After a days rest from back in Madrid, after our most unforgettable trip to Segovia, it was time for the second half of our Holiday adventures to Barcelona. Trey, Cash, and I went to the airport early because for whatever reason the airlines told us that we were not certified to bring Cash on board the aircraft without paying a fee. I wasn’t sure as to why all of a sudden this airline (name I shall not mention) has allowed us to fly with him in the past but now has decided otherwise. Anyways, we get to the counter and they looked over Cash’s paper work briefly and issued us his boarding pass with out any further questions. The business woman in me grinned with pride, as I muttered to myself, “thats what I thought!” As soon as we had checked our bags there was Kathryn waiting for us boarding pass and carry on in hand, ready for the second half of our holiday adventures. 
We board the plan and have a very pleasant flight to our final destination Barcelona. We all jumped in a cab and had the driver drop us off a the door of our Airbnb. We arrive to the apartment where we meet the owner. He was very friendly and gave us some good places near by to dine and told us how to get to the metro and we were very close to virtually everything. We selected our rooms and headed out with Cash in search for a nearby neighborhood outside dining spot for some traditional tapas and vino. After dinner we ventured into the little market on the corner to get some odds and ends for breakfast. We all decided we wanted to turn in early because we had an early morning to follow with a tour of the Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudi. 
    The next day we all began to wake up and take turns showering. Meanwhile, Kathryn ran to the little bakery down the way to get some fresh bread and croissants for breakfast. We had a glorious start with fresh orange juice, tea, and warms croissants, eggs, and toast with tomato. After walking Cash around the block it was time for us to head out for the day. Our tour guide Marc met us at our apartment and lead us to the metro straight for the Sagrada Familia. He was very helpful with explaining the area and the metro system. We arrived at the Cathedral about 15 minutes later and I remember being in complete awe. The pictures of this incredible piece of architecture do not do it justice. Marc gave us quite the tour as he was full of interesting facts about Guadi and his design, he would point out pieces in the structure and explain the reason for Guadi’s choices. He was very good what he did and honestly I believe made this experience that much more enjoyable because he was so insightful! We walked all around the exterior and were intrigued by the new sides of this masterpiece. I find this entire concept of the project being ongoing and Guadi’s vision and work to be fasinating. When we went into this breathtaking monument, it was a completely different take. Living in Europe we have been traveling to many different places to see many Cathedrals and Churches, but this by far was the most magnificient I have ever seen. It felt as if we were in the forest and the grand pillars were the trunks of the trees and the stained glass represented the colors of the forest as the sunlight carried through the brush and canapoy of the the trees. We spent about 3 hours touring this unbelievable piece of art. Following our tour it was time for some grub and a drink. We decided to walk to our next point of interest… the city center and look for something that looked good and stop. We stumbled into this artistic little mexican fusion restaurant. It was delightful. The ambiance was artistic, fun, and was pouring out great energy all the way to the street. The walls were decorated with murals painted by a local artist and the owners art collection from all over the world. First thing was first drinks so we of course ordered the homemade Margaritas all around and they were delicious, made fresh and with all the right ingredients. Next, we ordered our meals! The amazing food paired with the company and wonderful ambiance made for the time to fly by. With full bellies we were now ready to see more of this beautiful city. We walked all over the city and everywhere we turned we saw the art of Guadi. We became Guadi experts by the end of the day stating “That’s so Guadi” our favorite catch phase of the trip. We stumbled into a festival going on in the Plaza Catalunya of man made musical instruments. For example chimes made of old bicycle wheels and as the wind moved the wheel the chimes would make different musical cords. Many families were gathered in this area waiting for the giant music box to begin. This was fasinating as well there was a ballerina the size of a 2 story building and around her she had a wheel with pieces of fabric with things written on them. Just outside of her resting place was a place for you to write your hopes wishes and dreams on these pieces of fabric. Then once the music box began she would spin and the hopes and dreams of the community would spin above her. I read a few that some children had written… World Peace. Love Everyone Everywhere! A Puppy! As I read these it made me think of all the beautful things in this world and how much we should cherish every moment.
