Travel With Me To: Spain (photo diary)

It seems like just yesterday I was hopping on a plane to Barcelona for the trip of a lifetime with my family! But alas, it’s been over two months and I’m still reminiscing on what a great trip it was. I realized the other day that I hadn’t shared much from our trip, other than on Instagram, so today I wanted to share a photo diary from our trip to Spain (better late than never, right?!) I’ll be back next week with posts from France & Italy.

P.S. Happy weekend! Anyone have any fun plans? Nick and I are heading to our alma mater this weekend to go to a football game. This is our last “real” weekend that doesn’t involve showers or wedding stuff, so we’re taking advantage by getting out of town and having some fun! I’m excited to stay at one of our favorite hotels and go to some old favorite spots. I hope everyone has a great weekend.To give a little back story about our trip, we went with a family that we met on a cruise about five years ago. For the past few years we’ve gone on vacation together and last year they came to visit us for three weeks. We decided to go visit them this time around, so we researched and planned a trip through Spain, France & Italy.

They are located along the coast, in Calonge, Spain, which is about 60 miles from Barcelona. We spent eight days in Calonge in the cutest little villa. Our villa was located right across the street from their home and had 3 bedrooms, a pool, and so much charm (I loved the lemon tree in the back yard!) It was so nice to have the extra space as we adjusted to the six hour time difference.Kate Spade Maxi Coverupc/o | Brixton Hat | Kate Spade Scallop Swimsuitc/oSince Calonge is located on the coast, there is no shortage of beach. There are quite a few beach towns around Calonge and each is more charming than the last. We spent a day on the Mediterranean and these photos don’t even do the water justice. It was really breathtaking. The beaches, Sant Antoni de Calonge and Palamós, have a lot of beachfront restaurants, so it was really easy to grab lunch and hit the beach anytime we wanted to.One day we took a day trip to Girona to explore the historic city. It’s about 45 minutes from Barcelona, so it’s a really easy trip to make by train if you don’t have a car. Around every corner there was amazing history and charming alleys. It was a really gorgeous city. Fun fact: parts of Game of Thrones was filmed there, so seeing that was really neat! Some of my favorite spots were the Cathedral, the Bathys Arabs (Historic Arab Baths from 10th century) and Sant Pere de Galliants. I loved hearing and reading the history of it all. If you’re in the area there are a lot of really cute outdoor cafes and pubs. I really liked Artusi for coffee/espresso and a quick breakfast. 

We also stopped in Besalú, which is a quaint little town like out of a book. It’s filled with history (I learned SO much just reading about it on the signs) and is breathtaking. It’s off the beaten path, but a great trip to take nonetheless. The city is filled with bridges, cobblestone streets, and bougainvillea every where you turn. We were there during Siesta, so a lot of places were closed (they take their siestas very seriously!) but it was great to walk around and explore a bit.

Fast forward nine days and we landed back in Barcelona after exploring France & Italy! We stayed at Hotel Granvìa Barcelona for four days and absolutely loved it. It was centrally located to restaurants, tourist spots, and a lot of shopping. It was really easy to walk everywhere from our hotel. The provided a daily buffet style breakfast, including delicious fresh juices and coffee, and had mid-day tea and snacks out too! The hotel itself was so darn cute! I loved the aesthetic and the rooms were really spacious (which is hard to typically find through Spain/Europe).

While we were in Barcelona we did the Hop Off Hop On bus. It was the easiest way to be able to sight see and get from place to place. It was nice to be able to hop off at any stop and explore a different area. We did a lot of historic sights, went to a few different beaches, and were able to see a lot of the city over two days on the bus. I highly recommend it… much more affordable than taking taxis everywhere. They stop at all the major spots, including the Cathedral de Barcelona which was breathtaking. P.S. they require your shoulders, knees AND feet covered (aka no flip flops!) to tour. This was surprising since the Vatican didn’t even require your feet covered! Anyways, on our last night in Barcelona we celebrated my step-dad’s birthday at 9 Reinas. The food was incredible and 10/10 would recommend. They were very accommodating and were able to answer any questions in English (which most restaurants can’t/don’t).