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Hola!
Today, I am on my way to Barcelona.
I'm leaving in about 6 hours so I still have a few more hours before I head to the airport
but before then I have to say goodbye to my little baby, Kuma corgi!
Right?
Are you sad mommy's going to be gone?
Are you sad mommy's going to be gone for so long?
So yeah, this trip will be mostly solo.
I decided to go on a solo trip because nobody else could travel with me during July 4th week.
So I am meeting up with my friend and travel blogger, Stephanie, and that'll be in Portugal.
I'm really excited about this trip.
I'm going to be exploring Barcelona (most of it), and then hopping around a lot to Lisbon
and then to southern Portugal and then
also during a tour of three countries, so that'll be interesting.
Yeah, right now...
I'm in Florida and it's raining. It's been raining all day.
I do hope it stops because I don't want my flight to be delayed.
I do have a layover in London.
So gotta make that connecting flight to Barcelona.
So fingers crossed.
[Pilot speaking over intercom]
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Everything went smoothly with my flight on British Airways and I arrived in Barcelona as scheduled.
The first thing I did when I exited customs was stop by the tourism desk to purchase tickets
for the Aerobus.
The Aerobus is the cheapest way to get to the city center at just under 6 Euros.
They have a very efficient system and the bus is super comfortable.
They provide free Wifi and USB plugs in some of the seats.
They make a few stops before stopping at their final destination at Placa Catalunya
and it was only a 5-minute walk to my Airbnb from there.
Just got into Barcelona and checked into this awesome Airbnb.
This is my first place I'm going to be staying at in Barcelona for a couple of days.
It's a historical home.
I think she said 1819 or 1890... either way, it's historical and it's awesome.
Look at these awesome floors.
Very unique.
And then the ceiling is very cool too.
Ok, here is the best part, the terrace.
Well this is just a bonus, really.
Ta-daaaa.
Look how awesome this neighborhood is.
I could just live here.
So the host of this place, Dee Dee, she came out and she came to greet me
and she showed me around.
It's a shared Airbnb space
so it's me and I think there's like 3 or 4 other rooms and then Dee Dee the host with
her partner that she's living with here.
And then there's two bathrooms and one toilet.
So she said that's usually not a problem and this is my first time staying at an Airbnb
with shared space
but I thought it was better than those Airbnbs where there's only one bathroom you have to share.
At least here, there's two, so I thought I would just give it a try
because I really love the design of this place.
I love historical places so... so far, I'm loving it.
But yeah, I'm gonna go explore Barcelona now and find some cool things to do.
I made my way back to Placa Catalunya to see what was going on and came upon hundreds of
pigeons in the square, which was quite a sight to see.
I was pretty tired from all the traveling and the jet lag, so I decided to go on the Hop-on Hop-off Bus
and ride around the city to get a glimpse of what the city offered and narrow down what
I wanted to check out while I was here.
After I rode around the bus for a couple of hours, I was getting hungry, so I headed back
to my Airbnb and saw a cute little restaurant
called El Rincon Restaurant that had some tapas, which was exactly what I wanted.
I loved that their menu had pictures so it was easy to tell what I wanted.
I had a nice, big glass of sangria with fried eggplants and ham and cheese croquettes.
After dinner, I was pretty tired and called it a night.
The next morning, I woke up early to start my 3-countries-in-one-day tour.
I'm in France!
So today, I'm doing this 3 countries in one day tour that started in Barcelona.
So we went to Baga already and then we just came to France, Ax-Les-Thermes.
And then next we're going to this country called Andorras which I haven't even heard of
until I looked into this tour, so I'm pretty excited about that place.
And then we're going to make our way back to Spain.
So all this in 12 hours and we have a wonderful tour guide, his name is Xavi.
So yeah, we have about an hour and a half in this French town, it's so nice.
Very beautiful. Love the mountains in the background.
Gonna probably eat a little bit. Maybe have some coffee and keep on going on with this tour.
So as I mentioned earlier, we stopped by Baga in Spain first.
Baga was about an hour and half ride from Barcelona and Xavi told us a little bit
about this town before we arrived.
XAVI: It's Monday and this village is about to wake up.
XAVI: We will see maybe one or two cars crossing.
There's 2000 people in Baga.