 We made our way to the famous street the Ramblas and wondered into the the most amazing market I have ever seen The St. Joseph Market. All of these beautiful foods, all fresh, local, and just beaming with color the looks of them you knew they were going to taste ever so heavenly. After a day of wondering the beautiful city with windows full of the most beautiful food art…pinchos! We hadn’t made dinner plans yet and were very from the our apartment but knew at some point we would need to head towards the apartment to let Cash out. We decided to wander into this 1920’s looking bar and come up with a game plan. The consensus was we stay out until dark to see the Christmas lights of Barcelona lit up then head back to make soup and get ready for the next days adventures. Lights lights and more lights we ventured from one street to the next viewing different holiday decor and decorated trees. We stumbled upon a plaza where they had life size snow globe floats that different stores had created. They were having a contest on which was the most creative. Then every 15 minutes they blew fake snow in them to really make them come to life. One thing this city had and made you feel was the creativity. After walking around for some time we decided it was time to head back to our apartment. Trey and Kathryn made homemade veggie soup that really hit the spot. We had beautiful weather while in Barcelona, however at night it would cool down quite a bit. After finishing off our jug of wine that we had purchased upon arrival at the small bodega under our apartment we were all ready to hit the hay to be ready for another day.
We all slowly woke up and had another amazing breakfast together with fresh croissants and fresh squeezed OJ. We were off to Gaudi's park for the day and took Cashman along for the ride. We decided a cab would be best to avoid being late for our entrance time into the park. The cab driver liked Cash and thought he was so funny. Within minutes we were at the famous Guadi's Park Guell. We got in line and waited for about 10 minutes to enter. Once we were in we began snapping away and wondering around the park. Cash has a blast sniffing around and soaking up the sun. We made it to the famous look out of Gaudi's park and kept cash on a short leash because there were a lot of people and a lot of dogs around. His favorite thing to do is chase birds' shadows and this was the perfect place to do it in. We went to the center of the plaza and let him run in circles for about 15 minutes until he was completely tuckered out and laid at our feet when he realized he just wasn't going to catch those birds. We then climbed up some stairs and began to hear some music coming form a near distance. We followed our ears and came to a beautiful area with a sort of natural amplitheatre feel to it. at the bottom was a man playing Spanish Guitar. The three amigos and Cash sat on a wall and listened, looked, and felt the beauty of this experience. It was yet another reflecting and moving feeling while here in Europe. I know I write about this often but the fact of the matter is moments like these bring all sorts of good feels out of you and is one thing I like to relive in my writings. I remember having moments like these in Charleston when I would be on the beach, on the  marina's dock near our house at sunset, or riding my bike near the marsh.
After our private concert we decided it was time to move on and get something to eat. We were all ready to see the ocean so we jumped in a cab and headed towards the beach. Our driver dropped us off right at the boardwalk and we were all a little hungry. We turned around and there was an Italian restaurant with outside seating that looked to be right up our alley. We had an amazing lunch with a bottle of cava, pasta, and pizza with the view of the ocean waves crashing in on the shore. Our bellies and hearts were full and Cash was chomping at the bit to get on the beach. We turned him lose and he ran and ran and ran. There is nothing Cash loves more than running on the beach. We walked along the beach for about a hour and walked to the W to lookout from there views of the sea. We all began to get tired and decided a siesta is just what we needed before we headed out for dinner. We hailed a taxi to take us back to our place and we all, Cash included enjoyed a nice long nap. 
