Krispy Kreme & Netflix

I have to admit, I'm feeling spoiled this week.  Since we are heading out on vacation for 10 days soon we decided to spend the past weekend at home in the city.  At first I was not in love with the idea because if I'm not at the beach I feel like I'm missing something, but the weekend turned out great and it was very relaxing to not travel for once.

We decided to venture out and explore some parts of Santo Domingo that we have never visited.  We started at Dominican Fiesta Hotel since we heard they have day passes and a great kiddie pool.

The pool is about 12-18 inches deep and perfect for Olivia.  She had so much fun and slept for 14 hours that night!  We will definitely be visiting this pool a lot in the upcoming months.

I also introduced Charles to one of my favorite pasteleria's in the city.  I've been keeping it all to myself, but I figure that wasn't fair so we stopped by La Cuchara de Madera for some amazing dulces and cappuccinos.  The bakery is right behind Acropolis mall where Olivia and I spend lots of time on hot days since they have indoor play areas.  Both places are about 3-4 blocks from us.  (You can see our apartment building in the picture below, we are the 6-story building on the right.  Acropolis mall is the tallest building in the background.)

Besides that we took some nice walks in our neighborhood.  There is no traffic on Sundays so it is pretty easy to walk around and explore.  The street behind us is normally loud and busy during the week since there is a Montessori school located there, but on the weekend its very quiet during the afternoon.

By the end of the weekend we treated ourselves to little bit of home - Krispy Kreme and streaming season 3 of Madmen on Netflix.  We are quickly learning that Santo Domingo has a lot to offer.  It is a very large city, but with some patience and some research it is becoming a great 'temporary' home for us.

English or Spanish?

Well just as we thought, Liv is starting to talk more and more each day.  We don't know what language it is yet, but she sure is having a blast.

1 month

We've been here a month!  Since I'm not great at emailing pictures or sending updates, maybe this blog will help. 

Although there has obviously been a lot of transition for us, everyone seems to be settling into a routine. 

We are enjoying living in Santo Domingo and traveling to the beach most weekends.  Living in the capital city is very different than living in Burlington.  It is taking some getting used to, but we are getting our routine down.  Liv & I spend most days playing in the condo, shopping, at music class, and most recently a playgroup.  She has learned 'hola', 'adios', and 'mas' and is the center of attention everywhere we go.  Generally people are really nice and accommodating, although traffic is a nightmare so walking places has been a challenge to say the least.  We have discovered a couple of indoor play areas in nearby malls which helps during the midday sun.

Our condo is working out great.  It is close to shops and restaurants and is large enough for Liv to run around all day.  It has 2 floors, LR,DR, kitchen downstairs and bedrooms upstairs.

Everyone seems to ask the same questions when we talk to people at home, so here are a couple answers for you:

1. Is it hot? Yes, its at least 80 everyday.
2. Do you go the beach everyday? No, we live in a city of 4 million.  Although the ocean is 3 miles away, you wouldn't want to swim in it.  We do travel to the beach every weekend though, either a daytrip or overnight.
3. How's the food?  The food is great, although my daughter survives on mac-n-cheese, peanut butter, and fruit so her diet hasn't changed.  We eat at home most of time because the restaurants near us are pretty fancy and overpriced.  We try to save eating out on the weekends, but normally treat ourselves to ice cream about every other day.