Hindsight is 2020, Part Three

“Self–care is how you take your power back.”
Lalah Delia.

A few years ago, I was on an audit just outside of Barcelona. It was a big international trip and the logistics were so complex I had to keep a spreadsheet of cities, hotels, number of people and who was in my company vs. a joining company. Ten working days, six audits, six countries… good times.

One of the benefits of traveling for work is that you get glimpses of areas you would want to explore more or go back to one day. During that trip, we stayed at an Eco Resort, https://www.massalagros.com/ecoresort/. A part of our stay including an amazing tasting dinner at their restaurant, 1497. https://www.massalagros.com/gastronomia/. During this time, I had the most amazing lamb that I have ever had in my life. I half-joked that I would marry that lamb.

As we departed Girona; Chris and I both had a lot on our minds. We had learned that his grandmother had suffered a brain hemorrhage, and had surgery. At first the recovery process was looking positive. After talks with the family in the US, it was decided to wait a few days before making the flight back to the US.

We left Girona to reach the Mas Salagros resort in Vallromanes. Mentally tired from processing everything going on in the US, this resort was a blessing to return to for pleasure and not business. The Ecoresort has fantastic touches in the rooms such as a bathtub with a view, and intricate architecture and touches such as arches and stained glass. The last time I was in this beautiful place, I encountered a magnificent sunset, and this evening was no exception!

So, let’s talk about your memories of food for a moment. That lamb many years ago, really set the precedence for how I believe lamb should be prepared. My coworkers and I have spoken about it many times since eating there years ago. Would it be as amazing as I thought? Let’s break it down quite simply. When I eat food that I love or have a passion for, I typically try to take a photo. Although I managed to get photos of the rest of our meal, I was so excited for the lamb, my photo was blurred. However, I can tell you after speaking with the chef, understanding the 48 hour slow cooked lamb and preparation, it was so tender, juicy, and simply exquisite. I am married, but yes, I would still marry that lamb. ;).

Another hindsight 2020 moment was the lack of allowing enough time to fully enjoy Mas Salagros, as we stayed just one night and were off to the final destination of our holiday journey, one of my favorite places on Earth, the Gran Son Net Hotel in Puigpunyent, Mallorca.

We got a decent night’s sleep, checking in on the family in the US before deciding to continue on. We started our journey early in the morning, There aren’t many major airlines that fly from Barcelona to Mallorca. We flew Vueling and another it’s a small world reminder occurred. On our flight, were many of the musicians and the conductor/maestro from the Opera and ballet we saw in Barcelona. As we deplaned we had an opportunity to thank him for the performance which is always a good feeling. Artists and musicians always give so much to the world- it’s great to be able to personally thank them.

We collected our luggage, Chris’s bike, grabbed the rental car and off we went. We made a short pit stop at a grocery store to buy some water and snacks for the trip for hiking/ biking. Chris unpacked his bike and off he went for his first ride on the island. I drove to as I have mentioned one of my favorite hotels in the world… the Gran Son Net Hotel in Puigpunyent. There are a few places in this world where I immediately feel at home. This place is in the top five of my bliss zones. There is pure raw beauty of the landscape, the amazing hotel and staff, and the outdoor activities are endless. From hiking, biking, meditating, and relaxing, I can get my balance with euphoria.

“It’s filled with magic that’s how I know if something’s real.”
Nikki Rowe

There’s a lot to be said about staying in places where the staff treat you like family. That is the mind set of the feel since we first stepped on the grounds of the Gran Son Net hotel. Picture this- you feel as comfortable as you ever have with your family or friends, and you are treated like royalty. That’s the beauty and magic of the Gran Son Net. Mallorca is known to be an amazing cycling and hiking destination. In the busy season, we have heard it is very crowded. There’s something extra special about visiting during off-season meant easy opportunities to have a belated second anniversary dinner in the same amazing location of the first. So we spent our first days hiking, biking and exploring to our hearts content.

As we each explored to our hearts content, soaking up the beauty of this island,Unfortunately, back home the tides had changed. and things were looking quite different for Chris’s grandma. We were able to enjoy our belated 2nd anniversary dinner in our favorite treehouse in the world.