It was around 9:00 and we had made dinner reservations for 10:00 at an Indian Restaurant that was highly recommended, according to trip advisor. We all got dressed up, had a dress drink, and headed toward the metro for the dinner reservations. The city of Barcelona was very sleepy and we wondered if it was always like that. We asked a local and they said it was because of the Holidays that the city was very quite and it was in rare form to see it this way unless you come this time of year. It made it nice because we were able to see everything and avoided crowds. When we arrived to the restaurant the aroma of sweet curry filled the air. We ordered our usual vegitarian favorites from the menu and again had amazing engaging conversations. We all talked about ourselves, our venerabilities, and ways we had found ourselves over the years and that night I learned a lot about my dear friend Kathryn. It made me value her and our friendship even more. The night had grown late and we left around 1:00 am. We were all feeling a night cap would do us some good, but most places near were closed, so we decided to take a cab back to our place and call it a night. The cab driver had the best music. I remember us asking him what station it was and he had his iPod plugged into radio. Trey mentioned that all we needed was a drink and this would be better than sitting in a bar! We jammed out and finally reached the apartment.
We said our goodnights and were off to bed.
The next morning we again made ourselves a delicious breakfast and packed up our things to return to Madrid later on that afternoon. Kathryn suggested we take a walk to a nearby park before we had to check out. When we arrived to the park we noticed it was a dog park. It was a really neat experience to see a dog park in Spain. I mean we always see dogs in the Park in Madrid but this was solely for dogs. All of the dogs were very well behaved and had big personalities. This was fun for all of us to people and dog watch but especially Cashman. It was good we wore him out so he would sleep the entire flight home. We went back to the apartment, collected our things, and headed to the airport to return to Madrid. What an incredible adventure we had enjoyed in just a few short 8 days. It was such a good time and always amazes me how quickly it goes by. Looking back on our Holiday Journey it was everything and more I could ever imagine as our first Christmas Holiday season abroad and so much more. 

 
It all started in Aug. of 2016. We had gotten back to Madrid from our 21 day vacation and  were already planning our next adventure... Christmas! We knew we had a week off of work and wanted to make this Christmas extra special especially since it was the first holiday season away from our families. When we were sharing our possible plans with Trey's dad, Trotte, he expressed interest in coming over to this side of the pond to join the festivities. With out a second thought we had booked his flight and began planning a compact 14 days of pure adventure. Its funny, many people don't really care to plan and organize an research for trips, but I for one really enjoy it because it feels like I have already started the adventure.
It  was finally time to enjoy the fruits of our labor and Trotte landed in Madrid on Dec. 22. Trey picked him up from the airport and we had just finished a homemade brunch and pitcher of "Bloody Mary's". We  were able to show him The Temple De Debod at night and Cash's favorite spot Parque De Oeste. We came back to the apartment for a glass of wine. Angel a fellow South Carolinian joined us for dinner and we enjoyed a 5 course meal at Nonina's a local restaurant near our Park and casa. It was a perfect evening full of laughter, and amazing food! Trotte knew that we wouldn't steer him wrong in this category, so he trusted that all the meals during his trip would be as good as the first and oh how he was right. We all stayed up until nearly 3am talking catching up and enjoying quality family time. 
Waking up the next morning was a little difficult for all of us, but we eventually managed to get up and around and head to one of "The Three Amigos" favorite brunch spots Federal. This place is very trendy with a European coffee house feel and the food will blow your mind. With full and very happy bellies it was time for Trey and his dad to catch up. They went to the the Teleferico so Trey could show his dad our beautiful city. Meanwhile Kathryn and I went back to the apartment to settle last minute travel plans and have some down time before our big night. This night was our Christmas present to Trotte. Trey and I  purchases tickets to Devour Spain's Wine and Tapas tour. This was an absolute blast our tour guide Caroline was super fun, informative, and full of energy. We were joined with another family from Indonesia. They were on Holiday and searching for some colder weather. It was fun to exchange stories about our different countries, cultures, and travel. One thing I enjoy most about this experience and traveling is all the people we come in counter with learning about one another. We went to many different stops tasting our way through traditional Spanish dishes! After the tour we were discussing our favorite dishes. Trotte said the meatballs without any hesitation. Trey and I agreed that the incredible meat balls at Bodegas Riola were some of the best tasting tapas we have yet to come across. Caroline, our guide, explained that the owner of the restaurant does not make these for the pubic anymore. It was a secret family recipe and they take hours to prepare. They became so popular she had to remove them from the menu. Caroline said on occasion will still make them for the tours. Stay tuned for our review blog on our experiences with Devour Spain!
