Spain

In June Charlie and I took a fabulous trip to Spain. Three days in Barcelona, three days in Sevilla (with day trips to Jerez and Cordoba) and then two days in Marbella and then a day of traveling back to Barcelona.

Our trip started out REALLY EARLY after a wedding in Germany.  German weddings are not like American weddings.  In America (typically) we say “I do,” cocktail, have dinner then dance.  Last call is sometime around 11 pm.   In Germany, they say “I do,” cocktail, eat dinner, cocktail and then PARTY to the weeee hours of the morning.

With one hour of sleep, a double cappuccino and planes, trains and automobiles we made it to Barcelona.  I’ll be honest, the first day I took a walk through la boqueria, slept, ate dinner and then slept some more.  I was massively jet lagged (I had travel issues getting to Germany, then the wedding and it had been been three days since I had slept).

The next two days, well rested, we toured as much as Barcelona as we could.  Travel lesson learned, in big cities take a tour bus.  In my opinion, the open air buses are the best.  They will save you time and money getting around town.  They also drop you off directly in front of most attractions that you want to see.

We did all things Gaudi, including La Pedrera, Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia.  

We tour the Gothic Quarter, the Barcelona Cathedral and  the Olympic Stadium. We saw the  La Monumental bullring and the Gothic Santa Maria del Mar Cathedral.  We enjoyed the cable-car ride from Montjuic.  The views of Barcelona skyline are fantastic.

And we also ate and drank.  A LOT.

We started each day with breakfast from la Boqueria.

We ate ham.  Lots and lots of ham.   

If you ever go to Barcelona go to Can Paixano!  All you can drink Cava for 1 Euro.  Yes people you read that correctly.  ONE EURO.  We upgraded and and had the Rose Cava for 1.5 Euros.  And the food…HEAVEN.

Red pepper, machego and Iberico ham Bocadillo.  I couldn’t wait and took a bite. 

The place was jammed packed with locals.  You know it’s a good place when locals pack the place. We had 2 sandwiches (Charlie had foie gras), Croquettes, Morcilla and enough Cava to make my head spin.  Total bill…16 Euros.  For two people. 

We also had some really great tapas.  Quimet & Quimet is a FANTASTIC Bodgea.

They specialize in modern tapas and sweet vermouth. 

THE Best Thing I ATE in Spain.   Red Pepper, two perfect shrimps, caviar and basalmic on toast.  MOUTH WATERING DELICIOUSNESS.

I also found what became my favorite summer cocktail, sweet vermouth, club soda and slice of lemon.

Barcelona is a fun and vibrant town .  Staying at the Eurostars Ramblas Boqueria  was a great choice.  It is not a fancy hotel.  But it is clean, modern and right in the heart of Barcelona.  A couple of steps from airport transportation and right on Las Ramblas. 

We left Barcelona in 100% vacation mode.  We flew south to the hot and historical Sevilla.

I loved Sevilla.  It was such a charming town. We stayed at the Melia Gran Golon.  The hotel was beautiful, it is in a central location, the beds are comfortable and the bathrooms are very clean.  Highly Recommend. 

Let me just say it is HOT in Sevilla in summer.  The streets are shaded with with canvas curtains making it bearable to walk during the day.  But most places are closed in the afternoon from 12-3.  Siesta time 🙂 

We missed the bull fights by one week.

Plaza de Espana. Not only is it beautiful, it is a famous movie location .  It has been used as a Lawrence of Arabia,  Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and  The Dictator.

Of course, we can never pass up a grave site.  Christopher Columbus is buried in the Cathedral in Sevilla. This one will be hard to top. 

In addition to sight seeing, we ate great food (we ate at Catalina twice, it was that good. The wine selection of by the glass wines was excellent) and caught some Flamenco musicians in a bar.

Sevilla is just a quick hour train ride to the town of Córdoba . In as much as it was 42 degrees Celsius IN THE SHADE (yes, that is 108 degrees Fahrenheit), it was my favorite town we visited in Spain. It was just beautiful.

It has such a rich history and is a blend of Muslim, Spanish, English and Jewish cultures. And you cannot forgot the Moops. 

Oh it’s HOT.   But cold fountains provide much needed relief.

After two day of culture in Sevilla and Cordoba we decided that it was imperative to take a the train Jerez de la Frontera for some sherry (fortified wine) tasting and eduction.

We had a great time learning sherry’s history and about how it is made.  We also enjoyed the cool cellars and the AC in the tasting room.

We spent the afternoon tasting some of the local cuisine.

Shrimp in butter and garlic.  Lots of Garlic.

A unique rice dish. It wasn’t paella.  But it was rich and savory and hit the spot.  Lots of sherry made me hungry. 

The streets of Jerez are lined with orange trees.  They treat the oranges with pesticides so you cannot eat them.  But they smell wonderful. Jerez is a definite must see, must do destination if you are in Andalusia. 

Our final destination was Marbella.  It is a fun Mediterranean resort town

I basically plopped my ass on the beach.

…and  relaxed with many of the locals.

The ocean was cold but Charlie went for a dip or two.  He is braver than I.  I only dipped in my toes to cool off. 

I wish we would have spent more time in Marbella.  I loved the town, the board walk and ocean.  We stayed at Hotel Fuerte Miramar. It was in a good location, next to the beach.  Nothing extra special.  Pool chairs were impossible to get though.  I fell in love Gran Melia Hotels on this trip. I would recommend the Gran Melia Don Pepe. 

I have to mention, when we were in Spain, the European Championship was being played.  Spain Won!  We were in Marbella for the final game.  It was crazy.  Fans were everywhere and we were lucky to find a spot in a bodega to watch the game.

Each time I visit Spain I fall back in love with it.  I love the food, the culture and kind people.