Thankful Chris changed our flights from Wednesday to Thursday after hearing a big snow storm would be hitting NYC which ended up cancelling the flights we were suppose to take on Wednesday. However, the change added a few hours to our travel since we added a extra leg to fly through London but we were able to make it to Madrid for a fun filled trip. Leia and Ivy did great o their first all night travel. Ivy slept most of the JFK to London flight and Leia slept a few hours so they were still in good spirits when we arrived in Madrid. Ivy was so rested that she decided she needed to run laps in the airport while we waited in luggage. As fate would have it as we were jet legged (except Ivy) our first adventure of the trip was getting to the hotel where we all wanted to go to shower after traveling. We showed our taxi driver the hotel name and address but he still dropped us off at the wrong hotel on accident. Thankfully the correct hotel was just around the corner so we just pulled our luggage there; however upon arriving our hotel had trouble finding our reservation. Thankfully we had the confirmation email so they got us checked in but it just took a little longer than we are accustomed too. We did get checked in showered then took a short siesta before the girlies realized they were hungry. We made use of the umbrellas we packed as we walked around looking for the paella place the hotel recommended however they were closed when we got there so we needed up at a more American establishment, Steak Burger. The girls were happy they had burgers and chicken on their menu. The short siesta was not long enough for sweet Leia as she fell asleep waiting on her food. We swung back by the hotel to get our city bus tour tickets to enjoy the city by bus since it was raining and we all were so tired but it was too early to go to bed. After making half a loop, the girls were almost falling asleep on the bus so we called it a early. Of course by the time we got back to the hotel they had a second wind so Chris fell asleep while girls talked long into the night. 

We are off for a long plane ride. The girls were troopers entertaining themselves in the airport during our LONG layovers

Quick stop at London airport before we made it to Madrid

The last leg was the toughest since mommy, daddy, and Leia had not slept much 

Excited to get to Madrid’s airport and know that we would be in our hotel soon. The girls loved the bunk beds. 

We were also hungry! It was during siesta time so not much was open so we landed at a burger joint

Sweet Leia refusing to sleep finally caught up to her and won out over hunger 
We wanted to adjust to the time difference so weren’t quite ready to sleep but weren’t very energized either so we hopped on a bus our to take in a few sights in Madrid
 
Once we got back to the room Chris went to sleep immediately. Lisa couldn’t sleep so watched the girls snuggle on the top bunk together since they couldn’t sleep in a new country alone. Love how they love each other 

Saturday morning Chris woke up earlier than the Comfort girls (he did go to bed first) and went to grab donuts and coffee. He had  planned on getting our rental car before our castle tour while Lisa packed up and the girls ate. Unfortunately, Chris found out the car rental place was actually significantly farther away than we planned so Chris came back to look online to find another rental car closer to Madrid while Lisa and the girls went to Palace de Real for a tour. On the bus we met a couple ladies from the US. We waited in a line that we did not have to for 20 minutes with them before we got smart and figured out there was a door with no line for people who already had tickets. We ended up being 5 minutes later than our scheduled time to tour the kitchen. They got really excited about it and whisked us through security. We ended up with a private tour which was better than the larger group tour we reserved. We met back up with a couple ladies we’d met on the bus on the way over from Texas and Louisiana to tour the rest of the castle. As we were finishing our tour Chris came to meet us for lunch at La Bola and told us about his adventure finding Enterprise. Apparently, the GPS took him to the middle of a park and when he called they did not speak English and he does not speak Spanish so he wondered around a little bit, looking at a different navigation app that took him back to the same spot. He happened to see a small sign with a arrow that pointed him to stairs that went under the park to get a car. Within minutes of leaving he almost hit pedestrians so by the time he met with us he was stressed. However, the rest of his driving experience in Spain was excellent! La Bola was a popular place, by the time we left it was packed. The food we ordered was not what we were expecting but Ivy tried everything while Leia seemed a little skeptical and would not try much. Afterwards we got churros and hot chocolate at Chocolatería San Gines as recommended by a friend. It was a yummy treat before heading south to Granada. We all were anxious to see Kelly, Diego, Adrian and Alicia. The 4 hour drive seemed shorter as we looked at all the beautiful landscape and we were there before we knew it. Kelly served yummy tapas at their apartment that evening and we all enjoyed catching up and visiting each other into the wee morning hours. It was actually Spain’s night to spring forward so we experienced springing forward twice this year (not sure we will ever get to say we sprung forward twice in a year again). 

 Chris went to get us a car so we navigated the city on our own to get to the Castle of Madrid

We had gotten a tour of the kitchen too but was late so got more of a private tour

The Castle was beautiful! You could only take pictures in certain areas. We would have loved to get pictures in all the locations to show Chris them but we followed the rules  
    
 
Outside the Castle we went to the souvenir shop to buy time until daddy arrived

Before we left Madrid we wanted to try a treat, hot chocolate and churros

Chris had a rough morning but his baby girl was very excited her family was all back together. 

Yummy
    
It was cool and very windy! Lisa and the girls hid from the wind while Chris braved the chill waiting on our bus to take us back to the hotel
 
Last ride in the city tour bus. Leia loved listening to the audio and focused on what they were saying to learn more about the city. 
 
Had to take a picture of Diego’s store since it made us smile that it was uncle Diego’s name. We all crammed into a very small elevator (with our luggage) to get the rental car.

On our 4 hour drive to Granada

Pictures can not do the scenery justice! The drive down seemed short while we were enjoying the scenery and looking forward to seeing Diego, Kelly, Adrian, and Alicia.

We were all so excited to see our family! 
 
Kelly and Diego cooked tapas in their home for everyone that night so we could chill out a little bit after the drive and long day
 

Sunday morning we were slow getting moving! We threw on clothes when Diego told us his parents, Diego and Pepita were going to stop by on their way home from church. It has been way too long since we had saw them! They both looked the same as when Lisa met them and were as sweet as always. Unfortunately none of our clan has learned Spanish so Kelly/Diego still had to translate but there were a few things that needed no translation like smiles, excitement to see each other, and love between family. It was a short visit but so good seeing them both! We went to an all you can eat buffet for lunch then planned on ice skating and arcade but the ice skating was only holding private lessons so we chilled out and waited for the arcade to open. The kids had a good time! They enjoyed jumping on the trampolines before playing in the arcade too. We were still a little jet lagged so headed back to the apartment for the evening. On the way back Diego picked up special Easter dessert called Roscos for everyone to try. Kelly/Diego said that special holidays bakeries fix special treats that you can not get other times of the year. That evening Diego and Adrian went to cheer for their soccer team while the rest of us had a low key evening and tried to rest up since we needed to get up early-ish the next morning. 

Morning fun playing games
 
So great seeing Diego and Pepita!

They are on opposite sides. Not sure what they were doing but they seemed to be having fun
 
 
While the kids jumped the boys challenged each other to arcade basketball 
 
The special Easter treat, Roscos, Yummy treat with a afternoon coffee


Go España! Diego and Adrian got to go watch soccer. 
 

We were up and ready by nine-ish to head to the mountain, sled, tube, and play in the snow. The dads opted to watch the mommas and kids sled and tube. Leia, Ivy, and Alicia all seemed to enjoy the tubing the most. Lisa and Kelly liked sledding on the bike. Adrian was a dare devil and wiped out out the bike a couple times before getting the hang of it. Alicia and Ivy both rode the sky rocket with their mommas but Leia and Adrian controlled their own speeds. Everyone said it was a fun ride and the kids wanted to go again. We grabbed a quick lunch with a beautiful view then took the tram up part of the mountain to play in the snow before we headed back to the apartment for siesta time and to let Kelly work a little since she had a conference call. That evening Kelly/Diego got a sitter that Alicia and Adrian said was awesome to come play with kids while the adults went out for a nice dinner to Resaurtante C Aben Humeya Cafe. On the way Diego and Kelly pointed out where they first met, where Oscar got married, a fountain that honors where the the queen signed the doctrine for Christopher Columbus to find the Indes, we ran into processions for Holy Week, and more. It was nice to see Diego’s hometown and see places we have heard the kids talk about over the years. At the restaurant there was a great view of the Alhambra and the food was delicious. It was nice to get to go out and enjoy time together. While the food was good but the company was even better. When we got back to the apartment the kids all were fast asleep but Lisa gave the girlies good night kisses as promised.

