Thanks to the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano, our flights home were cancelled and after a few days of stress we decided to enjoy the most of our bonus vacation week. We considered Paris, but ended up doing a southern loop through Spain to Granada and Sevilla. In Granada we saw the spectacular Al-Hambra, a 700+ year old fortress on a hill that was at various points the seat of the Islamic Moorish government of southern Spain and also of the Catholic government which defeated them in 1492. Highlights included the girls exploring the huge circular courtyard of the Palacio de Carlos V, watching the sunset over the Al-Hambra from Mirador de San Nicolás while Flamenco players performed, and eating some of the best pizza we have ever had.

In Sevilla, we visited the post-Easter Feria de Abril, which was my Spanish friend Alex’s top recommendation for our trip but was after our original departure date. It was really fascinating and fun, sort of a combination of a county fair in the U.S., Brazil’s Carnival, and the Kentucky Derby, with an elaborate social scene, traditions galore (including bright colorful outfits for women), music everywhere, and horses and horse-riding a central part of the experience. Also included are pictures of Juliet wandering around a tiny square, a family horse carriage adventure, and the ride home both in the car we drove to Madrid and the plane that finally brought us home after more than three weeks and enough memories to last us a lifetime (or at least until our next big trip).

Click on the picture of Claire and I looking over the Al-Hambra in Granada at sunset for a slideshow.