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Day 5: Now we're Sevillians!

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Today, we packed our bags, and we were off to Seville. We first walked to the train station and got past security pretty quickly. After that, we boarded the train. There was a big foldable table and a nice soft seat. We finished some work, ate a croissant, and played Candy Crush. Once we got off our train, we went to our very nice 4-floor apartment in downtown Seville. The first floor had an empty pool and a bedroom with a bathroom attached. The second floor had a full kitchen, a dining area, and a comfy living room. The third floor had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The last floor had a washing machine and led to the terrace, which had beautiful views. After the apartment manager left us, we went for lunch and had pizzas and tapas. Afterward, we chilled out for a while and settled into our apartment (when we arrived, the cleaners were still cleaning the apartment). We then went for a little and had a yummy chocolate crepe with gelato. We also had a waffle with drizzled chocolate an
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Day 4: Swords and a City

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Today we went to Toledo for a day trip, so we packed a backpack and called an Uber. The ride was about 40 minutes long. After arriving in Toledo, we went to the Royal Palace. Part of the Royal Palace is actually also the army museum. But we discovered that the royal palace part is closed for renovations, so we got free tickets to the army museum and learned about Spanish war history and the military. We also saw some old war vehicles and daggers. We took some fantastic pictures on the rooftop.  Afterward, we had lunch. We ordered paella in the heart of Toledo, but it was a massive disappointment because it tasted similar to something we have for dinner at home. Luckily we had some delicious margarita pizzas and hot chocolate and churros. After lunch, we went shopping, and my mom got earrings and a golden bracelet. As a souvenir, we got two handmade daggers made in 2015. Toledo is famous for its metalwork, so this was the perfect souvenir. We got one for my uncle's birthday and one
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Day 3: Museums

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On our third day in Madrid, we decided to go to the Prado Museum, considered one of the world's biggest and best art museums. In the Prado Museum, we saw lots of Spanish art and sculptures and learned a lot of history. The overall experience was enjoyable. Afterward, we chose a fine dining restaurant to go to for lunch. We ordered a lot of fine food, which was superb. The chicken was the highlight of the lunch. When we got back, we rested for a few hours and realized we had forgotten an essential piece of art: Picasso's Guernica.  This Picasso art is known as one of Picasso's most famous works because it is a moving anti-war tapestry. This piece of art was found at the Reina Sofia, so we decided to go late at night. It was a lot of fun to go so late, and to see such interesting abstract art. That was day 3 of our trip. Stay tuned for the next day!
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Day 2: Food and Flamenco!

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 Note: This post is about only half of Day 2, as we arrived in Madrid during the first half. When the flight landed in Madrid, we woke up, gathered our things, and headed off the plane. In the terminal, we did as usual: we picked up our bags and proceeded to the Uber pickup area. When we did, we tracked down our Uber, where we discovered an issue we would have during the trip. The language barrier! Not everyone in Spain speaks English. Thankfully, our Uber driver knew a bit of English, so communicating was easy. All of our relatives had already reached Madrid and were already in the apartment, so when we got there, we were greeted by my uncle. Once we got inside, we chatted and caught up with our relatives. After a few hours, we decided to get dinner. We found an excellent Chinese restaurant, which served small Chinese dishes, which we ate happily. They were very friendly, and the food was great! Then, we made our way to our first attraction: a traditional flamenco dance at Corral de l
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Day 1-2: One Destination, Two Days, Three Flights

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November 16 was three days before thanksgiving break, but we're off anyway. We wanted to get our full two weeks of vacation in, given we didn't travel anywhere  this summer. So, we packed our bags and left school early. Our uncle and grandmother had left India first, and our aunt and uncle-in-law left second. We were the third and last party to leave our home and travel to Madrid, our first destination in Spain. Our flight itinerary would take us from Austin to Frankfurt, Germany, and then to Madrid. We took an Uber to the airport, where we easily made it through security. Once we made it through, we had an hour before we needed to board, so we decided to eat at The Peached Tortilla , an Asian fusion restaurant that serves tacos and rice bowls. We ordered the chicken tacos, the chicken rice bowl, and the cauliflower rice bowl. The food was truly amazing. There was a lot of rice, which definitely fueled us up for our flight. We then took the flight from Austin to Frankfurt. This
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Updates + Next Trip!

