Spain

10/15/19

When I was a younger, I took a trip to Spain with my mother. We rented a car and explored the entire southern coastline of the country. Nothing was booked, other than our flights, so we hopped in the car and went wherever the lines on the map took us. Unfortunately, this was before smart phones, so the only record I have of this trip are the memories in my head and the pictures we developed from our disposable cameras. Therefore, most of the below is solely written based on my most recent trip to Spain this year.

With many of my friends living in Spain right now, and my first trip around not including Madrid or Barcelona, I figured it was a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. I booked a flight and off to Spain I went!

Almost everyone I discussed my trip with before I left told me to dedicate more time to Barcelona than to Madrid. They said Madrid could be done in two days and that Barcelona had so much more to offer. In the end, I decided not to listen to them. I chose to spend 5 days in Madrid and 4 in Barcelona, and it was absolutely the best decision ever!

Madrid has a charm to it that was felt the moment I stepped out of the airport. The people of Madrid are welcoming, the food is amazing, and every street and corner has something unique to offer.

Madrid

What to Do and See.

Take a walk through Puerto Del Sol where you can stop for a quick bite to eat and grab a drink at the Museo Del Jamon. Afterwords, in order to cure your sweet tooth, take a pit stop at San Gines for some of the best chocolate covered churros your taste buds will ever come across. The line may be long but it moves fast and it's worth the wait.

Museo De Jamon

Puerto Del Sol

San Gines

For some shopping, and to see the amazing architecture of Madrid, take a walk down the Gran Via. If wanting to stop for a quick drink please do not order Sangria, that truly is just for the tourists. Instead, order a glass of Tinto de Verano. It is red wine mixed with lemonade. Yes, I know that sounds like a weird combination, but it is actually delicious and a very common drink had by the locals.

69997930_10156648266711446_2560596378740

Gran Via

70263956_10156648266516446_7131402649336

Gran Via

Some other must sees include:

-Plaza Mayor: An open square filled with restaurants and art. It is also located right next to a popular market, so be sure to stop in and try some typical Spanish food such as Croquetas!

-El Retiro Park, where you can find The Glass Castle (Palacio De Cristal)

-The Royal Palace

-Temple of Debod, it’s a small hike to get up there but it is unlike any other monuments in Madrid because it is originally an Egyptian temple.

-When the sun goes down, be sure to check out Cybele Palace and Puerta Del Alchala, they look great when lit up by lights at night!

71004695_10156648265871446_8215106899087

Temple of Debod

70258632_10156651853966446_1279672758380

El Retiro Park

70360961_10156648269341446_3773005027233

Plaza Mayor

70061466_10156648265786446_7586681543628

The Royal Place

70330368_10156651854061446_4961059901192

Puerto Del Alchala

70539571_10156648266446446_7138062571654

Puerto Del Alchala

Cybele Palace

While all of the above are must see’s what made Madrid special was not the main monuments, but instead the simple side streets and everyday locals living within the city. Take a street scooter and bop around the city for an afternoon or take a stroll at night in and out of smaller bars or cafes. It is a great way to see how the locals live!

Toledo

Toledo is an ancient city sitting atop a hill which overlooks Castilla Le Mancha. While in Madrid, I highly recommend dedicating one day, or even half of one day, to visiting Toledo. The train from Madrid takes less than 30 minutes and the ticket is very inexpensive. Once there you can walk from the station to the hill or you can take a taxi. I recommend the walk if possible, as the view while you come upon the hill is gorgeous. Toledo looks like it is taken right out of a fairy tale story book.

If planning to walk around the city and grab a bite to eat, 3 hours is more than enough time. But, if you plan to take a guided tour of the church while there then I would dedicate a bit more time for your day trip. All in all, this is an absolute must do! It was by far the best part of my trip in Spain overall!

70298885_10156648270206446_7856657754721

70025749_10156648273421446_7979410668820

70733287_10156648269816446_4662610998979

70228136_10156648273846446_3721460845541

70292312_10156648273926446_3831631794680

Barcelona

Barcelona has a lot to offer, so depending on how many days you have in this city I would recommend choosing which places along the way are your top priorities. During my trip I did not take many tours, other than inside Sagrada Familia, therefore I was able to fly through most of the “must sees” within the first two to three days. But, if you are expecting to take guided tours throughout this trip then I would dedicate a solid 3-5 days here to be able to fit everything in.

What to Eat

Unfortunately, it is very easy to get ripped off with food in Barcelona. Many of the restaurants are trying to satisfy the need of the tourist, therefore your paella may be frozen and microwaved instead of freshly made (I learned this the hard way). To avoid this, stay away from any restaurants near main attractions, menus with pictures of their food on them, or menus written in English. If you want to find good food in Barcelona, you need to go where the locals go.

For the typical Spanish dinner, I recommend Can Codina. The menu is in Catalonian instead of Spanish, so I would recommend asking the waiter what is best and being open to whatever is suggested! I have also posted a picture below of their menu for reference.

In the US we have bar crawls, in Barcelona they have Tapas crawls. Locals hop from store front to store front grabbing a beer and trying the different tapas in each location! Two of my favorites were La Tasqueta de Blai and Blai 9. These are both located less than 30 feet from each other and are on a side street filled with Tapas bars!

70302300_10156657338946446_6856971552135

70775678_10156657339086446_7334469158358

70523501_10156657339051446_9214363347246

70420425_10156657339026446_7467756059570

70540014_10156657339131446_8359189260728

Can Codina

71032670_10156657352696446_6110778416758

71329856_10156657352391446_3680177241934

71287170_10156657352711446_4631322548775

71298021_10156657352636446_2142322858246

70514168_10156657352626446_3996340753939

Blai 9

& La Tasqueta de Blai

The Beach

If you have ever stood outside of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, you know it is filled with people trying to sell you things. Well, the beaches of Barcelona are the same. Men and women walk up and down the beach trying to sell you blankets, sodas, beer, and even massages on the spot. It can be very annoying and they won’t leave you alone. In the end it can’t be avoided so just pop your head phones in, wave them away, and enjoy the rays!

It is also very common for your clothes or personal items to be snatched if you walk away from them. Be sure, if you plan to go in the water, to keep your eye on your belongings and not wonder off too far. It wouldn’t be fun to find out your purse and pants were stolen before you even had lunch.

Transportation

Public transportation in Barcelona is phenomenal. During my 4 day stay I decided to buy the 5 day unlimited train pass and it was absolutely worth it. This pass gets you around the entire city for a flat fee on both the metro and the busses. If planning to explore, and if your itinerary calls for more than 3 days, then I highly recommending buying this pass!

What to See

Below are a list of the typical must see’s while in Barcelona. To be honest some in my opinion are a tad overrated, but you flew all the way to Barcelona so you might as well get your butt out there and see what is has to offer!

Segrada Familia

Definitely worth the visit- This is one of the main attractions in Barcelona and is definitely worth a visit. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to buy your tickets weeks in advance! Visiting times are split up by the hour and fill up very quickly, if you don’t buy your ticket ahead of time then your only other option is to wait in a 2-3 hour line.

71055346_10156657333296446_8418976932065

Park Guell

Definitely worth the visit- Park Guell was my favorite part of visiting Barcelona. I highly recommend going early in the morning because there are less people, and let’s be honest less people means better pictures! The architecture in this park is unlike anywhere else; I spent hours wondering around admiring each piece. Included within your ticket is a free shuttle bus from downtown Barcelona directly to the park and back. Your ticket only covers a small percentage of the park (it is the most famous part) so if you don’t want to pay the ticket, you can still explore the rest of the park for free!