Barcelona!!

To get to Barcelona we took a train early in the morning, so when we arrived at Barcelona we still had the whole day to explore. We walked towards the beach area, which was only two blocks from our hotel and I couldn’t wait to see the ocean. As we approached the pier there was a great huge statue of Columbus, and then you get a glimpse of the pier and it is amazing! we saw sail boats and walked around the pier it reminded me of San Diego a bit. 

Las Cuevas del Duque, Madrid

Our first day we had dinner at Las Cuevas del Duque, the ambiance was great they had a singing trio and the food was delicious. We ordered a pitcher of Sangria and Paella both were great and the service was wonderful. It was a great dinner after such a long flight, which is why only the paella picture is from me and the rest is from the restaurants website. 

Toledo, Spain

On our visit to Toledo, we visited a courtyard which was beautiful the views from there were fabulous it was warm and sunny I honestly did not want to leave. After we went to San Juan De Los Reyes and the building was very nice, they had such a nice garden inside which had a great orange tree full of oranges. At the end of the day we left the town and walked towards where the roman circus used to set up their tent. My favorite part was going to see the Artesania De Toledo all of the jewelry was so beautiful and handmade. They also had swords and plates that could be on display my boyfriend and I bought some items which was money well spent. 

Chinese Food In Segovia

We had a break for lunch at Segovia and we wanted to try something new so finding this chinese restaurant it was perfect. It was full of families who were eating after coming out of mass and the ambiance was perfect. The food was delicious we had shrimp with vegetables and fried fish both were great. 

El Escorial, Spain

El Escorial, the name alone sounds great. I can honestly say it was one of my favorite tours that we visited. Unfortunately, we could not take pictures inside of the residence of King Phillip II. While we were taking the tour it was great to see the place where the kings and queens of the past are resting. The highlight of the tour would have to be when the tour guide was so into his explanation of the chair that was especially built for the king that he actually touched it, he almost had a heart attack and was afraid that one of the many guards had witnessed his mistake. It was great to sit on the outside courtyard in the warm sun and people watch as they came out of morning mass. Everything about Spain is just so laid back its as if Spaniards are worry free. 

Segovia, Spain

Segovia was wonderful the aqueduct is truly genius the size of it is amazing and getting close to it one cane truly get the sense of exactly how big it is. We explored the small shops and walked towards the cathedral of Segovia which is the last gothic cathedral built in Spain. Unfortunately it was closed and we were not able to enter. It was amazing on the outside I cannot imagine how much better it is on the inside, and it also gives me an excuse to go back again. I only took this photo of the Alcazar de Segovia because it was hard to not stare at it and as the tour guide explained the history behind it I was mesmerized. The views were fantastic we could see the city and since the sun was going down the city had a golden hue to it that just made it even prettier. 

view of Segovia from the tour bus

Aqueduct of Segovia

Segovia Cathedral

Alcázar of Segovia

view from the Alcázar of Segovia

                                       Statue in front of Alcázar of Segovia

Avila,Spain

Avila was such a gorgeous city, it was great to hear the history behind it and the weather although cold was very sunny with no overcast. When we fist arrived, we saw the church that is outside of the walls (

Basílica de los Santos Hermanos Mártires)

. It was magnificent, literally made my jaw drop. The ceiling was my favorite part; it’s hard to explain how much detail was put into it without writing a full essay. After we saw the church we walked towards the wall, which is another extraordinary work. Closer to the gates before you enter into the city within the walls there is a dome which is the back of the Cathedral of Avila the architects incorporated it into the wall in order to make it stronger and save space. The last pictures are of the front and the side of the Cathedral of Avila, it is such a nice place to see full of history that I would gladly re-do the tour again. 

Real Madrid VS. Granada

On the 7th of January my boyfriend and I had tickets to a Real Madrid game, front row. There were two close calls with the soccer ball. My boyfriend is a die hard Madridista, I personally am a fan of Barcelona but Real Madrid did not disappoint. It was so exciting being there and having that experience of watching a game in their home stadium. It was wonderful to be surrounded by so many people who are so passionate about their team and some fan had a huge drum, which just added to the adrenaline of the fans. I highly recommend going to a soccer game. 

Mercado De San Miguel, Madrid

One of my favorite things about Madrid was the Mercado De San Miguel it was very close to the Plaza Mayor. I would love to walk around all of the food shops inside and be able to know that anything that I chose would be delicious. I would always get a freshly squeezed juice which was amazing ! 

Im Back from Spain !

I had such a great vacation; next time I will definitely have a longer stay. I did not want to come back home, but I missed my family and school starts very soon. Now for the pictures and stories, I will start with the first city that my boyfriend and I went to the lovely Madrid! Then I will be writing about Barcelona. I loved Madrid and it was so wonderful and the people are so nice. I felt at home! These photos are some of the first ones I took just a preview many more to come.

Puerta Del Sol

Plaza Mayor

Palacio Real De Madrid 

Plaza De Toros