Planning for Thanksgiving in Spain and a Hike in the Pyrenees

Thanksgiving Preparation

As you may already know, Chris is coming back to Barcelona during the week of Thanksgiving.  He thought it would be great to do Thanksgiving here and to invite some of our friends to experience Thanksgiving.  And for this Thanksgiving, we wanted it to be very traditional, especially for our friends.  So I began to look for specific ingredients in Spain that we would typically use for Thanksgiving.

First there's the turkey.  In the U.S., you would find turkeys, especially around Thanksgiving, for around $0.69 a pound.  Turkey is not a common meat in Spain.  But the meat market does have turkey.  However, it will cost 8.95 euros a kilo.  So that's over $5 a pound (which includes the carcass, not just the meat).  But it will be worth it (at least this once).

Then of course there is pumpkin and pumpkin filling.  Although around this time of year, you do see small pumpkins in some stores, they do not have the typical American-shaped pumpkins here, especially in larger sizes.  A friend of mine said that pumpkin here is shaped differently.  To me the shape is like a butternut squash.  The only way to find out for sure is to taste it, which I hope to do soon.

So, fresh pumpkin is out and I went to a number of stores to find pumpkin filling to make pumpkin pie, to no avail.  So Chris will be bringing some cans of pumpkin filling.

There is no corn syrup here so Chris will also be bringing that.  They do have a form of sweet potato here, which I hope we can use to make yams.  And although I could not find corn meal, they do have canned corn here, which Chris will use to make corn pudding.  We'll also have stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and all the trimmings!

My form of a traditional Thanksgiving is to serve a pasta dish before the turkey and the trimmings.  Being brought up in an Italian-American home, this was the standard fare.  So for this Thanksgiving, I'll be making homemade lasagna with home-made noodles.  The challenge was finding a good tomato sauce base.  My grandparents were from Naples, so lasagna was always made with tomato sauce.  Not so in other parts of Italy, I learned recently from my Italian friend here.  In Bologna, they do not use a red sauce but rather cook it with bechamel sauce.  But my lasagna will have tomato sauce.  I found a place that sells imported Italian tomato puree, which I have always used as a base to make the sauce.  One of my Italian friends in my Spanish class works at an Italian store, where I'll be buying Mozarella, Provolone and Ricotta cheese at cost.

Eye Check-Up

It's been over a year since my last eye appointment, so I scheduled for one here.  I have my government eye insurance coverage, but this will be a test on how smoothly this all goes with an overseas claim.  I met with the ophthalmologist. She checked my eyes and discussed about continuing to use of contact lenses.  Up until now, I have been using monovision lenses, in which a lens is prescribed for one eye for reading and a different lens for the other eye for long distance.  However, multifocal lenses allow you to see simultaneously out of both eyes for both reading and distance vision.

There is a significant difference in cost, at least here in Spain.  However, I found that I could order these lenses online, have them shipped to Chris before he comes here, and my insurance company will cover most of the cost, with me spending only about $50 out-of-pocket.  That's quite a good deal!

Hike in the Pyrenees - Porté-Puymorens in France

If you are familiar with European geography, you know that the Pyrenees is the mountain range that separates Spain from France.  Also, in the Pyrenees is a very small country (technically a principality) called Andorra.  Right near Andorra, on the French side, is a hiking trail called Porté-Puymorens, which we hiked this Sunday (today).  It was a beautiful hike, but it took about 3 hours to get there and 3 hours to return.  So the actual time hiking was shortened due to the shorter amount of daylight hours during this time of the year.  But it was still worth it and got to meet some new friends on this trip!

Kyle Concert & City Bike Ride

The Music Culture Train That I Missed

I was the lead singer in The
Lost & Found Christian rock
band in H.S.

