Southern Spain Part 1

Oh southern Spain, how we loved you! When I look back on all that we did, I am in awe that it was just a month! We really packed a lot into that time. From the architecture, people, food, wine, and prices, Spain has been one of our favorite countries. It was incredible how cheap the food and drinks were! When I say cheap, I mean that you can get beers at the grocery for 30 cents (crazy, right?!). We are really missing those prices. The only true downside was the summer heat. Spain holds a special spot in our travels and we can’t wait to go back one day!

The blog will be divided into two parts, with this first part diving into our journey from Barcelona to Madrid. Take a look at our full itinerary below:

Barcelona: June 23-25

Granada: June 25-27

Sevilla: June 27-30

Cadiz day trip: June 29

Madrid: June 30-July 4

Toledo daytrip: July 2

Mijas: July 4- 24

Cordoba: July 24-25

Madrid: July 25-26

1. Barcelona

We stayed here for just 2 nights following the cruise. Overall, we were a little underwhelmed with it. Maybe we had too big of expectations. Of course, there were amazing parts such as Sagrada Familia, but overall, we enjoyed other areas of Spain more.

(Missed out on the cruise blog? Read about our Mediterranean Cruise here)

Hotel: Iberostar Selection De Gracia

From the cruise ship, we went straight to our hotel and enjoyed its’ rooftop pool. Jim soaked up the free cava from the lobby. I had been craving tacos, so we found a placed called Burrito (similar to Chipotle) for lunch. Possibly a weird first meal in Spain, but I was very happy to finally find tacos!

One of the best parts of this hotel was having a corner balcony (well, Greg’s parents did and we were able to enjoy it too). It happened to be a holiday when we were there, and we were able to see fireworks in all directions from the balcony. It was quite special!

Gaudi Bike Tour

We are big fans of exploring the city via bike. It was great having a guide take us around to some of Barcelona’s architectural highlights. This specific tour focused on the architecture of Antoni Gaudi. Perhaps you know his most famous work: Sagrada Familia. You can’t go to Barcelona and NOT see it! The tour included a skip-the-line-ticket for this stunning cathedral. You think the outside is impressive? Just wait until you go inside.

Besides Gaudi’s most famous work, we also saw Casa Mila (the termite-house), Casa Batllo (the under-the-sea house) and Cascada Fountain at Parc de la Ciutadella.

Book this Gaudi Bike Tour here.

El Bixto

This was a wonderful, authentic find! The owner was proud of her business, as she should be. I ordered a sangria and she laughed and said “I have good wine.” She was right. Spanish reds are some of my favorite wines.

We wanted to eat tapas here, but we were just here for a fast drink before going on a tapas tour. We did have some green olives though. Jim said they were the best he had ever had!

If looking for a cozy wine spot in Barcelona, look no further than El Bixto. You can’t go wrong!

Flamenco and Tapas Tour

A trip to Spain is incomplete without flamenco dancing. And tapas…. you gotta have them! They are one of the highlights of Spain!

We did 3 tapas tours during our visit in Spain. This specific tour was a little disappointing, compared to our expectations. For us, it felt too touristy and was too large of a group. The flamenco show was inside of a popular-tourist square. Regardless, we were still excited to see flamenco dancing! The dancers were fierce; the singer was passionate; the performance was intense (in a good way!).

Our guide then took the group of 10 to 2 restaurants and ordered an array of tapas for the table. We definitely did not go hungry! It was fun trying many different tapas. However, we were a little disappointed with the restaurant selections, as they were big and modern. We were expecting more dive-type of locations. When in doubt, book a private tour!

Link to this tour here.

2. Granada

From Barcelona, we woke up early to get on the direct train to Granada. However, the train was already full. Long story short, we had to take a train to Madrid and switch trains to Granada. A valuable lesson we learned: As soon as possible, go to the train station and reserve all of your train tickets (even if you have already booked tickets online). There is a difference between ‘reserving’ and ‘booking seats.’ It was quite confusing and irritating, but at least now we know! While waiting at the train station, Greg went ahead and did this for rest of our trains in Spain, which was so very helpful.

