Homeschooling our kids during our travels was a huge part of our year, and not something we took lightly. I spent numerous hours planning, worrying, researching, and getting advice from a close friend that homeschools her children. We had some bumpy moments, but in the end – teaching and learning alongside our kids this year…
The End of School, An Anniversary Abroad, and One Month Left
We’ve had a busy week. It’s been a really fun last week of school, with a little bit of learning and a lot of fun activities each day. We had planned a walking food tour for our last field trip, but it got cancelled. So we pivoted and visited the Mercat de Santa Caterina, which…
Barcelona Life: Sand, Steps, and Date Nights
We have all said multiple times since arriving in Barcelona how much we are loving life here. Barcelona is beautiful! It’s a bustling city that is so full of life, but doesn’t feel too congested. It is easy to navigate and with the park and beach close we get the doses of nature we all…
From Gothic to Gaudí: Walking Tour of Barcelona
We have been in Barcelona for a week now and have realized that things get much busier starting on Fridays. Because of this we did our field trip on Wednesday this week. We took a walking tour of the city and it was so fun! After our walking tour in Lisbon, we knew this was…
Stone Streets and Surprises: Wandering Around Barcelona
My favorite thing to do in a new city is wander around and just see what we find. We haven’t ventured far from our local neighborhood in Barcelona, but it feels like there is something new around every corner. I’ve already said the phrase “Wow, look at that building” more times than I can count….
Welcome to Barcelona, Spain
We arrived in Barcelona yesterday after a quick, short flight from Portugal. Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain, with a population of about 5 million in the greater metropolitan area. It sits right along the Mediterranean coast, so we will get to enjoy both beach and city life during our time here. Barcelona…
Portugal Recap
Portugal is a truly beautiful country, and was our first time in Europe. The five weeks we spent in the colorful city of Lisbon flew by. Living here felt relaxing and easy. The cobblestone streets and gorgeous architecture made even a trip to the grocery store enjoyable (and we made a lot of them). We…
Schools Around the World – Portugal
Portugal’s public school system is overseen by the Ministry of Education. Portugal offers both a mix of state (public) and private schools, but most families send their children to state schools because they are free and local. Roughly 80% of students in Portugal attend state schools. School Structure and Calendar Primary education (Ensino Básico) is…
The Alexis Angle – Portugal
Portugal is the second to last stop on gap year (crazy, right?) and it is so pretty here! When we first drove through the town late at night, it was clear that we were in a whole new place. The buildings here have such a unique design that I immediately loved it. Here are some…
A Day of Lisbon Landmarks
Our weekly field trip took place on Wednesday again this week and we spent the day visiting more of Lisbon’s landmarks. We went to Pastéis de Belém and tried their famous secret recipe. It did not disappoint! From there we walked around the Jerónimos Monastery. Afterwards, we walked to the Belem Tower and finished with…