After our tour we ventured around Sol and Plaza Mayor showing Trotte our beautiful city all decorated for the Christmas holiday season. We decided to call it an early evening since we heading to Segovia in the morning to begin the next leg of our holiday adventures. It is Christmas Eve and 10 am came around very fast, but the Stones were up and ready for departure when Kathryn arrived to pick us up. I have officially documented this moment because it is a very rare occasion when the Stone men are "ready" before the actual time of departure. We made our way towards Segovia where our EuroStar hotel Covento Capuchinos which was a Convent and Church converted into a five star hotel and gourmet restaurant. We drove past the incredible monumental Roman Aqueducts of Segovia just as the day was starting for many of the locals. We were amazed how this ancient piece of architecture was still standing with out anything but stones of granite keeping it up and together.  We drove up the narrow winding roads to the front entrance of our hotel. It was everything I had imagined and more. One of our rooms was ready and so we went up put our luggage in the room and headed out into the cold to explore the city of Segovia. We were all a bit hungry, so we strolled into this little restaurant in the corner of the plaza. Everyone was getting ready for there big Christmas Eve Lunch. The plaza was still waking up and people were setting up speakers in the plaza for a music show later in the day. We ordered some traditional tortilla, tomato and toast, and some coffee and tea. We could begin to smell the feast being prepared by the restaurant. Just as we were paying we noticed one of the waiters bringing out one of the biggest tortillas we had ever seen. He placed it in the front window, they were building the beginning of their Holiday display. The plaza had finally begun to wake, music was playing and the stores began to open. We walked all through this quant and historic little town. Kathryn and I ewing and aweing over the cute little stores and the historical Spanish architecture. Meanwhile Frick and Frack were taking pictures of anything and everything. Trotte had just got a new camera and Trey loves to click away, as you know from my previous postings. Therefore, the two peas in a pod were several steps behind clicking away. When ever there was a dull moment Trotte would say... "Well, lets take a picture!" It became one of the most common catch phrases of the trip! We stumbled into many little stores selling all kinds of things. We went into antique stores, clothing stores, knick knack stores, and even stumbled upon food museum. Can you imagine that struck our interest? It was free to enter and it educated us on the land, produce, livestock, and ancient culinary traditions of Segovia.
 We walked to the Alcazar de Segovia. We had timed it perfectly to tour Alcazar and head back toward the plaza for our big Christmas Eve Dinner. Alcazar was impressive, large rooms decorated in art and hand made tiles, and cloth. What captured most of our attention was the size and the deep motes around the castle. We had worked up our appetite snapping many pictures and were ready for some of Segovia's world famous suckling pig. I had done some research on some of the best restaurants that severed this dish and my research landed us at Mason de Jose Maria's. When we arrived it was absolutely packed. Wall to wall standing people in the bar and every table occupied by reservations. They walked us through the restaurant and it was run like a well oiled machine. It reminded me of when we went to Burns Steak House in Tampa Bay FL. Both establishments were pristine, well organized, massive in size but still had a very intimate feel for there dining guests, and class. We sat down and were greeted by the owner himself welcoming us to his restaurant. As I looked around the room I noticed families of all ages dining there. This was a prefect place to spend our Christmas Eve, a place of tradition, family and delicious food. The waiter was extraordinary! He knew we were there for the suckling pig and some good wine. He suggested we order a salad and the house soup. Because it was a bit cooler in Segovia than in Madrid some soup to warm us up was exactly what we needed. The broth of this soup was the broth of the marinated meat. The meat had been cooking in this broth for days. It warmed us up from the inside out and we had very happy bellies ready for when the pig arrived. The waiter brought the entire pig to the table. He poured hot broth on top of the pig and then cut the pig with a plate, breaking the pig up into four large pieces for each of us. We all fell into a blissful state of no talking other than the every so often "Oh my goodness" and "MMMMMM". About half way though the waiter brought us out a salad. Even the bottomless pit aka Trey mentioned this was going to be a meal difficult for him to finish. We were all in a glorious food coma. We shared an excellent Sobremesas, translated literally means over the table talk. The Spanish value the conversation piece of the dining expereince after the meal very much, which is why you will never get forced to leave once you are finished with your meal (you know the common turn and burn mentality in the states). The waiter will never bring your check unless you ask for it in Spain, which is a trait I admire very much here. We finished our glasses of wine and the one dessert we ordered to split between the four of us. Yes, I know we said we were full right... well we all managed to save a little room for a taste of sweet. He brought out the homemade tradition Carmel flan. The owner again came around to our table to ensure we had a pleasant dining experience. We thanked him for having us into his unforgettable restaurant. Heavenly, the entire experience it was a Christmas Eve Dinner we will never forget!
