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    Sunday, June 8, 2008

    Madrid

    We spent three lovely days in Madrid. Despite being the third largest city in Europe, it still had some of the same charms we witnessed in Barcelona. Scott guided us on an evening stroll through Plaza de Oriente, Placio Real, Cathedral de la Almundena and Jardines de las Vistillas for our first night. The rest of our nights were spent strolling the city finding spots for dinners and gelato. During the days, we took time to see Museo de Prado, Parque del Retrio, Museo Nacional Reina Sofia, Jardin Botanico, Plaza Mayor, and various other monuments. It was great to be able to see so much of the country within such a short amount of time. We were always remember the beautiful architecture, tasty tapas and daily siestas.

    Thursday, June 5, 2008

    Barcelona

    We arrived in Barcelona in time for a traditional late lunch. Our hotel was only a couple blocks away from the Picasso museum, thus a perfect place to start our exploration. The variety of work leaves all visitors content. To help with jet lag, we forced ourselves to stay up through dinner and even a couple of beers at a nearby pub.

    We started our first full day at the Museum of Contemporary Art and walking along Port Vell. The museum had gorgeous photography along with odd pigeon videos. We spotted a line of locals outside a restaurant where we stopped for a traditional Spanish lunch of sangria and paella. With our bellies full, it was time for our first siesta. We spent the evening people watching at a bar off of Las Ramblas.

    With museums closed on Mondays, we took the day to see the beautiful architecture of Gaudi. After a full day of walking and sight-seeing, we spent the evening sampling sangria, chocolate churros and litras of cerveza.

    Tuesday we took a walk to the beach at Port Olimpic and passed by the beautiful Arc de Triumph and Parc de la Ciutadlla. In the evening, we split off from the crew for some shopping, drinks and dinner in Placa Reial. A long line of people attracted us to a fancy but cheap restaurant. We continued to drink wine more than water and finish every meal with a scoop of gelato.

    Our last day in Barcelona was spent enjoying the works of Miro. We visited the Miro museum and continued on to the Parc de Miro. The museum was fabulous although the park was not much more than a single statue. We experienced much more than posted here. Overall we spent our time walking the streets, looking at old buildings and drinking wine. Fabulous.

    Sunday, June 1, 2008

    Espana

    What a splendid country! Filled with cozy neighborhoods, pitchers of sangria, siestas and even the beach. Spain is definitely a worthwhile vacation. We were lucky enough to spend a full week exploring Barcelona and Madrid alongside Pam, Robin, Sara, Scott, and Jennifer.

    About

    This blog was originally created to keep family and friends updated throughout our travels. Over time, it has morphed into more than just our time abroad.

    Phase Three: Old Towns, Islands and Nature
    Phase Two: Keeping our Feet in Motion
    Phase One: Exploring the East