the water on the right. The taller ones
closer by are condos.
Hey check out our new house, We close in a
month! Its 4 bedrooms and 5 baths, but the rooms are small.
We
need to paint the inside other than that its under a 10 year warranty by the
architect (required by law in Uruguay), it has a pool, but the pool and house
are not nearly as big as the ones we had. A lot different from our old house but
thats fine for us.
When
the storm was over the beach had been reshaped and was a simple flat plane
sloping down to the water. Now the temperature is heading back to the 80's and
90's.
This
is the same area a day later - without the wind. The surf is over 100 feet back
from where it was and the waves are more or less gone. Punta del Este is the
collection of buildings that are above the water on the right. The taller ones
closer by are condos.
Hey check out our new house, We close in a
month! Its 4 bedrooms and 5 baths, but the rooms are small.
We
need to paint the inside other than that its under a 10 year warranty by the
architect (required by law in Uruguay), it has a pool, but the pool and house
are not nearly as big as the ones we had. A lot different from our old house but
thats fine for us.
Posted at 03:24 PM Read More
How we ended up in Uruguay
2 years and 8 months later........
Christmas at our new house!
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Published On: May 06, 2008 09:27 AM
Published On: May 06, 2008 09:27 AM