We decided to head back towards the live music and grab a drink while the sun went down.  We wanted to see the beautiful city of Segovia lit up with lights before we retired back to the hotel for the evening. We found a little place just on the corner of the plaza where we were able to catch an after dinner aperitif and a view of the plaza filling with people. The sun finally set and the the plaza was full of the Christmas Spirit. It was a the perfect was to end our Christmas Eve exploration of Segovia, Spain. We ventured back to hotel where   we some how found room for a light snack of jamon, queso, vino, and this pub mix we liked to call "Christmas Crack" we couldn't keep our hands out of this ever so delicious combo of peanut, chip mix.  Kathryn and I finally retired to our rooms, and left the Stone men to finish the bottle of wine.
Christmas morning was upon us! We had reservations to take a tour over Segovia in a Hot Air Balloon. One of items Trey and I had on our bucket list and we thought what a better way to cross it off than on Christmas Day while we were living abroad. When we originally told Trotte of our plans he without any hesitation said yes sign me up! Once we had done it he said oh wait you were serious...He was excited to try something he had never done before but I think a little hesitation because of a small fear of heights. Once we arrived to the landing site he asked me if we would have parachutes. This made for much comic relief for the day. Manuel the pilot explained that we needed to wait for the fog to diminish before we began our journey. Trotte chimed in "Yea thats a good idea maybe another day!" Manuel also told us we would be flying with 5 others that afternoon! We again met some very interesting people from all over the world. Trotte and I were the first out the car and we began taking pictures. I will never forget that moment of complete silence, standing in the middle of a field in Segovia Spain, as the sun coming up over the mountain, while the hot air balloon began to fill with my father in law standing right  next to me. We didn't have to say anything to each other, but I know he felt it too we were both so happy to be alive and experiencing this together!
Slowly but surly as the balloon started to fill more of our party began to get out of there warm cars to join the excitement. We all took turns taking pictures in the partly blow up balloon and we all began to enter the basket. This was quite a show and I am sure comic relief for the flight crew. All of us managed to in some form or fashion, flop into the basket, some with help from others, some without, some gracefully, and some not so much... either way we were all in! Manuel welcomed us and gave each of us Santa hats as he went over some safety tips and procedures. Finally it was time and...up up and away we went!
