Another solo trip (my favorite)! Although I was reluctant to go to expensive Europe, I also recognized that I didn’t need to do an epic adventure for every trip and Spain would be fairly easy for me to get around. I had originally thought that Spain would be a 3 week trip (and I’m sure I could’ve filled 3 weeks with more of the country), but I whittled it down to two in typical fashion of packing way too much and saving transition time with short, expensive flights.
Barcelona
I arrived in Barcelona in the morning and took the subway into town, clenching my bags. Once on street level, I picked a direction and started walking, only to figure out that I had walked the wrong way. My hostal was only a couple blocks from Placa de Cataluyna, but somehow I kept passing it. I walked up and down the street it should’ve been for about 20 minutes, and even stopped for directions in another hotel. I was angry and tired and hungry by the time I finally looked up and saw the sign above me! I hiked up three flights of stairs and left my bag since it was too early to check in. Now feeling extra grumpy and tired, I walked back to the Placa and down a shopping street. I paused, getting out my travel book and tried to relax and warm up in the weak sun. Off in the distance, I heard a street performer singing Yesterday. Ah me! I took it as a sign that I couldn’t let my little lost adventure ruin my day and to cheer up, today was just beginning! I gave him a couple coins and walked down to the Cathedral. It was a little rainy, and I didn’t want to wait in line to go inside, so I just walked around the outside. Now, extra hungry, I walked back to Els Quatre Gats (The 4 Cats), where Picasso famously hung out. I had some cava and patatas bravas while it rained outside. By then, it was time to check in, so I wandered back to my hostal, showered and then made the mistake of giving into the jetlag and going to bed early! Bad on me, since this was a struggle for the first week of my trip.
Over the next few days, I wandered the neighborhoods of Barcelona, mostly loving the Gothic Quarter which I was staying near. I enjoyed the Picasso Museum, which gave me a new appreciation of Picasso’s work. I hadn’t realized that he was such a well trained realist painter before he started experimenting with light and lines and the order of people’s faces! He really did know what he was doing and then decided to flip things upside down. I bought some earrings which I lost one of the very next day, UGH.
As you do in Barcelona, I toured Gaudí’s sites. First up was the Park Guell on a cold and dreary day, but the colorful mosaic tiles shined through. I am not sure I love Gaudí’s style; it feels very Dr. Seuss to me (in actuality, I think Dr. Seuss was influenced by Gaudí). Though, I did enjoy having much of the park to myself because of the gray day, and loved the purple wisteria vines on the over-sized columns.
Next up, I taxied over to the Batllo House and took my time avoiding crowds for shots of beautiful stained glass windows. I liked the interior of this house more than the outside for it’s art nouveau. I skipped the Casa Mila, feeling a bit Gaudí-ed out.
On my final day, I saw the Sagrada Familia. I arrived way too early, hoping they would let me in before my reservation time, but they wouldn’t. So, I walked around the block and drank some wine while I waited. After the wine, I hurried over in the cold rain and stood in line. Feeling very chilled and grumpy, I decided to skip taking photos of the outside and rush indoors to warm up. I shuffled my way through the crowds, looked up and GASPED. This church literally took my breath away. Maybe it was the wine, but I felt a little sting of tears welling up. I never thought I would say that about a cathedral, much less one by Gaudí!! The colors of the stained glass, and the beautiful white columns towering above you really do feel as if you are an ant, peering up at the sun through a forest of flowers. It’s one place I can attest that photos don’t do it justice.
Granada
Off to Granada, hoping for warmer weather, I arrived and again dropped my bags at the hotel. One of my planning missteps for this trip is that I booked most of my travel/transitions at early morning hours. This didn’t help my fight with jetlag, and it also doesn’t cater well to Spain, where the day really begins at 10am, and ends at 10pm. I was on more of a 6am-6pm schedule, making breakfast and getting around a struggle. Especially for me, who LOVES a good English breakfast when I’m awake early, I was always in search of breakfast early, often going hungry until lunch, then skipping dinner in lieu of sleep. I warmed up at a coffee shop, then walked around town, admiring the quaintness. I can easily see why people love Granada.
