Christmas 2012 :: Spain

I was determined to blog about our Christmas trip before January ended.

Recording memories just always seems like such a big task,

But it is always worth it!

So here goes probably the longest blog post ever!

The Journey to Spain

1. Pregnant woman + long international flight = thankles (yes you read that right one straight line from the thigh to the ankle)

2. Pregnant woman + no sleep on said flight = meltdown in Paris (I blame the hormones and tell myself this wouldn't have happened if I wasn't pregnant)

3. Paris Airport = the most confusing, worst designed airport in the world

4.  Friends and Family = people that are excited to see you no matter how terrible you look and how cranky you feel!

Valencia and Onda

Day 1

After getting a good night's sleep I was finally ready to enjoy Spain.

For breakfast we went to Ana's family's bakery.

DELICIOUS!

I discovered the ensemada and probably ate my weight in them during our trip.

Note:  The only "real" ensemada can be found at the Castan bakery

Then we headed to Valencia.

I love Valencia and the weather was amazing.

1. Bridge with flowers changed to match seasons  2.   Porta de la Mar (Gate of the Seas) 3. Inside the Valencia Cathedral  4. Old Gate to the City  5.  Panoramic view of Valencia from the top of the Valencia Cathedral (Only had to climb 207 circular steps for this) 6. Ryan and I at the top of the tower  7.  Left: Bull flight ring, Right: Valencia Train Station (Ryan, Jenna, and I rode the train back to Onda

1. Another plaza in Valencia  2.  Our delicious lunch of this unique crispy crepes

That night we had a delicious Christmas Eve dinner (feast for a lifetime) with Fransisco and his family.

 Seriously we had like 8 courses.

I don't think I've ever been so full in my entire life.

This dinner put Thanksgiving to shame!

But every course was so good I just had to eat more and let's be serious I can never turn down dessert.

Day 2

  We enjoyed a relaxing day in Onda for Christmas.

Hanging out in the sun, eating fresh oranges and homemade paella, and a small gift exchange.

That evening we got to talk to my brother who is serving his mission in Russia and to Ryan's family.

We also went to this nativity display.  

It was really cool and covered the entire life of Christ.

Day 3

In the morning we went to the castle in Onda, built in the 8th century.

It was weird to be standing in something that was so old.

Madrid

  Day 3 cont.

Next we drove to Madrid and checked into our hotel there.

That night we walked around enjoying the sights and the Christmas lights.

Madrid was definitely colder than Valencia but an improvement to Wisconsin.

Day 4

1. Madrid Temple:  We did a session there and Ryan was able to do the whole session in Spanish! 2. In front of the palace and palace gardens  3. Kilometer marker 0 for all highways in Spain 4-5.  These are actual people dressed up like statues.  They change positions and are all over Spain.  We were pretty impressed by these two guys.

Barcelona

Day 5

Drive to Barcelona.

Stopped at Zaragoza to see the largest cathedral I have ever seen.

Seriously, this should be the 8th wonder of the world.

Day 6

A.K.A. The laundry adventure

Thanks to Fransisco we were able to do laundry.

We spent most of the day cleaning clothes.

That afternoon we hit the streets.

1. If you drink from this fountain it means you will return to Barcelona  2.  Statue of Christopher Columbus  3-5.  A couple of the buildings designed by Gaudi

Day 7

1. View from our restaurant at lunch (top of Tibidabo) 2. The huge hill I had to climb to get to Park Guell  3.  In Park Guell with Sagrada Familia in the background  4. Sitting in Park Guell

Scenes from Park Guell (Gaudi designed)

Day 8 

In the morning we headed outside the city to Montserrat.  

It is a monastery up high in the mountains.

The views were incredible and it really made me miss Utah.

 

The monastery houses the Virgin of Montserrat.

Legend has it that the monks could not move the statue so they built the monastery around it.

People travel great distances just to touch this statue in hopes of receiving blessings.

We used the afternoon to visit the mission office where my dad served.

Then I knew if I wanted to stay up to celebrate New Year's Eve I was going to need a nap!

That evening we went to dinner with Ana and Fransisco right by the Castle of Montjuic.

We ate a lot of food and celebrated the new year in the restaurant.

A little before midnight they brought us hats, masks, noise makers, and grapes.

In Spain you eat a grape for every chime of the clock at midnight.

It was so fun to stuff those grapes.

Ryan and I want to make this a tradition every year!

Day 9

This was our only day with rainy weather.

It couldn't have been timed better since we only had a couple things to see and then we would be heading back to Onda.

1-3. La Sagrada Familia:  A cathedral still under construction.  The project started in 1882 with architectural influence from Gaudi.  The project is expected to be completed in 2026.  4. Arch of Triumph  5-6.  Incredible fountain in Parc de la Ciutadella  (we were sick of the same poses for pictures at this point and got a little creative!)

After finishing in Barcelona Ryan, Jenna, Ana, and I took the train back to Onda.

I love riding in the train and wish the US had a better train system!

Onda, Castellon, and Valencia

Day 10

We spent the day relaxing in Onda after all our traveling.

The weather was so amazing we even tried to get some color on our ghostly skin.

That afternoon we walked up to the ruins of an old Abbey. 

It was a beautiful, relaxing day!

Day 11

We spent most of the day in Castellon.

We walked along the beach, ate delicious paella, and visited a family my mom knew from her mission.

Day 12

My parents and sister flew home early that morning so we spent the day with Fransisco in Valencia.

We toured the City of Arts and Science.

It felt like we were in another planet while we were there.

All the buildings were so unique (design by the same architect who did the Milwaukee Art Museum)

After the City of Arts and Science we went to the beach.

The sand was so soft and the sun felt incredible.

That evening we said goodbye to our friends.

Thank you so much for the trip of a life time!

Journey Home

The flight home was much better than the flight to Spain.

I still hate the Paris airport.

Our flight had to circle for like 30 minutes.

Then you exit the plane on the tarmac and bus to the airport.

Our bus had to wait for 20 minutes because a plane tail was hanging 2 feet into the path.

By this time we have 40 minutes to cross the entire airport, exit security, go through customs, re-enter the secure area, and make it to our flight.

Needless to say that was the fastest I have ever moved in my entire pregnant life.

I definitely got the circulation flowing in my legs!

We made our flight and were the last people to board the plane.

I did laps on the plane like every 45 minutes, we watched a ton of tv, and landed in Detroit feeling pretty good.

I mean I only had cankles so life was good!

Customs in Detroit was a breeze and it was so nice to be back in America and able to read the signs again, but we had a great trip and look forward to when we can go back!

Trip Awards

No family trip would be complete without some funny, candid moments.

I thought the best way to share these would be with awards!

Cutest Triplets Award

We all had sweet pocket detailing!

 Best Tourist

We couldn't decide on a winner so it is a tie for all people using iPads to take pictures

Best Food President

For each meal we would assign a "Food President" to pick which restaurant we would eat at.

This way we would save time trying to get 7 people to agree and everyone would get a turn.

Jenna picked the restaurant with the best food.

My dad picked the restaurant with the best view.

Fransisco and Ana picked the best restaurant to celebrate New Year's Eve in.

Most Enthusiastic Photographer

And the award goes to.....

My mom for being so happy she was allowed to take a picture with her iPad again!

Most Entertaining Game

Finding "Rompe Ralph" movie posters and saying it with the most gusto

And now the moment you've all been waiting for

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Best Tour Guide/ Host

Fransisco!!!!

Honorable Mentions for Pili and Ana

 Thank you so much for such an amazing vacation!

We hope to see you again soon!!!!!