Exciting update: We have a place to live!

We’ve been searching with the help of a relocation specialist in Sant Cugat (the town we’ll be living in—more on that later). She’s been visiting properties for us and sending walkthrough videos. Through her we’ve learned what’s realistic here in terms of size, air conditioning (not always a given), full-size fridges, parking spots, and all the little details. It’s been especially helpful to have guidance from someone who lives there and also immigrated herself not too long ago.

When we visited in March, she drove us all over Sant Cugat, which ended up being incredibly helpful. By the time we flew back to the U.S. and started scouring Idealista listings, we actually had a sense of what we were looking at. She walked us through the different neighborhoods and through the pros and cons of each.

We’ve ultimately ended up in an area that will be about a 10 minute bike ride to school for the boys, along pedestrian/bike friendly roads. I’d never seen a town laid out in such a way that makes biking and walking so safe and accessible(obviously I haven’t been to many parts of Europe). Even living in Boulder, I don’t feel comfortable sending my kids off on their own. They’d have to bike along so many major roads to get anywhere.

We will be walking distance to several parks and hangout areas for the boys to meet up with future friends. Chris and I can walk to multiple grocery stores, cafés, plazas, and the town center for a meal and people watching.

As for the house itself: it’s a townhouse, about 2,300 sq. ft. including the patio spaces. We currently live in a 4,000 sq. ft. house with 2 acres of yard. Chris is looking forward to no longer needing to mow a lawn or do pool maintenance. I am looking forward to taking up less space and owning less stuff. There is a shared community space with a pool and grassy yard, and we have a small, fenced turf backyard.

My favorite feature might be this extremely colorful bathroom with an abundance of orange and yellow mosaic. It looks cheerful and very Gaudi. I thought the English word ‘gaudy’ might have originated from Barcelona’s famous architect, Antoni Gaudi, but it’s unrelated. I’m a fan, his work feels like little dopamine hits sprinkled throughout Barcelona.

Here’s a view of the backyard that we don’t have to mow:

The boys are happy about sharing this upper level as their bedroom/hangout area. Colin wants to sleep in the loft.

It’s in a nice, quiet part of town where we can hear birds chirping from a video taken in the middle of a weekday. We don’t have to live without air conditioning (I’m nervous about moving back to a place with humidity), there is a bathtub for bubble baths, and a lemon tree by the front door. Once we move, I can share more photos or make a video tour.