Some train info:

It is expected to sit in your assigned seat.
Many of the trains have wifi, outlets, food/beverage carts, and bathrooms.
Some even have quiet zones.
Not all train stations have free bathrooms. They usually cost 1 euro.
Allow time for security. Your bags must go through an xray machine.
Keep your train ticket and passport handy; they are sometimes checked multiple times.

We stayed in Granada for 2 nights. This would be a great city to stay longer in! We loved it. My sister-in-law lived here for a summer during college and really enjoyed it. A tip from her: eat a pistachio and strawberry gelato.

Hotel: Hospes Palacio De Patos

This was a really nice hotel. Clean, modern, chic. We shared a massive room with ceilings taller than I’ve ever seen in a hotel. However, it only had one bed, so we had to get a cot for Jim (thanks for letting us have the bed).

The courtyard was beautiful and peaceful. It was a great place for relaxing, and for Jim, smoking cigars. Another great relaxation spot was the free hot tub in the spa. It was huge!

The hotel had a large breakfast buffet, which was included. That is always a nice perk that we look for when booking hotels.

Alhambra & Generalife Tour

We highly recommend this tour! Having a private guide was fantastic. He was very informative and guided us through numerous palaces, gardens, Turkish baths, and even the military fortress. It was all remarkable! We even happened to stumble across a religious procession, which was unlike something we had ever seen. The gardens were stunning and so peaceful. The Court of the Lions is the most intricate building I have ever seen. It is unbelievable how much detail and intricacy it has. I was in awe for sure! Scroll through the pictures below for a glimpse of the beauty.

Fast history facts from our guide:

A dam was created to bring water to the palace. It still works to this day.
The fountains are low to the ground, so that water would be able to flow.
When Christians took over the palace, they left most of the intricate Muslim decor, but when there were bare areas, they would decorate it themselves.
Washington Irving lived in Cypress Garden for a summer.
The garden still has the original staircase from the 14th century. Water is transported down the siderails.
Charles 5th Palace was never finished due to finances. It doesn’t even have a ceiling.
50% of the army stayed in the middle of the fort, while the other half stayed in the towers.
When building houses, the rule was that the street had to be at least the width of a donkey and a person walking beside eachother.

Tip: Check out St. Nicholas Church Viewpoint for a terrific view of the Alhambra.

Book this amazing tour here!

Tapas Tour

This was a fun tour! It was just us 3, which we’ve learned is really the way to go when booking food tours. Our guide was a native from Granada and took us to 4 places. The last stop was a bonus and he treated us to their specialty- pork cheek.

Granada is the home for free tapas. Yep, FREE tapas! To enjoy this, he taught us that you must sit in the bar area, not the restaurant area. The server automatically brings you a tapa with your drink (it is their choice which tapa). What you get with your second drink will differ from what you received with your fist drink. Spanish omelettes are the most popular one we encountered.

To give you an idea of Spanish prices: Our check total of 7.80 euros included 3 drinks and a free tapa for each of us! At this point in our trip, the euro was 1:1 with the US dollar. Gotta love those prices!

Tip: Try the local Granada dessert- pionono.

Book this tour here!

3. Sevilla

Seville or Sevilla? It’s the same place, just different spellings. In Spanish, it is Sevilla. We stayed here for 3 nights. Sevilla is what Greg calls a second city. Barcelona and Madrid are the first cities, meaning the biggest and most popular cities. We have found over this year that we enjoy the second cities more. They are not as big (which we like), but still have a lot to offer.

Hotel: Melia Sevilla

Plaza de Espana

Built for the 1929 World’s Fair, this is an incredible square that you cannot miss! The mosaics of the 52 tiled alcoves representing the Spanish provinces are outstanding. Between the bridges, canals, and mosaics, Plaza de Espana is a must-visit when in Sevilla. If you’re lucky, you may even find some live music (we did!).

Venture just past the plaza and you will find Maria Luisa Park. We love exploring parks! This one offers lots of shade, flat paths, fountains, and even horse carriage rides.

Tapas tour

This was another fantastic tour! Abby was a laid-back food guide, who happened to be vegetarian and doesn’t drink alcohol. She said she is the “invisible spirit.” It felt like we were just hanging with a friend. We went to 2 tapa spots and 1 coffee stop. She took us to Eslava right when they opened, as it is is a very popular spot and lines develop pretty quickly. She said we could order anything we wanted. We went with most of her recommendations and even got the ‘cigar roll’ which was some sort of interesting squid ink roll.

