Whew! The spouse and I just got back from a 4 week vacation to Spain and Morocco.
We hopped a military Space-A flight so airfare was free, and once there we used a combination of rental car (for one week) and trains to explore the southern part of the country - Seville, Cordoba, Granada, plus smaller towns and villages. We also enjoyed a 5 day side trip to Morocco and a week in Madrid where my mother-in-law joined us for part of the time.
Previously Spain was not high on my "must see" list, but the Andalusia region is absolutely gorgeous and had exactly the right mix of historical stuff, good food, and natural attractions (beaches and hiking trails) to meet my criteria for a great destination. It compared favorably with our trip to Italy 2 years ago and was quite a bit cheaper. We had no problem finding charming hotels that offered doubles w/attached bath at around 40 Euros/night. Eating out was also generally a good deal, and the wine was both good and cheap.
Unfortunately the husband is now back at work (at least its a "fun" two month training class), and I'm preparing for our big move overseas at the end of summer. It was tough ending the vacation though, and we're both looking forward to future ER when we travel for longer periods of time. At the same time, we're also grateful that we get more than the standard two weeks vacation a year, and have the money to put it to good use. Definitely an unforgettable trip and one that we won't regret having spent money on in the years to come.
We hopped a military Space-A flight so airfare was free, and once there we used a combination of rental car (for one week) and trains to explore the southern part of the country - Seville, Cordoba, Granada, plus smaller towns and villages. We also enjoyed a 5 day side trip to Morocco and a week in Madrid where my mother-in-law joined us for part of the time.
Previously Spain was not high on my "must see" list, but the Andalusia region is absolutely gorgeous and had exactly the right mix of historical stuff, good food, and natural attractions (beaches and hiking trails) to meet my criteria for a great destination. It compared favorably with our trip to Italy 2 years ago and was quite a bit cheaper. We had no problem finding charming hotels that offered doubles w/attached bath at around 40 Euros/night. Eating out was also generally a good deal, and the wine was both good and cheap.
Unfortunately the husband is now back at work (at least its a "fun" two month training class), and I'm preparing for our big move overseas at the end of summer. It was tough ending the vacation though, and we're both looking forward to future ER when we travel for longer periods of time. At the same time, we're also grateful that we get more than the standard two weeks vacation a year, and have the money to put it to good use. Definitely an unforgettable trip and one that we won't regret having spent money on in the years to come.