This travel diary may be the shortest out of the trilogy because much of our time was spent on the road travelling across the country. Despite only visiting two of the major cities, Madrid and Barcelona, I had the opportunity to really dive into the culture and of course, leave with some stories to share. Oh, I also spent my eighteenth birthday walking around the streets of Madrid, so that was pretty cool. So without further ado, here’s the sangria drinking, classic art viewing, and cathedral touring tales of my time in Spain.
We left Southern Portugal the day before my birthday, and since my dad didn’t want me to spend my birthday stuck in a caravan, he purposely drove six hours through the night so we could arrive in Madrid on my birthday. So, sleep-deprived but excited, we embarked on our long day of wandering Spain’s capital. The majority of our day was spent museum hopping, and anyone who knows me will not be surprised to hear I spent a total of ten hours in only two art galleries.
Our first destination was one of the biggest museums in Europe: Museo Nacional del Prado, a gigantic building filled with legendary artwork that viewers are unfortunately banned from taking photographs of, notably by Francisco Goya, Diego Velázquez, and Hieronymus Bosch. One very famous painting by Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, almost got me kicked out as guards in each corner of the room eyed me sneaking pictures of the crowded piece, pushing my way to the front only to take some crooked and blurry photos that still live in my phone.
The second museum we hit was the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, a gallery that houses multiple rooms filled to the brim with the work of Pablo Picasso. From unfinished sketches to the eleven foot tall painting Guernica, a piece that sucks you in while holding your breath to admire the wide lines and heavy imagery gracing the canvases. I think I spent at least half an hour staring at this painting. Afterwards we visited the oldest restaurant in the world, Sobrino de Botín, and though we were unable to eat there it was surreal to be so close to such a unique piece of history.
Another full day of travel brought us to Barcelona, a gorgeous city where the art isn’t only tucked away in galleries but instead line the streets. Our morning began with a simple brunch right outside Catalonia Square. My dad ordered a two litre jug of sangria on the condition that we both drink one litre, and despite telling him I’ll probably only have a glass or two, he insisted on ordering it anyways. So when we were finishing up our meal, an almost full jug of sangria remained, and since my dad doesn’t like to waste anything, his solution was to down the rest of the alcoholic beverage. This leads to the delightful sight of watching him stumble his way through the streets of Barcelona.
Our trek leads us past some of Antoni Gaudí’s most impressive architecture, including Casa Batlló and of course the famous La Sagrada Família. The structure is breathtaking to say the least; it radiates religious and cultural significance. Later we went to a smaller, though equally exquisite, Cathedral of Barcelona where I got a sweet picture of a duck (don’t ask me why there was a duck inside this ancient church or why I was compelled to take a photo). After my peculiar duck sighting, we finished our evening with a viewing of a special fountain light show conducted after dark called the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc. The crowds were immense, a bizarre concept to think about in a post-covid world, but the atmosphere was electric and that feeling helps me through these isolated times.
Thus ends my travel diaries from Spain: land of tapas, sangria, and weird church ducks. Tune in two weeks from now to hear my third and final travel diary from Italy!