In a scurry of logistics arrangements, we worked to get Chris off the island of Mallorca back to Barcelona and onto Denver. The best route we could find put him in the US on the 6th Jan. He left the beautiful oasis of Mallorca on the 5th, flew that evening to Barcelona, and spent the next few hours in a crappy hotel before making the flight from Barcelona-Frankfurt-Denver. Due to some wifi issues in our secluded part of the hotel, they kindly switched me to one of the most old world amazing suites in the main part of the hotel, as I would finish out our stay before traveling back. This was quite an experience, and I enjoyed having this unique time. I visited my favorite local restaurant in town, The Rose after dropping Chris off for his flight. This family run establishment is simply exquisite. There is nothing “fancy” about it- again they just want you to feel at home. The owner immediately asked where Chris was at when she saw I was dining alone, and gave me a free meal due to the circumstances. I guess comfort food includes potatoes made two ways! It was such an act of unexpected kindness and reminded me that:

Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change
Bob Kerrey

The flights were too expensive to change for both of us. My last days in Mallorca were spent arranging all my logistics, Airbnb, work situations, rental cars, flowers for the funeral, making sure Tela was taken care of, and rescheduling my infusion.

My last two days in this magical paradise, gave me time for reflection, grieving, meditation, and planning for logistics. The magic is undeniable. My undying love for this oasis, will live in me forever, and I hope to continue to be blessed to visit, explore, connect with the people and the culture of Puigpunyent, Mallorca.

And so that concludes the trilogy of our Spanish holiday; and the three part blog series of Hindsight is 2020. Although the year did not begin as we hoped, I am grateful for the time, flexibility, love and light in this world. Next stop up Colorado for family, friends, and celebrating the life of a wonderful grandma, mother, and woman. As the day I post this on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day, I end the blog with a picture of my last sunrise at the Gran Son, and one of my favorite quotes.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Welcome to 2020, Where Hindsight is Still 20/20 Part 1

The end of 2019 was a bit of a whirlwind for us. Chris and I both battled some cold/ virus for a few weeks leaving energy quite low to accomplish all the tasks to be completed. I had work travels to the Netherlands and Norway back to back and a big infusion appointment. But there was light at the end of the tunnel. Many months ago, we had set aside time for a big Christmas/Anniversary/New Years celebration holiday in Spain. We would relax, exercise, eat, live, love and live life to the fullest.

Our adventure started on 22 December, all packed for a few weeks; Tela on the farm settled in, and Chris kept humming “Today was a Good Day”. We checked into the Zurich airport hotel and then headed over to Theatre 11 where we attended the musical, The Book of Mormon. Should you be unfamiliar, it is not for the easily offended, but truly was an afternoon of laughs with some shock and awe mixed in.

The New York Times calls it ‘The best musical of this century.’ The Washington Post says, ‘It is the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals.’ And Entertainment Weekly raves, ‘Grade A: the funniest musical of all time.” It’s The Book of Mormon, the nine-time Tony Award and four-time Olivier winning Best Musical.

This outrageous musical comedy from creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Bobby Lopez co-writer of Avenue Q and Frozen, follows the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent on a mission to a place that’s about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get. Now with sold out productions in London, on Broadway, North America, Melbourne and Sydney, The Book of Mormon has become a worldwide sensation.

After many laughs, quoting some songs and parts of the play, we ran out in the rain to catch another train- this time, we were in search of one of my most missed food delicacies, southern fried chicken. I had stumbled upon Yard Bird https://www.yardbird.ch/ in my constant search for my favorite comfort foods in Switzerland, and this one did not disappoint. The name alone suggested an understanding of fried chicken. When we walked into the establishment we were greeted with a neon sign that said, “Today was a good day”. Cue up the twilight zone music as Chris was randomly singing this earlier in the day…. But on to the food. We ordered an appetizer of Crispy Chicken Skins …buttermilk braised chicken skins served with a homemade hot sauce & thyme. This alone brought on all the feels of growing up in North Carolina. Next we ordered a variety- the Nashville Hot …the pearl of Nashville is their hot of sauce, so it’s time to turn up the heat! tossed in homemade hot sauce and the American Dream … tossed in a homemade glaze of honey, bacon, chipotle & rosemary. So I have to say, I was indeed a very happy camper, the music selection took Chris and I both back to days of rap songs and music we hadn’t heard in ages. We learned the story of the establishment was two Swiss brothers that fell in love with American cuisine, and studied bbq, fried chicken and tacos- and have since opened establishments in Zurich. What a welcomed learning for my home food cravings– indeed that day was a good day.

We made it back to the airport hotel, checked our bags and Chris’s bike, and were up for our early morning flight to Barcelona! Since we were spending Christmas in a foreign city in a hotel room, it was important to me to choose somewhere special to celebrate. After much deliberation, I picked the El Palace Hotel. The service, festivities, and location made it easy to spend our three days in Barcelona seeing all the to do’s on our list, eating great food, and still managing to exercise. The El Palace Hotel is really a world class European charming hotel. From the top hat doorman, to the friendly staff willing to help you with anything, they always made sure to go the extra mile. Each night, chocolates were placed in our room and there were Christmas gifts waiting for us under the tree in our room on Christmas morning. We celebrated Christmas Eve dinner with a special meal, and then on Christmas Day after exercising and exploring, we attended a fantastic Strauss Festival Orchestra, joined here by the Soprano and the Ballet Ensemble in the intricate Opera House.

