Okay, late as usual. Our trip to Spain was awesome. I did the map thing again, this time with completely inaccurate maps, but it gives a general overview of our trip.Madrid was amazing. It's been a long time since I have been anywhere truly old, and Madrid has some very old, very beautiful things to see. We were very kindly put up by Phil's friend Dave who lives in a gorgeous little flat in almost the exact centre of Madrid - a tourist's dream. We were within walking distance of everything we wanted to see (and Maria and Neil's hotel!). We got to check out a few museums - notably the modern art museum (by 
choice) and the Prado, with all old paitings (by mistake). We ate our body weight in cured ham and cheese, caught up with Dave and Dermot (and Bea and Chloe), and generally soaked up big city living.
choice) and the Prado, with all old paitings (by mistake). We ate our body weight in cured ham and cheese, caught up with Dave and Dermot (and Bea and Chloe), and generally soaked up big city living. After Madrid, we drove roughly an hour to what is currently my favorite Spanish city - Toledo. 
Toledo is an old, walled city that seems to be completely made of stone. There are so many twisting back streets that you seem to be continually lost except for the fact that the whole town is built on a steep hill, so as long as you keep going up (or down) you'll eventually hit something you know, or a sign that will point you in the right direction. The cathedral there was amazing and it was one of those places where you feel like you're getting to know the city by sitting in a patio drinking wine and eating olives - thankfully a passtime for us. We also took a great tour on a little car-train that told a very interesting history of the town and brought us to places we hadn't seen on our harrowing drive or on our walks.
Toledo is an old, walled city that seems to be completely made of stone. There are so many twisting back streets that you seem to be continually lost except for the fact that the whole town is built on a steep hill, so as long as you keep going up (or down) you'll eventually hit something you know, or a sign that will point you in the right direction. The cathedral there was amazing and it was one of those places where you feel like you're getting to know the city by sitting in a patio drinking wine and eating olives - thankfully a passtime for us. We also took a great tour on a little car-train that told a very interesting history of the town and brought us to places we hadn't seen on our harrowing drive or on our walks. 
Toledo's old city is incredible - except when you were trying to find a hotel and a parking spot (Maria said that I was "having kittens" in the backseat, which was entirely accurate). We looked around for ages, driving down increasingly narrow and steep streets, until lady luck shone upon us and we found a gorgeous hotel with a whole street full of parking. Halleluia!After Toledo we spent two more nights in Cordoba which is famous for its mosque (La Mezquita). Maria and Neil had already seen it, so Phil and I spent a morning enjoying mosque-come-cathedral with our audio guides in hand.
We got dropped off in Granada for a few days of sight seeing, most notably the Alhambra - a complex of buildings with houses and palaces in a walled fortress-like structure. As with everything we saw it was amazing. Again, we hired a few of the audio guides and they were great - they gave a good overview of what we were seeing without taking an age to do it. The highlight of the Alhambra is the Palacio Nazaries which is so delicately and ornately carved it's staggering. I have included a photo of it, but it doesn't do it justice - every nook and cranny of the palace is carved intricate bas-relief. Ah, gorgeous. 
After Granada, Maria and Neil became our very gracious tour guides, taking us to some beautiful villages in the mountains and coastal cities near Salobrena (where we were staying with one of Neil's cousins). I know this posting doesn't do two weeks of wonderful traveling any justice, but that's the gist of it. We had a great time.