XAVI: People here are mainly living here running little shops or working in bigger cities around
or working from home. Paying little rent.
We were given about 20 minutes to go to one of the two bakeries in the town
and after we ate our yummy pastries, Xavi took us on a quick tour around Baga.
We were only here for about an hour or maybe even less.
I wish we could have spent more time here but I get that they’re trying to fit in 3 countries in one day,
so we had to stick to a strict schedule.
Our next stop was Ax les Thermes and it was another hour and a half drive.
The views were getting more gorgeous with the Pyrenese mountains nearby.
Fun fact: these mountains are a natural border between Spain and France.
Once we arrived in Ax les Thermes, Xavi took us to the main street to show us around a bit
and gave us recommendations on where to eat if we got hungry.
He also showed us the natural hot springs where we could soak our feet in
which I definitely took advantage of.
Ax les Thermes is actually an ancient spa town
and it’s hot springs, which were used by the Romans, were historically claimed to treat
rheumatism and skin diseases.
It’s also a popular ski town.
Next, we made our way towards Andorra.
This was the country I was most excited about.
Andorra is situated between France and Spain and it’s the sixth smallest country in Europe.
When we reached the border of Andorra, we hopped off the bus for a bit
and took in the beautiful views of the mountains.
It was breathtaking.
Next we made a quick stop at a mountain valley.
I wish we could have stayed here a little longer because the views were just stunning.
Our last stop was Andorra La Veja, which is Andorra’s capital.
It’s known as the mall enclosed by mountains as their main street is full of shops
surrounded by mountains.
At about 4pm, we got back on the bus and headed back to Barcelona.
We took a different route back and the views were awesome
as we drove by some farmlands, mountains and lakes.
On our way back to Barcelona, Xavi sat down with each one of us to see if we had
any questions about the trip or if we wanted any recommendations for Barcelona.
I wanted to get some suggestions on places to eat and he recommended Bar del Pla
which ended up being one of my favorite restaurants in Barcelona.
The next morning, I took an early flight out to Lisbon with TAP Air Portugal.
The flight from Barcelona to Lisbon was a short one and half hours
and everything went smoothly with TAP Air.
I checked in to my hotel at Chiado Arty Flats and started walking downhill to a little square
and was approached by Lisbon Chill-Out Free Tour.
They asked if I would like to join their tour at 10
and I thought it would be a great way to start out my day in Lisbon.
It was a 3-hour tour and we walked up and down the hills to the popular spots of Lisbon
while learning the history and culture from our tour guide.
While on the tour, I met another solo traveler, Helen, and we decided to take the tram to Belem after the tour
to try the famous pastel de nata, a Portuguese egg tart pastry.
We ended up spending the whole day together and I didn’t get back to the hotel until close to 9 PM.
I'm in my room in Lisbon, Portugal!
I'm at a place called Chiado Artsy Flats.
It's a really cute boutique hotel.
So here is my bed.
Looks nice and comfy.
I'm really excited to get there and relax.
Another little bed here but it's also a couch.
And they have a cool looking night stand, a light-up night stand.
Also have a little kitchen.
They have a little stove.
And they said everything on the counter is free.
So got some Nespresso here.
I'll definitely have that tomorrow morning.
So yeah, really loving this room.
I love how colorful it is.
Just makes me happy.
Good morning!
I am super early at 6:30.
Well, I woke up at 5:30 and I wanted to get out by 6:15 because sunrise was at 6:20
but obviously I didn't make it.
It was a struggle getting up this morning because yesterday was such a long day
and I was so tired and I went to bed late.
Anyway, I got up and feeling refreshed, a little bit more energized
and I'm gonna go explore Lisbon a little bit more before I head down south.
Before my train ride to Albufeira, I grabbed some pastries at a bakery nearby
and walked around Chiado for a bit admiring the neighborhood.
They have the coolest tiles and each building has so much character.
Alright, so I'm on my way to Albufeira.
And I got on the train safely but it was very stressful because when I got to the station...
I left from Sete-Rios station which is about 20 minutes from the central Lisbon area I was staying in.
When I got to the station, there was no signs anywhere
that said my train was going to Albufeira or the Faro region. Nothing anywhere.
So then I found a station attendant and asked him
and he was like, "Oh, that's Line 4" like it was so obvious, haha.
