PHS Europe Trips!

Good morning from Germany.  We are enjoying a relaxing morning in our very nice hotel.  We are so thankful at how accomodating they have been.  We are all in good spirits and ready for a trip ride home.   Here's hoping for a smooth ride home!!!

Well, let me begin by saying, this day began very smoothly and ended with a long night in the airport... We had our last European breakfast (or so we thought) this morning in Madrid.  Nadia took us to the airport and we said our goodbyes with hugs and happy memories. Our flight from Madrid to Frankfurt was delayed at least 2 hours due to storms in Germany, which was going to make our connecting flight to the U.S. very difficult to reach.  And... we didn't make it despite a sprint to the finish.   It was a very long night.  Our flight was supposed to leave at 5:15pm local time, they delayed it until 5:30 when we arrived, and when we made it to the gate at 5:42pm, the plane was just pulling out of the gate.  After a very long wait in line, Lufthansa issued us vouchers for a hotel stay in Frankfurt (along with food), issued us new tickets for the same flight tomorrow, and got our luggage for us.  We finally arrived at our hotel in Frankfurt at 10:30pm local time. The

Today was our last day in Spain and it was absolutely wonderful.  We left early to drive to the old medieval town of Toledo.  It has a very old history and beauty beyond measure.  Our local guide Rosanna shared that she had just rented out an apartment in the sleepy city right near one of the cathedrals we visited.  First we saw a sword-making presentation, and several workers making fine crafts and jewelry. The view from outside the city was breathtaking! Cathedral de Toledo:  We learned that this cathedral is the 5th largest in the world, just in this tiny town of Toledo.  Walking in, instantly we were breathless and mesmerized by how huge the cathedral was.   We also saw a famous pice by El Greco and visited a Jewish synagogue which, at one point, Napoleon Ier used as a horsen barn/stall!  Shocking. Once we returned to Madrid, we took some time at the hotel to pack our things and prepare for the next day of travel.  We headed to Madrid for a final visi

We are loving this city! We woke to another delicious, European breakfast and didn't stop going until the day was done! First on the agenda was a bus/walking tour of Madrid where we drove throughout the city and got to stop and see the Palacio Real.  No, no royalty lives there now but it still hosts official visitors (presidents and other leaders) from other countries.  Spain has a monarchy, though the King has officially relinquished all power; it is more of a prime minister type figure for Spain.  The palace was incredible.  The rooms were ornate and we were blown away by all of the frescos paintings everywhere (the wall & ceiling), the chandeliers, and so, much, gold! After the palace, we  drove into the center of Madrid to see more amazing landmarks and to enjoy the food and shopping at Puerta del sol.  It is lively and exciting as we walk down the crowded streets and practice our Spanish! Then, we visited the Prado museum!  It was fantastic and

This day took everything we had...  So much so that I couldn't stay awake last night to write a post about it!!! We started with a wonderful tour with Conchita , a Barcelona native and expert on Gaudí.  We took the bus around all of Barelona and were amazed by its size.  We finally got on our feet at the Park Güell, which was Gaudí's idea of what he wanted all of Barcelona to look like with walkways, unique architectural structures, and benches to bring the families of Barcelona together.  It was just beautiful and awe-inspiring.   We toured more of Barcelona where we were able to see the Olympic park from 1992 and ended in front of the incredible Sagrada Familia, yet another brilliant creation of Gaudí.  They have been working on it for over 120 years and hope to have it done by 2026 (100 years after his death).   We continued walking and spent more time at the beach in Barcelona, less so for swimming than for relaxing.  We were able to visit Las Rambla

Oh man, we were VERY tired this morning from our exhausting day in Barcelona, so a very long bus ride was the perfect way to recover. After several hours, about halfway from Madrid, we stopped in Zaragoza to see the Basilica of the Virgen of Pilar.  It has 11 towers and is enormous.  The inside was beautiful with its many murals, paintings, and statues.  It was a cute town with many other beautiful strucutres, statues, and other roman ruins.  Sra Watts and I found some nice Spanish boys to pose with.   After another long car ride anda couple of "comfort stops" as Nadia calls them, we made it to Madrid just in time to check into our hotel, take the metro, and have dinner!  Madrid was vibrant and lively, even from just the short time we walked through it.  We can't wait to see more of the city tomorrow! Buenas noches!