Ups and Downs of our Time in Spain

 

Hola!  Our overview of our time in Spain is long overdue.  As those of you who have been following our travels know, Spain was our first stop on our honeymoon.  We spent about 2.5 weeks traveling around,  from August 15th to September 2nd, exploring some of the more popular stops (such as Madrid, Toledo, and Barcelona) as well as a very small rural town (Pozaldez).  We found Spain to be full of art and culture; nature and city-scape; ups and downs.  We also found it to be full of HEAT!  We don’t want to drag you through the full details of our day to day, but hope to share a few of our personal reflections.  Here goes!

Highlights/ Blessings:

1. Strolling the Botanical Gardens in Madrid– This was our first experience connecting with nature in Spain.  We enjoyed the quiet time strolling the gardens holding hands.  The trees and greenery were refreshing and the various flowers, with all of their bright bursts of personality, reminded me of my grandma’s yard on a hot summer’s day.
2. Walking through Retiro Park– This place is huge! Each section of the park has its own feel, and we enjoyed exploring both at day and at night.  It is always bustling with people engaging in various activities:  running, rollerblading, skateboarding, riding bikes, working out, walking dogs, having picnics.  There was lots of people (and pet!) watching to be done!  I wish we had a park like this at home!  This is also where, at a cafe near the pond, we accidentally ordered 3 sandwiches!
3. Exploring Toledo– What a breathtaking city!  It was so romantic to explore the historic buildings and cathedrals, and get lost on the narrow, winding, cobblestone streets.  When we walked into the courtyard at San Juan de los Reyes, the lush flowers and vegetation literally took my breath away, and so did the view from the towers of the Church of Los Jesuitas (I wasn’t kidding when I said this city is breathtaking!) The other 4 churches we visited were also amazingly beautiful.  Our room for the night at Sercotel Pintor El Greco was so charming!  The exposed brick walls and large wooden beams looked exquisite in the candlelight.  The hotel was named after El Greco, an artist who has made many artistic contributions to the city.  We enjoyed learning about El Greco’s life and his art while touring the museum dedicated to him located just next to our hotel.  A fun side note:  We traveled to and from Toledo by train, approximately 40 minutes each way, outside of Madrid.  These were my first train rides!
4. Feeling like part of a Spanish family in Pozaldez– It was such a wonderful experience to NOT feel like a tourist and feel so welcomed in Pozaldez.  Chris and I both agree that the time we spent with Rodrigo and Arantza’s families and friends allowed us to experience Spanish culture in a way we would have never been able to otherwise, and for that, we are truly grateful.  Rodrigo and Arantza’s wedding was great (see blog post titled “Spanish Wedding Crashers” for more details!) and we so enjoyed the days leading up to the wedding, which were full of good food, good wine, and good conversation. We are also thankful that Rodrigo’s nephew took us around to some great local places the day after the wedding so we could see a castle, and another spot that has some ruins of a castle.  The scenery near the castle ruins was a highlight for me.  How grand to look in one direction and see olive trees and large fields of sunflowers, and look in another direction and see pine nut trees and vineyards. And all with the bluest sky backdrop!
5. Talking with our host in Barcelona–  We have had such good luck with our Air BnB hosts so far, and our host in Barcelona was top notch.  Not only did he make us feel welcome and provide us with a spacious and clean room/ bathroom, but he was so kind and so interesting to talk with.  We loved listening to his views on the human need to connect with nature and the importance of showing kindness to people and animals alike.  We appreciated being able to share our similar views with him.  He is also well traveled and had lived in two other countries prior to our visit, and we enjoyed listening to his stories about this part of his life as well.
6. Meeting up with Carter and Melissa– It just so happened that Chris had some friends who were also honeymooning in Barcelona the same time as us! We were able to meet up with them for the Barcelona v. Malaga soccer game and grab some tapas afterward.   They are such a fun couple and they share our passion for travel, so we thoroughly enjoyed spending some time with them and exchanging travel stories.
7. Experiencing Gaudi’s masterpieces in Barcelona– Wow!  Gaudi was one amazing artist!  And, he’s now one of our favorite artists! We love how his art emphasizes a connection with nature but also highlights his love of Christianity. Everything about La Sagrada Familia left us gaping in awe, from the astounding size of the basilica and towers, to the minute details along every surface.  We were pleased that we had booked a guided English tour, otherwise we probably would have never realized just how much thought was put into the design.  That place is packed full of symbolism and meaning!  We also learned about Gaudi’s life during the tour, which was great in helping us understand more about the person behind the masterpieces.  While we also explored Park Guell, it was Gaudi’s Casa Batllo that left us marveling most (after La Sagrada Familia.)  What a fun and interactive place to visit!  The house takes on a life of it’s own, as guests wander throughout, again learning about all of the thought put into every detail. Gaudi was a creative genius!
8. Hiking Sant Jeroni–  Okay, it’s true that Montserrat is a gorgeous place to visit, but for us, the mountain on which the monastery sits was even more outstanding.  It’s unfortunate that most travelers don’t realize that there is a fantastic hike beyond the main attraction that leads to the top of the mountain and offers superb views.  We are thankful a friend enlightened us, as I would have been bummed to have missed this experience!  The hike took us 5 hours in total, and the trail ran between some of the most enormous and uniquely beautiful boulders we’ve ever seen!  There were other hikers along the trek, most of which smiled warmly and offered words of camaraderie.  It was more than refreshing to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and even from the crowd swarming the monastery –and be amongst the natural landscape, where people pause for a moment to meet eyes and greet one another.  We’d missed this interaction.  Before we started our hike, we had carefully selected and purchased fresh cheese, bread, nuts, and honey from local vendors at the monastery and enjoyed a delightful picnic at the summit.
9. Learning from locals– Again, we were blessed to be able to spend time with locals while visiting Spain. It was great to be able to learn about the history of Spain from tours and museums, but even better to talk to people who call Spain home.  Not only did we learn about the history of Spain, but it was great to have people share with us some of the positives and negatives about living in the country now (social issues, economic issues, struggles for a voice/independence, etc.)

