好久不见 (Long time no see!) Post-COVID era, I think it’s kind of solidified for me that the subjects that I am most motivated to write about are my travels abroad. However, I have not had the opportunity to travel abroad for three long years, so I have not had anything to write about. And the thing about content creation is that without content, it’s harder to create. With work being the daily design grind that it was, I didn’t have any extra juice to ink out any sort of extraneous creative endeavors, including writing about small trips I might’ve taken, my newfound interest in mixology, or other random topics I’m sure I could’ve created. 

I find myself in a weird moment where the blog name ‘Along for the Ride’ is reaching its conclusion – I must start steering its course. I’m in between stages, where deciding between settling down and setting out on another adventure must be made relatively soon. For now, I’ll make a couple of frivolous travel blogs that’ll hopefully give valuable insight if you’re looking to visit on your next vacation.

Now that I’ve surely justified an almost four-year hiatus,

SPAIN

I was initially not going to include anything on this blog about my trip to Spain last year, as I was primarily focused on making short-form video content in the form of IG Reels (I also didn’t feel a strong desire to write, but now I do and here we are). You can check out the Reels I made here and here. I just wanted to briefly summarize my experience traveling with friends and also to share my itinerary with anyone looking to plan their own trip to Spain. I think there’ll be value in sharing this and other itineraries that I’ve made in the past, as I’ve put a lot of time into them (especially for my upcoming Japan trip with a large group), and hopefully, anyone reading this will agree. This trip was with three people, over the course of 10 days, and we roughly spent $3,000 each for reference.

Spain is one of the Old World empires and, as a European country, is naturally influenced by a plethora of history and cultures. Even through the speedrun circuit of a trip that I did, I saw many vestiges of the past mixing with modern Spanish life, beautiful Mediterranean landscapes, and fantastical works of art (some even plastered onto the side of a building).

While I could wax poetic for 20 pages on each and every thing that I experienced, the main feature is the itinerary. However, some of these memorable experiences for each city might help you decide on things you’ll want to focus on for your trip.

Highlights:

Madrid

With only two full days in Madrid, we covered most of the major tourist attractions and while the classical European architecture of the Royal Palace and Puerta del Sol were nice, it was the food that took center stage for us.

Sobrino de Botin – The self-proclaimed oldest restaurant in the world with the best Spanish-style roast pig in a small cellar. At least as good as the Filipino lechon (maybe better or maybe it was the wine talking)

San Gines – Chocolate churro that makes me wonder why churros in America are so big and also not accompanied by liquid chocolate.

La Tasqueria – Michelin Star Restaurant featuring pig offal. We ordered an amazing offal stew and a whole small pig head.

Barcelona

I’ll say – I could probably live here for a few months. As expected of a city by the sea, the pace of life is slower than it seemed in Madrid, with enclaves and neighborhoods filled with small shops and restaurants that reminded me of the French Quarter in Shanghai. It’s also massive, as I discovered from the top of La Sagrada Familia, one of the most distinct and famous churches in the world.

We probably didn’t have the typical Barcelona experience since we only briefly visited the Mercado de la Boqueria and found it underwhelming, and we only saw the beach at night after eating dinner at a seaside Paella restaurant. However, La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, and the cocktail bar area we went to were all sublime. I would also recommend seeing the IDEAL exhibit, as it was cheap (about 10 euro each) and an impressive exhibit that melded the mind-bending art of Salvador Dali with futuristic displays and digital experiences.

Additionally, we did a day trip from Barcelona to the monastery of Monserrat and a nearby winery, which was a nice break from the bustling cities of Madrid and Barcelona. I’d recommend this and any winery/distillery tour with Winerist.com, as every tour I’ve been on has been through their site and have always been unforgettable experiences.

Granada

The most underrated part of my trip; I almost skipped Granada in favor of Valencia, but definitely a must-visit city in the south of Spain. Rich with Moorish influence, the Alhambra is the crown jewel of Granada. The slower pace, small-town vibes of Granada were punctuated by beautiful hills surrounding it and the grand castle palace of Alhambra. Our accomodation was in the historic district of town, next to a river, and right under the Alhambra, which made for a perfect picturesque stay in the city.

But the tapas and bars here were really what made me regret spending only a day and a half here. Close to a small creek right beneath Alhambra, our hotel’s street had a bevy of different tapas bars that served small plates of different Spanish flavors with wine and beer. Hospitality was very cordial at every place (save for one highly rated place on Yelp, go figure), and it felt like we could’ve stayed and eaten our way through the city for another week.

