Winter Recap
Ski Trips and the Winter Olympics
Madrid has fully transitioned into beautiful spring weather, and I’m just now sitting down to recap our winter adventures. To be fair, I had written everything out back in late February and then accidentally deleted the entire note, which was incredibly frustrating. I finally had enough of a break this weekend to sit down and recreate it.
Looking back, I can’t believe how much we’ve done in the last three months.
When I last wrote, we had just returned to Madrid in early January after spending time with friends and family during our river cruise Christmas market tour and ski trip in Austria. The winter months in Madrid were not what we had hoped for. Instead of crisp, sunny days, we had about seven straight weeks of cold, rainy weather.
Poor Caden pushed through it all, playing fútbol every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, rain or shine. The Spanish academy-style program has been incredible for him. Our good friends Emily and Sergio San José introduced us to the club, which was founded by Sergio’s father, Isidoro San José, a former Real Madrid and Spanish National Team player. Caden’s coach is also a former Real Madrid player, and the level of coaching and style of play have made a huge difference. He’s become more confident, more skilled, and is looking forward to bringing those improvements back to the U.S. Check out this video of his first goal in Spain:
Brynne decided to put competitive gymnastics on hold this year and explored new activities instead. She’s been horseback riding on Sundays with her friend Sophie, whose father was a professional equestrian rider in Italy. I have a feeling we’ll be hearing “can we get horses?” for the next several years. Both kids also tried fencing for a while. It was a great experience, but their enthusiasm eventually faded, and Bethany grew tired of the weekly trek into the city center.
Skiing Takes Over the Winter
The activity that kept us all moving this winter was skiing. And Europe was the place to be this year.
All that rain in Madrid translated into incredible snowfall in the Pyrenees and the Alps. In late January, we made the trek north to Andorra, a small principality tucked between France and Spain. Think Monaco, but in the mountains.
In the week before we arrived, Andorra received about four feet of fresh snow. We stayed in Soldeu and skied at Granvalira, the largest resort in the country. The conditions were unreal. We could ski anywhere, on piste, off piste, it didn’t matter. Everything was covered in deep powder with a strong base underneath. For the kids, it was their first real experience skiing in powder, and they absolutely loved it.
We also had our first experience dealing with snow chains. Andorra requires all vehicles to carry chains or snow sleeves during the winter, and now we understand why. One night, we went to visit our friends Dave and Amy and their kids at their hotel for dinner. We arrived around 8 PM and planned to leave around 11 PM. In that short window, the town received nearly 10 inches of fresh snow.
Putting chains on during a storm, in the dark, is not easy. We eventually gave up, left the car behind, and walked about a mile back to our hotel. The next morning, Brynne and I went back to retrieve it, stopping at a gas station along the way to buy snow sleeves, which were much easier to install.
The only downside of the Andorra trip was how short it was. It’s about a seven hour drive from Madrid, and we only stayed for two nights and about a day and a half of skiing. In hindsight, four days would have been perfect. Next time.
Midterm Break and the Winter Olympics
In February, the kids had a week-long midterm break, something unique to the British school system. It doesn’t align with Spanish or most European school schedules, which actually worked in our favor. We were able to travel during a quieter time.
Months earlier, we had set our sights on attending the Winter Olympics in Milan. Our plan was to spend four nights in the mountains near Cortina and then three nights in the city.
We flew into Innsbruck, Austria, the same airport we had used in December. The Tyrol region of the Alps spans both Austria and Italy, and interestingly, we heard more German than Italian where we stayed. The food reflected that mix as well, hearty Austrian dishes alongside excellent Italian pasta.
We stayed at the Falkensteiner Family Resort in Lido, and it ended up being one of the highlights of the trip. The entire property is designed for families. It had an indoor water park, rooftop sledding, a full kids’ activity center, and an incredible adult spa.
The kids made friends immediately. Caden probably logged 30 hours of ping pong over the course of our stay, and Brynne took multiple art classes in the kids’ center. One night, they hosted a Carnival festival with live music and a performance just for the kids.
Somehow, we still managed to get them out of the hotel to ski for two days. The resort provided rentals on site and a shuttle straight to the base of Kronplatz. The skiing itself was good, but the standout feature was the on-mountain dining. Incredible meals paired with even better views.
Milan Surprises Us
After the mountains, we took a train from Lido to Milan. It was about a six hour journey with two train changes, and honestly, it was one of the easiest and most enjoyable travel days we’ve had. Normally we would have rented a car, but rental prices were extremely high due to the Olympics.
Milan surprised me. I hadn’t given the city much thought beyond the Olympics, but it quickly became my favorite city in Italy. It has a comfortable, cosmopolitan feel, with a great balance of history, architecture, and energy.
Brynne’s gymnastics friend Avery and her mom Ashley joined us, and we all stayed together in a centrally located Airbnb. We packed a lot into three days. We did a food tour, visited the Duomo, and attended the bronze medal hockey game between Finland and Slovakia.
The Olympic atmosphere was incredible. People from all over the world were there, proudly wearing their national colors. It added a level of energy that made the city feel even more alive. We also lucked out with the weather, sunny skies and temperatures in the high 50s.
Back to Madrid and Sharing Our City
After Milan, Ashley and Avery flew back to Madrid with us, and we got to play tour guide in our own city. One of our favorite activities to share with visitors is a cooking class at WeCook in the Mercado de Chamberí.
For me, this is one of the best ways to experience a new city. You shop in a local market, learn about regional ingredients, cook traditional dishes, and spend time with a local guide who can answer all your questions. In this class, we made tortilla de patata, tomato and tuna salad, and Basque cheesecake. A lot of food, but all of it excellent.
It’s been really special to reach the point where Madrid feels like home, and to be able to show friends around the city we’ve come to know so well.
A Brothers Ski Trip in the Alps
Shortly after Ashley and Avery left, my brother Jordan arrived. For years, we’ve taken an annual brothers ski trip, and we didn’t want to miss one while I was living in Europe.
We planned this one well in advance and chose Austria, where there is typically more reliable snow in late February. Ironically, Spain ended up having some of the best conditions this year.
We flew to Munich and met up with my friend Dave, who was in Austria for a medical conference. The three of us stayed at the Alpenschlössl Hotel, the same place we had stayed with our families in December. Being familiar with the town and hotel made the whole trip easy.
The skiing was just okay, icy in the mornings and slushy in the afternoons, but we made the most of it. We also skied in Kitzbühel, home of the famous Streif race. We tackled the course, though at a very cautious pace due to heavy fog.
Jordan had never been to Europe before, so he got to experience quite a bit in a short time. Unfortunately, the airline lost his luggage, so he had to buy all new ski gear. The silver lining was that the airline extended his return flight, giving him a few extra days in Madrid with the kids.
I hadn’t seen my brother in eight months, by far the longest stretch of time in our lives. Spending that time together, exploring new places, made it incredibly meaningful.
A Reflection
One thing this year has made clear to me is what really creates meaningful experiences. It’s not just the location. It’s the combination of connection, shared experience, and being fully present in the moment.
The good news is that you don’t need to be halfway across the world to find those moments. They’re available wherever you are, if you’re intentional about creating them.
We’re currently on Spring Break and road tripping through Central Europe. I’ll be writing again soon with updates from Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland.