For When You Miss Me: Spain

Before we begin, I’d like to take a second to introduce this new series of features on my page. I knew from the very beginning of the planning process for this trip that I wanted to share about the places I’ve been. Initially I did this on Instagram but I didn’t really want to write a huge caption every time I uploaded the day’s pictures, so now I have decided to bust out the website for this very purpose. In addition, I am also trying to learn how to use Substack with the handle @twentyfiveplaces , but give me some time to figure that platform out first lol, it may take me a minute.

Anyways…. let’s go.

Starting out on our grand adventure, we decided to begin our cross continental journey in Spain. Due to the fact that we wanted to try and conquer most of the county while we were there, we decided that it would be best to sign up for a group tour. We chose EF Tours because we had heard the most about the company and figured that it would be a good one to start with. So let’s begin…

For transparency we took the “Grand Tour of Spain” tour.

Itinerary Outline + First Impressions:

Stop 1: Madrid

Madrid was by far my favorite city that we visited in Spain. There is such an excellent balance between the new and the old town. My favorite things we did including taking a bike tour in the early evening, hopping on a food + tapas tour, and getting a ‘neapolitan de chocolat’ from la mallorquina in plaza de sol.

But most of all, I fell in love with the Prado Museum. For those of you who don’t know me, I am a huge art history fan (well I should say just history fan in general). I only had two hours in there due to the pacing of our tour but I would 1000% go back to Madrid just for its museums.

To me, Madrid is the ideal setting for a quick romantic getaway. Think about it!! You’ve got the history, the greenery (if you haven’t been to retiro park you MUST go), the spanish guitar, and the cheap wine?!!! It’s a no brainer.

A ‘Neapolitan De Chocolat’ from La Mallorquina

Stop 2: Toledo

Toledo is a great stop for history fans or those interested in theology. The cathedral in Toledo remained my favorite one over the course of the entire trip. Fun fact: nearly every monastery in Spain has their own unique baked specialty. In Madrid it’s cookies and in Toledo it’s marzipan! I personally liked the marzipan but after our day in Toledo I realized that I am one of a very small group that actually does lol.

The Cathedral of Toledo

Stop 3: Seville

Seville is a city that I personally think you can skip. Yes, it’s pretty. Yes, it has a giant cathedral. But that’s about it. However! If you do decide to go take a flamenco class! We took on at I Show U Seville and it was an absolute blast, plus it made the flamenco show we watched later that night much more impactful.

Also if you’re getting tired of the calamari and croquettes by now, there’s a good Italian restaurant in a hotel located just steps from the bridge. (P.S. They’ll even make you a huge bowl of green salad if you ask nicely enough.)

The Streets of Seville

Stop 4: Costa del Sol

We unfortunately dropped into the “Coast of the Sun” on the rainiest day of our trip. It was wet and cold and not at all beach weather so we decided to do laundry instead. Because of this, I feel like I cannot make an unbiased review of this city. In short, if you like a beach with an urban atmosphere then perhaps this place is for you.

The Coast of No Sun

Stop 5: Granada/The Alhambra

Next was Granada, or more importantly a visit at “The Alhambra”. This is a huge moorish castle that can only be described as massive. If you’ve never seen moorish architecture then this is the prime example to see. I enjoyed walking the grounds but truthfully (and I know people aren’t going to like me for saying this but) this style of architecture just doesn’t speak to me. However, I cannot deny how genuinely jaw dropping it is, so in short go if you can! It’s Spain’s most visited landmark, however it just wasn’t all that spectacular to me.

Inside the Alhambra

Stop 6: Valencia

Valencia is really neat! It’s a lot like Madrid but more spread out. I guess looking back on it, Valencia is like what I would imagine it would like if you combined Barcelona and Madrid but then put on a modern twist on it. The river walk is really neat if you are a fan of sleek modern architecture.

During my time in Valencia, I actually decided to do something outdoors and booked myself a waterfall canyoning trip but unfortunately that trip nearly ended up in disaster. In short my day involved taking a train to the middle of nowhere, waiting for over an hour for someone to come get me, being stuck outside in the freezing cold water till nearly 9pm, and then having to take a taxi all the way back to town. Needless to say I will never book with this company again, lol.

Valencia’s Modern Architecture

Stop 7: Barcelona

Barcelona is a no. I know some people love it, it has a very grungy, artistic, anarchist at times vibe. There’s graffiti EVERYWHERE, which to me is just a no. However if I were to go back here are the few things I would do: get hot chocolate + churros from the Pablo Cafe at the Picasso Museum (these were the best churros I had in all of Spain), have lunch at Cafe Lolea, and visit the rooftop in the W hotel. I didn’t realize all of my suggestions would be meal related, but alas take my word for it.

The Pablo Cafe at The Picasso Museum

Final thoughts.

I would 1000% go back to Spain but I would most want to go back to Madrid. The city just spoke to me personally the most and despite being there the longest I still felt like I only scratched the surface. The people in Spain are incredibly kind, there aren’t a ton of souvenir shops to run from, and I always felt safe.

Plus did I mention the cheap wine?? It’s a woman’s dream come true.

Barcelona’s Coastline

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