49. Shopping Spree!

This week has been one of the best so far! Our last day was spent on shopping missions. We all met in Plaza del Sol to start. Mom and Dad split off to check out another museum, the boys went with Uncle Brian to look in man stores, and the girls went with Aunt Kenda for some real shopping. Everyone was happy and we went into all the crappy little souvenir shops that we wanted to.  

I bought a couple souvenirs to lug around, Aunt Kenda finished her checklist of gifts, while Arden, Scarlet, and Klaine spent their last allotted euros on candy and pastries! We found a cute market to check out, walked around Plaza Mayor, made friends with one of the doormen for a restaurant, and watched fellow tourists get sucked into pictures with Spongebob and Patrick.

After a couple hours, we met back up at Sol to regroup and head for dinner. We love meeting up here because it's just so entertaining. We watched papa smurf, midget papa smurf, Jack sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, Army Guys, Spongebob, emo witch, and other characters interacting in the square. I wanted to sneak pictures of these people, but I was too afraid they'd catch me and demand 20 euros. And I've already been suckered into stupid buys on this trip, like a 10 euro ice cream cone. Before heading out for Tapas, we naturally made a stop in the pastry shop, where we stuffed ourselves with cañas con chocolate and some other filling. 

When we had enough of harassment from the beggars we made our way to El Tigre, a tapas restaurant recommended by my friend Brett, who is studying abroad here this semester. With every drink ordered, they came out with a plate full of little Spanish snacks that were delicious! My favorite were the tortillas. I'm gonna have to make these when I get home. It's made of potatoes, and eggs, and I'm not really sure what else, but I loved them. I think we need to have Tapas places in America. They are so cheap and convenient, and every plate is a surprise!  

Don't be deceived, everyone is having fun, Brody is just bummed we didn't run into Brett here. This was a great way to end the week. I was actually able to use some Spanish and feel good about the three years I took in High School. The food was delicious, and we just got to sit back and visit with everyone bustling around us. When all the plates were finished and the waiter was giving us the "get out of here already" look, we bid farewell to our faithful companions for the week, and headed back to the villa. 

We will certainly miss hanging out with our cousins, but are so glad they could join us for a little part of the trip. Can't wait for our next big international adventure with them!