Ok, I admit it.  I am pretty ignorant about pop music culture.  When people talk about different music groups in the 70s, 80s and 90s, I stay rather quiet.  It's kind of funny that a person who grew up singing and playing the guitar would be so out of tune with the music scene.  I think I missed out when I was in high school and got involved with Young Life, an evangelical high school group.  All my attention from that point on was on Christian pop and rock songs.  I was even in a Christian rock band called "The Lost and Found".  That cultural music vacuum continued in college when I got involved with The Navigators through my late 20s.  I was 28 when I came out and got into a relationship.  At that point my music consisted of theatrical musicals (which I love) and country western music, which was popular among gays in the 80s in the U.S.

During my country
western days in the 1980s

Playing the guitar was a big part of my
life in H.S., college and through my 20s

Kylie Minogue Concert

So last Tuesday I went to see Kylie Minogue here in Barcelona with my friend Frederic who invited me.  She has a huge gay following, especially in Europe.  But when Frederic told me about her, I had no idea who she was.  I had to look her up in wikopedia.  And it took awhile to learn how to pronounce her last name.  When we were at the concert Frederic started asking me about other music bands. Each one he mentioned I had to say "I don't know their music".  He was shocked.  I was a little embarrassed.  He finally mentioned Queen, which of course I knew some of their music.

Suffice it to say, I also missed out on going to rock concerts.  I think the closest thing to that was a James Blunt concert that I went to about 8 years ago.  So, being at Kylie's concert was very different for me and was a real treat.  I only recognized a couple of her songs but I enjoyed the concert.  After hearing her for two hours (and she put on quite a show with lots of costume changes!), I am not a big fan of her voice.  But I feel that I have filled a little of the wide gap that I have in the pop music world.

Frederic is moving to Malaga at the end of the month and had two tickets to see Lady Gaga in early November.  I bought the tickets from him. :-)

Barcelona Bike Ride and Securing One's Bike

When I was in Sitges in September for the Bear Gathering, I brought my bike with me to get back and forth from the center of town to our apartment that we were renting.  I had one strong lock and purchased another to reduce the risk of being stolen during my time there.  I was fortunate that no one made off with it - my other friend who had his bike with him did have it stolen, even though he locked it up with a chain.

I shipped my bike from the U.S.  It was not built to withstand city thieves.  The wheels and the seat could be easily removed.  I've heard countless stories from friends who had their bikes stolen.  So, after I got back from Sitges, I bought anti-theft locks for the wheels and the seat and had the bike store below my flat install them.  With that, I felt more at ease with locking my bike on the streets in the city.

So, last Thursday, after my last class for the week, I took my bike out for a spin.  On the internet I found a bike route on the edge of the city that follows the River Besós up to the western edge of Barcelona.  It was a 32 kilometer ride back and forth from my home.  It was a beautiful day for a bike ride.  The trail beside the river was

ideal for bike riding and the terrain was pretty flat with a slight upward incline.  I took some pics, as you can see, on the trail.  I got reprimanded about that when I passed by a park worker (she was actually rather nice about it) because I rode my bike on the grass to get closer to the river and take the pictures.  From my house, I had to go pass by the center of the city, so on my way back I stopped and walked around the Ramblas by the port, discovered some new streets, and took some more pictures.  And yes, I did run into a herd of goats on my bike ride.

Coming Out in Class, Changing Language Levels & My First Fall Hiking Excursion

Updates on My Spanish Language Class

At times, when learning another language or improving your language skills in a classroom environment, you are asked to talk about personal topics, either with the entire class or in pairs or in small groups.  Given that my Spanish Level 3 language class is rather large (over 25 students), we do a number of exercises in small groups or in pairs.


Last week our teacher asked us to pair up and go over some exercises.  I was sitting next to a Chinese woman, who probably was about 28 years old.  As we went through the exercises, there was one statement that talked about one's girlfriend or boyfriend.  So naturally this woman asked me if I had a girlfriend.  I told her that I didn't have a girlfriend, but I did have a boyfriend.  It was at that point that she grabbed my arm, held it tightly while lifting a napkin to cover her mouth and said "Nooooo..." with a Chinese-Spanish accent.  I started cracking up and said "Siiiii......" in my American-Spanish accent.  She asked me if my boyfriend lived here and when I told her that he lived in the US but was looking for a position so that he could move here to be with me, she asked me what would happen if he found someone else in the US.  I told her that we would have to talk about that if that were to happen.  She looked at me again intensely and then blurted out "Chulísimo!!", which means "How cool!!".  She then asked me if I never liked girls, which I told her that I liked women but that I was not attracted to them sexually and that although I always felt this way, it wasn't until I was 28 years old that I came out of the closet.  She said that in China they use that same phrase to describe Chinese gays and lesbians who come out as gay.  Of course this entire conversation was in Spanish.  It was a conversation that I continued chuckling about to myself over the next few days.

