Spain: a review

With a total of 10 days in 3 cities through out Spain, we has a whirlwind of a trip. We walked a lot of ground, eat a lot of different things, saw a heap of beautiful places and had great fun along the way. Here are some of our favourite things we did in Spain.



Favourite thing to do
M: The best thing for me was getting a new tattoo by one of my previous artists, Sento, in his home studio.
K: We did heaps of great things, but the thing that takes the cake for me was a little date we had at a cafe in Madrid that has been open since 1894. Chocolatería San Ginés lived up to their fame with an epic chocolate con churros and I wish we went back again for some more. Delicious!



Favourite monument
M: In Madrid we went to the Reina Sofia which had a lot of nice art and was an incredible building to walk around at night time. We went after 7pm and got free entry.
K: The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona was enormous and beautiful. You have to pay 13€ to go inside however, which we didn't do, but walking around was magical enough for me.



Favourite meal
M: We went to a small cafe in Valencia and had Octopus tentacles done with Patatas Bravas and Spanish Tortilla. It was incredible.
K: I love rice, so for me the best meal we had was the Paella we had at La Pepica. This place is apparently frequented by the king of Spain, but they also have a photo of another more important customer for me, Mr Ernest Hemingway.



Favourite tapas bar
M: La Comisaria in Valencia had an amazing atmosphere and it was great to see a chef working in a professional and creative way, in a 1m x 1m kitchen. Two of the menu highlights were Pork cheek and Crayfish Chupa Chups.
K: On our last night in Barcelona we went to a great Tapas bar that was suggested to us by a couple of people. The food at Quimmet & Quimmet was so creative and delicious and affordable too.



Favourite region
M: The el Gothic region in Barcelona is a magical little district filled with cobbled street only accessible by foot filled with small independent stores, cafes and few museums. Easy to get lost in and well worth the visit.
K: One of my favourite memories was ride bikes through the parks to Malvarrosa beach. It was such a nice day and the weather was perfect. Definitely my favourite area of Valencia. We rode our bikes to the beach through a park that has been built in the cities ancient river bed.



Tips to know before you go...
- Shops close between 2 and 5pm, so make some plans for this time of the day.
- Be aware of hidden costs. You will get charged less if you stand and eat or drink at the bar.
- Restaurants open at approx. 1pm for lunch and 9.30pm for dinner, if its open before then, its there for tourists.
- This is a country that stays up late and sleeps in.