In the Cathedral, I was became aghast at the opulence of Catholicism. Of course, Catholicism was at it’s height in Spain during this time, so this is as gaudy as it gets. Even though I have always loved Gothic style, I grew a distaste for the over-the-top gilded altars and flashiness of it all. I can easily see why this brought about Martin Luther’s Reformation. I ate a plate of Manchengo cheese and wine for lunch on the plaza, below the Alhambra, then hiked through the Albaicín and enjoyed the views of the city from above.
The next morning, I was one of the first at the Alhambra, getting some nice shots of empty plazas. The Nasrid Palaces were quite chilly in the morning, though I took my time to avoid crowded photos. I was very impressed with the Moorish architecture, loving the water and lacy courtyards. I lounged in the sun for the afternoon, watching kids chase the stray cats, then shopped for the afternoon in town.
Sevilla
I arrived in Sevilla by train and already saw the hoards descending on the city with their garment bags. I knew those bags held beautiful dresses for the Feria! I could feel the excitement in the air. My hostel was friendly and right next to the cathedral, so I ate some lunch – delicious gazpacho! and then toured the Cathedral. This Cathedral is one of the largest in the world, but it felt pretty unimpressive to me. The Sagrada Familia felt larger! I sat in the Orange Blossom courtyard, enjoying the sun and smelling the wonderfully fragrant blossoms.
I waited in the hot sun to visit the Alcazar, which was designed after the Nasrid Palace at the Alhambra, but I liked the Alcazar almost better than the Alhambra. I got lost in the giant manicured gardens for a while… Sevilla’s beautiful white and gold alleyways definitely won me over, and I spent the afternoon restaurant-hopping, watching women walk by in their dresses on the way to the Feria.
The next day, I had reserved a Feria experience and bought a CUSTOM-made dress! I got ready, and walked over in my (very tight) dress, still admiring everyone else’s gowns. I met the gorgeous family to host myself and others, then we walked into the Festival. My head was on a swivel the entire time. We ate traditional food and then danced the Sevillana (or tried to). After a few hours, the host turned us loose and a few of us walked around the fairgrounds. I stayed as long as I could, taking in all of the ruffles and patterns and colors.
Then I walked home and chummed it up with some hostel-mates for the evening. Sevilla and the Andalucia region was by far my favorite part of the trip.
Cordoba
Another excruciatingly early morning travel to Cordoba. I arrived and walked to my hostal from the train station. Luckily, it was easy to find. Dropped my bag and found a quaint boutique cafe for breakfast where I accidentally ordered just toast and tomato (it was like a gazpacho). It was actually really delicious. It’s clear this town is much smaller and quieter than everywhere else; the tourists come mostly on day tours. Instead of the white and gold, Cordoba has white and bright blue alleyways, making it feel very Greek or Caribbean. I kept expecting to see a beach around the next bend. Alas, Cordoba is land-locked, though it does have a river.
Again, I lounged under Orange Blossom courtyards, delaying my day, and feeling very much like Ferdinand the Bull. Finally, I went into the Mezquita, a HUGE mosque filled with striped arches. In the center, is a gleaming white cathedral. It is the most bizarre thing – mosque, mosque, mosque, bam! CATHEDRAL! Stamped into the center. Again, following from Granada, I was even more disgusted with the rise and expansion of Catholicism during the early Renaissance. Still, it had some beautiful intricate archways. In hindsight, I probably should’ve done Cordoba as a day trip instead of staying overnight, since it is a hassle to trek my bags around so much, but ah well.
