So far so good!

Well, we made it to Amsterdam. Not a huge accomplishment considering we're bound for Madrid, but the flight was on time and there were few "controversies." (That's our word of the trip so far, and we say it with a British accent thanks to what we've been hearing from the World Cup broadcasters.)

And speaking of the World Cup, our crew was slightly devastated at the result of the Spain/Holland match. But spirits were good despite the crushing 5-1 loss. We're having a good time, many movies were watched across the Atlantic, our dinner consisted of spicy chicken or veggie pasta, and the adults were happy to enjoy one or two complimentary cocktails.

In an hour we'll be boarding our KLM flight for Madrid, then a few hours later we'll be on the Metro heading to our home-away-from-home apartment for the week. I won't see a bed for another 10 hours or so, and it could be a slog. But, things are good and we're having a blast! Madrid here we come!

We're going back!

Five years after the first "Five Cousins" adventure to Europe and we're going back. Things have changed. Now we're traveling with just four cousins. Chalin is in college and will soon be doing a year abroad in the Netherlands, so she wasn't able to come with us. And the other four cousins have grown up a bit since the last time, so I'm not sure I can tell them what to do as much as I could in 2009. But, I'll try to get them to post as much as possible, and if they refuse, I'll just take the reins.

This time around our trip is a little longer and covers a bit more ground. We'll be starting in Madrid, venturing south to the Atlantic beaches of Spain, splitting for a few days as my clan travels through Portugal and the Aragos go to London, meeting up in London, then ending in Ireland. We're also excited to be in Europe for one of the premier sporting events in the world - the World Cup. No, it's not being held in Europe, but the excitement in the cities will surely be revved up to maximum fun-ness.

Check us out as we travel the Iberian peninsula, drink our share of cafe con leche, cruise down the Thames, and crawl our way through the city streets of Dublin. It's sure to be another Kreie-Arago trip to remember!

End of the Trip

In Paris

From the Train in France

Hello from the TGV train in France!

The last several days have been extremely hectic and busy. We’ve been hopping from city to city basically since leaving the beach in southern Spain. We hit Granada, then Madrid for a couple more nights, did the overnight train to Barcelona, then spent one night in Albi, France. Now we’re high-speeding through the French countryside on our way to Paris. Three nights there and we’ll be on our way home.

Guessing that we’ll be quite busy in Paris, this is probably my last blog entry until returning home. I have more videos to upload, maybe by the time you’re reading this they are up, but I just haven’t found the time to sit at a computer and wait for the uploads. Plus, getting Internet connections at smaller hotels in Spain and France hasn’t been a guarantee.

We’ve experienced a lot in the past few days and have had many highlights. Barcelona was a bit insane in terms of people and traffic, but a definite highlight was spending the evening on a mountain on the edge of city where much of the Olympic events took place in 1992. We also spent that same evening wandering the city and watching a cool music and light fountain show at the Magic Fountains. The kids loved the overnight train, so that was fun to experience with them. We’ve had some great food including a meal of roasted chicken in Madrid and an awesome menu del dia in Barcelona (a three course meal including wine and dessert). The train rides have also been a treat. I’m loving being able to read, listen to music, and nap – none of which I could do when I was driving. Tricia, the kids, and I also spent a day in Segovia, a town just a 35 minute train ride outside of Madrid. This was a special day, too. We toured the Alcazar, a palace, and saw the huge Roman aqueduct that runs through the town. This was a fun break from the big city hustle and bustle of Madrid. Last night in Albi was also a nice break from the big city. We walked around the town, down by a river that runs through the town, and across a bridge that was constructed in the 11th century. Following our stroll, we had a fine French dinner. I tried the foi gras, and was not impressed. I guess my palate isn’t that refined.

So, a few days in Paris and we’ll be finished with this European adventure. It has been a completely awesome experience and one I’m sure we’ll be talking about for many, many years to come. The kids have been just great! Seeing the trip through their eyes and seeing them have so much fun with one another has been especially rewarding. This trip we have been talking about for a few years finally came together and it sure was a special thing.

In Albi, France

In Barcelona, Spain

In Granada, Spain

Flamenco in Chiclana

Back in Madrid

Hola from Madrid,

We´re back in the big city after making a one night stop in Granada to see the Alhambra. I can´t get to a good connection to upload new videos. Perhaps when we reach Barcelona or France in a couple of days.

But, all is well and we´re right in the heart of the action in Madrid staying at a hotel near the Puerto de Sol which is smack dab in the middle of the city. We returned the rental car yesterday (Halleluia) and will do the rest of the trip by train, metro and on foot. Wé´lll spend the today and tomorrow in Madrid then do the night train to Barcelona tomorrow night. After that, Albi, France for a night and Paris for three nights.

We´re going to wander the city today, do some shopping, and meet David´s parents for dinner. We may even catch the new Harry Potter movie during the mid day to escape the heat.

So... we´ll check in in a day or two.

