Spain & Portugal 2022

We hopped on the subway to head into Brooklyn and lo and behold it was raining. Looks like we brought some Seattle with us. After a drizzly walk to our bagel stop, we met up with Nathan’s grad school classmate Dawnielle and grabbed some classic New York bagels. The highlight was 100% the worker who perfectly embodied “New York” in voice and personality. 

Dawnielle had to rush to a meeting, so Nathan and I said goodbye and headed into Manhattan to do a sprint of all the most important things New York has to offer: Pizza. 

(And Central Park, The Highline, Broadway, The Empire State Building… But you know. Pizza is #1) 

We dropped off our bags at a random hotel (after I may have misled them to believe we had stayed there) and we walked through the town going along the Highline to the vessel, then cutting across up to Broadway and across to see the Empire State building and the outside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We then grabbed some pizza at Angelo’s Coal Oven Pizzeria (A One-Bite favorite) and brought it up to Central Park to eat.

We managed to find a hidden gazebo with colorful birds flitting all around and proceeded to absolutely annihilate the pizza. So damn good. 

The problem was we still had another pizza on the docket: John on Bleeker’s street. We returned to the hotel to snag our bags, got to the pizzeria, and grabbed their classic cheese pizza. It was insane. Arguably the best pizza I’ve ever had. 

And that was it. 6 hours in NYC. We grabbed the subway back and after a slightly emergency run to the bathroom back at JFK, we were all set for our 2nd red eye in a row into Madrid

Buenos dias Madrid! After an easy exit from customs, we were stamped and on the metro. (Well sort of. I got us a bit lost due to rail construction and we ended up doing a little back and forth before getting to our final destination) 

Running on minimal sleep, Nathan and I dropped our bags off at the hostel and grabbed a quick breakfast of tortilla (Spanish omelet) with fresh tomatoes and orange juice. There is truly no better experience than the first taste of European produce on a trip. It’s so fresh and flavorful. We then followed it up with some classic Spanish churros and dipping chocolate. Ideal. 

Properly stuffed, Nathan and I explored the western part of the city. We toured through the Plaza Mayor, Mercado San Miguel, and the Catedral de la Almudena whose stunning interior inspired us to begin a tradition of a daily prayer at unique and breathtaking cathedrals throughout the trip. 

We walked a bit around the palace plazas before heading to the Sabatini gardens for a nap. We were exhausted. 

An hour and a couple of grass stains later, we continued our stroll checking out the Parque de la Montana and Plaza de España before making our way back to the hostel for a proper nap. 

We rallied a bit in the afternoon, returning to the Mercado San Miguel for delicious tapas and grabbing some gelato at Eccolo before calling it on our first jet-lagged day in Spain. 

The next day got started before noon… just barely. Nathan and I headed out and grabbed some pastries at 11:30 AM before making our way to the Prado Museum to reserve tickets for the free last hour in the museum. On the way we also stopped to do our daily prayer at San Jerónimo el Real. Our next stop was the Parque del Retiro (a major omission from my last visit to Madrid) We saw the monument to Alfonso the XII (the number of Alfonso’s became a running joke on the trip) as well as the Crystal Palace (where I got in trouble for touching the exhibit, thinking it was construction) and the rose garden. 

Then it was time to book our train tickets to A Coruna. We took a 30-minute metro ride, found the main office… And they were sold out. 

Working with the train agent from Renfe and using my sorry excuse for Spanish, we managed to find a train for the day after we had planned and got our seats reserved. Thank god. 

We headed back into the city to go to El Tigre, a bar recommendation from our friend Jasmine (whose wedding to our buddy Zack was the motivation for the trip) And I gotta be honest. It was a great recommendation. Free tapas for every drink you order! Are you kidding me? Amazing. 

Two girls from our hostel room, Julia and Lea, met up with us at El Tigre and joined for our free Prado journey. To make the museum a bit more fun for us we would each look around and then pick our favorite painting, pointing to it on the count of 3. (Later we chose which would be best helped by a tomato instead)

After the museum closed, the four of us stopped for a drink then made our way back to the hostel. We were greeted by a group of Italians who cooked amazing carbonara pasta for the entire hostel after being offended by the Spanish version of the dish. The night became a hilarious multilingual game of telephone as our (now large) group explored the Madrid nightlife. 

I was the first member of the group to call it a night but ended up stopping to help a lost drunk girl who had all of her stuff stolen. I was fortunately able to get in touch with her friends who found us and finally at 4AM I fell soundly asleep. 

The next day started early… at 1:30 PM with a tapas place that Nathan had picked out. We ordered a hodgepodge of different things: pigs’ ears, shrimp, and some eggs with spicy sausage. It was fucking delicious. 

