• How to Celebrate Halloween in Barcelona As an Expat

    Our expat family’s tips for enjoying the spookiest night of the year even while living abroad. If you don’t already know, Halloween is my favorite!!  That crisp chill in the air, the rustling of freshly fallen leaves at your feet and the smell of a crackling outdoor fire nearby.  So when we moved to Barcelona to become expats and realized Halloween isn’t that big of a deal, I panicked! How would we recreate a holiday that is growing enormously in the states but is overshadowed in Spain by Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead on November 1)? Before becoming expats, Halloween in…

  • 5 American Conveniences Expats Will Miss…

    We’re at the heart of summer here in Barcelona which means twelve straight days of literally NO rain, city-chic farmers tans and bottomless pitchers of fruity sangria.  It also equals sizzling Spanish streets, sleeping with fans blaring and endless hours swimming however possible (open sea, public pool, cool bathtub – whatever it takes!).  And due to the sweltering temps, a mass exodus in the month of August also occurs.  The city practically shuts down with most stores and restaurants locking their doors until early September and many streets eerily quiet. This is Spain’s summer “holiday” month.  Which, for the record, I still have a hard time…