It was much more peaceful that I had imagined. I had imagined it to feel like how it does when you are on your way up and you finally reach the top of a roller coaster. It wasn't like that at all. It was very gentle and didn't even feel like we were moving. Before we knew it we were several thousand feet in the air overlooking the magnificent city of Segovia. We all began to get comfortable talking about where we from and why we were in Segovia. There was a mom and son from New York, which totally blew my mind I thought this young man was in his early 20's dating a cougar honestly! Much to my dismay he was 16 and studying abroad in France as a highschooler.  I was very impressed with this young mans goals, ambitions, and maturity it was well...inspiring! Her story was also moving, a single mother putting her self through medical school, determined, driven and sassy!  There was  a couple on board where she was from Spain and he was from Belgium. They had been visiting her family for the Holiday's and he had got her the balloon tickets as a surprise for her birthday. They were a sweet couple and spoke English to each other since neither one spoke the others native language. I thought this was very romantic they had plans to begin learning each others native language as well. There was also a woman from Malaysia. She was traveling solo and enjoyed traveling all over the world! Trey of course announced us with his southern accent, "We are the Stone's and we are from Charleston, SC. " Kathryn is from the UK and has spent the last two years exploring many parts of the world. One thing we all had in common was a passion for travel and adventure. We took a lot of pictures and shared many laughs as we all took in the beautiful sites while floating in a hot air balloon. Manuel suggested that we land in the field about 100 meters from where we were to avoid the gust of wind sending us into an unpleasant landing off the side of a plataue. We all agreed ending our trip 10 minutes early would be just fine! We gracefully landed and waited for the vans to pick us up to take us to a Christmas Brunch and mimosa, this was included in our flight package which was a great extra bonus! Before we could enjoy our feast the balloon had to be packed up. We all pitched in to make it go faster so we could get to brunch. We all took turns scrunching the balloon together and jumping on the balloon to release the air. It was actually a lot of fun. It was another funny site to see grown adults throwing themselves on a large balloon sinking to the ground and trying to get up with grace. Finally it was all done and and time for us to eat, when the mother asked her son where his phone was. He looked at her and said in my pocket. As he went to grab for it he realized it was not in his pocket. We all began to look around on the ground for his phone. When he said it has to be in the balloon. The flight crew suggested we leave it for now and they would search for it there next flight and mail it to him. We jumped in the vans and headed to a very nice little restaurant with a chimney in the middle. The young man that lost his phone didn't show he was upset about losing his new iPhone 7 he just got for Christmas and continued on having a good time. The gentleman from Belgium commented on how well he was handling it and how mature he was. When we got back to the take off site the flight crew dropped us all off at our cars. We noticed they began to unwind the balloon again. Everyone in the group went back to the balloon in search for the phone. After all it was Christmas! Starting at the beginning no luck ,then towards the end of the balloon the phone was found and all was good in the world again! We all worked together as a team to put the balloon away once again. It was truly an experience that we all will never forget full of laughs, great people, incredible views, and Christmas Spirit!
We had arrived back to our hotel and had some time before our Christmas Dinner reservations. We all took some time to get ready and take a little siesta and exchange Christmas Gifts. We then met in the lobby just before dinner and took pictures of all of us dressed in our best! The restaurant was serving a special set menu for Christmas and the Chef had prepared quite a meal indeed. It was a fourteen course meal and every single dish was absolutely exceptional. This meal was by far one of the most exquisite meals, prepared with an artistic flare that I had had never experienced before. The flavors were mouth watering and every bite of every dish was unique. Each course also had a wine pared to enhance the course. Our conversation that Christmas dinner was about travel, exploring, future trips, life, love, and embracing the very moment we were in right then and there. It was a magical dinner and I could go on and on about each course but instead...I wish for you all to take the time to experience a fine culinary experience such as this at Vellina. If you are ever in Segovia and looking for a special dinner Vellina will not dissapoint.  Again, we were the last reservations of the evening and the last ones remaining in the restaurant. We closed our tab with Trotte and Trey purchasing a Cuban Cigar from the  the Restaurant owners collection.
Now, it was Spa time! We had a nice Sobremesa to let our food digest so we went to our rooms to change and hit the Spa.  We were shown where everything was and the changing rooms. We all dove right in. First the plunge/swimming pool, that had many many different jet cycles and shower heads. Then to the steam room, sauna, and repeat. We did this for about an hour and a half when we put on our robes and laid in the tranquil calming room where we could enjoy tea and calm music. We had quite the weekend and I think this was just what we all needed to relax. I showered, skype my wonderful family, and went to bed. Meanwhile the Stone men headed out on the terrance of the hotel to enjoy there Cubans, a nice bottle of vino, the view of Segovia, and each others company  for one last evening before Trotte had to leave us!
