All I can say is we loved it, we loved it, we loved it! We left the beautiful USA and went to SPAIN for two whole weeks. It was the ride of a lifetime. We went with my entire family (Mom, Dad, Rory, Megan, and us) to tour my brother Rory's mission (he's been home for 9 months) and a few areas people told him he needed to visit. Here's a play-by-play that hopefully doesn't bore you too much.
A Monument in the Park
A Glass House
A Grassy Area
A Famous Fountain called "The Fallen Angel" except it is in Spanish
Us Walking in Downtown Madrid
The Post Office
Eating Doner Kabops--Yummy!
We only made it until about 7:00 that night before we crashed in our hotel room and slept until 7:00 the next morning.
Day 3: May 25th
We drove to a town called Mostoles. My brother served there for several months. We attended church. It was tough--we didn't understand a single word, so most of us ended up falling a sleep at some point during the meeting. The members commented to my brother, "Geez your family must be pretty tired from the flight." Then we drove for 5 hours to a town called Grenada.
Day 4: May 26th
In Grenada is a famous place called the La Alahambra. It was nominated for one of the 7 Wonders of the World. It didn't make it, but still it was pretty cool.
Day 5: May 27th (aka My 25th Birthday!)
This day we left the town of Grenada and headed for Sevilla, making a stop in Cordoba along the way. In Cordoba we toured a famous cathedral named La Mezquita. Spain has tons of cathedrals to accomodate their dominant catholic religion. The architecture in these buildings is absolutely amazing, and many are hundreds of years old.
Day 6: May 28th
Sevilla is one of the neatest little towns you will ever visit. We visited the Plaza de Espana where Star Wars was filmed (it is Queen Amadala's Palace). It was really neat. We shopped and found some killer deals there.
We also toured the Toro de Oro or "Tower of Gold" that is now a naval museum, but was once a watch tower/lighthouse back in the day.
Next we visited a castle. When the King of Spain comes to Sevilla he still stays there.
We then met up with one of my brother's old mission companions Roberto Rodriguez and his wife. Together we toured an absolutely amazing cathedral and went to dinner.
Day 7: May 29th
We left Sevilla and stopped in a town by the name of Merida. Merida is full of Roman ruins. There is an old colluseum and an old amphitheatre. We also stopped by the Temple of Diana. Then we got back in the car and drove back to Madrid.
Day 8: May 30th
This day we went to the San Lorenzo Monestary in El Escorial.
Day 9: May 31st
Today we attended the Madrid Temple and had lunch with Rory's mission president and his wife. We also stopped by the palace where the current King of Spain lives.
Day 10: June 1st
We went to church again today in Madrid and met several families that Rory taught. Some people spoke English!!!! Then we went and toured the Prado Museum.
Day 11: June 2nd
Salamanca, the place where the movie Vantage Point was filmed. We toured a cathedral, visited the University where there is the famous hidden frong in the entrance's sculptured wall, and visited the two slanted buildings.
Day 12: June 3rd (aka Our 4 Year Anniversary)
Segovia was probably my favorite town. We got to tour the castle that Walt Disney designed his France Disneyland Castle after. It was beautiful. We also saw another cathedral and an aqueduct.
Day 13: June 4th
We toured a monestary/cathedral known as Valle de los Caidos or "Valley of the Fallen". We hiked 3 miles up to this place. It is built inside a mountain. The cross on the top is 500 feet tall.
Day 14: June 5th
Toledo is famous for its swords and jewelry. We had a great time just touring the city.
So that was our tour of Spain. Hopefully my tour to you wasn't too long or painful!