Spain

We had a week off of work due to a couple holidays, so we decided to visit three cities in Northern Spain, Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona.  We would have liked to see southern Spain, but we decided that would be worth another trip some other time.  My cousin T.J. was studying abroad for a semester in Madrid, so we planned to meet up with him, and he also gave us several bits of good advice to help us plan our trip.

We started by flying into Madrid, the capital, and largest city in Spain.  Madrid is huge and not as touristy as most places we go.  We did hit some landmarks, the Royal Palace, an Egyptian Temple, and we also spent a lot of time walking through parks and stopping at playgrounds.

 Plaza del Sol

 Shhh, we're in church.

 Neat carved doors with Pope John Paul II.

 In front of the Royal Palace.

 Nice spot for a photo.  But, Tim told me after we got up, that he saw some guy sleeping under this cluster of trees right behind us.

 A real Egyptian Temple, right in the city.  It was sent here some years ago as a gift.

 A Bus!!!!  As we were walking around, seeing the sights, all Ben was interested in was buses.  He could spot one a mile away.

Stopped at a playground.  Ben was on this giant seesaw contraption for nearly an hour.

On a little row boat in Retiro Park

Our next stop was Valencia.  I had booked a hotel right on the beach.  When we got there it was raining, and it was still raining when we left two days later.  And the temperatures were in the 50’s.  Spain is supposed to be like the L.A. (weather-wise) of Europe.  They get 300-something days of sun a year, and average temps for that time should have been at least 80°.  So we were pretty disappointed about our beach vacation.

Our first afternoon, there was a short break in the rain and we were able to go out on the beach for a few minutes, albeit with jackets.  We put Ben’s “beach shoes” (flip-flops) on, which he hated, then put him down in the cold, wet sand, which he actually tolerated for a bit once he forgot about his shoes. 

The next day we went to an aquarium.  We had already planned on probably going there, and it turned out to be the only redeeming aspect of the city for our time there.  It was nice and pretty big, so we were able to spend most of the day there.  Ben loved it.  He kept pointing and saying “fish, fish” and making a fish face.

Our last morning there, we went into the historical old town.  I think it would have been really nice if we weren’t both carrying umbrellas and trying to see out from under them, all while pushing the stroller.

The real Holy Grail (so say most Christian historians) at the Valencia Cathedral.

That afternoon we took a train to Barcelona, and thankfully, it was dry.  Our hotel there was right on the strip called Las Ramblas.  This was a fun, though touristy, street full of shops and restaurants.  Ben loved the walking because the street was only open to buses and motorcycles, his two favorite things.

The next day we went to the Gothic neighborhood, so called for its Gothic Cathedral.

Our last day we went to see the Gaudi sights.  This cathedral, started about 100 years ago, is still under construction.  We heard Gaudi's style described as melting cake frosting.  It is certainly unique, and impressive.

 

 Still can't decide if he really likes his sun glasses.  But, he does sometimes ask for them when it is really sunny.  That night, we flew back home.