Spain

Our first trip to mainland Europe was over the Easter Holiday weekend in April. We chose to visit Spain - I had never been there, Nate hadn't been since he was young, and we had hoped the weather would be warmer there than in Dublin. No such luck with the weather, but we really enjoyed our trip.
During our five-day visit we spent time in Barcelona, Madrid and Toledo. We loved them all, and definitely want to try going back some day. Barcelona is beautiful, and is hopping with activity at all hours. There's just something magical about sipping Sangria and munching on tapas at twilight while people-watching on Las Ramblas, a major pedestrian area in the city. We were amazed at the architecture there. Gaudi's work is incredible, I've never seen anything like it. Check out our Flickr link to see a few photos of Gaudi's unfinished cathedral - the Sagrada Familia, and another builing of his, Casa Milo. Our pictures didn't do Spain justice - we improved with our photography on later trips.
Also in Barcelona, we visited the Picasso museum and went to the fountains at the National Art Museum of Catalunya. I enjoyed the Picasso museum, although Nate doesn't really care for his work. The fountains were beautiful - they were choreographed to music, much like those at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The art museum looks like a palace - we got there at closing time, otherwise I'd have liked to go inside.
My favorite part of Madrid was the Prado Museum, of which we unfortunately took no photographs. My favorite works were by Velasquez, Bosch (freaky!), and Goya. I haven't studied much art, but this museum finally helped me develop an appreciation for it. I now have a greater desire to understand the symbolism that painters use in their work - it's a lot like what novelists do!
Toledo was also a highlight of the trip - it's a preserved medieval town an hour outside of Madrid. The town itself is really the attraction, filled with windy, narrow cobblestone streets. Very romantic - wish we could have stayed there a night. We found a sword craftsman whose family has been making traditional Toledo swords for generations. We now have a Spanish sword hanging above our fireplace! I know, it's a little odd, but it was definitely a souvenir that both Nate and I will enjoy - he likes to take it down and swing it around every now and then.
Our last night in Spain culminated at a Flamenco show in Madrid. This evening made us want to visit Sevilla someday - the capital of Flamenco dancing. The woman dancer was incredible - she just captivated the room. The crowning moment of the night was definitely when an obnoxious group of rich tourists in the front row got sprayed by the sweat/hair gel flying off of the male dancer! Gotcha!

Firsts for Megan and Nate in Spain:

• Eating whole mini octopi (well, Nate did - Megan could only eat the legs)
• Getting propositioned by a prostitute (well, Nate did - Megan was back at the hotel)