New Year's Eve Dinner

Sigh.  We are in Sevilla, Spain.  Beautiful day.  Getting cold as the sun descends below the buildings.  On our way back to find a great restaurant with tapas for New Year's Eve . . .but not sure if it will be open until late (everything else looks like it is closing down.)

Kids are hungry.  We are hungry. 

Where do we eat for New Year's Eve?  The Happy Meal and ubiquitous logo tell it all.  Hopefully it isn't a metaphor of all 2012. 

Sigh. 

Alcazar & Sevilla

On New Year's Eve we arrived in Sevilla, found our place and managed to visit the famous Alcazar.  It was a truly beautiful site, with the amazing carvings and handiworks that almost rivals the Alhambra. The interior ceilings and intricate walls were impressive -whether tiles or carvings, it was amazing to see how wood and stone could be transformed into something so beautiful. 

Not surprisingly, Gabi spent much of the vacation buried in a book.  Who can compete with ancient ruins when Harry Potter is around? 

 

The huge and famous cathedral (third largest in the world?) is the center of the town, and not far from the Alcazar. 

Swinging in Granada

Science Museum (Granada)

We had a nice visit to the science museum, which had a tower with an incredible view, including of the city and the snowcapped mountains in the distance.  We also visited a less than overwhelming science museum, a great play area for kids and some really fascinating hands-on exhibits about the human body.

It was an excellent opportunity to see a bit of Granada. 

There was also a wonderful public park that gave us some great entertainment with the fun swing that revolved. The kids were laughing and laughing!

Alhambra

One of the undoubted highlights of the trip was having the chance to visit the Alhambra in Granada.  We had an afternoon sessions (pre-purchasing your tickets was a huge help!).  We had heard from a good friend that this was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen that was made with human hands.  Indeed, what an intricate and amazing complex, with so many different rooms, patterns and locations. 

With all of the reflecting pools, the intricate stonework and the amazing hours of labor that put together the incredible labyrinth of structures, it was a special memory we will long remember.


 We also tried a couple of family pictures.  Which one works best?

 And the views looking outside the Alhambra included views of Granada, snowcapped mountains and neighboring hillsides.

Alhambra Mini-Tour

With our own special tour guide, we got to hear about the excitement of seeing such a spectacular place.

Old Granada

In the morning before visiting the Alhambra, we visited grandma and grandpa's idyllic little hotel and then went for a walk around the amazing sights on the top of the hill.  Playgrounds, markets, cute restaurants, narrow alleys - and chocolate con churros - YUM!  Nice way to spend the morning.

Granada

We took the bus from Madrid to Granada and arrived at our nice place just on the edge of the main part of the city in Granada.  We walked to the city center, where we met Doug's parents, and were surprised at how cold it got once the sun dipped below the mountains. 

We had the chance to see a bit of the massive Granada Cathedral - with its unusual circular center for the main area.  We also saw an elaborately staged Nativity scene before enjoying one of the best meals of the trip.  Not only was the food delicious, but it was great to be out of the cold!

Madrid

For our big day in Madrid, we visited the Prado - one of the top art museums in the world.  It was truly impressive - and the kids' version of the audio cassettes helped us navigate some of the highlights.  We did spend quite a bit of time walking around the city (being surprised with how cold it was!).   

On the way back we went through some of the main squares, which were bustling with activity, street performers and lots of excitement.  It was quite a memorable site. Our favorite was the mesmerizing tale of the bubbles that were scattered by one performer - with the kids eagerly giving chase to pop the massive bubbles. 

Mass at Notre Dame

A few seconds of the amazing organ at Notre Dame Cathedral during Christmas Mass.

Christmas in Notre Dame

 

What an amazing Christmas experience.  We celebrated mass on Christmas Day in Notre Dame cathedral.  It was almost entirely in French; it was a bit crowded, but we managed to be quite fortunate and arrived just in time to get a seat. 

The incredible sights, the unbelievable organ music; it was certainly a day that we will long remember. 

Afterwards, we went to the Arc de Triumphe - a beautiful day to see the world's largest traffic circle.  We enjoyed the clear blue skies and the chance to take the underground passageway to the center of the arc and be impressed with the sheer magnitude of this massive structure. 

And Christmas dinner - a memorable last day in Paris in our cozy apartment, while watching It's a Wonderful Life. The meal wasn't quite like the great feasts we've had with extended family in past years, but what a great memory to create for our family.

 

Christmas 2012: very memorable way to celebrate Christ's entrance into our world.

Christmas Story

A performance by the girls for the Christmas story.
The birth is a special highlight!

Paris Sounds & Sights

What a great city with the street performers and great ambiance of public places.

Paris

Tracy wasn't feeling super, and the kids were happy to stay home and watch movies (the Wizard of Oz can be quite a hit!), so Doug, not wanting to waste a day in Paris, spent the afternoon on the town.  With the ease of the subway system, it was great to get to several places. 

The Basilica of St. Denis is one of the amazing churches of the world.  Despite being Christmas Eve, the church was basically deserted, and it was stunning to see the huge cathedral, famed as the first medieval Gothic architecture ever, the awe-inspiring stained glass, and the huge facade.  What an inspiring site. 

A quick stop at the Arc de Triumphe ensured that I wouldn't miss that on our trip to Paris; we were unsure if we would make it as part of Christmas, especially if the family wasn't feeling the best.

 

The way back allowed me to walk by the Modern Art Museum, where there were street performers, Christmas music, and a HUGE Coca-cola van passing out free Cokes, complete with the fake snow.  Paris can certainly be a magical city, even when it is a bit on the chilly side.

Impressionism

We visited the incredibly impressive Musee d'Orsay.  It was a highlight for the adults, but not so interesting for the kids.  In fact, it was a definitely low point of the trip with a grumpy boy. 

We realized that despite being in such a fabulous city, kids certainly love some down time - which they had the previous day, as well as several short days.

Despite the challenges, the unbelievably beautiful impressionist paintings were a true highlight. 

Euro Disney Highlights

Not sure if Disney will mute the music from their clips, but here are some of the highlights of our day at Disney! 

Euro Disney

We had a nice long day at Euro Disney.  There were lots of fun memories.  Nemo's Crush's Coaster and Space Mountain were big highlights.  There were some fun roller coasters, and Rania really liked the Aerosmith ride at the end (Gabi opted out at the last minute).   The Cars show was pretty amazing - though mighty cold. 

We also got the parade and a lot of the events that make Disney memorable and yes, magical.  Seeing all the Christmas decorations, the lighting of the 20 year anniversary tree, and the laser light show over the castle were all fun, too.