We left the hotel around 6:30am to get back to Madrid to take Trotte to the airport for his 9am flight back to Charleston. We hated seeing him go but knew our adventures together in Spain were not over. Fortunately, we are planning another trip in Aug. to continue the Stone's exploration of Northern Spain! Stay tuned! As we talk about our action packed 4 days with "Pops" we honestly couldn't have dreamt up something any better. We throughly enjoyed every minute of this magical, family Christmas Adventure!
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Yet another splended Saturday where the Three Amigos headed out on another adventure near Madrid. We were planning for rather cold weather bringing coats, gloves, and hats, when much to our surprise, it turned out to be an absolutely gorgous day. It was in the 60's and the sun was shinning. We traveled only maybe 45 minutes and whala we were in yet another amazing town right outside of our busy city of Madrid. Mazanres was a quaint and chic little town near a resovouir and at the foot of the Pedriza apart of the Sierra de Guadarrama Mountains. 
 We got out of the car near the New Castle de Mazanares El Real and searched for a place to eat. As we walked the streets of this town we noticed the homes around this area to be very large and not at all like the homes in Madrid. This town had a sense of history, style, and class.  In the process of finding our place to dine we came across the main entrance for the Castle. We went into the ticket office to ensure they were open and the times. The gentleman at the desk began speaking in English straight away and told us it would be good to go to lunch first then tour. 
 
We found our place to dine after a nice stroll through the main plaza. We each ordered off of the menu of the day. In Spain each restuarant has a menu of the day and are mainly served at lunch. The menu of the day has a starter, your entree, and a dessert for a set price. The price includes a glass of wine or beer or soft drink, and bread. We have never been steered wrong yet with a menu of the day and Trey thinks they are the best thing since sliced bread. I would have to agree because it really is a great value for fresh ingrediants and well cooked meals. However, I am sucker for some tapas, I could eat small plates, all day long but Trey does have quite the appatite! We all ordered a different first course. They were all similar in the sense they were all a soup. However, I had  lobster in mine, Trey had pork and garbanza beans, and Kathryn had ... well mystery meat. I believe it was a varity of pork and beef with a ton of flavor. For dinner we all had the lamb shoulder and it was absolutely incredible. For dessert Kathryn and I had the apple tarte and Trey had the flan. 

Here we all were again full the the brim and ready to walk it off. We walked towards the New Castle and as we approached the grounds there was beautiful music playing in the landscape. It really helped to set the mood. It sounded to be a Celtic folk music. As we approached the Castle we had some of the best lighting for Trey to take pictures. We had to lure him into the castle with the ideas he could take pictures form the roof top. The Castle was beatiful and all of the rooms were open. Kathryn and I laughed and imagined what it would be like to throw a party in the courtyard of the castle. We said we would all wear midevil style clothing and the men would all be in tights. We wondered and wove our way up to the Castle roof top where we had the most incredible views. We all stayed up there for maybe 40 minutes taking pictures as we watched the sun set.  We were beathing it all in! Sighing with utter statisfaction. I turned to Kathryn and Trey and said this is real life. Real it is indeed!
It was time for us to head back to Madrid once again and now the sun was completly set. Trey was always 5 steps behind us taking 100 pictures of everything we had come in counter with. Trey was in his element. Finally, after reminding Trey he would have to edit all of these photos he decided to put his camera to rest, or so we thought. As we got to the parking lot Trey said, "Oh that shot would be perfect!" Kathryn and I got in the car as Trey ran up to the foot of the hill to snap one last shot of the Castle. The entire ride home Trey began to edit his no joke 350 pictures for a 5 hour afternoon away. I have  uploaded 100 of his greatest! It was a beautful day and another sucessful adventure with the Three Amigos!