Fun fact: Tapas means “top” or “lid.” Tapas started as a way to keep flies out of drinks. They’d put a small plate on top of your drink, but they didn’t want to serve an empty plate, so a small bit of food would be served. And ta-da, the tapa was created.

Book this food tour here!

Hop on/off Bus City Tour

You know those double decker buses in New York City that take you around town with 15+ spots to hop on or off? Well this was just like that. I’m a fan! It’s a great way to see the city, be outside, rest your feet, and learn about the area. You are given headphones and can select which language you want the tour in. We saw these in almost every big city we went, and in Spain, even some of the smaller cities. I wish there was an annual global plan!

4. Cadiz & Sherry Tour

While staying in Sevilla, we took a sherry tour and spent an afternoon in Cadiz. Our guide picked us up from our hotel. Along the drive, there were endless fields of sunflowers! It was gorgeous. They are used for sunflower seed and oil production.

Cadiz

Cadiz was great! It is a seaside town with a strong connection to Cuba. It is actually considered to be Havana’s twin city.

Our guide showed us around the city, seeing a gnome alley, an old church, and to the main attraction: Teatro Romano de Cadiz (the Roman theater). Like many places in Europe, when they dig for new construction sites, they constantly find historic ruins and have to stop their construction. Well, they decided to build apartments right into this theater anyway. You can see where the 2 meet in a picture below.

He then took us through the local fish market and showed us the massive red tunas- a Cadiz specialty, which Jim tasted at lunch. We saw squid and stingray too! Greg had a squid ink burger, which we do not recommend.

Lustau Sherry Tour

When in Cadiz, you must try sherry wine. I thought all sherry was super sweet like a port wine, but this tour proved me wrong. There are actually many styles of sherry. This tour allowed us to sample 6 different ones and even some vermouth. Turns out, I like vermouth!

Walking into the Lustau production facility was impressive; there were rows and rows of barrels, stacked 3 high, with incredibly tall ceilings.

Things to know about the barrels:

They are American oak barrels.
The barrels are never moved or rotated.
When a barrel is 1/3 empty, the wine is moved to the barrel below.
The wine in the bottom row is the oldest.
Cobwebs are never removed, as they keep flies away.

Fun fact: Sherry can only be produced in the ‘sherry triangle,’ just like champagne only comes from Champagne, France.

Book these tours here.

5. Madrid

Jim stayed just one night, but Greg and I stayed an extra 3 nights before moving onto our workaway assignment.

(Read about our Workaway here.)

Hotel: Petit Palace

From the train station, the taxi would not take us to the hotel because the hotel was too close, per the driver. He said “not possible” and made us get out of the car. It wasn’t a crazy far walk, but it was uphill and difficult with our baggage. We were happy to finally make it to the hotel!

Parque de Madrid

…also known as Retiro Park. Our hotel was ideally located right next to one of the many entrances. This park was massive! Listening to live music along the lake was a highlight.

Europe has the best parks! This was one of my top 2 parks from this year, with the other favorite being in Lyon, France. This one definitely takes the title of “best park for running.” It is flat and beautiful with lots of shaded paths.

Hop on/off bus

Madrid reminded us a lot of New York City, but not as busy. It had much of the same architecture, which makes sense since a NYC architect designed some of the buildings. We passed the theater district seeing advertisements for Lion King, Matilda, and Mamma Mia. I don’t think we would have seen this area had we not done this hop on/off bus, so I am glad we did!

We walked through a hilltop park before seeing the Royal Palace. We love all of the parks Europe has to offer. It’s definitely one of our favorite European things. Not your thing? Don’t worry; Madrid has many museums and other things to do. You won’t go bored!

Madrid part 2

After Jim left, we used Home Exchange points to stay in Madrid for a few more nights before heading off to our workaway in Mijas. We left the city center and stayed in an apartment a few subway stops away. When doing home exchanges, we live very cheaply and laid back. We cook at home, catch up on online work, do laundry, and walk around.

One thing we like to do is walk around malls. I’m not really sure why, but it is something we do in almost every city. This particular mall had a pet store, a few clothing shops, a food court, and a grocery store. We even ate at KFC for a little feeling of home :)