We boarded a plane for Madrid on Friday (April 16th). Leaving the Canary Islands we had heard that there were a bunch of flights canceled in Europe due to the volcano that erupted in Iceland but figured from Spain we could find some other way to get home so we set off anyway. Alas, all flights were canceled, a rental car would have cost us $3000, the train workers were on strike in France so train travel was limited and a bus ride would have been sheer torment for all of us involved. That is why we say we had a fabulous "vacation" in the Canary Islands and then a wonderful "volcation" in Madrid...you know, thanks to the volcano!
It turns out that Hyrum and I enjoyed Madrid even more than the Canary Islands. It was so much fun to walk around a beautiful city and relax in the parks and explore the history. Because we had not planned on visiting we didn't have an itinerary so most of these photos show us enjoying the beautiful weather and having fun being together as a family.
Day One: We landed in Madrid. Our luggage was not to be found. We got booked (by the airport hotel desk) into the worlds worst hotel. I don't like to remember day one!
Day two: We checked out of the hotel we were in and into a great hotel. It was located in a cute neighborhood with a grocery store just a few blocks away, the subway station just down the road and this fabulous city park! The best part was that this new hotel was cheaper and had enough beds to sleep our whole family. Oh yeah, Hyrum stood in line at the airport for about 4 hours and found most of our luggage, so that was good too:)
Julian enjoying the park near our hotel.
So you can't make it to the gym? No problem! These park benches were equipped with bicycle pedals so you could exercise and chat with your buddies at the same time.
This is how we ate most of our meals. It is so stressful to try and take 3 kids into a restaurant and with weather this beautiful you couldn't really justify spending time indoors anyway.
Day Three: We met these nice young men and they invited us to church. It was all in Spanish and we didn't bring any church clothes so we ended up going in shorts and t-shirts but it was still a good experience.
This is a memorial sculpture to fallen bull fighters. There was a bull fight happening on Sunday afternoon but I just didn't think I could sit and watch an animal get hurt, even for the sake of cultural experience.
After church we took the subway to the "Teleferico." It was pouring down rain, can you tell how soggy Townsend looks? The Teleferico is a cable car that takes about a 15 minute ride over Madrid. It was neat to see Madrid from the air. The boys really enjoyed the ride and by the time we went up to the top and back down again the rain had stopped!
Julian and Daddy at the lookout point at the top of the Teleferico.
These are the ruins of a 2000 year old Egyptian temple. Kind of an odd bit of Egyptian history in the middle of Madrid but still very interesting and amazing when you stop and think just how old 2000 years is.
The sun came out and we all dried off.
Day Four: We headed over to the Reina Sofia art museum. One might think we were crazy to even attempt this with three children but Madrid has some of the most famous art pieces in the world and we just couldn't pass up the opportunity. This is Guernica by Pablo Picasso. Hyrum had told the boys the story behind this work and so the boys were actually really excited to see it. They did relatively well for most of the museum but kids just get worn out with this sort of thing so we had to cut out some of the other exhibits...next time maybe?
Townsend took this photo of Hyrum, pretty good huh?
Another dining experience, al fresco.
Walking around downtown Madrid.
This is Townsend being extremely silly in the Plaza Mayor. This is the biggest city plaza in all of Madrid. There were multiple performers and artists in this square. It was a great place to sit and people watch and also a great place to chase pigeons...if you are 6 years old.
We found a movie theater in Madrid that had English language movies. We took the boys to "How To Train Your Dragon" which we all loved. Afterward we found yet another great playground.
Julian and mommy splashing in the fountain.
Dinner at the Plaza Mayor. We thought dinner in the plaza would be fun. The boys could run around and we could enjoy the fresh air. A very mediocre dinner and $90 later we realized, we should have thought a little harder about this decision!
Day Five: A trip to the Royal Palace in Madrid. I have toured quite a few palaces and mansions while here in Europe but this one was fun because it is still used by the King and Queen of Spain. The rooms were well furnished and since we didn't take a tour we could go at our own pace...very quickly as dictated by three small children...but still a fun and worthwhile experience.
The Royal Palace. There was also a museum filled with armor and weapons that we visited while at the palace. It was just amazing to see the suits of armor from the 1400's. Not very comfortable looking to wear but an amazing piece of history to see.
Emerson: Forget about the history, art and culture! What kind of ice-cream do I want?
Mmmmm, gelato!
After the Royal Palace we headed to Retiro Park in central Madrid. It is so nice to have a big park right in the middle of a city. You can find a little corner and relax or find a tree to climb.
There was a little lake that you could rent a boat on. They wouldn't let us take Julian on the boat so I was able to snap this photo from the shore. The boys liked the boat ride and Hyrum even let them try and row for a few minutes...what a sight!
Here is Townsend trying to locate our stop on the subway map. We got pretty good at finding our way around Madrid via the subway and it was sure a lot cheaper than taking taxi's everywhere!
Day Six: At the airport (April 21). Goodbye Spain, thanks for the fun memories!!!