But... so I went up to Platform 4 and again, looked for signs...
Anything that said Albufeira... nothing.
But I saw this elder couple that looked confused too so I started talking to them
and I'm like, "Hey, are you going on the same train...or this train to the Faro region?"
and they said, "Yes! We're so confused because there's no signs anywhere."
And I'm like, "I know!"
So after... gosh it was probably like seven trains that went by and finally our train came.
And it was a little late too. I think it was about 10 minutes late.
So they're not on time, there's no signs anywhere to confirm that it's your train...
you just have to ask an attendant.
So yeah, now I'm just gonna enjoy this journey for three hours and enjoy the views I guess.
Well, looks like my train journey is about to come to an end.
We're arriving probably in about 10 minutes and it went by really fast.
Bye bye!
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I don't know how this happened, but I got an upgrade!
I already had a pool view room reserved but they were like, "Well, guess what?
You're upgraded to a suite!"
So here is the living room area.
Very spacious.
And over here is... ta-daaaa!
The nice pool view.
It looks amazing.
And then past that is supposed to be the beach which I am very excited to see.
And over here, we have the bathroom.
This is the shower.
They have like a nice... one of those rain shower things which are always good.
I thought that was the one bathroom we would have but turns out, there is another bathroom area in here.
And then finally over here is the bedroom.
This room is so lovely. I'm just ready to relax, enjoy this two-night stay here and...
very excited about the beach.
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We had a nice, relaxing time at the beach. It was actually quite nice.
The weather is pretty warm now and it's not too hot so it was good to lay out for...
I don't know, what was it like, an hour or something?
We had a relaxing day today at the beach and the pool.
We sat in the shade because it was just... it was nice.
STEPH: Because I'm Irish.
Hahaha!
We're gonna go to Albufeira Old Town and New Town.
It's like a really small place but there's two towns.
Old Town is more family oriented and New Town is more of the youngsters that party. Right?
STEPH: The tourists. For sure.
The tourists, ok. Hahaha.
Hey! I know you! Awesome!
STEPH: Small town, huh? Hahaha
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We're about to conquer this hill that we need to go up.
STEPH: Check out my shoes. Yeah, not a good choice for hiking.
They're kind of slippery, so we'll see how it goes.
I just love hills!
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So tired.
I mean, I'm actually not doing terrible tho. I thought it would be way worse than this.
Lisbon is still worse than this.
We did it!
Woohoo! We made it to the top!
Yay!
We did it!
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Oh look, it's a little choo choo train!
Choo choo!
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Alright, just checked in to our room in Lisbon and we got an Airbnb this time.
It's a one-bedroom. We have this... uh... double size bed? Queen size bed?
And then another bed over there with Stephanie.
It's a pretty nice place. I think it's very decent. What do you think, Stephanie?
STEPH: It's super cute. Lots of space.
We're gonna go settle in and explore Lisbon.
Where are we going?
STEPH: Fabulas. We'll check it out. They seem to have tapas and a little bit of everything.
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After lunch, we walked towards Castelo de Sao Jorge
and enjoyed watching all the historic trams screeching and rattling by us on the narrow streets.
If you have time, ride the historic Tram 28, the oldest tram in the city.
We made it to Castelo de Sao Jorge after a tiring walk uphill.
Castelo de Sao Jorge is a Moorish castle dating back to the 11th century.
You’ll get gorgeous panoramic views of the city and learn about the medieval period of Portuguese history.
It might be helpful to take one of the many guided tours they offer
as there were minimal signs throughout the site.
After exploring the castle, we walked around Alfama and enjoyed some Ginja at a local bar.
Ginja is a Portuguese liquor made with sour cherries and was surprisingly good.
The next morning, I woke up early to catch the sunrise over Alfama.
I just loved this part of Lisbon, which is the oldest district in the city.
After my last sunrise in Lisbon, I headed to the airport and flew back to Barcelona.
Stephanie stayed in Lisbon and continued the rest of her European solo trip.
Hola! Just arrived in Barcelona. Just got here from Lisbon.
I actually came from Tampa to Barcelona then went to Lisbon and then now back in Barcelona.
The first time around, I stayed in an Airbnb.
It was a more historical place and I shared a room and it was really really nice.
This is a much different vibe. It's more modern. A lot more amenities, of course, because it's a hotel.
