My Christmas Present!!!

Flamenco dancer at the show in Madrid

Ham Museum!

My adorable mother... freezing to death!

Parque de Retiro in Madrid

Christmas Eve dinner

Christmas Eve dinner

Sierra Nevada Mountains

Having tapas!

At the mirador in Guadix

The Ronda bridge by night

Ronda bridge by day

View of the gorge in Ronda

Brennen in bull ring in Ronda

My mother is better than these trees!!!

So, this Christmas I got a really great Christmas present of getting to have my family come visit me for about a week! They were due to arrive Monday, December 20, but due to the London airport being closed, they didn't arrive until Tuesday evening… without their luggage.  Needless to say, they were all very exhausted, but we still went out to two different tapas places in my neighborhood for dinner before crashing.  The next morning, after making breakfast at my place and then going to Alcampo (basically the Spanish Wal-Mart) to buy some things to tie them over until the suitcases were found and returned, we started our drive to Madrid.  It was quite the interesting journey, with the GPS taking us through mini creeks and through very empty terrain… but eventually we made it to Madrid in the evening.  As soon as we checked in to our apartment hotel, we took taxis to this flamenco restaurant that we had reservations for.  We got a few tapas there, including acorn-fed ham (haha), and watched a very cool flamenco show.  The flamenco show was so different then the one I had previously seen.  These costumes were a lot more flashy and it was a totally different style.  The next day we headed out for the Royal Palace, only to find out that it was closed for some sort of ceremony, but it was still cool from the outside and the walk there was very beautiful.  We went to check out Plaza Mayor, and saw a band playing Christmas songs.  We went in to the Mercado San Miguel, which was really cool.  They sell EVERYTHING! We had lunch at a little kebab place and then set out for the Museo del Prado.  It is such a famous museum, but we weren't the biggest fans because all of the art in it was religious, and it gets really repetitive and gruesome. After returning to the apartment for a nap, we went out for a walk and ended up at a restaurant where we had some of the best paella I have had here in Spain.  The next day, we went for a walk through Parque del Retiro, which was very similar to Central Park in New York.  It was a nice leisurely stroll in the cold before we headed back to Granada for a Christmas Eve dinner with my friends.  Upon arrival in Granada, we were happy to have received 4 out of 5 suitcases that had been delivered to my friend Abby's place while we were in Madrid.  Brennen was still left without his suitcase… but it was good to have most of them! We went for dinner at Abby's apartment where Ralph and his mom, Elena, joined us.  We feasted and had a lot of wine and sang Christmas carols and had a great time.  The next day, Christmas, we had to wait around the apartment for Brennen's suitcase, which was supposedly found, that was supposed to be there by noon, but didn't arrive until around 7:30!  We took turns going on walks around Granada and I showed off my city a little bit.  On Sunday, we went for a long walk in the Albycin neighborhood that is very beautiful and then after grabbing a bite to eat, headed up the hill to tour the Alhambra.  I had been once before, but it is still very beautiful every time! We met up with Ralph, Abby, and Ralph's mom again after the Alhambra and did a little tapa touring.  We went to many places and it was a fun experience! Monday morning, we packed up very tightly in the car and headed to Alfacar, my pueblo where I work, to drive around so my family could see where I go every week.  There isn't much to Alfacar, so after about 10 minutes, we commenced to Guadix, which is famous for their cave dwellings.  The drive there was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on.  When we got to Guadix, we went in to the Cave Museum, where the lady was very informative and it was pretty interesting.  It was just a cave house set up how it would have looked in the past.  We went in to the cave church as well.  They have everything in caves up there! Houses, churches, restaurants… We went up to the mirador (lookout) to see over the city, which was very pretty, but kind of dumpy up there.  It was surprising that the people didn't take care of their city, especially a tourist attraction.  We had lunch in the city center where we had a view of the pretty cathedral and main square, but after lunch, headed out to Ronda.  We arrived to Ronda just as it was getting dark.  The cobblestone streets were very narrow and picturesque, and quite scary to drive on.  We went for a walk to see the main bridge by night and walked along the main shopping street and stopped at a bar for some drinks before dinner.  Ronda is such a beautiful town! After discovering that our recommended restaurant was closed, we headed to another one recommended by the woman that runs the hotel.  Oh, my, gosh.  Hands down, the BEST meal I have EVER had! We had local wine from Ronda, bread with "el mejor aceite en todo el mundo" (the best olive oil in the whole world) with black salt, and then I had this fish with raisins, pine nuts, veggies in juices of perfection…. Wow, I can not stop thinking about how awesome this meal was.  We retired to our hotel where my bed was one of the best beds I have ever slept in and woke up refreshed in the morning to have a traditional Spanish breakfast.  Now, Spanish breakfasts aren't really anything to get too excited about, because they are just tostadas (toast) with either olive oil, tomato, or butter on top.  But, I just wanted to show my family a little tradition.  We went to see the amazing views of the bridge and gorge by day, which were also one of the most astounding views I have ever seen.  We walked along the edge of the gorge and ended up at the bull ring, which if I am not mistaken, is the oldest one in Spain.  It had a museum inside as well.  We walked around some more and then left for Gibraltar.  We were running out of time so before checking in to our hotel, which was about 10 minutes outside of Gibraltar, we went straight there.  Much to my disappointment, I had forgotten my passport, so I couldn't go in.  The boys went in while I walked around the pretty dingy town of La Linea with mi madre.  The boys enjoyed the wild monkeys and such, but didn't speak highly of Gibraltar, although I suspect it is because I was so dissapointed I couldn't go in.  We went searching for our hotel, which was practically impossible to find, but after finding it, we were pleasently surprised.  It was basically a resort of sorts, but since it was not beach season, it was rathar empty and cheaper.  We ordered some paella from the hotel restaurant and relaxed.  The next day we headed to Malaga, but first stopping in Estepona to walk along the beach, because my mom has a friend that used to live there.  Overall, it was a great Christmas treat, although different from every other year, but we went on some great adventures and it was so good to see my family! I miss them already!!!!!!!