Color in certain places has the great value of making the outlines and structural planes seem more energetic.
Antoni Gaudi

One of my most desired places to visit in Barcelona was the SaGrada Familia house and all the works of Gaudi. Although I had always been intrigued by the unique genius of his architectural design, to see his work in person is something I will never forget. A creator who pushed the boundaries of architecture by using color and never ending innovation was truly a magnificent beauty to behold. I can go on an on, but at the risk of being too verbose, will just say that his work, use of lines, light, and stained glass is the most beautiful architecture I have ever seen in my life; and I am not sure it can get much better for me personally. Out of all the amazing eye candy, history, culture and food, Gaudi’s work was my favorite, and I was completely enthralled and enchanted.

Basílica de la Sagrada Família

Casa Batlló- Magical Space in Time

Sea and Sand and a glimpse of the food!

As mentioned, the food in Barcelona was amazing- from traditional cuisine to satisfying urges of tacos, we made sure to taste it all. Chris was able to ride his bike although it is not the easiest place to quickly escape the city. (Barcelona along with other parts of the Spanish holiday confirmed that I am not a fan of scooters, mopeds, or the people I experienced driving them with little regard for anyone’s safety). I do not have a counter for how much walking I did, but I did get some good runs and hikes in around local parks and down to the ocean. All in all, with the time we had available in Barcelona, I was very happy with this first leg of our Spanish holiday, with memories to last a lifetime.

“If happiness is the goal – and it should be, then adventures should be top priority.”
– Richard Branson

Thanks for joining part one- more to come on Hindsight 20/20

New experiences in Switzerland, That’s Life…One more Saturday Night

Time flies, and life has been moving at its usual lightning fast pace. Since we have relocated to Switzerland, we have not been to the movies. I was a frequent movie goer in my younger years, and have always enjoyed a trip to the movies. We started last Saturday evening on a double date with an American colleague and his wife, driving just south of Bern to a huge theater complex.

The set-up was impressive, yet of course carrying the CHF price you must accept for living here. First off, there was the movie theater…so maybe in big cities in the USA this type of movie theater setup could be commonplace, and living in the small town of Steamboat Springs has left me a bit in the dark. With that being said, I was overwhelmed by the concessions, it was all there for the taking, from the usual wares of candy, real food offerings, beer and wine, complete with real wine glasses, and of course as Swiss culture would require it a place to recycle or return your wine glasses.

The theater had several floors including a bar/bowling alley, a birch tree filled restaurant which had a great valued meal, burgers, vegan burgers, or specialty burgers with your choice of bread, salad, or several different pomme frites. The birch tree eatery, also reminded me of just how small this world is, after all. When we entered this eatery, for a pre-movie snack, our waitress advised she was going to be studying next semester at my graduate school alma mater, Appalachian State University in Boone, NC! I gave a few exchanges about how special the place is, my love for the Blue Ridge Mountains, Boone and the Parkway, and left with a big smile and reservations later for a full dinner.

Because I am always a kid at heart one of my favorite bonuses of this theater was the tunnel slide to descend from the upper floor to the lower floor. Another huge plus to movies in Switzerland- there is a 10 minute intermission. So if you usually are holding your bladder, like me and don’t want to get up to miss a minute of what you have paid for, not a problem. Indeed this set-up made me very happy.

We had heard lots of chatter about the movie “Joker”, but also had been careful to avoid any spoilers. I must say I am thrilled we were able to experience seeing this film in IMAX. You may ask why I was hesitant to see a movie abroad? I worried I would be distracted due to the French and German subtitles. Not only did I find this completely non-distracting, I found myself reading the German and picking out phrases that we have been studying in our lessons. Double win!

So I won’t give any spoilers, about “Joker” but I will give my opinion. If Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t receive an Oscar for that performance, I’m certain that I will lose faith in that organization too. This film although very dark, and disturbing, exhibited some of the best cinematography, character development, and evoked a deep connection and perspective for the origin of the Joker. Anytime a movie is on my mind longer than a day post watching, that says something. I’m not sure I would ever need or want to watch it again, but it was truly a work of art.

Otherwise, life is as good as you choose to make it, so much has happened, and so many exciting things are in front of me before the close of 2019: work trips to the Netherlands, Norway, and then a long Christmas and New Years holiday in Spain.

We have enjoyed a wonderful fall season and Halloween celebrating with friends and neighbors. I am super grateful that for the past few months I have been running quite religiously early in the mornings with Tela and averaging around 20 miles per week. Keep smiling and shining for the world!