Good morning, we are off to the beautiful mountian

Kiddos chilling while the mommas get tickets

It was fun sledding 🙂 It is hard to tell who is who in the pictures though
 
    



    
Riding the rocket in Spain

 



       
After sledding in the morning we enjoyed a nice lunch together

What a beautiful lunch view!
  
Top of the mountain
     
    
Headed back down to head back to Granada
 
Popcorn and a movie to try to keep the house quite while aunt Kelly worked

While they were watch TV we heard a procession nearby and looked out the window. We saw them up close later that night  

Parents night out with a gorgeous view! We laughed when Kelly said we had to work for our food as we were going up inclines and we made a wrong turn which let us walk up another incline
 
The walk was worth it for the yummy food and view
 

On the walk back we ran into a procession or two so it took a little longer to get home than normal

   
 
They are precious!
 

Tuesday, we woke early to head to Cueva de Nerja to explore caves. Chris said the caves was one of his favorite things. It is cool looking at the formations and puts you in a state awe to think about the time it takes to form and grow. Interestingly, Kelly told us that if you find a cave in Spain you can make a claim to it and if it is not contested you can make a cave home in it; one of Diego’s uncles is renovating a cave he found now. The girls worked up a appetite exploring and were starving so we headed to meet Diego, Diego, and Pepita for lunch. As we walked we looked at the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. It was so lively in the area! The kids had fun blowing huge bubbles and watching the street artist. At the restaurant they asked what we wanted since it was all in Spanish and they knew we might need a little help translating. We made the best reply, “whatever y’all think is good”. to get a good selection they ordered several tapas to share and all of them were so yummy. As we left Lisa butchered the words but tried to say, “gracias por el almuerzo” to Diego and Pepita for treating us all to a yummy lunch which ended in a good laugh; glad they knew what was trying to be communicated. New goal: to start practicing Spanish so we can have a more conversations with Diego and Pepita. Thankful and loved that they took time out to come and hang out with us too; family is a blessing. The next stop on our daily excursion was a nice, warm beach. It is amazing that the day before we had traveled less than a hour to a mountain and today less than a hour to the beach from Kelly/Diego’s place. It is no wonder why people  love the landscape in this region of Spain since you get the best of winter and summer activities. The kids ran in and out of the shore line (the water was a little cool), played in the sand, and fished. Such a beautiful beach! We loved the rocks on the beach and how the sand did not stick as much as it does on our normal beach. Both our girls insisted on bringing at least one home; they thought it would help our bags stay under the weight limit. The boys and Leia chilled out at the apartment that evening while Lisa, Kelly and the little sisters went on a quick shopping trip and to the grocery store then we cooked in and enjoyed sweet, precious time together. 

Most of the pictures in the caves were dark and hard to see so there are not many posted but had to share a couple    
Water is so peaceful! First time for our girlies to see the Mediterranean Sea

The bubbles were huge and so much fun
 
    
 Thank you Diego and Pepita for treating us to a yummy seafood lunch. Best part of it was sharing the meal with family we love! 

 
Putting out toes in the Mediterranean 
 
Relaxing by the sea listening to the waves crash in …. heavenly

 
Adrian always has loved animals and enjoys fishing to release 

He was sweet and gave everyone a turn that wanted it
  
 
  
They were convinced they could fill the hole they dug up with water

  

 
She so wanted to go sit on the rock out in the sea but it was way too cold get to it; maybe next time we will go when it is a little warmer

Love how each of their activities show personality


What a view to see from the beach …. God’s works are amazing! 

