Honeymoon
Only a few days after the wedding completed, Elise and I flew our way to Spain for the start of a 2 week vacation around parts of Europe neither of us had visited before.
Barcelona
It was a long flight but a direct one from LAX to Barcelona. We arrived in the afternoon and were able to catch a train right over to our AirBnB. Elise was to thank for our beautiful rooftop accommodation in a lively neighborhood. We were within walking distance of many restaurants, bars, and sights. We took full advantage and walked our legs off. By the end of the fully trip we had averaged between 10-15 km a day of walking!
The Spanish enjoy late meals and small bites. We learned to enjoy that as well throughout our trip. Eating outside on the various patios and street sidewalks was the norm. We didn’t go a day (or practically an hour) without a sip of wine or sangria. Prices were reasonable as well so we had many meals a day, one bite at a time.
The most iconic and popular attraction in Barcelona is the Sagrada Familia. We, of course, went to go and see it. The architecture is certainly stunning, complex, and still under construction. The project has been going on for >100 years and won’t be complete for many years still. We had a guide show us around and got to descend from one of the towers down a narrow spiral staircase with varying views at each elevation.
Granada
After some trouble finding a train and then some trouble with flights, we made our way to Granada for the shortest stop on our trip. Albeit short, we did see “THE” site for the city: The Alhambra. An ancient Muslim walled city, The Alhambra is one of very few (maybe the only) preserved Muslim cities from before the time of the Crusades. The architecture had many stunning plaster details as well as manicured gardens that would put anyone at peace. Here, again, we had a guided tour that took us through the many sections, towers, gardens, and walls. We saw views of the rather hilly city of Granada and the Sierra Nevada mountains, snowcapped, nearby. Granada was the smallest city we visited as well but maybe the most charming. It seemed like a place we could live (although anywhere on this trip would be a wonderful choice).
Seville
We didn’t quite realize that we were walking into Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Seville. Many are Christian in Spain and many take this week long celebration seriously. We stayed in an apartment in a neighborhood of narrow, car free streets. Where you entered our place I could touch the walls on both sides of the street without even fully extending my arms. Again, much of our time here was spent patio/sidewalk hopping from one restaurant to the next. Each one brought its own charm along with a plate of olives.
Despite the narrowness of our neighborhood, Seville had many grand sights as well. We went (by walking of course) to these large plazas and found live music, boating, and beautiful architecture.
Elise had the goal of witnessing some type of celebration or tradition during Semana Santa. So one evening we went outside planning to walk around and find something at a church. We found much more than we bargained for as we were shuffled through throngs of people lined up to see a procession. We slowly inched, touching all those around us, in the hot sun. The procession seemed to go on forever with chanting, music, and the finale: a float of Jesus on a donkey. This float was hand carried by some dozen or so people. Once the float passed, the crowds slowly eased and we could walk again!
Lisboa
We made it to Portugal but no trip is complete without some type of issue with travel. Luckily we resolved our problems and crossed the country border. This leg of our journey was best defined by the lovely dinner we had at Loco. Standing for “local”, Loco was our first ever Michelin Star (1-star) restaurant. Elise had the foresight to make a reservation months in advance. The place was small, minimalist, and elegant. We had unique silverware for each of the many, many courses. And of course we got the wine pairing as well. The staff was always nearby and dropped off each dish with an explanation of ingredients or preparation or both. The dishes were plated in unique ways, sometimes camouflaging the food in the plating, requiring the chef to point out what was actually edible and what wasn’t. Each bite was small but culminated in a full stomach over the 3 hour meal. We will certainly seek more restaurants of this caliber in the future.
We did do more than eating in Lisboa, we also walked of course. Down near the coast were some beautiful buildings and monuments. This one pictured the many explorers of Portugal. The stone structure was massive and looking out over the water for a beautiful view.
Porto
Riding a train up the distance of Portugal, we made it through this travel day without any issue! Along the way we got to see some of the countryside and neighborhoods of the country. Porto is a beautiful city that sits on the side of the Douro River, opposite sits Vila Nova de Gaia. Surprisingly, many of the Port Wine houses were on the Gaia side, not Porto itself. However, the line between the two cities seemed to be blurred culturally despite the very real dividing line of the river. Each Port house had a large sign with just plain text of the name of their winery. The classiest and simplest billboards I have seen anywhere.
Eating and drinking was the theme of the trip and Porto was no exception. We had our tasty treats with a side of port wine. We also learned of a lighter drink to make with port, the port tonic. This is a very simple refreshing alternative and allows you to drink port anytime of the day!
We took a river cruise as well which showed us the bridges of Porto. It was a mellow cruise and we got to see both sides of the city, Porto and Gaia from the water. Each bridge towered above us and had some claim to fame such as the largest concrete arch or the largest steel truss bridge.
All good things must come to an end and unfortunately the honeymoon was no exception… We flew from Porto back to Barcelona but couldn’t stay this time. We connected with a flight to LAX and were on our way home. Elise and I agree that we could live in any of these places we visited. Europe has a beautiful charm that is mostly due to density and urbanism at its best. Hopefully we can retain some of the peace and zen we achieved during this trip. It will certainly be one that we both remember forever!