Spain: June 2016
I spent a few weeks in Spain in June 2016 which was the first leg of a 3 month trip with my future London flatmates! All through Spain we stayed in Airbnbs which worked amazing for us!
First we went to San Sebastian in the north Basque Country area of Spain. I really liked San Sebastian, it had really good vibes, good wine, at least one really good coffee shop (Sakona Coffee Roasters), beaches and Pinchos! Pinchos are the regions version of tapas which are all spread out right on the bar in the restaurants for you to pick. Being vegan I couldn’t really eat any of them but they were interesting to look at! Spain is not the most vegan friendly place, I ate a lot of bread haha but I did save a lot of money on food. Highlights included climbing to a fort at the top of Monte Urgall for sunset, picnicking on the beach, delicious rose for 2 euros and cruising the streets on a bike. We visited at the end of May so the weather wasn’t ideal for the beach, I would love to go back in the height of summer!
We then spent a few days in Madrid, Saville and Valencia. In Madrid we just explored the streets, did shop shopping, enjoyed many Aperols but my favourite part was visiting Parque del Buen Retiro and hiring a row boat in the lake! We also happened to be there at the same time as a Real Madrid charity game was on, it was completely sold out but we went anyway. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a metro more rammed! We almost bought tickets from some dodgy guy outside the gate but decided it was beyond our price range. Madrid is also the place where Amelia and I discovered Brandy & Melville as well, which was the start of an enduring obsession.
Seville was hot! We were staying in a really good location right in a nice part of the centre. Seville was very beautiful with lots of little picturesque streets, intricate buildings and amazing parks. There was however no relief from the heat so we ended up spending a whole day at a water theme park which was actually so fun!
When we got to Valencia the first thing I did was head to the beach obviously! We were staying again in a really nice central apartment in the Old Town. It was right by the Cathedral and the Central Market, which was amazing! I bought so much fresh fruit and ate arguably the best hummus I’ve ever had. The walnuts in this market were also on steroids! I explored a lot of the city by foot, walking to the beach everyday.
Our final stop in Spain was Barcelona! We were there for the summer solstice which is celebrated by a huge party on the beach all night long, which was an experience! I visited Sagarada Familia and a few other Gaudi buildings. Park Guell was really nice but the view of the city is even better from Bunkers del Carmel, you just need to climb a bit higher! The Mercat de la Boqueria was insanely busy, too busy to actually buy anything but should be experienced. I met up with a couple of friends who got us into a fancy hotel with a rooftop pool which was excellent. The multiple Brandy & Melville’s were excellent. Barcelona is also where I discovered Oysho! My second enduring obsession. Barcelona definitely included a few hiccups, I mean a trip to Barcelona wouldn’t be complete without being robbed right?