Snuggling aunt Kelly after a fun day at the beach

Wednesday morning we slept in to catch up on much needed sleep then called a cap to take us to the Alhambra at noon. We were lucky to get tickets since when we looked there was only two times left during our whole stay; glad we looked not long after we booked our plane ticket. We enjoyed walking through the beautiful gardens and fortress complex. We ended up staying there until it closed, a little over six hours. We may have stayed longer to take in more of the beauty had they not closed. The girlies did amazing walking all day and did not even complain as we started walking back except that they were hungry. So we stopped off for some yummy gelato on the walk back to Kelly/Diego’s. When we got back to the apartment baker Alicia had been busy making cookies with her momma and chief Adrian started cooking us his specialty for dinner. Adrian did a great job; dinner was yummy! Afterwards we had a fun family game night with great fellowship and enjoyed the treats Alicia helped make. We all got a big laugh as Kelly handed her brother the game of UNO; she called him out with his color when he UNO’d then with her wild card changed the color to red so he won. Later that evening, Tio Diego shared his love of sunflower seeds with Ivy; she enjoyed snuggling up stealing them from him the rest of the trip. 

A little down time before we headed to 

There is such a rich history in Granada; enjoyed getting to experience some of it
 
 

 

   


The picture does not do the view justice! 
 
These girlies make life and adventures more fun
 


A much needed little rest





  

   
  

 
 
 
First time getting Gelato on the trip. I think the girls are hooked
 
Family fun day! 

Adrian cooked us a yummy dinner

  
Family game night. So much fun!

The kids played too

Enjoyed chilling out watching movies too

Tio Diego enjoyed playing with Ivy’s binoculars and shared his love of sunflower seeds  

The girls loved to play pile on too

We had explored so much throughout the week but had not walked around Granada so we took Thursday to explore more of the beautiful city. Diego took us to enjoy churros and hot chocolate at a local favorite. After filling our bellies we walked to one of the main plazas to enjoy street performers, feed the pigeons, walk in a couple stores. It is so lively and fun in the city! We were happily surprised when Diego and Pepita walked up to spend a few hours with us. We all went to a beautiful cathedral to explore. It is breath taking at how they are decorated and how much was put into every detail. Pictures do not do it justice and it is hard to come up with adequate words to describe it.  We were able to see some of the floats men carry in the precessions; they even looked even heavier up close with all the heavy metals and details on them. Kelly told us that they hire masseuse for the men carrying it. We walked around the city a little more after leaving the cathedral  then took the kids to a park on the way to lunch. Adrian suggested a kid friendly establishment that Oscar took them to recently. It was a hit! The kids loved playing while the adults had a few minutes to chill. After walking around the city most the day we went back for a short rest or siesta since we had tickets to go see Flamego dancing that evening. Kelly had told us that it probably was not what we would expect and she was right; it was not what was expected from US television or even hearing it described in Spanish class. It was more dramatic, intense, and loud than expected but it was a great experience. We loved seeing it and experiencing part of that Spanish culture.  

 Morning with cousins is always fun

Morning treat, churros and hot chocolate

Exploring the beautiful city of Granada

🙂 talented street artist

 
Ivy loves pigeons and chases them every time she sees one so she was super excited to feed pigeons in a city square

   
  
The Cathedral was absolutely beautiful!  
  
   

  
The statue man was very entertaining

The kiddos always love a good park! 

   
Loved that almost everything that we did was walking friendly
 
What a fun restaurant for the kids  
   
Flamingo dancing time
 
Walking home doing our flamingo dance
    

We knew we only had one more full day on Friday so we wanted it to be a fun day for kids and adults! Lisa rarely (if ever) takes the girls to McDonald’s so it was a big treat to our girls to get to go while we were in Spain. A added bonus is that if you get a kids meal you got tickets for a hour ice skating too. Our plan was for the kids to ice skate while the adults enjoyed coffee at one of Kelly’s favorite cafes that was attached to the rink. However, Ivy needed a little extra encouragement skating so Lisa ended up skating with the kids while Diego, Kelly, and Chris enjoyed fellowship over yummy coffees. When we got back to the apartment Kelly and Lisa hid Easter egg candy for the kids since we would be flying home on Easter day. Love the excitement they had hunting together and eating the yummy chocolates. We chilled for a little bit in the apartment then the mommas escaped for little bit of girl time at the Arabic baths, Aljibe. It was a neat experience. They had 7 baths with different temperatures you could go between and yummy teas. We all met back up for a nice family farewell dinner at a great Italian place after our mini escape. The pasta and pizza was as good as in Italy for our honeymoon. We decided to walk to get gelato for dessert and have a early birthday celebration for Adrian since his birthday was coming up soon and we were going to be missing it. It was such a fun day spending precious time together. 

