Falen's Pictures From Spain!

I'm in an airport in New Jersey right now with a long layover, so here we go! In 2019, I linked up with Michael from Defined Destinations for a trip to Paris. It was so amazing, and we finally got another one on the books! We went to Spain! We flew into Madrid first. When we flew in we had a while to wait to check-in to our hotel (Hotel Catalonia), so a coach took us around the city to see it, and then we walked the city! We all look a bit tired! lol

Once we checked in, we got ready for our welcome dinner. We discovered a rooftop bar at our hotel and immediately got an Aperol Spritz!

The next morning we did 2 tours. We checked out Museo del Prado followed by the Royal Palace! Both were great, and we had local guides to walk us around and explain the art etc. I've NEVER had a guided tour at an art museum, so it was actually super cool. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside though.

Then we went to lunch at a place I found on Instagram. The food was not that great, but I picked it because it had this wall of radios! It was a beautiful place called El Perro y la Galleta!

And then we did a foodie walking tour. This is where a local guide walks us around to a few different restaurants to try food. In this case, it was tapas. It's a great way to discover areas that are less touristy and more of a spot where locals go. Our guide was actually from America but lived in Spain for 11 years. My favorite were the croquettes! Also a glass of wine there is like 4 Euro! The booze was SO cheap!

I'm realizing what a crazy day this was because then we saw a Flamenco show. It was about an hour or so long, and it was very cool! It was not what I was expecting but would definitely recommend. We saw it at Tablao Flamenco Restaurante. Then I encouraged everyone to walk to San Gines for Churros dipped in cups of chocolate!

The next morning we went for a walk, my friend, Harry was on the trip, so we found a coffee shop. Then we took a day trip to Toledo. It was hot...like SOOOO HOT! We saw where they make swords. They actually made all the swords for Game of Thrones. They have been the sword making center since about the Roman period! I might have gotten Dave a gift from here...

Then for our final night in Madrid, we went to a Michelin Guide restaurant that was recommended to us by Tina's friend called Enklima! HIGHLY recommend! WOW!

The next morning we took a train to Barcelona. We did a city tour again! This picture of Harry and Jake looks worse than it is, and it makes me laugh so much!

That night we went to the harbor for an impromptu dinner on the beach, and we all got pretty loose lol! Jake convinced us to take a tuk tuk home after many drinks. A lot of the group went out late most nights and had SUCH a great time. I was in bed by midnight most nights which was early there lol! They typically eat lunch around 3 and dinner around 10/11!

We stayed at Hotel Colon which has a top recommended rooftop because of the view of the cathedral. Our room had a view too!

The next day we visited La Sagrada Familia which is this insane church that still isn't completed! Truly remarkable! Then we went to Park Guell! That evening we did another foodie walking tour of Barcelona, but I didn't take any pictures!

Our last day we grabbed coffee, and went on a boat cruise on the Mediterranean Sea. Quite possibly the most amazing part. It was so amazing swimming in it! Shannon in our group booked it through Barcelona Sailboats!

And we had a day of shopping (La Boqueria etc) and our final group dinner! It was just perfect! I truly can't begin to explain how remarkable this trip was. I feel so lucky to have done it and with such an amazing group. Hopefully you can come on the next one! The green foam on the salmon is herbs! It was at Arcano Restaurante.