Spain

We are sitting here relaxing in our modest hotel room overlooking an old narrow street in San Sebastian, Spain. The kids did the classic move of falling asleep in their chairs at dinner tonight so we carried them home and put them to bed. Part of their exhaustion is explained by the constant sightseeing we have been doing since arriving in Spain 5 days ago, part by the great day at the beach where they jumped over waves and soaked up the sun, and part due to the 4 am wake-up call we gave them this morning.

We started the trip with a great stay in Seville. We booked an apartment in a nice, old neighborhood called Triana. The apartment was on a pleasant pedestrian street filled with tapas bars and shops, and two blocks down it ends at the foot of a bridge (Puente de Isabel) that leads directly to the old part of the city.

I loved Seville. It was a very easy to navigate city with beautiful architecture, friendly people, wonderful food and drink, and a relaxing laid-back vibe. Everywhere you look, colorful tiles accent buildings, walkways, and store signs. Balconies overflow with flowers, and on the horizon is the third largest cathedral in Europe (next to St Peter's and St Paul's) looming over the old city on the banks of a wide lazy river.

Our stay in Seville was filled with wandering the streets, visiting the cathedral, drinking sangria and eating tapas, walking the old narrow barrio streets, more sangria, seeing the Plaza de Espana, more sangria and a mojito, riding a bicycle-car through Parque Maria Luisa, gelato, and seeing the Alcazar. The last sight is an old palace used by royalty. It is one of the best examples of the Mudejar style, a blend of Islamic and Christian architecture. It is a beautiful sight and the gardens were of more interest to the kids as there were many fountains spilling into pools filled with Koy fish and there was a labyrinth created from shrubs.

The kids' favorite part was riding the bicycle-car through the park. We first stopped at the large fountain in front of the Plaza de Espana and got sufficiently wet through much splashing. Also, along our path through the park Chris saw an ice cream stand keeper watering down the street in front of his stand and Chris yelled, "Signor, agua, aqui!" while pointing at the kids sitting in front. The shopkeeper abliged and gave us a good spray. The kids loved it.

As we were expecting incredible heat, we were pleasantly surprised to have relatively mild weather. The highs were in the 90s, but it was very dry and there was always a little breeze. Apparently, the heat was nothing compared to what the East Coast of the US has been suffering through.

We took one other sightseeing adventure to the Ahlambra in Granada. It is an amazing structure. It's a very large palace and gardens situated on top of a hill with larger mountains of the Sierra Nevada giving it a back-drop. The palace is the Mudejar style just like the Alcazar, only bigger and it looks down onto a town of white-washed houses and more mountains in the distance. The gardens are beautiful with trickling fountains everywhere and beds of roses and other delicate flowers. The only drawback to this trip was the work in getting there. It was a three hour bus ride to Granada. Without kids, we could have powered through the palace and enjoyed the town of Granada, too, but with little kids, we just about made it through the palace, down to the town to grab something to eat, and back to the bus station. For those with kids, I would say skip it and just see the Alcazar.

By our last couple nights in Seville, we were actually adjusting to the time. We were actually out on our street eating dinner with the kids between 9:30 and 10:30pm. It seems crazy, but you really do start adjusting. This is the time of the day when everyone is out strolling, eating, playing with their kids. The only night this changed a little was the night of the Euro Cup 2012. This is basically the superbowl of Europe and Spain was playing Italy (go figure). Spanish flags were flying everywhere and red and yellow was painted on many faces, including babies. People were gathered in bars and neighborhood bodegas where flat screen tvs were placed outside for all to see. When Spain scored a goal, the streets erupted in cheers and chants. In the end, it was a good night for Spain and a sad one for Italy. Sorry, Italia!

Very early this morning we bid adios to Seville and boarded a plane for Bilbao. We took a bus to San Sebastian, a beautiful city on the coast with a nice sandy beach and clear water. The kids had a blast playing in the waves and they are now passed out cold. We are listening to the on-going chatter of people down on the street. It is still very lively now at almost 10:30p, but it is probably nothing compared to what we will see in two days in Pamplona...Ole!