Soaking up the sun in Spain

Hello! This is exciting (for me at least). I haven’t written a new post in so long, but I am finally here to check in with some of my favorite memories from Spain. I know, I know, I should already be making plans for the upcoming summer and I don’t really know why it took me so long to publish these (it’s been nine months), but I finally kind of got my shit together :) So I'm going to let the photos (and the video!) speak for themselves and hope you can see through them even a fraction of what I saw and fell in love with.        

BARCELONA

Seeing Gaudi’s influence everywhere you go

Barcelona’s architecture is almost synonymous with Antoni Gaudí’s name. It’s practically illegal to go to Barcelona and not visit La Sagrada Familia. The world’s largest unfinished church is one of the most unforgettable places I’ve ever seen.  

Make sure to visit Park Güell for Gaudi’s colourful ceramics and masterful mosaics in all their glory. Most of the park is free to explore and enjoy! (Casa Mila and Casa Batilo are worth visiting as well).

Biking around

Barcelona is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities I've been to, so don’t miss the opportunity to explore the city on two wheels.

VALENCIA

I felt so so thankful to have been reunited with my friends. Our last goodbyes made me sad because we couldn't give an answer as to when we would meet again but in a flash, we were all reunited in Valencia - the birthplace of paella and horchata, the city, where historic buildings and old markets meet futuristic science parks, vibrant nightlife and passion for street art.

The City of Arts and Sciences

The icon of Valencia and the most popular spot for photographers. The water pools with nice shallow water guarantee the eye-paradise… You can walk around all the buildings and visit the garden on the first floor.

The Paella

As I've already mentioned, Valencia is the birth place of paella – the famous Spanish rice dish. So we've headed to La Pepica, the famous restaurant at one end of the Playa de Malvarossa, looking for traces of Hemingway and a good meal. The whole place had an air of nostalgia about it and the walls were proudly covered with wooden framed pictures of famous personalities that have dined at La Pepica over the years. But most importantly, the paella was fantastic. My mouth still salivates at the thought of it.

MADRID

Of course, no trip to Spain would be complete without a visit to Madrid, the country’s capital. While Madrid often loses out in the minds of visitors as it doesn't have that many tourist attractions, it still has much to offer from soaking up the culture in the city's museums and galleries and feasting your eyes on the city's beautiful architecture to filling up on plates of tasty tapas.

Hiding from the rain

We weren't so lucky with the weather as it was raining and cloudy, so we spent the first day in Madrid partying in the hostel and enjoying the views from the balcony.

Getting lost in the Prado's 7000 paintings

/ and spending half of the time being hypnotized by Bosch's triptych

With such a concentration of masterpieces, it's impossible to do the Prado justice in a single visit. So here's a tip: take a map at the front desk and follow the route of 'highlights' that is laid out.  

Finding shade on a hot summer day in Retiro Park

There’s a lake you can paddle around in, many gardens and terraces where you can sit out in the sun, or take naps in the grass after a long morning at the Prado.

Sleeping in Madrid Barajas Airport

You guessed it. No longer students, but still enjoying a little airport sleepover here and there. Sure, it may sound a little cheap and degrading at first, but let me tell you that it's an adventure and it just adds an extra element of strangeness to your trip :)

 I hope the photos managed to capture what an amazing time we had, and traditionally, I've put together a little video diary.

Dedicated to my travel companions - Gabrielė , Povilas, Nastya, Islam and Zohdi.

xx 

Vic