Starting off in central Madrid at the Puerta del Sol where the kids were able to explore the Prada Museum, which houses more classical paintings done by mostly Spanish artists. Next moving though Toledo before we ended in Granada. Toledo is known for their sword-making, so of course we stopped to learn more about that and buy some souvenirs. While taking a walking tour where they were able to visit a monastery, as well as the oldest synagogue in Spain.
In Granada there was a tour of the Muslim palace, Alhambra, which was filled with beautiful tile work, intricate stone engraving, lovely gardens, and amazing technology for the time (running water!). They drove through the mountains to Seville, stopping in a little mountain village where they learned more about how olives are processed and turned into olive oil.
In Seville, there was a bus tour and a walking tour, of the beautiful Plaza de Espana built for the 1929 Spanish Exposition and then climbed the Giralda tower (originally a mosque) at the main cathedral in Sevilla.
There was a day in Cadiz for trying samples of local fried fish delicacies. On the way back to Madrid, with stops at the indescribably stunning Mezquita in Cordoba, originally a mosque, but today it is a Cathedral. They even saw Don Quixote's windmills!
It was a great trip, full of amazing sights and saw evidence of the strong cross cultural influences in southern Spain from their time as a part of the Muslim Empire of the Middle Ages. They tried local foods and ate a LOT of ice cream.