Back in the saddle

We 're back!  Since we've been back from our loooong 3 week vacation, we've been dealing with a broken washer/dryer and strep throat.  Luckily my mom was here to help me hand wash clothes, hang them dry, and take care of the kiddos while I was out flat with the horrible flu/strep combo.  I thought I'd throw that little bit of reality in here before I gush about how great my vacation was.  It was awesome and so memorable.  We saw so many great sites and experienced so many great things all in one trip.  Sure there was whining, crying, exhaustion, the occasional bad hotel, huge crowds, long lines, and heat.  But along with those to-be-expected hiccups that come with summer travel, there were castles, palaces, a leaning tower, sculptures, beaches, and great food.

So let me start out with MADRID -

First, we drove down to Bordeaux, France for an overnight stop before continuing the drive to Madrid. Our hotel in Bordeaux was a converted apartment that fit all 7 of us, but it was pretty much crap.  Oh well, it was just one night and these things tend to happen in Europe.  We took a quick pit stop at "the biggest square in all of Europe" to see this humongous fountain, and we were on our way.

Next, we hit up the Valley of the Fallen monument, a memorial for those lives lost in the Spanish Civil War.  This place was so amazing because they actually built it inside of the mountain.  Like most awesome places, you couldn't take pictures inside, but I took plenty outside.

 Our next stop was El Escorial, a huge Royal Palace in this area outside of Madrid.  True to European fashion, they unexpectedly closed 2 seconds before we got there (even though they were suppose to be open much longer).  But, we made the best of it and checked out their annual parade.  Apparently all the nearby churches march through the streets with their Maria statues.  We watched for a little while so the stop didn't feel like a total wash (since we missed out on the palace).

My mom, chatting it up with the locals, brushing up on her Spanish.

The next day we hit the sites in Madrid in our typical fashion - fast and furious.

Royal Palace of Madrid

Quick story - while checking out the outside of the Royal Palace and snapping a few pics, we saw the street performers out and ready to make a few bucks.  We usually just walk by quickly so as not to waste our change, but my dear sweet little Carver had a 2 cent Euro piece in his pocket and wanted desperately to give it to an old man playing an accordion.  We let him toss it in the man's hat, and while we passed by again, the mean ugly old man called us over and handed the coin back to Carver.  Apparently he was insulted by the small donation, and I seriously wish I knew the Spanish to give him a piece of my mind.  Poor Carver had no idea why he gave his money back, but we quickly moved on to more site seeing.

Plaza Mayor 

Standing in the very center of Spain

The kids loved this cute little puppet shop - Geppetos.

 Checking out the local food (lots of strange seafood, but we embraced it).

You can see a glimpse of the full sized octopus in that window, still squirming!

Sweets!

The Madrid Cathedral was really colorful inside.

 Time for a bite to eat.

Check out those baby squid!

Calamari and Epanadadillas - YUM!

Time for our tour of the Royal Palace.

There were only minor fits from the littles at this palace.  One particular fit included a certain 4 year old little girl screaming "I hate my family…I'm tired…I'm hungry…HELP ME!"  I was trying so hard not to laugh…it was frustrating and embarassing, but hilarious.

Ry checking out the Royal Armory…no pictures allowed, but we couldn't pass this one up.

Finally we made it to the temple grounds.  Of all the neat things that we saw, there was such a special feeling at the temple.  It was a really nice way to end the busy day.

The Madrid MTC

K loves to see the temple 

It was a crazy whirlwind day, but a great way to start our trip.  Stay tuned for updates on our week at the Costa del Sol, and our trips to Barcelona, Florence, Venice, Milan, and more.  I will try my best to fit them in while dealing with the crazy laundry situation, back-to-school prep, baptism prep, visits from family and more.  Life is sure crazy busy right now…never a dull moment around here!