Barcelona
Bustling, bold Barcelona was an exciting place to begin our journey. One evening, after returning from a wander through the whimsical Parc Guell and it's kaleidoscopic mosiacs, we found ourselves surrounded by a sea of exhuberant football fans in striped jerseys swarming the streets and plazas. It was exhilarating to feel their excitement and energy.
Parts of Barcelona echo with history of ancient Rome, parts are gothic with winding medieval alleyways, and yet others are a flowing dreamscape of Modernism... what a wonderful introduction to Spain.
Travel Advice: We started out in each new city by doing the City Walk Tour(s) using the Rick Steves Audio Europe App on our phones and earbuds. We found it easy to listen and follow along since we were keeping our phones handy for photos and navigation anyway. It was a great way to see the highlights of each new place and get oriented. We recommend downloading this app and the relevant tours before your trip begins so you are all set when you arrive! These walks are also a great way to factor in flexible time so that you can slow down and simply enjoy the atmosphere in each new place.
LA Ramblas AND HARBOR WALK | cathedral and sagrada familia | picasso museum | Parc Guell | Eixample
Parc Guell
Madrid and Toledo
Spain's capital city is grand and vibrant. Our hotel on the Puerta del Sol felt like it was right in the beating heart of the city. The spectacular Museo del Prado was a bursting treasure chest of art. The Retiro Park sprawled nearby with sparkling lakes and fountains, tranquil groves, and lush flower gardens. The opulent royal palace and majestic cathedral on the other side of the city center were awe-inspiring. We enjoyed an elevator ride to the top of the Belles Artes building for a panoramic view of Madrid. However, our favorite adventure on this leg of the tour was the day trip we took to Toledo.
Our tour guide was a Toledo native and gave us clear advice on how to take the local trains to and from Toledo and what to do when we got there. We sampled the famous mazapan, admired the renowned steel work (Josh even sent a souvenir sword home), toured the elegant cathedral and followed our whimsy through the narrow streets and across the river for a hike with stunning views of this hilltop city (a UNESCO World Heritage site). We stumbled upon an artisan who tempted us with samples of various olive oils and, by chance, sat down at a restaurant for a fabulous meal with a fantastic view. The unplanned moments are often the most memorable.
Travel Advice: If you don't want to do your own laundry but still want to travel light, at his point in the tour your guide will help arrange for your laundry to be picked up from your hotel, washed, and returned the next day for a fee.
Retiro Park | PRAdo museum | almundena and toledo Cathedrals | Rooftop view from Circulo de Bellas Artes
Toledo
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Granada
When we arrived in Grenada we made our way between white washed buildings draped with purple bougainvillea to the lovely San Nicolas viewpoint. We followed this up with reservations at a restaurant with this lovely view of the Alhambra for dinner. We loved watching the warm light of sunset hit the Alhambra. We spent most of the next day in the glory of the Alhambra's gardens and gorgeous Moorish buildings.
Travel Advice: Sometimes European travel can feel like a tour of old churches, palaces, and fine works of art (all wonderful of course!) but it can be fun to mix things up sometimes. After the big cities of Barcelona and Madrid and the bus ride to Granada we were feeling like stretching our legs a bit and seeing something different. So we took a leisurely walk out to the Museo Cueves del Sacromonte and enjoyed walking the back streets and seeing the unique cave dwellings there.
san nicolas viewpoint | museo cueves del sacromonte | alhambra and palacio del generalife and gardens
The Alhambra at sunset
Ronda
The highlight of our journey, quiet, quaint Ronda offered dramatic panoramas and a superb guitar concert in an intimate venue. A romantic town for an evening stroll and cocktails while watching the fiery sunset.
Travel Advice: Your tour guide will arrange a number of optional activites throughout the tour that you can join for a fee. We didn't partake in many of them since we were looking for alone time together to celebrate our anniversary, but we did join the guitar concert in Ronda and we highly recommend it if you are given this opportunity!
Puente nuevo bridge | sunset views of the country and gorges | live guitar concert
The "New" Bridge
Sevilla
Sultry Sevilla was a satisfying terminus of our tour. With an impressive cathedral that used to be a mosque, a palace with exotic gardens full of peacocks and green parrots, historic neighborhoods with secret private squares, and flamenco music floating in the air, we felt like we'd experienced yet another side of Spain.
Travel Advice: If you choose a My Way tour, you get the freedom to choose your own daily sightseeing activities. With this freedom comes the responsibility to do your own research and make your own reservations. We read through Rick Steves' Spain guidebook and noted the things we really wanted to see in each of our destinations well ahead of our trip. Then we looked at the tour itinerary, got online, and booked entries to the popular attractions as soon as we could. This way we didn't miss out on any of the great things we had learned about in the guidebook. We also watched Rick's video clips on his website and old episodes of his TV show online for great insider tips!
flamenco show | cathedral | park maria luisa | real alcazar
