We started in Madrid Spain. The streets were beautiful and the buildings magnificent in their ornate detail. What I marveled at in Madrid was only trumped by what I saw later in Italy, but I'm getting ahead of myself. One of the main streets of Madrid pictured below.
On the way north to San Sebastian (on the coast near the southern border of France), we stopped in Burgos to get gas and look at the Burgos Cathedral. It was so beautiful both inside and out. We took the time to tour it and were happy we stopped.
Joe and Laine in front of the Burgos Cathedral, Spain.
Except for the clothing, Joe had a striking resemblance to the knight depicted on the mural in the cathedral.
The interior of the cathedral was splendid. The ceilings, alcoves, organ, and artifacts were incredible. It's hard to describe the feeling you get when looking up at all that magnificence, but you definitely feel closer to God for sure.
San Sebastian was a beautiful location in the north Spain Basque country. The town, the water, the people all made it a favorite spot we all wished we could have stayed in a little longer. Laine met some friends from San Sebastian in the US over the summer and wanted to see them in their home town. That was the reason we went north and it was lovely. Unfortunately, she only got to see them for a short time before their other commitments got in the way.
Sunset by the harbor. It was a beautiful evening and the sunset was glorious!
Catching this sailboat's shadow in line with the setting sun makes this one of my favorite photos. 
The cathedral in San Sebastian at sunrise. Joe and I got up early (while Laine slept - smile) and walked through town. San Sebastian is quite a party town and we marveled at the amount of people who were just ending their night of partying and how the city employee's "washed" the streets from the night before.
The cathedral spire reflected in the newly washed early morning streets.
On the way to Barcelona, we stopped at the Montserrat Monastery. It was a great winding road and the rock formations were incredible. We took the train to the top of the mountain and would have hiked around if we had more time. Seems to be a recurring theme - needing more time!
There were so many prayer candles lite at the Monastery, the temperature was easily 30 degrees warmer in the hallway where they were located.
From San Sebastian we drove south to Barcelona. We had a dinner of snails and baby pig and woke up early to catch our flight to Milan. Once in Milan, we headed north towards Switzerland and stopped at Lake Como for a "really cold" dip and our first "real" Italian meal. I was the first in the water because I just knew the kids would splash me if they got in first. It was much colder than the water I am used to swimming in and I was freezing!!
Once we left Lake Como we started climbing into Switzerland. We went over some really amazing mountain passes and we had to stop about every 5km to take a photo. It was breathtakingly beautiful. I think the kids and I liked this part of the trip the best. I guess we are mountain lovers at heart! 
Our first tent site was on Grimsel Pass. We asked in the restaurant where to camp and they said anywhere. So we picked an easy spot (the parking lot) where I could stay in the car with the heater on high while the kids put the tent up and warmed my sleeping bag - it was about 40 degrees colder than I am used to in Malaysia. I must admit, they took really good care of me in their Dad's absence! The view was fantastic!
In the morning we drove into Grindelwald and took the train up to Jungfraujoch "The Top of Europe." It's the highest train in the world and the upper elevation is 11,700 feet! It was a very pricey ticket (471 Euros for three tickets), but it was one of the most enjoyable days we had and worth the expense. When we got up to the top, we took a hike in the snow blown peaks (total whiteout) to a hut to have some local cuisine. The whole time we were hiking I kept thinking we were crazy, but making it, having a warm meal, and getting back safely just made it a great memory of an adventure. When we got back we toured the Ice Palace made completely of ice, too. It was so fun to be in snow again! I forgot how much fun it is to feel the cold wind on your cheeks!
Joe and Laine near the trains part of the way up. We stopped and shared a yummy grilled sausage and fried potatoes. We also shopped for some souvenirs and took more photos.
This was Joe's "double cheesy" meal at the hut! It was an interesting concoction of bread and cheese with a fried egg on top. I think he was thinking grilled cheese when he ordered. Nevertheless, being cold and hungry, made everything taste better.
Here's Joe and Laine at the "Ice Window" in the Ice Palace. They are so adorable!
This was the view from the train about half way down from the Top of Europe. In the background you can see the green valley of Grindelwald where we got on the train. It was spectacular.
The sunset in the Grindelwald valley as we were leaving reflected in the train windows.
The beautiful blue, blue skies and green, green grass of Switzerland. Lovely!
The mountains near the border of Italy and Switzerland. It was home to the St. Bernard shelter and we stopped to pet the dogs and buy some real Swiss chocolate before we left Switzerland.
After we left the mountains, we headed south toward the coast so we go to Cinque Terre (a group of five small coastal towns on cliffs). We drove through Genova during rush hour and finally got to LeSpezia around nightfall. From LeSpezia, we needed to board a train for a ten-minute ride to the southern most town of Riomaggiore. We got on the train and when the ticket taker came by she told us we were on the wrong train and it would be an hour before we stopped in Genova (which we had driven through 2 hours earlier) and could get on the right train. We laughed and spent the extra time on the train writing postcards and learning Italian. When we finally got to Riomaggiore, it was 1:30 am! We didn't have a hotel reservation and walked up and down the steep roads and walkways trying to find a place. When we were deciding if the park bench looked safe for the night, we decided to try one more steep road first. Laine saved the day by learning "do you have a room" in Italian while we were on the train. The woman who answered her phone did not speak English and understood Laine's request enough that she let us in. It was the matrimonial suite with one bed, but it was the best hotel room I'd ever seen.
In the light of day with the waves crashing on the breakers in Riomaggiore.
We were going to walk to the next town, but the storm clouds came in fast and we decided it was best to take the train (the right train) to the next town, Manarola.
We beat the storm to Manarola and had beautiful sunny skies. Manarola was just as breathtaking as Riomaggiore. We wished we could have seen the other three towns, but we just didn't have enough time. So again, we left somewhere that we would have liked to have spent more time exploring.
From LeSpezia after visiting Cinque Terre, we headed towards Tuscany. Specifically, the Chianti Trail for some wine tasting. We stopped at Castello Gabbiano and tasted and bought some wine. It was really fun. 
It was nearing harvest time and the grapes were colorful and lovely. From Tuscany, we headed to Rome a day early to meet Van. It was a long trip and we were all tired, but the best was yet to come. For more, please see Europe Part 2.
