Ringing in the New Year, Spanish Style

Because we hadn't done it enough this year, we decided that we should add some excitement to our lives and travel someplace new to celebrate the New Year.  Yes, I am writing this while rolling my own eyes and my tongue planted firmly in my cheek.  We have traveled more this year than in any year past.  Our final tally - 9 countries, 15 cities and countless day trips in our own Czech Republic.  But as much as I love to travel, I also need a bit of a rest.  Because, let's face it, I am mom.  And mom means that the brunt of the work falls on me - from the packing, to the booking of rooms and flights, to making sure that everyone has a good time.  I was worried one more trip would put us me over the edge.  But this time, B assured me that it would be easy.  We would be going to Madrid to see family, not to sight see, and he had already found affordable flights and hotel.  And we had never been to Spain before.  What did I have to lose?  

Nothing.  Because in reality, it was relaxed, and it was fun.  We didn't have an agenda, except to spend as much time with the family as we could.  Which is a fantastic way to end one year and ring in the next.  We ate and we played and we did do a bit of sight seeing (who can resist seeing a real palace, where the King and Queen actually still throw dinners?).  We relaxed, we reunited with even more family (the same cousin we visited in Ireland in October).  We talked, we laughed and B and I commented on how great it was to be in a first world country, speaking a language we both understood (funny how a few years ago that would not have been the case).  Happy New Year everyone.  May it bring you everything you need, and even a few things you don't.

I leave you with some photo memories...

First stop, lunch.  And a bit of MadHatter's artistry for her cousin C.  What else but the characters from Frozen?

The glass palace.  We ducked in to see the art exhibition.  And then were sorry we did.  But by that time, the girls were intrigued so we stayed to look at the mini marionettes and the crazy things they did.

Nothing like throwing leaves...

Even the big kid got involved...

The Palace.

Standing in line to get in, I caught these two off guard and snapped some pics of them playing.  I love to see her laugh and look so happy to be with her Papa.

I could only take pictures of the outside of the castle.  There are no pictures allowed inside the rooms. I did get one of the main entrance hall where the King and Queen greet foreign visitors and one fromt a hallway they said was ok but all in all, you will have to visit it to see it.

On our way to lunch, we got to pose as soldiers.  And with Elsa.

I think the last was the highlight of their day.

 
 

Off to catch our train, to the suburbs, to make pizza at the cousins house...

We stopped at the park...

 Finally, it was dark.  And we headed to A and A's house.  We made our own pizzas.  We talked.  We let the kids play.  And then we did the same thing for New Year's Eve.  Fabulous way to spend the days, if you ask me!

The hotel gifted us candy, champagne and grapes, in the New Yer tradition. The custom is that you eat 12 grapes at the strike of midnight for health and wealth in the new year.

Prettiest girls in the train station on New Years eve.

Happy New Yea!