Madrid
I walked back to the train station, though I left my hostal late, and was rushing as quickly as I could. Out of breath, I just made it in time….for them to announce that our train was delayed 45 minutes. Oh well. Again, I dropped my bag at the hostel and then took the metro over to El Prado museum to see some of their famed Spanish artwork. It was interesting, though most of the museum was just OK. Then, I walked to the Reina Sofia for more modern art, and one of Picasso’s most famous pieces. I ate at a little cafe nearby that allowed you to write on the wall, so I wrote a Pablo Neruda quote in Spanish. Then, I went back to the hostel and cleaned up and went to Friday Happy Hour at a bar around the corner. It was a great spot to be because locals befriended me and I felt happy. I’m so glad I was in Madrid for the weekend for this reason.
Segovia
A day trip from Madrid, I went early to Segovia and again was one of the first at the Aqueduct. I didn’t realize that the Aqueduct extended past the one, most photographed part, but it actually continues through town, so I followed it to it’s beginning, and peered down the tiny corridor that water traveled through. It was a marvel of engineering, I was humbled to stand at the base of these giant, immovable stones. It’s probably one of the older things I’ve ever seen. I was so glad to be there, but didn’t care too much about the rest of the town. So, I tried to get a train to Avila and cram those into one day. Unfortunately, I had just missed the train to Avila. So, I went back to Madrid, slowly.
Toledo
I had planned to go to Avila instead of Toledo. I thought Toledo would be too touristy, and I wanted to walk atop the Medieval city wall of Avila. But, with it scheduled to rain, that didn’t sound like too much fun and more people were telling me not to miss Toledo. So, I bit the bullet and did Toledo instead. If you grow up lusting after castles and fortresses and knights, this is the place to be. Not only is it known for swords, the hilltop city walls are very castle-looking with battlements (those tooth-like features along the tops of castle walls). It was touristy, but I still enjoyed it. I took a cheesy train ride around town to get the classic city view. Then, I waited for church services to be over to go into the Cathedral. I actually liked this cathedral better, maybe the size made it seem more humble than the last few I’d seen. I walked back to the train station and back to Madrid where I took the evening to just relax.
San Sebastian
Even though I checked the flight status before I left the hostel, by the time I took the subway over to the airport, my flight had been cancelled! I ran through it in my head and decided I could just rent a car and drive through Northern Spain, taking the day to get there, stopping for lunch in idyllic little towns. But, there was another flight that the desk agent was able to put me on. It was a delayed flight that was leaving in about 30 min. So, I rushed to check my bag with very confused agents who wondered why I wanted to get on a flight that had already departed, then hurried through security where they made me chug a bunch of water (no dumping it!), and then I raced across the airport to the very end of the terminal and the last gate. It was a small propeller plane with high wings, quite weird. Although the airport is right on the water, it was so overcast that we couldn’t see any views. Luckily my bag made it, though the couple that boarded 2 minutes after me did NOT get their bags. Then, I waited for the bus to take me the 30 min to San Sebastian. It never came. I waited and waited and waited. No one else knew what was going on either. Finally, I gave up and took a $50 taxi. The hostal I booked was very sweet and the owner was young and eager to please. He gave me the best room in the place, which was the size of a studio! I felt very happy to have such a nice place for my final days. He also gave me advice on where to go for food and because I had a car, he told me to see the San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. I’m so glad I did because the reason I had a rental car was to see the waterfall at Salto del Nervion. Even though it was April and had just rained, there was no water at the waterfall, so instead I drove out there and hiked to a beautiful canyon view. Oh well.
Then I drove to the San Juan de Gazelugatxe which was a tiny church on a small island with a winding stone path to it. It was very beautiful and majestic, but a LONG walk to/from the car. I arrived back in San Sebastian just in time to catch the tram up the hill to see the bay views before the fog rolled in. And that was my last evening in Spain! The next day, my flight was cancelled out of San Sebastian and they put all the passengers on a bus to Bilbao and we flew from there to Barcelona. I thought I was going to have all day in Barcelona, but I arrived just in time to catch my flight back to the States.
