We kicked off our non-stop, wild and crazy summer when our first familial visitors arrived in June. My mom, dad and sister, Anna, arrived in Madrid and spent 2+ glorious weeks with us. (It was so quiet and lonely when they left, that Luke and I had to leave that weekend as well and got away with a quick trip to Valencia.) I can’t possibly begin to do a day by day recap because the thought is just overwhelming, especially since more than two months has passed (what?!?) since they were here. I’ll suffice it to say that it was absolutely perfect. We made the most of our time together and saw all we wanted to see while also having some downtime to just chill and recuperate in our tiny apartment. Of course there were a few dramatic moments along the way (We are the Jones family! 
June 25 – 28: Madrid and Toledo, Spain
On our balcony
Dinner with our Spanish amigos, Nico and Jose Carlos
Drinks on the terraza in Cibeles. These folks stayed up past 3 am!
Mom and Dad in front of the Toledo Cathedral.
Dad admiring the altar.
Wandering the winding streets of Toledo.
On the high speed train. Toledo-----Madrid
Pre-dinner drinks at Angel Sierra in Plaza de Chueca.
Anna’s first dinner in Spain, and we go for pizza at our favorite Pizzaiolo.
Street dancers in Puerta del Sol. Anna made their night month with a 5 euro tip!
Luke at La Torre del Oro en Plaza Mayor. A must stop on the Matthews’ guide to Madrid.
June 29 – July 2: Mallorca, Spain
Planning our first day.
The Cathedral in Palma de Mallorca.
Our only dinner out in Mallorca. The beach wore us out the other days, and we opted for living room picnics and paella left overs.
Paella for 5. So good and big enough to feed us all twice!
Dessert was good to the last lick.
Cheese at the little market we happened about in the most charming town of Valldemossa.
We found the best sangria in all of Mallorca…maybe in all of Spain!
More sangria!
Catch of the day!
Our view from lunch.
The boys went on a tour of some cool caves.
The girls opted for more beach time.
Of course we had lunch here.
Mountains of Mediterranean salt.
Back to the airport.
July 2 – 5: One night in Madrid; Florence, Italy with a lunch stop in Lake Como, Italy.
The mounds of free food from El Tigre
After a plane and a train, we were finally in Florence!
Enjoying an Italian Aperol Spritz
Luke’s beer was bigger than my belly. Funny how pregnant I thought I was at this point.
This little church was quite plain in comparison to the Duomo, but I really liked it.
Crossing back over the bridge after dinner, with a gelato stop of course.
The David.
Climbing the dome of the Duomo.
Looking down on Florence and the Tuscan countryside.
Ponte Vecchio.
Luke’s impersonations of the statues in the Uffizi were priceless!
A Razorback in Florence
A giant swordfish at the market.
Beautiful Lake Como.
July 5 – 7: Beatenberg and Interlaken, Switzerland
The drive up and over the pass was beautiful with snowy mountains, grassy valleys and so many waterfalls! We were in awe!
The view from our patio.
Our picnic in Switzerland with goodies from the Florence market.
The boys parasailed, but all the in-flight pictures are on my parent’s camera.
Reenacting the tandem parasail.
Walking up for dinner at the tiny restaurant owned by the lady who owned our rental cabin. Voilà! Awesome!
July 8 – 11: Madrid, Spain
Toasting Anna’s birthday!
Our reservation for Flamenco at Casa Patas
The boys clapping along.
JC, Anna and Nico
Evening walk through Retiro Park
One of the best night time views in Madrid. From the Puerta de Alcala to the Metropolis building.
After shopping drinks at the Gourmet Experience in Callao.
Anna couldn’t keep her eyes open, but we made her visit the palace anyway.
Picnic and sunset at Templo de Debod
Sharing oysters at Mercado San Miguel. They’re ALL yours!
Late night bocadillos de calamari on the last night.
And there you have it! A picture glimpse into our amazing two weeks! Wish the rest of the fam could have been with us! Wish it were longer! Wish we were closer! But we’re certainly having the experience of a lifetime, and I’m so glad they got to come share a part of it, even if just for a short time. And now Mom and Dad will be back in just over a month for a whole new, even more special, adventure! We can’t wait.
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