But it's called Hotel ... or Ayre Hotel Caspe.
Anyway, here's my room. I just wanted to give you a tour of the room and what it has to offer.
Here's the bed. It's two single beds put together,
so it makes it like a large queen or maybe even like a king size bed.
Over here, we have the desk. And a refrigerator down here.
And got some tea... looks like.
And over here is a nice size bathroom. There is a shower with tub.
And another standup shower over here. It's like the rain head shower so...
It's very nice. I think I'm going to enjoy it here and relax.. or I'm going to try to relax at least.
I'm really tired right now, as per usual.
Every location I go to lately, it's just like, I'm so tired but I gotta push through.
It's just been like a go-go-go kind of trip where every place I go, I wake up at like 5 or 6 in the morning
so I can catch the sunrise and get good pictures before everybody else wakes up
and then I stay up until 11 or 12 and then the cycle continues everywhere.
But it's been a great trip so far.
This is the last leg of my trip in Barcelona
so gonna make the most of it.
I was a little tired from walking up and down those hills in Lisbon, so this time I used
Barcelona’s metro system to get around the city.
Barcelona’s metro system was surprisingly easy to use and very convenient.
I wanted to check out as many Antoni Gaudi sites while I was in Barcelona
and my first stop was Casa Milà,
often referred to as La Pedrera which means "the stone quarry".
For those that don’t know, Antoni Gaudí is a legend in Barcelona as he was one of
the greatest architects in the world.
His imagination and creativity is so fascinating and unique that you start to understand why
he is such a big deal
with each Antoni Gaudí location you visit.
Most of his sites are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
I wasn’t sure what to expect at Casa Mila since this was my first Gaudi site I was visiting
but I was instantly amazed when I walked in to start my tour.
As I listened to the audio guide, I learned that Gaudi liked to replicate nature
and some of his sculptures represented fire, earth and wind.
He also liked to use the trencadis technique which is a type of mosaic using broken tiles,
stones, marble and glass.
After Casa Mila, I took the metro to the Magic Fountain site.
I arrived 20 minutes before the show and the site was already packed
with everyone in their positions to watch the fountain show.
The show started promptly at 9pm and everyone started cheering when the colors started changing
and the fountain started dancing with the music.
On my final day in Barcelona, I had an ambitious schedule and tried to fit in as much as I could
before I left this beautiful city.
I started the day early at sunrise and walked around the historic neighborhoods of Gothic Quarter and Born.
The architecture around this area is amazing and one of my favorite parts of Barcelona.
Next, I went to Casa Battlo, another UNESCO building by Antoni Gaudi.
I purchased the “Be the First!” ticket, which gave me access to the museum
30 minutes before it opened to the public.
Once I got my smart guide, everyone pretty much dashed to the famous living room
with the beautiful large windows looking out to Paseo de Gracia.
Within the living room were curvy oak doors, stained glass, grand chandeliers
and a wavy ceiling that represented the sea.
I adored the way he used curves for most of the walls and windows.
It added a softness to the house and I couldn’t help but touch everything I walked by.
After the museum, I made my way to meet my tour guide, Valentina,
for the Photoshoot in Barcelona Secret Corners tour.
I found this tour on Airbnb Experiences and it was a fantastic tour with only me and one other traveler.
Valentina took us around the “secret corners” of Barcelona and took pictures of us
while telling us some interesting facts about the city.
I really enjoyed my time with her and discovered some great places around Barcelona.
The last thing on my list for the day was to visit the most famous Antoni Gaudi sites,
La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.
Both of the sites were very unique and stunning
but the only thing that bothered me were the amount of people.
I have read that Barcelona has become one of the tourist heavy cities and I experienced
the crazy amount of tourists at these two locations.
I appreciated the beauty of these places but I was a bit overwhelmed with all the people there.
Out of all the Gaudi sites, I enjoyed Casa Battlo the most.
Fun fact: La Sagrada Familia began construction in 1892
and is planning to complete construction in 2026.
So they’ve been working on this church for over 100 years!
Isn’t that crazy?
Finally, it was time for me to go back home.
This was such a fantastic solo trip and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I met some great new friends along the way
and learned some fascinating facts about each city’s history and culture.
All these places I went to are worth a visit for sure!