Grammy and Pappy came all the way from Oklahoma to spend two weeks with us in Spain. They got passports for the first time just to make this trip and we were so excited to have them.

We started by taking the train to Madrid to pick them up. I made a mistake and got the date of their arrival wrong so we showed up to the airport the day BEFORE they actually got here. We waited for two hours and when I finally realized what I had done, we got in our private, chauffeured car (that I had booked for all of us lol) and headed to our AirBnB.

We spent the day exploring a bit of Madrid. We ate lunch in Plaza Mayor, walked to see the Royal Palace and Palacio Real and enjoyed all the architecture and sights in between. We ate some yummy gelato, played hide and seek in a park, and just winged it on our unplanned day. We had a great day, but let me tell you… these kids were soooo happy once their Grammy and Pappy were finally here!!!

We enjoyed relaxing days around the area by showing them how we live. They got to be here for both Lyla and Jayson’s birthdays which was wonderful. We enjoyed dinners out, days at the beach, strolling the old Spanish cobblestone streets, and just spending time together. I didn’t realize how many pictures I didn’t take until I went to make this blog post, but I guess that’s what happens when you’re busy having a good time with family.

We ventured out to Cadiz one day. It is the oldest providence in Spain and is just across the water from where we live. The church, the old streets, the views of the water… all breathtaking. There ended up being a religious celebration of some sort going on that day so the streets were packed with people and a parade. Due to this, we were unable to go inside the church but we did sit outside and have lunch while taking in the view. Its such a small and charming little city that we were glad we finally got to visit.

We took Dale and Teresa to Seville for two days. It is one of our favorite cities in Spain and although I’ve blogged about it several times, it never gets boring. We took them to the Real Alcazar Royal gardens, ate some Mexican food and drank some tinto, and finally went inside the cathedral. We have walked around this cathedral every time we have been to this beautiful city, but never went in. This cathedral is the oldest gothic cathedral in the world and is even more stunning on the inside. Christopher Columbus’ tomb is inside and that was such a neat thing to be able to say we have seen. We had a wonderful time in Seville just as we always do!

We wrapped up our last night with them here by eating dinner down by the harbor in El Puerto, walking around downtown, and Dale and Teresa took a sweet horse drawn carriage ride around just the two of them. It was a relaxing night! We definitely did not want to see them go, but were so happy to have made these memories with them! Thank you Grammy and Pappy for coming to visit us!

We ended our vacation through Italy in Venice. This city has been at the top of my must see list (this and Santorini) since I can remember and man was I excited to finally get there.

We left Florence on the train and in a short 1.5 hours, we were in beautiful Venice. We had been warned about the expenses of Venice and man were people right. We came out of the train station with our three suitcases and backpacks and headed towards the water taxis to get a ride to our AirBnB. These nice men came up and asked to help with our suitcases and escort us over so we thought they were the drivers or part of the service…. nope, they wanted 20 euro just for walking our rolling luggage and extra 50 yards. grr!! first lesson was learned right off the bat. We got on our water taxi and we were all in awe of what we were cruising past. I don’t think many kids can say their first time on a boat is in Venice, Italy, but our lucky ducks can!!

We had an adorable AirBnB just off the water. Walking the small alleyways that weave and wind through the city where the buildings just tower over you, it such a different and unique feeling (I don’t know why, but I loved it). We ventured out to a local market to get some produce, bread, and drinks for our few days there and then got settled in. we did a little bit of exploring the first day, but not much since it was the evening time by then. We went to the side of the open water and sat at a restaurant with a beautiful view. We relaxed, ate some delicious Italian food and watched all the boats go by. The kids were sooo amused when a cruise ship full of people came through and they got to wave at everyone on board. It was pretty entertaining.

Our first full day in Venice we explored the city by walking alllll around it seemed. This city is very difficult to navigate in that the streets and alleyways run all different directions so you have to go back two blocks to go forward three in the right direction. Its easy to get lost and seems like there is no direct path anywhere but we figured it out. Those backpacks definitely came in handy with the kids with how much walking we did… never had to hear them complain although Jayson and I felt like our shoulders were going to fall off at times lol. Thank goodness the view is gorgeous no matter what turns you take so the walking doesn’t bother you in the end.

We found out real quick where the other expenses came into play as well. We sat down the have lunch on the water our first day and definitely paid for the view… literally. On top of ordering 26 euro ravioli that came with 7 pieces of ravioli, we paid an additional 11 euro PER PERSON as a “sitting” fee. Ridiculous! These people know how to get ya!

From there we ventured over to St Mark’s square. The infamous square did not disappoint. From the TONS of pigeons to the surrounding architecture, I’m pretty sure we stood there and turned in circles just taking it all in for a while. From St. Mark’s Basilica, St. Mark’s Campanile, and Doge’s Palace… there is sooo much to take in and admire. We just walked around the square looking in all the little shops that outline it, ate some yummy gelato, and let the kids run around some!

After this, we slowly walked back to our AirBnB, taking a different route and enjoying all the beauty this town has to offer. We ate dinner, the kids had a bath and went to bed, and Jayson and I sat out on our little patio and enjoying the local Chianti.

Our last full day in Venice we started out at Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana. These are huge, architecturally ornate museums that sit on the corner of where the Grand Canal meets the open water. It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen that was not from way up high somewhere. From this location, we hopped on a water bus that went all around the city through the canals so that we could see all the scenery that we knew we would not be able to see by walking (since we didn’t have the time). The kids loved sitting on the boat and just looking out at everything. We got many compliments from older couples that were amazed that we were traveling with two small children just shy of 2 and 4 years old. We explained to some that we actually lived in Spain currently so it wasn’t that big of a treck…. others we just took in the compliment and let them think we traveled all the way from the states lol.

The next morning, we headed out to the airport via the water bus. Our flight was not until the afternoon but we were warned to give ourselves HOURS of time before and thank goodness we did. It took us 1.5 hours of sitting on a full water bus to get out to the airport (its a good ways away from the main part of the city) and then the airport is just a mess. We waited in line for an hour just to check our bags (the only had one counter open for our flight) and then had to go to the opposite side of the terminal to go through security because our gate was on the opposite end from our check in and you can only go through the security check point nearest your gate. 5 hours later, we made it to our gate in time to line up to get on the flight!

All in all, Venice was beautiful, but not my favorite. It is very crowded and expensive. I am glad that I got to check it off my list and say that I experienced it though!