Spain - Final days and wrap up

We took the high speed train back to Barcelona Friday morning. We popped over to the Sagrada Familia neighborhood for one final dinner of tapas and amazing wine followed by gelato, before gazing up at the cathedral lit for the night. It was the perfect end to our trip as a violinist played a hymn into the starlight. 

Our travel day, Saturday, lasted 23 hours before we snuggled into our real beds at 11 pm. We have never been so exhausted or grateful to be back home, but what an adventure ❤️

Things that surprised us while we were there:

How much walking they do!

How little people use cars, and how much they rely on public transit.

So many people smoke!

Most restaurants don't open until at least 7 pm for dinner.

You have to pay 1 Euro to use a public toilet! And sometimes, you have to grab the amount of toilet paper you need BEFORE you go into your stall. And sometimes you might not understand the bathroom attendant who told you that in Spanish 🤣

Eating tapas, little plates, is SO fun! And a glass of wine is $2-4!

There are only small espresso & cappuccinos in Spain! No drip coffees or large cups.

Vegetables are rarely on the menu other than a garnish or very small bit of a dish.

Every single restaurant we ate at, served something upon arrival just to welcome you! 

Christianity felt very much alive with the sheer number of incredible cathedrals throughout each city. 

In most places, someone spoke English. 

Service in restaurants is not what it is in the States! Tipping is not usually done, so they don't necessarily work for it. 

We felt safe just about everywhere we went!

Hadley & Piper did an excellent job reading the Spanish signs and ordering for us at the restaurants! 

We travel well, even overseas, together as a family ❤️

Spain Day 8 - Thursday

We spent Thursday exploring the big city of Madrid. Beginning our day with the best churros dipped in thick hot chocolate! We shopped, took in Retiro Park, and went through Prado Museum to see our first Picasso and Da Vinci's preliminary Mona Lisa. We also had thee most delicious handmade pasta for lunch!

Plaza Mayor

Spain Day 7 - Wednesday

On Wednesday, we headed south to explore another special little city. Toledo was full of beautiful alleyways, restaurants & cathedrals on every corner, breathtaking views of the city, and even a zipline! This was also my favorite day, ha! 

Spain Day 6 - Tuesday

We dressed in as many layers as we could on Tuesday morning, as we were headed on another train for a day up North in Segovia. The temperatures hovered between 35-50 all day, but the crisp air and bright sunshine only added to this special little city. The aqueduct, built in the first century, was our first stop! Followed by some incredible cathedrals and castles. It was my favorite day! It even ended with fresh crepes topped with gelato, yum!

Spain Day 5 - Monday

We woke early today to pack up and make our way to the high speed train station. We took a very speedy three hour trip across the Spanish countryside and were wowed by the beautiful landscape and countless vineyards. 

Hadley navigated us into a quaint little area of Madrid where we had lunch at very authentic family owned restaurant. You might get chips & salsa in the United States upon entering some Mexican restaurants. The welcome dish here was a plate of warmed potatoes, ham & blood sausage!

Having found next to nothing for vegetables in Barcelona, we were thrilled with their giant platter of pink heirloom tomatoes drenched in olive oil & sea salt!!

With our bellies full, Hadley lead us to a secret door that you could order cookies from sequestered nuns! 

We then made our way to an old convent that had been turned into apartments for our stay in Madrid.

Where we washed & dried our clothes like most Spainards do - out our window and all over the kitchen, hehe.

Spain Day 4 - Sunday

Sunday dawned bright and sunny, but because we were along the coast somehow it was also cool and humid. We began the day (with cappuccinos  & treats) at the Museum of the History of Catalonia. It was very well done and interesting to learn more about their background. 

The rain came back in, so we headed back for a little siesta, before going to the coastal side again for a renowned paella restaurant!

Spain Day 3 - Saturday

We all felt a little bit more like ourselves Saturday morning, given a little sleep lying down in an actual bed! We began with cappuccinos and pastries in our own little apartment before beginning our 'Gaudi' day. We began by navigating the Metro for the first time, which Hadley made seem like a piece of cake with her app! Somehow she knew that as we emerged from this particular metro stop to slowly turn and look up. It was thee most awe inspiring Cathedral you have ever seen. And, it only got better from inside!

Following the incredible stain glass windows of the Sagrada Familia, we managed to find more cappuccino & treats. As it turns out, this was a common thread of every day! We nibbled and drank our way through Spain!

We took in several other Gaudi creations though out the city, and finished the afternoon with several hundred flights of steps to reach Park Guell.

We finished out the evening at a tapas bar near our apartment, and had the best service!

Spain Days 1 & 2

Our first 'real' day of our Spanish adventure began with staying awake for 32 hours 😂 We awoke by 6ish on Thursday morning and made our way to the Minneapolis airport for an easy flight into DC, a decent layover perfect for catching dinner and a little March Madness, and then a 9 hour overnight flight into Barcelona Friday morning. It was not our favorite part of the trip to say the least, but despite not really being able to sleep on the plane, we hit the ground running!

We took in Mercado de Boqueria, their local market, to try out a few foods. Then wound our way through the streets shopping, drinking our first cappuccinos, eating gelato, and appreciating the outisde of the Barcelona Cathedral. We were thankful for our umbrellas! By the time we grabbed a few groceries and headed to our rental apartment, we had a hard time staying awake until 7pm!