Struggles/ Disappointments/ Just General Observations:

1. Struggling with the communication– Starting on our first day in Madrid, we struggled with the language barrier.  We found communicating more difficult in Madrid than in Toledo or Barcelona, which made this even harder for us since Madrid was our first stop.  We headed out for a local festival on our first night in Madrid and found it almost impossible to order food.  We ideally should have brushed up on our Castellano (European Spanish) before our trip, but with the wedding and trip preparation, there had been no time. Unfortunately, we found that many locals in Madrid had little patience with visitors who could not speak their language.  Thankfully, communicating got easier (especially for Chris) the longer we visited, and as we learned a few staple dishes that we knew we liked.
2. Overcoming the heat– Spain is HOT and humid!  It was hot when we were walking around during the day, and because few people have air conditioning in their homes, it was hot when we tried to sleep at night.  Sometimes, even sleeping with a thin sheet was unbearable for us.  We also observed several other differences in the general usage of electronics in Spain.  It also seemed that there were few microwaves, dish washers, or clothes dryers.  We’ve assumed the lack of these devices are a part of efforts to save electricity.
3. Keeping our eyes closed– Our experience of the beach was not as great as we expected.  I’d been dreaming of the beach for months, so when we left Barceloneta Beach feeling disappointed and uncomfortable, it was, well, disappointing.  At the end of the day, our lack of enthusiasm came down to cultural differences in nudity at the beach. I’d experienced nudity at the beach to some degree while in Miami at South Beach, but never to this extent.  Despite feeling uncomfortable, we were still able to find a nice spot in the sand and soak up several hours of sunshine.  And, I took a dip in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, which was a bonus!  I don’t see us visiting the beaches here again, but at least we can say we gave it a try (the beach, not the nudity.)

If you have read through all the way to the end, thanks for sticking with us.  Our apologies for the long blog.  Spain had so much to offer, and was a solid start to our honeymoon trip around the world.  We are very thankful for the people, the places, and the memories! Adios!