Gran Canaria, Spain - Part 1

A few weeks ago we decided we wanted to take a nice trip somewhere sunny and warm to celebrate our 5th anniversary.  We did a bit of research and thought the Canary Islands sounded fun and it's a pretty popular destination for European holidays.  The Islands are part of Spain, but they are located off of the coast of Morocco.  We booked a trip through a travel agent and off we went on April 10!  The hotel we picked was the Villa del Conde in Costa Meloneras, Cran Canaria which is at the southern tip of the island.  The Canary Islands aren't overly conducive to beach swimming because the water is super cold!  I stepped in the sea and marvelled at all of the little kiddos running around braving the frigid temperatures.  The hotel we were in had wonderful swimming pools, though.  One of them even had a sandy beach!  The walk along the sea shore was so lovely, and ocean was such a deep blue and endless!

Daddy's sunglasses were a huge hit during the trip. 

There is an area on the island with large sand dunes near to where we stayed.  It was like a mini-desert!  Gran Canaria has mountains, rainforests and a desert... with Abbey it was easier to just stay closer to the hotel so we just saw the dunes.  

She finally warmed up to playing in the sand...

We had breakfast included with our stay.  It was super tasty and they had champagne every morning.  I love champagne. 

She looks so proud of getting strawberry all over the nice white linens.  I think she stained more than one tablecloth during our stay.

This was our "last" breakfast... we headed up to check out and found out we weren't going to be going home that day!

  

Stuck in Gran Canaria...

Today is the 5th day that we have been stuck in Gran Canaria, Spain and it is the 11th day we have been gone.  Gran Canaria is part of the Canary Islands off of the coast of Morocco.  We were supposed to head home on Friday, April 16.  When we went to check out of our room the cashier said, "Germany is closed."  Since we were on vacation we didn't bother looking at the TV or the news even once so we had no idea what was going on!  She called our airline and they said that our airport was open so we headed to the airport and partway there the bus turned around and they drove us back to our hotel.  We have been making the most of it, but it would be nice to back where our kitchen is, Abbey's crib is and probably the most important: where our washing machine is! 

We are still enjoying the sunshine and the sound of the ocean crashing along the shore, but for now I have a certain "Beach Boys" song running through my mind... and it's not "Kokomo!"  Although I would hasten to say that it has been a great trip and is not "the worst trip I've ever been on."

Feiertag with Daddy...

A "Feiertag" is a bank holiday in Germany.  We are at the end of the Easter weekend... I have to post the majority of this series because it was so sweet.  Stu was resting on the couch when I got Abbey up from her nap.  They had a little snuggle session together and I couldn't help but try to capture some of it...

Ty's visit

My brother came to town!  We had a great visit and enjoyed hanging out together.  We went to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nürnberg and took a trip down to Munich and of course relaxed at home.  The weather was typical Spring... cool mixed with warm mixed with sun and some sprinkles! 

Our first trip was to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.  On a trip there last year we had an injury and on another trip I got a speeding ticket (yikes!).  I was very glad that this trip was less eventful!  I don't know what's going on with my very khaki outfit, though!

We found a fantastic cafe that had a play area. 

Abigail really does smile a lot... she's just camera shy!!

We went to Nürnberg on Good Friday.  We ate at our favorite restaurant and Ty treated us.  Sneaky!

To keep Abbey occupied in the car, Ty gave her his watch one time.  She probably would have kept it the rest of the time he was there.  She loved it!

Munich was packed!  It was the Saturday on Easter weekend, meaning it is the only day from Thursday until the next Tuesday that shops are open!  Plus the weather was insanely gorgeous.

Waiting for noon at the Glockenspiel...

Playing with Uncle Ty...

She was so content sitting and playing with him!  So adorable!

Thanks for visiting, Uncle Ty!

Easter Pictures

The Easter Bunny visited us!  We had a lovely gift of Lindt chocolate bunnies at our door yesterday morning... undoubtedly the best form of chocolate bunny and were gifts from our aforementioned wonderfully thoughtful neighbors!  If I had seen them first they would have remained a secret.  As fate would have it, Stu discovered them....

Yum!  It didn't take me long to tear into the dark chocolate one!

While I was getting Abigail ready for church I decided I wanted to try to put a bow in her hair. 

I chased her around for awhile...

I got close!

She dodged to the right:

I gave up.

Hope everyone had a very happy Easter celebrating our risen Savior!  We certainly enjoyed our time with my brother and some friends.