In honor of today’s “El Clasico” game, which is the biggest soccer game of the year in Spain because it matches up Real Madrid versus Barcelona (arch rivals), I wanted to highlight our top ten moments from our recent trip to Spain where we vacationed for 10 days.
This year for our annual Thanksgiving trip, JG and I decided to go back to Europe and explore the “motherland” that is Spain. I like to call it the motherland because most Latinos can probably trace their roots back to Spain or at least their last names were originated there.
It’s such a warm and inviting country and the best part was we speak the same language. It was so helpful to be able to ask for directions and communicate in Spanish with the folks in restaurants, bars, taxis, etc. Needless to say, JG and I felt right at home.
So here is a list of the top 10 things we enjoyed while vacationing in Spain…
10. Stroll through Park Güell in Barcelona. With all of its winding paths, funky architectural elements from Gaudi, it was the ideal place to soak in views of the city and enjoy each other’s company.
9. El Prado and the Botanical Gardens. While getting our fair dose of art history @ El Prado, we paid a little extra to get into the botanical gardens right outside of the museum which was so beautiful and enchanting with its large oak trees and hundreds of little fountains. We found ourselves really enjoying the serenity of the gardens and took about a hundred photos of various flowers, trees and plants.
8. Shopping. Finding all of the latest fashion trends in la Gran Via in Madrid which included shoppes like Springfield, H&M and my favorite department store, El Corte Ingles, which has everything you could want including a pharmacy, grocery store and restaurant.
7. B Hotel. Our hotel in Barcelona was sick. It’s a boutique hotel located near the Plaza de España which is very near the Font Magica de Montjuic (dancing water fountains) and my favorite shopping center in Barcelona called Arenas (an old bull fighting arena turned mall). The hotel has all the amenities of a US hotel and the décor is very chic. They even have an infinity pool at the top of the hotel so you know this place is a hot spot during the summer time. JG found us an awesome deal and we were very pleased with our stay.
6. El Greco painting in Toledo. Thanks to my high school professor, Mr. A., who first introduced El Greco to me, I was able to admire the all-time famous Greco painting for the second time. The Burial of the Count of Orgaz by El Greco is located in a small church inside Toledo (a quick 30 minute bullet train ride from Madrid) and it’s fascinating to see it up close.
5. Drinking consume. Consume is a special type of chicken broth that we love because its delicious and makes you feel all warm inside. We would stop at every place we could find from el Museo del Jamon to Lhardy, where the King himself used to dine and drink near the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, just so we could have our daily cup of consume.
4. Dinner at
La Flauta in Barcelona. By far, our most favorite restaurant from the entire trip! An eclectic variety of tapas, delicious sangria, great service. It was all so good, we went back twice during our stay in Barcelona. You know a place is good when tourists and locals alike wait anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to be seated. I’m telling you, one of the best places we’ve ever dined at. We were actually sad to leave Barcelona because that meant saying bye to La Flauta.
3. Gooooooooooooolllllll! Not only did we go to a Real Madrid game inside of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, we also went to the Camp Nou in Barcelona and took the tour where they allow you inside the locker rooms and on the field. JG was obviously loving this and even though I’m no die-hard soccer fan, I thoroughly enjoyed both of our futbol outings.
2. La Sagrada Familia. This is, by far, one of the most spectacular cathedrals you can ever lay your eyes on. The attention to detail that Gaudi put into this cathedral is beyond words. You have to travel to Barcelona to see it for yourself. Gaudi was inspired by nature and therefore there are elements of the Sagrada Familia that embody elements of nature such as the inside looking like a forest and the winding staircases looking like snail shells. It’s the most beautiful (and crazy) thing you can ever imagine.
1. Tapas at Mercado de San Miguel. We enjoyed this marketplace so much that we decided to visit it a couple of times including our very last night of the trip. What I love so much about this marketplace is that it embodies what Spain life is all about. And that is drinking amazing wine, munching on delicious tapas, savoring cheeses and doing it all with friends and family while gathered around a small table top. I envy the simplicity of the European lifestyle and JG and I only hope we can bring some of that back with us to the States.
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| La Sagrada Familia |
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| Inside the Botanical Gardens |
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| @ Camp Nou |
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| @ Park Guell |
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@ Lhardy where the Royals drink their consume!
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| Outside of Mercado de San Miguel |
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