In 2015 my brother, Evan, was newly stationed in Spain. Before the ship left its port in Florida, my mom told him that she would visit him there and to let her know ASAP when he’d have time off for a visit. My sister, Erin, decided she’d go too and plans were afoot.
Over Christmas 2015, we had my mom, Erin’s family, and as a surprise- Pat and Charmaine at our house for Christmas. It was crazy and fun, but that’s another post. Anyway, Ryan had been traveling quite a bit during 2015 and we knew that he had another long overseas trip coming up in the next month or two. Ryan turned to me during a conversation my mom and I happened to have about the trip and asked if I’d like to go, too, since, after his next big trip to India and a visiting layover in Hong Kong, he’d have enough frequent flier miles for an overseas ticket…TO SPAIN! Completely surprised as I didn’t even consider being able to go (and I was OK with that). My mom was completely surprised too and I, of course, asked him “Really?!?” and “Yeah, I want to go!” So over the next few months planning was done, passports were updated (again, another post), plane tickets purchased, and excitement mounted.
The flight over was, fortunately, a direct flight and uneventful. I had a seat in the back and ended up having an empty seat next to me so I wasn’t completely squished and cramped. I left DFW Airport late afternoon on April 28th and arrived in Spain at 9am their time April 29th. So I got a bit of a nap/night’s sleep on the plane and I was ready to go when I arrived. My mom met me at the airport, which I really appreciated since I had no idea what to expect or do once I got there. We taxied to our hotel in “Puerto del Sol” Plaza and met up with Erin, Evan and Evan’s girlfriend, Brianna. We grabbed a “quick” (I’ll explain the quotation marks later) bite to eat and then we were off to tour and explore.
Things we did while in Spain-
- Debod Temple- Egyptian temple moved from Egypt to Spain as a thank you gift for Spain’s help during a dam project.
- Royal Palace
- Almudena Cathedral
- Saw a Flamenco Ballet of “Carman”
- Prado Art Museum
- Madrid Botanical Garden
- Zaragoza Palace
- Zaragoza’s La Seo (Salvador) Cathedral
- Pilar Basilica
- Plaza Catalunya
- Gothic Cathedral
- Picasso Museum
- Barcelona Beach
- Sagrada Família
- Güell Park
- Tibidabo Mountain & Temple
I loved, Loved, LOVED visiting Spain and kinda didn’t want to leave. I am so grateful that my wonderful hubby allowed me the time and ability to go and I’m grateful for my amazing mother-in-law, Cindy, for coming to help Ryan while I was away. It was an unforgettable and amazing trip that I will always remember and treasure.
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