The other news about my Spanish class is that after a week and a half in my level 3 class, I felt that

My teacher, Lourdes Miquel.
Well-known author of
Spanish language
learning books for foreigners

the level was too basic for me.  I had my doubts from the beginning but I waited until last Monday to request a time to talk with my teacher about these doubts and what I could do.  We met and he said that I could take a test to see if I was ready for level 4.  I did that on Wednesday and during the oral part of the exam, I was told by the teacher who interviewed me, Lourdes Miquel, that my skill level was acceptable for level 4.  So on Thursday I was placed in a level 4 class.  It turned out that Lourdes is also my Level 4 teacher. It's definitely much more challenging than level 3.  There's a lot I need to do to catch up with the class, having missed about 2 weeks at this level.  Lourdes is excellent, has a good sense of humor, has been at the forefront of advancing Spanish language learning teaching skills for foreigners,  and is constantly working with each of us to improve our Spanish.  There is much more conversation in the class and the students seem to be open and friendly.  I hope to make a lot of progress in expressing myself in Spanish through the work that I am doing in this class.

New Gym, Daddies and their Children

A few weeks ago I decided to change my gym membership to one that is 4 blocks away rather than 2 blocks away, but is larger, has better equipment and has much more natural light that enters it.  I chose a plan with limited hours, from 11 am to 5:30 pm, which made it more affordable.

My usual routine is to go to language class from 9:30 am to 12 pm and then go home to get my gym bag and head to the gym on most days.  One day last week I got to the gym at 5:15 pm (once I enter I can stay as long as I like).  When I got to the men's locker room, I was surprised at the number of little children, boys and girls, that were with their dads.  Since there is a pool at this gym (almost every gym in the city has a pool from what I can tell), I discovered that there was a children's pool program around that hour.  I think it's fascinating how Spanish family life is integrated into one's daily routines, even at a gym facility.

Hike to Puigsacalm

Today (Sunday) was my first hiking trip this Fall with the hiking group.  In spite of the threat of rain, 17 of us braved the elements and discovered a beautiful day and hiked a trail that gave us incredible views.  We hiked to Puigsacalm, the highest mountain in Catalunya - 1,512 meters above sea level.  We also went to the next peak, Puig des Llops at 1,486 meters.  Luckily we did not encounter any rainfall, but there were parts of the trail that were very muddy.  The views were spectacular and the group was wonderful to spend the day with.  Below are some pictures of the hike.

Overseas Tax Obligations, Another Party, and Drying Clothes without a Dryer

Working Without a Clothes Dryer

I wish the weather forecasts would be more accurate and more detailed.   Although some people have

dryers, most do not and hang their clothes either on an outside line off of their balcony or window, or they use the lines that are set up on the rooftop of their building, or they have a foldable indoor line.  I do not have a dryer nor do I have a foldable indoor line for hanging clothes.  I checked the weather forecast and thought that the rest of the day would be rain-free.  I did a load and hung it out to dry this afternoon.  After dinner I was just starting to work on this blog when I heard some raindrops hit the balcony.  I quickly got out a sheet of plastic to cover the clothes, which I was using for the first time, only to discover that it was not long enough and it only covered a little more than half the clothes on the line.  Oh well.  It will just take a little bit longer to dry (sigh).

Second House-warming Party

Last Tuesday was my second house-warming party.  It was a smaller and more manageable group of 9 of us.  This group is my Tuesday night dinner group.  We meet every Tuesday night at the restaurant El Bierzo A Tope (El Bierzo to the Max).  El Bierzo is a comarca (similar to a county) toward the northwest part of Spain.  So this Tuesday I put a sign on my door - "Restaurante Fiorito A Tope" and was ready for my guests to arrive at 9:30 pm.