Seville

Seville was another city that, like Granada, had blown away our expectations. From the gardens of Alcazar, to the Torre del Oro, the sprawling views of the city and river will stay with me for a very long time. The highlight of Seville would’ve been the Alcazar (a castle built during medieval Muslim rule) or our room at Sevilla 1920, but we chose Seville as the city we took a paella cooking course, which was equal parts informative, entertaining, and delicious.

Itinerary:

The focus for this vacation was food, culture, and wine, so getting as much of those three things as possible were the biggest priorities. Keep in mind that most places we went were as a walk-in group of three, so for some of these places, you should book ahead. 

Madrid (3 Days)

Stay: https://abnb.me/LyITNkUVgtb $400
Day 1 : Arrive, Check-In, Chill
Things around airbnb
Malasaña district
Mercado de Vallehermoso

Day 2:
Plaza Mayor/City Center:
Puerta del Sol
Gran Vía & Calle de Fuencarra
Chocolatería San Ginés
San Miguel Market
Royal Palace of Madrid/Catedral de la Almudena
Retiro Park
Museo Nacional del Prado/Ikono
Sobrino de Botin

Day 3:
-Train to Barcelona (Time: 2.5 hrs) 10:05AM, Arrive 12:50PM $141.00

Barcelona (3 Days)

Stay: https://abnb.me/2RIylVdlhtb $631
Arrive at 12:50PM
Mercado de La Boqueria
https://paradiso.cat/

Day 4:
Church of the Sacred Family (Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia) – Tickets ($36/each 12pm)
Casa Batlló
La Rambla/Las Ramblas – Plaça de Catalunya
Guell Park (Parc Guell)
Sunset Parc del Laberint d’Horta/Bunkers of Carme
IDEAL Centre d’Arts Digitals de Barcelona/Picasso Museum (El Born)
Paella at Barraca

Day 5:
Montserrat Day Trip from Barcelona $300
08:30 – 19:00

Granada/Seville (3 Day)

Day 6: Barcelona to Granada Leaving 10:35 AM (Flight ~3.5-4 hrs total) $224.40
Stay: Palacio de Santa Ines $127.99
Doing: Arrive: 12:05PM
Alhambra/Generalife Gardens – (PAID 44.55 (14/person). Nasrid Palace access time is 4:30PM)
Sunset at Plaza San Nicolás in the Albaicín
Tapas

Day 7: Half Day Granada
Plaza Nueva/Granada Cathedral
Alcaiceria
Train to Seville (2.5 hrs) Leave 3:30 PM, Arrive 6:30 PM $83.40

Seville

Stay: Sevilla 1920 $456.14
Doing: Chill/Explore
Plaza Nueva/Triana District areas
Tapas

Day 8: Seville
Alcázar (11:30AM $43.5)
Plaza de España
Barrio Santa Cruz
Mercado de Triana
Cooking Class  

Madrid (Departure)

Stay: VP Plaza Espana $396.75

Day 9: Train to Madrid (2.5 hrs) 11:43 AM – 2:17 PM $253.50
Dinner:

https://latasqueria.com/en/la-tasqueria-and-javi-estevez/

Day 10: Shopping/Leaving to Airport

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Extra Notes:

Food to Look For

Tapas – Specifically from the Gothic Quarter
Wine
Paella
Jamon Iberico
Chorizo
Bocadillo
Churros
Patatas Bravas
Catalan Cuisine (Barcelona)
Food Tours
Mision Cafe

Day Trips

https://www.touropia.com/best-day-trips-in-spain/
Granada from Seville
White Villages and Ronda Day Tour from Seville
Madrid – Porto 3-Day Trip
Morocco Day Trip -Tarifa to Tangier

Morocco Day Trip – Tarifa to Tangier

Porto

Stay: https://www.booking.com/hotel/pt/torel-1884-suites-amp-apartments.en.html?group_adults=2&no_rooms=1&aid=1186969
Port Wine/Egg Tart/Portuguese sausage
Douro River Cruise
Miradouro Da Vitória
Ribeira, Baixa And Bolhao Districts
Sé cathedral
Azulejos

Valencia:

Central Market
Casco Histórico/Valencia Cathedral
El Miguelete
https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g187529-d12921031-The_10_Tastings_of_Valencia_With_Locals_Private_Food_Tour-Valencia_Province_of_Val.html or something similar
Valencia Beach
Torres de Serranos