From Portugal we made our way to Spain the land of sangria, vino tinto, tapas, paella and late nights. Spain didn’t disappoint we started in Madrid where we spent 3 nights in the heart of the city. While here we went to the archaeological museum for some culture, which was a really great option on a 43 degree day, the museum was nice and cool and really great displays. We would recommend if in Madrid. As we battled through the heat of our first day in Madrid we had a siesta before waking up to a man in our hostel cooking up a huge paella. It was our first Paella and only 2 Euro so that was a bonus, we do love the perks of hostel living sometimes. Day two in Madrid saw us on a morning walking tour which is always a must in a new city, the girl was a bit of a performer so it was a really fun morning exploring the history and sights of Madrid. After the walking tour some of the group decided we would all go for some drinks and tapas which is where we all remained throughout the “siesta” period. Later that night Pete and I found a great local bar and tapas place where we were dressed up and basically made fun of for the evening – the price to pay for being young foreigners in a locals bar. We had a great night there as we were “made” to sample different wines. On our third day in Madrid we jumped on a day trip tour to the old capital of Spain, Toledo. There was a small group of us exploring the old town together, taking in the ‘Game of Thrones’ feel of the place as we explored the old medieval streets, the old churches and the synagogues. After a long day we took the bus back to the hostel where we packed up our things ready to make our first Bla Bla Car journey. This is a ride sharing app that connects you with others driving to the same city as you, it is way cheaper than buses and trains and we thought we would give it a go. We arrived at our meeting point and met up with our driver and two others also on the trip to Valencia, It was a great way to get some local tips and knowledge.

We arrived in Valencia safe and sound and said goodbye to our car pool group and headed off to the hostel. That next morning we went on a walking tour around the centre of Valencia where we were again given a detailed history of the town and the local places to check out. After a half day tour we had the afternoon to explore the food market, eat some food and try some traditional Valencia cocktails. That night we went out for a nice dinner together before retiring to the hostel for some sleep, its hard to get used to the late nights in Spain, before you know it its 2am. The next day we were off to Barcelona.

After another successful Bla Bla Car ride with some Barcelona university students we arrived at our next destination, Barcelona. We arrived late the first afternoon so settled into our accommodation and made our way out and about for a wander. The next morning as usual we jumped onto the walking tour focussing on the gothic quarter of the city. After the tour we found a nice place for lunch, some paella of course. That evening we made our way up to a lookout called Bunkers that overlooks the city and harbour where we had a picnic with a few Australian girls. It was a really great evening watching the sun set over the city, drinking Vermouth as the city lights came on. The next day we had locked in a tour of the Sagrada Familia, a Basilica designed by architect Goudi, with construction beginning back in 1882 and not due to be finished until 2026 on the centenary of Goudis death. Although still very much a construction site it was no less amazing, having the audioguide was great to be guided through the construction process as well as what each part of the Basilica symbolises. From the outside this place looks amazing but when you step inside it is just incredible, the open interior and stained glass windows are mind blowing.

That evening we met up with others at the hostel and we all made our way to Camp Nou, home of the famous Barcelona Football Club. We were lucky enough to have tickets to a champions league match between Barcelona and Celtic FC from Glasgow. We were treated to a hat trick by Messi and 4 other goals from Barcelona, Celtic were unable to even get a look in as they were absolutely outclassed by Barcelona. This was probably one of the biggest highlights from our time in Spain, 80,000 people in a stadium that can hold 100,000 was pretty special and won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

The next day we ventured up to Goudis Park but we were not overly impressed, it was a little run down and the views from the Bunkers were better. We decided to walk back to the city where we passed various alley ways and streets before hitting the main boulevard. We found a nice place for a siesta in the park where we pulled up for a few hours before continuing back to the hostel. That night we had a little crew of people from the hostel that were keen to go out to some bars so we jumped on board. Needless to say it was a really good night but way too late for us and we suffered greatly the next day. Our last day in Barcelona was a quiet one where we didn’t achieve much which was also nice to just hang out for the day, before having our last Paella for dinner. The next morning we flew to Munich for Oktoberfest.