Family visit-spring 2022

Although my parents have been over to see us a few times since the pandemic started, it has been almost three years since I have seen anyone else in my family. We were lucky enough to have gone to Michigan in the fall of 2019 during my maternity leave to attend my sister's wedding and then spend the holidays. We returned just in time for the world to shut down and haven't been back to visit since then. So when my oldest sister said she wanted to come visit during their spring break, I couldn't wait!

My sister and her family arrived and we spent our first few days locally, seeing Seville and catching up. I sometimes forget with the hustle and bustle of everyday life just how beautiful Seville is and it is nice to be reminded of it when people come to visit and I'm able to play tourist for a while. First we headed to the Plaza de España which is one of my favorite spots in the city. It was created as part of the Ibero-American Expo of 1929 and is a located right next to one of the lovely, large green spaces of the city, Maria Luisa Park.



Then we went by the Cathedral and visited the Real Alcazar which is a multicultural palace located downtown with beautiful gardens surrounding it. To give you an idea, Dorne from the Game of Thrones was filmed there which speaks to its beauty. The girls were probably most excited about seeing peacocks in the gardens. We didn't go into the cathedral but did have an ice cream with a view of the giralda, the tower which accompanies it.




The next day we took the train down to Cadiz, a strategically located town on the coast which is famous for its seafood and  its long history. (Food was a big theme of their visit, are you surprised?). We had lunch and a walk about the town, enjoying the absolutely beautiful weather, even getting a bit sunburned.



We decided to spend the weekend at my inlaws' new flat close to the border with Portugal where we went to the beach and ate out again. The time was decidedly too short with my family and as always, I'm sad when they leave and I have to go back to my normal routine. The girls loved seeing their big cousin and I'm sure they made her crazy. It was nice to catch up with my sister and brother-in-law and honestly some of the best moments were the long-ish car rides we had to get anywhere since we got a chance to talk for a while. 




Now we are enjoying the rest of our Semana Santa, hopefully wrapping up our renovation in the next month and then will be moving before the summer heat really sets in. This is always the time of the year that seems like it flies by as the school year wraps up. I'd like to be able to go visit Michigan this summer and be able to see the rest of my family, so keep your fingers crossed we have the chance!


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