The girls were so excited to go to McDonald’s! Mommy loved that they got a hour of skate time in their happy meal
 
Ivy was a little nervous skating so mommy ended up on the ice with the kiddos 

   
 So proud of her for getting out to the middle of the rink
 
      

 
Nice and warm enjoying coffee

Kelly and Lisa kid eggs for them to find since we were going to miss our Easter hunt at Mimi’s this year
  
The kids enjoyed their complimentary juice
  
One of the yummiest pasta dishes we’ve ever had

  
So much fun walking around the city!  
 
Love these kiddos!!
      
We did a early celebration of Adrian’s birthday since we knew we would not get to see him on  it 
   
  
This was a great family trip! 

Sweet dreams little ones

Farewells are so hard! Saturday morning we got up and enjoyed snuggles and a little time together before we had to start loading up the car to drive back to Madrid for our flight the next morning. Kelly and Diego took the kids to the park to play while Lisa and Chris loaded up. Before we left Lisa remembered we had not gotten a group picture so all piled on the couch for one before giving hugs. The drive back seemed longer than it was driving down; maybe it felt that way because there were tears instead of excitement thinking of the time we would have with the Requena-Comfort clan. Chris dropped Lisa and the girls off at the hotel then turned in our rental car. The girls enjoyed running circles in our rooms and playing in the kid area while we waited on Chris to return. We found the pool for the girls to swim and mommy even got in with them before we all decided we should get dinner. We elected to eat at the hotel and head to bed early since we had a early flight Sunday.    

Saturday morning snuggles are so sweet!
   
We had yet to get a group picture and it was comical trying to get a good one. Loved getting to spend time with our Spanish family
       
Spain’s landscape is gorgeous! 

Chris got us a hotel near the airport. There was not a room that could sleep 4 so we got two adjoining rooms and they were huge for the girls to run around to get some of their pinned up energy out 

Of course the kid room helped too


And the pool was just
 
Our last dinner in Spain. It did not compare to the yummy dinner the night before 
 

Easter Sunday is a day of celebration! Jesus Christ has risen and defeated Satan. Thank you Lord for the gift of Your Son and the promises we have because of Jesus Christ rising from the grave. We missed seeing family and going to church on Easter to celebrate with our extended family but did get to FaceTime family and Mimi’s before we headed to the airport to go home. Our flight out of Madrid was on time but our flight out of New York kept getting delayed; they may have even cancelled it since the last time we looked I think it was on a 10 hour delay . Chris did amazing and moved us to another flight which took off before the plane that we were scheduled to be on even arrived at JFK. Lisa and the girls ended up falling asleep on the flight and missed the medical emergency of a passenger passing out. Thankfully we were still able to make it to Atlanta for Grandpa and Deedee to bring us our car and head home. We ended up getting home sometime after midnight. The girls were  exhausted so headed straight to bed but was up by 4 to get showers and dig into their Easter baskets and hunt for eggs that Mimi hid in our house for us before heading to school. 

Airports and more airports. Our flight out of Madrid was on time but our flight out of New York kept getting delayed. Again Chris did amazing and moved us to another flight which took off before the plane that we were scheduled to be on even arrived at JFK

The Easter bunny left the girlies a surprise but they did not get it until Monday morning since we got home a lot later than planned


Egg hunt! Thank you Mimi for hiding them for the girls

After long travel day these monkeys went to bed early on Monday night but wanted to be close to each other. I love how they love each other! 

People who speak multiple languages amaze me. Being in a country where you do not speak the language and knowing that when you speak it is not good even when you try makes you respect people who learn languages later in life even more. So thankful we could experience a fun trip together and our Spanish family was so kind to translate and host us. Thank you Kelly and Diego for a great time! We loved visiting Spain and hope to do it again with you all soon.