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 It's been quite a while, and the family has been hard at work with jobs, schoolwork, and getting through each and every day. But, finally, we have returned to this blog! Since our Hawaii trip in 2021, we've taken a two-week trip to India for my massi's (aunt's) wedding, in a huge palace with a lot of fun and dancing. Since COVID was at its peak, international tickets were so cheap, and we could travel international business class. It was an experience of a lifetime, but since people have started to travel, I doubt we will travel in business class soon. Nevertheless, we stayed with our extended families on our father's and mother's sides, and we had a ton of fun playing tennis, eating out, and reuniting, surprisingly in COVID times. It was a true blast. But now, in November 2022, we're exploring yet another country. The country of flamencos and cathedrals, siestas and paellas, and the bloody history of war behind the easy-going culture. It's... SPAIN! We
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Day 8: One In 6 & One In 4

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 Another beautiful day in Hawaii!   Today we went to see some of the most incredible beaches in the world! We went to one of the only six black sand beaches in Hawaii and one of the world's only four green sand beaches. We drove along the coast of Hawaii, with a lot of ocean views! After driving to the black sand beach, we got out and felt the sand. It was HOT because the sand heats up due to the material the sand is made of. We didn't stick around much, but it was an exciting experience. We continued along the road to get to the green sand beach. It's a long walk across rocky terrain to get to the green sand beach, but there are some people who you can pay to take you down to the beach for you. We took four seats and got in. The road was very bumpy, but it was worth it to get to see the beautiful view. Then, we walked down to the beach. There was only an ancient makeshift set of wood stairs and some tiny, roughed passageways. It was tough to get to the beach, but we
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Day 7: Snorkeling with the Rays

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Today was an experience of a lifetime!   Today we woke up in our hotel, had some breakfast in our room, and then went down to our car. We drove to a historical park called Pu'uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park. It was just 30 minutes from our hotel, and once we arrived, we downloaded the National Park Service app and used the audio tour to learn about ancient Hawaiian history. We learned about the old buildings and even a board game called Konane. It's played with white and black stones on a board with slight depressions carved in the rock. After exploring the park, we took our snorkeling gear and went to Hōnaunau Bay or the Two-Step snorkeling spot. It is a very short walk from the entrance of the historical park, so we got into the water quickly. We didn't bring water shoes, so we were stuck with our feet on the sharper rocks. However, there were many brightly colored fish swimming around near the rocks, so it was worth it. After snorkeling, we drove back
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Day 6: The Lagoon and Coffee

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 Our first day in Kona was fantastic! Here’s how it went: We woke up in our hotel in Kona, and we got ready to go to a nearby lagoon closed off from the ocean. We would snorkel there and see some fish, so we got ready and headed off to the lagoon. The stairs were flat, and there were many rocks, but the fish underwater made it all worth it. We had so much fun, and we were soaked afterward. After our lagoon snorkel, we headed to the pool for some relaxing. The pool was warmer and freshwater, so we could take a bit of time to chill. The only problem was that we didn’t have our goggles. After we were done, we went back to the hotel room to take a shower. Next, we headed out to go on a coffee tour. We learned all about Kona Coffee and why it is unique. Many machines play a part in dehydrating, roasting, and packaging the beans, and we even got to try some. We liked it and bought some espresso coffee beans. Afterward, we took a break and relaxed in our hotel room. Then, we went out ag
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Day 5: The End of the Beginning

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Another day, another stay, starting today. Today is the end of Hilo, but the beginning – of Kona! But first, a quick note. Today was the big super-flower-blood moon! We woke up in the middle of the night to see this once-in-a-decade occurrence! Did you see the moon? Back to today, now. Today we wanted to celebrate our last day of Hilo, so we jumped in the pool and relaxed for a few hours. But unfortunately, we were checking out today, and we couldn't stay too long. We took a quick shower, then packed our bags. Before we knew it, it was time to go. Our first stop along the way to Kona was the Hilo Farmers' Market. The many rows of the vendors' goods were fascinating, although we only bought some lychees and cucumbers. Still, it was fascinating. Next, we went to a waterfall called The Boiling Pots. There wasn't a rush of stormwater in the falls, so the tiny pools of water didn't move around; therefore, we couldn't see the pots "boil." However, the
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