Yesterday Tricia, the kids and I took a little road trip through the countryside of southern Spain. We drove through a few Andulsian hill towns and made stops in Medina and Arcos. We had a very pleasant day and a nice break from the beach. The day satisfied my urge to explore a bit and see more of Spanish culture in some small Spanish towns. We had a very nice time. But... I will be happy to ditch the car and take some trains in the next week and a half. My driving has improved but it´s still very suspect. Especially going from a dead stop up a hill. Oh my!!!

Eating in Chiclana

As you can see, eating and drinking have been a huge part of our experience in Espana.

We´re having more fun in Chiclana. Lots of good food, lots of relaxing, lots of beach time. Oh, and lots of vino tinto.

Last night we went out for pizza, of all things, but it was great and it did have a little Spanish flair to it. Tonight we´ll be heading into town to see some flamenco. Then tomorrow´s our last day at the beach. On Monday some of us head to Granada, while Nathan and Chalin head to Madrid. Then all of us will meet back in Madrid on Tuesday.

This place is really awesome! It´s a great mix of beach, shops, bars and restaurants. Every morning begins with cafe con leche, bollos (pastries) and tostada (crunchy thick toast). We´ve become regulars for breakfast at the Che Bar.

1st Two Days in Chiclana

Chris here again. Currently I’m sitting poolside while the kids are swimming. After a day at the beach, Sammie informed me that my face was really red. I guess I better watch the sun time during the remaining days at the beach.
Our first day of travel was a little rough considering the amount of time it took us to get to Madrid. We left MSP on Friday at 6:30 a.m. and didn’t get into Madrid until about 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Much of the reason for the length of travel was due to a 12 hour layover in Newark. We tried to make the best of that by heading into Manhattan for a few hours. That went pretty well, and did help to kill the time, but the city was a little overwhelming and the kids were happy to return to the airport.
We touched down in Madrid after a very pleasant red-eye flight. Most of us managed to get our fair share of sleep. We met David’s parents at the airport, David and Nathan took all the luggage in a rental car to the hotel, and the rest of us took the metro. We met at the hotel about 30 minutes later, all happy to have reached our final destination.
In Madrid we enjoyed a light lunch outside the Mediodia hotel then all crashed for a couple hours inside our rooms. In the evening we all walked to the center of Madrid and once again met up with David’s parents. David’s sister, Mamen, also joined us. We spent a fun time in a cueva (cave) restaurant eating tapas and vino. The tapas, or small bites, included calamari, French fries, small fish, olives, egg and potato tortilla, ham, cheese and probably some other things that I’m forgetting right now. It was typical Spanish and a great end to our first day in Spain.
The following day we headed to Cordoba, Spain, which is south of Madrid a few hours. Getting to Cordoba was an experience, let me tell you. First off I struggled with the manual transmission car we rented. Second, I was stressed beyond belief getting out of Madrid and thinking that at every stop light I was going to kill the car. And last, it took us about 3 hours to find our hotel once we arrived in Cordoba. The streets wind around this way and that, are narrow beyond belief, and have crazy one ways and dead ends. I felt like Jason Bourne ripping around in my stick shift car through the narrow streets of an ancient European city. It was quite a rush even though we were all quite frustrated to not be able to get to where we needed to go. The entire story is quite a bit more elaborate, but I’ll leave it for now. Just believe me when I say we were all extremely happy to eventually find the hotel.
We did a very late dinner in Cordoba then spent the following morning exploring the Mezquita. The Mezquita is a mosque turned Christian cathedral that dates back to the 8th century. It was very impressive. Oh, I forgot, prior to the Mezquita we roamed a torture museum in the center of town. It freaked us all out and left us with a creepy feeling that lasted to bedtime last night for some of the kids.
So, later in the day we drove the last couple of hours to Chiclana. We got some drinks at a little bar while David negotiated with Loli for our apartment rent. Our Chiclana apartment is small for 11 of us (Maria’s friend Megan joined us in Chiclana), but it’s very nice and just a very short walk to the beach. I think we’ll have a lot of fun squeezed into this tiny apartment.
In the early evening we swam in the ocean followed by another late dinner, this time a meal in a restaurant right on the beach.
Today we’ve been at the same beach almost the entire day. Kids played in the waves, used their boogie boards, and played in the sand. Adults did all that, too, along with some good chilling out time on the beach.

Sammie’s Top 10 Funniest Moments So Far in Spain

10. Getting lost in Cordoba with Uncle Nathan running behind the car.
9. The Awkwards, Casey and Santi, doing their Dino Rex Dance.
8. The high tide almost took our stuff yesterday.
7. Chalin and my mom thought the octopus was too chewy.
6. The car died on my dad a lot.
5. All the kids look tired all the time because they got sunburned under their eyes.
4. We had to hide from Loli, the apartment owner, because our group is too big.
3. David had to sleep on the penguin floaty toy.
2. That all the TV channels are in Spanish.
1. The Awkwards both bought a giant key.