Madrid & The Three Wise Kings

Our last leg of the trip was Spain, two days in the Basque country where I live and the last three in Madrid. While Seth had made a trip out to the Basque country back in November, it was my parent's first time and I loved getting to show them around Bermeo, where I live, and other nearby towns and cities! We explored the small town of Bermeo and took the small “bus” over to Bakio, where we walked along the beach and caught glimpses of surfers paddling in and out of the waves. I’m still a child at heart and can never resist getting so close to the ocean and not getting in, so dad and I of course had to go down to the water and feel how cold it was.

Which I can safely say, there is a reason all the surfers had wet suits on, but I still wanted to get in…. After making our way through the smaller coastal towns, we made our way to Bilbao, where we walked along the beautiful river, saw the Guggenheim, and made our way to the Artxanda. An overlook point where you can view all of Bilbao and the mountains behind it.

I loved getting to show my parents where I live and a small peak into my everyday life here in Spain…the days were short, but we packed them in!

The last city before my family returned was Madrid, a city new to all of us, as I have only ever flown into the airport there. Our Air BnB was in the center of the city, so we walked A TON. This entire trip we’ve probably walked close to forty or so miles…so our New Year is off to a great start physically!

Madrid was beautiful…and surprisingly the coldest city we had been to this entire trip. We explored the royal palace, food markets, ate our weight in tapas, and even tried the famous dish Paella and Sangria, which were both delicious!

Madrid is also known for its churros and chocolate, so we of course made our way to the most famous spot, San Gines, where we devoured an entire plate, and dad and I drank the chocolate straight when there were no more churros left!

Seth and I were able to view some of Picasso’s work in the museums, his most famous, the Guernica. Mom and dad decided that they had their years’ worth of museums back in Paris, so they explored the nearby shops instead. Somehow, we managed to be in Madrid on one of their biggest celebrations of the year, The Three Kings Day. On January 5th, they celebrate the three kings coming to deliver gifts to children that night, similar to Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

Of course, we were in Madrid, so the celebrations were HUGE, and the plazas and streets were shut down for the GIANT parade welcoming the three kings. We even bought the traditional cake eaten during this holiday, which my dad and Seth liked, but personally, it wasn’t for me…

Highlights: • I learned that Seth resembles a baby giraffe learning to walk when attempting to ice skate. Possibly my new favorite memory! • ALWAYS check your flight details…and remember that Europe uses military time… • On The last day of the trip Seth randomly found a Harry Potter orchestra performance, so my dreams came true, and we were able to listen to a beautiful orchestra play the soundtrack of the Harry Potter movies.

I’m sad to say this trip has come to an end, and I must return to Bermeo while my parents and Seth go back to the states…I’ll miss them like crazy and count down the days till I see them again. Until next time, Hasta Luego!