Future High Rent Shopper ?

While we have some of our high rent shopping preferences (e.g. when I buy dress shoes), neither Eva nor I are particularly attuned to the high end / high rent brands.  We do get a kick when we are in a shopping area to look through the windows at the high rent brands, the unreal cost of simple or common items, and the people inside.

On Saturday, as we were with the kids in the city to head to the Kinder Christkindlesmarkt (Children's Christmas Market), we ended the afternoon with a stroll down the pedestrian shopping zone, as Eva wanted to check out a winter coat.

With Emily lagging behind, we gazed into the Louis Vuitton shop, noticing the security guard / doorman and the proud papa that just bought his daughter a new handbag.  We chuckled internally, asked Emily to hurry up, and moved on.

A few moments later, we turned around to see how Emily was progressing.  She hadn't made much progress, except for the fact that she had veered off course a bit, and was standing, staring, into the Louis Vuitton shop.  Then she said she wanted to go in the store.

I wish we could have been fast enough to take a picture, but this blog will hopefully serve as a memory of the event...and perhaps is the first (God help us) sign that Emily might be a High Rent Grrl.

(Props to my Uncle +Charlie Gould  for teaching me the difference about High Rent vs. High Maintenance women.  I don't think he was trying to be profound (I was brokenhearted at the time, and I think he was trying to help), but the talk had a profound effect on me and my understanding of the better half).

Costa del Sol

Not that we haven't already had some great vacations this year, but we decided to take a pseudo unplanned, sorta last minute vacation to Spain's Costa del Sol, on the southern part of the country, not to far from the british territory of Gibraltar.

 Only Europeans would put the topless bathing area between two children's playgrounds.  Perhaps this part was designed by dads, for dads ;-)

 The thought of taking a week off of the crappy German November weather was definitely uplifting, but it was not exactly what we had in mind prior to the super easy going month of December, prior to Christmas ;-)

 The weather wasn't exactly warm enough for us to lounge on the beach or by the pools, but comfortable enough - especially toward the end of the week - to not be cold.

 We took two road trips during the week:  the first to Ronda, an amazing village with deep Christian and Muslim heritage, split by a short bridge (which separated the Christian and Muslim parts) which crosses a deepchasm.  Our second road trip was to Gibraltar, the british territory on the southernmost tip of Europe, which is separated to Africa by a few miles of the Med, which was once an extremely strategic, defensive position, but is now overwhelmed by tourists looking for great tax free shopping.

 In Ronda and Gibraltar, we did the token cache or two and saw some of the highlights, such as the bullfighting arena in Ronda.

Outside of the few roadtrips, our days were rather peaceful and relaxing, spending the day with the family.

 Quinn really liked going to the Kiddie Club (where he practiced his english), and Emily seemed to like her time alone, without Quinn.  Surprising enough, the kids were extra good to each other, and the family time was rather harmonious.  I even rented a road bike and climbed mountains for a few days, riding past the white village of Ojen twice.

As with all good things, they must come to an end.  We landed on the first day of Advent in the cold and snow in Germany...back home.  But, at least, we are well rested for the Christmas month!

 It was a great vacation, and the quality AND quantity time with the family was very, very wonderful.