Spring with boys 11 and 13

Hello Kim. Well, in other trips to Europe you were at Germany, Italy, Barcelona. And this summer you will be at England, Scotland, France, Netherlands. Portugal is a good country to be at in the Spring season. I suggest : fly to Lisbon in Portugal. After a few days there, ride in a train to the south coast of Portugal. A bus goes from a major town at the south coast of Portugal to Seville in Spain. I heard that is a pleasant bus trip. And Seville may be the most interesting city in Spain (or the most mysterious). And ride in a train from Seville to Madrid. Many people in Portugal are warm and friendly to American people.

What about the Dordogne and other areas of Southern France. Rick always shows the canoeing for Dordogne, which looks like fun. And there are lots of castles. Also, I immediately thought of Carcassonne as a place that might interest them. Then there is the Pont Du Gare where you can swim as well see the Aqueduct. Avignon is full interesting things to see as is Arles. I know I'm a bit all over the southern France map, but they may give you some ideas to think about.

Fly to Istanbul then go overland through Bulgaria to Budapest. In Budapest WWII and Communism and all that was is still very much in evidence.

Fly from California with Iceland Air and do a 4 day layover in Iceland, which you can do with this airline. Go ride the Icelandic horses, explore the volcanos, and the rest of the amazing landscape.

Between Madrid and San Sebastian a couple of options:

Bear in mind, it's still likely to be chilly in northern Spain during March.

Start east to Zaragosa. It has a nice center area with a little bit of Roman ruins, maybe take a train there from Madrid, spend a little time looking around, then rent a car to head north.

If you can be in Zaragosa for an Easter Week procession you're in luck (last week of March). This is a very local and very energetic celebration of Easter. I spent Holy Thursday in Zaragosa in 2012 and it remains one of the top experiences in my life. On Holy Thursday there were 26 processions that ran all day and night, all put on by different social clubs (think Shriners) some with hundreds of members and some smaller ones with only about 50.

First stop to the north is Olite, it's about 30 minutes before Pamplona by car. Olite has a great castle. It's not completely a ruin, much is restored, but access isn't limited - which means you can duck in and out of rooms, climb stairs and towers to your hearts content. They give you an Ipod like audio guide which describes (in multiple languages) what the castle would have been like when the kings of Navarre lived here.

A stop in Pamplona is interesting. It's not the greatest place but is famous for the running of the bulls during the San Fermin festival. Another potential stop is St Jean Pied de Port which is the start of a pilgrimage route and a scenic little (French) town.

From Pamplona it's an easy drive into San Sebastian. St Jean de Luz is another French option just up the coast.

Another option is to start west from Madrid. I'd rent a car for this entire route.

Start with Segovia. There is a Roman aqueduct, Cathedral, medieval center and castle all within walking distance. In four hours you can see a lot. The boys will probably enjoy the armor collection in the castle. You can also make a short visit to a Knight's Templar era church just outside of town (a little too far to walk). It's pretty tiny, so doesn't take long to visit.

As an option add Avila and Salamanca. Avila has an unforgettable wall, the best preserved medieval wall in Spain, you could simply drive by for the view or stop briefly to visit the wall and cathedral (built into the wall). Salamanca is a great city. Top sights include one of the best Cathedrals and a great Plaza Mayor (main town square).

The other places to visit are some combination of Zamora, Valladolid and Burgos. All have some pretty great sights. Valladolid has awesome Easter processions but isn't really well known outside of Spain (so few tourists). There are several major castles - maybe the best in Northern Spain - around Valladolid, Coca, La Mota and Penafiel. If your kids like castles, these are great stops. After Burgos, head to San Sebastian. You can either stop briefly in Vitoria for a look around the old center, or side trip to Bilbao.

A third option that may be best for that time of year is to go South to Andalusia. You can do this by train, but I'd rent a car if you want to add in stops like Ronda, Tarifa, or Gibraltar. In a week I'd see Granada, Sevilla (world famous for their Easter Week processions) and Cordoba. The Alhambra in Granada is one of the great sights. The Cathedral and Alcazar in Seville are among the top sights (Christopher Columbus is interred in the Cathedral). The Mesquita in Cordoba is also a must-see. The Moorish influence in the south is completely different from Castillian Spain or the Basque area around San Sebastian.

I like the idea of southern Spain as well. It is beautiful and so many wonderful locations in Andalusia. You can also add a trip to Morocco for a few days.

Another option if you are not going to Normandy from Paris this summer would be to spend the week there. Fly directly from the US to Paris and head straight to Normandy. Visit Bayeux, the beaches, St. Malo, and a night on Mt. St, Michel. It is spectacular when it is not tourist season. You have a lot of these places almost to yourself. Normandy is especially moving when you can really focus on the place, without a lot of other distractions.

Wow great ideas!! Thank you all so much!!

I keep going back and forth to what I think would be best... Southern Spain! No, Barcelona and Zaragoza for Easter! No, France! No, maybe Berlin!

ACK!

Seems like it would be a perfect weather time for Southern Spain since I would never ever go there in the summer! And I guess I could catch Easter Week in Seville (instead of Zaragoza?).... We will probably never be in this area again at that time of year, so only makes sense. I hadn't even thought of that!

Now we just have to see if the soccer trip materializes, or this will turn into another trip I just plan in my mind but do not actually take! haha!

Thanks!!
Kim