With only nine of us, we were able to sit around the table, which made the evening much more relaxing and enjoyable, at least for me.  With red and white wine available, I served bellota (acorn-fed)-cured ham, olives and bread.  I then had a salad, meatballs in a light tomato sauce along with a type of Peruvian chicken.  For dessert we had flan and Tiramisu.  I then broke out the Cava (sparkling wine) and finished off the evening with Illy coffee and after-dinner drinks.

My guests seemed to enjoy the house and were especially taken with my cat, Sunset.  She was the star of the evening!

Virginia State Taxes - Ugh!!

On March 10, I moved permanently out of the state of Virginia to Barcelona.  I made the incorrect assumption that once I moved out of the state I would no longer be liable to pay state taxes.  Before I left, I called the state taxation office asking them how to ensure that I would be not held liable for future state taxes.  I was told that once I establish my permanent address in Barcelona, I needed to use the state taxation chat system to give them that information.  I did that in May.

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from the American Consulate here in Barcelona about voter registration for overseas citizens.  Through some links that the consulate provided, I discovered that for purposes of voting, my last US residence would be used for future US elections.  On Friday I went back online on the Virginia taxation chat system to find out how I would go about doing that without incurring an obligation to pay state taxes.  I then discovered that my prior assumption about Virginia state taxes was incorrect.

It turns out that as an overseas citizen, in the eyes of Virginia, I will always be considered a Virginia resident and will be required to pay state taxes indefinitely.  This can only be changed if I were to move to a different US state.  Moving overseas doesn't count.  This has nothing to do with voting rights or maintaining a Virginia driver's license.  Moving overseas from the state of Virginia ties me to the state forever.

I was not happy about this news.  I stopped allocating state taxes after my move to Spain.  I quickly found how to pay my estimated taxes for the last 7 months, which the state will receive in about a week or so. With the payment, I sent a letter explaining why this payment was being made and requested that I be exempt from any possible penalties for underestimated or late tax payments. I also added my state tax allocation on my future pension pay statements.

What is still up in the air is whether Virginia state taxes is part of the double taxation agreement between Spain and the U.S.  Basically, taxes that I pay to the U.S. is credited to the taxes that I would owe Spain.  For example, if I have a tax liability of 25% to the U.S. and a 30% tax liability to Spain, I would pay the full 25% to the U.S. and the remaining 5% would be paid to Spain.  This is a great simplification of the tax obligations between these two countries, but in my case this is what I would do since I receive a U.S. pension.

The question is whether I can add my Virginia state taxes to the credit that I would receive from Spain for Spanish taxes.  If that is the case, then my total tax liability would be the same.  The only difference is who would receive these tax dollars.  If not, then I would have to pay additional taxes to the state of Virginia.  I sent an email to the Spanish Consulate in Washington DC to clarify this for me.  I'll see what they say.......

UPDATE ON VIRGINIA STATE TAXES

I found out that the two most stringent states that require its overseas residents to continue to pay state taxes are Virginia and New Mexico.  In order to discontinue my obligation is to either move to a different state or to disown anything that is associated with Virginia, which includes my Virginia drivers license.  So I called Virginia DMV and deactivated my drivers license.  I also contacted the Virginia voter registration and said that I moved out of the state and to remove me from its database as an active Virginia resident.  I then received a document from the state of Virginia that explains how I could reestablish residency (NOT!).  Based on that document, I do not meet the requirements of being a Virginia resident.  Unfortunately, I am now not able to vote since I am not a resident of any state.  It's a heavy cost, but the economic costs to pay taxes to a state in which I do not reside is a heavier cost.  If I knew this prior to my move, I would have moved to a state like Delaware or Florida 3 months before and then I would have been able to maintain state residency and be able to vote without being required to pay taxes since my actual residence is outside of the state.  Live and learn. 

These are parting shots of the life of the Housewarming party - Sunset!!