Filled up and slightly hungover, we headed to the Reina Sofia art museum for their free tickets, only to be turned away as they were not available. We instead walked around and went to the Botanical gardens to rest and escape the heat. Unfortunately, the birds had other ideas. Nathan was aerially attacked first, leaving me in hysterics as he cleaned off bird poop. Karma was not on my side, and I had the favor returned less than 10 minutes later. We left the gardens disheartened and covered in shit. 

We grabbed some gelato on the way back to cheer ourselves up and then made our way back to the hostel to take a proper nap before another fun night. 

Our adventure started with an expedition for a wine bottle opener that took us through four different stores. Then it was time for the scenic sunset viewpoint at La Montana park with Julia and Lea to hang out, eat some baked goods, and enjoy the perfect weather. We made a long trip back to the hostel; Nathan and I grabbed a quick bite and then we were off to the clubs again! 

We were up at 10AM (a miracle) the next morning to switch rooms, and fortunately our new room was already available. Nathan took advantage and slept while I went and got lunch near our hostel. We then went searching for bike rental, but it was not to be. After 30 minutes of failing to unlock them, we elected to go to the park again for a lazy shaded afternoon (and some time for Mother’s Day calls) Love you mom! 

Not wanting the day to go to waste, we explored the Salamanca neighborhood for a bit before meeting up with all of our friends at the hostel to watch the Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid game at a local pub. The game itself was a bit disappointing as Real was saving themselves for the Champions League final, but we still had a blast ordering food and drinks, talking to some local fans, and generally just enjoying life. Finally, we capped the night off back at El Tigre for one last hurrah with the group before calling it a night and an end to the first stop of the trip. 

7 AM was too early. Running late, we struggled over to the train station, where Nathan realized he had lost his train ticket. Shit. We scrambled to the Renfe agents and fortunately I had kept the receipt. We were able to get a replacement ticket and began our first train leg of the adventure. 

Five hours (and a couple of Ted Lasso episodes) later we arrived in A Coruna and walked the miserable mile and a half to the hotel with all of our stuff on our backs (My backpack had no waist strap, and I was carrying upwards of 70lbs). Starving, we found a local restaurant and ordered delightfully delicious paella, fresh bread, and croquettes. Then it was time to nap; first at the hotel for a bit, then at the pebble beach across the street. Properly rested, we took a quick dip in the frigid water before drying off and getting ready to explore the old town. 

The highlights of Old Town were learning about Maria Pita, who after her husband died during a British attack led the defense of the town; killing the commander (Sir Francis Drake’s brother) with his own spear and yelling, “Those with honor, follow me.” Coruna proceeded to push back the invading forces. Legendary. Next was our attempt to find dinner. Every restaurant we could find was either closed or sold out, so we settled on baked goods from a local market…

And they were delicious! 

Utterly unexpected and a perfect afternoon snack to keep us going. Finally, we also saw the oldest existing lighthouse in the world dating back to 20 B.C. as well on the north side of the old town built in the 2nd century (with some renovations since then) 

We finished up the old town loop by stopping in a local restaurant on the way home for our first taste of octopus (Surprisingly good) and then heading back to the hotel.

Because we hate ourselves, we reserved a 5AM train. Our 4AM alarm would’ve been great if the cab line that was supposed to be outside our hotel was actually there. Instead, we walked nearly half a mile before Nathan was able to flag down a cab driver (Who gave Nathan a mask to wear.) We made the train with a few minutes to spare and soon were off to Portugal. During the ride, one passenger decided to walk up and down every train compartment looking for people without masks and getting into arguments with them/calling over the conductor. Nathan, (being Nathan) kept using his buff, electing to save the mask from the cab driver (Remember this). We were then left to watch the drama unfold, easily comprehending the argument despite not understanding a word. 

After a quick bite during our stopover in Vigo and another 3-hour train we were in Porto. 

We checked into our hostel, built a circuit of everything we wanted to see, and started exploring. During the journey we came across tons of cathedrals (sometimes literally next to each other, it felt like Starbucks in Seattle: one on every corner) and other beautiful sites before settling in to have a Porto tradition: Franceshina. Ham, sausage, hamburger, bread, with egg and cheese. Heavy and Delicious. More heavy. 

Brief aside:  we came across the worst street performer I’ve ever heard right after lunch. It was literally so bad I wanted to pay them to stop. 

Our loop continued down to the river and then back to the Clerigos Tower and Church which provided panoramic views of the city and more morbid Jesus sculptures in one room than I’d ever thought possible. I swear if aliens saw it with no context, they would absolutely think that Jesus was the most hated man. Ever. Definitely a surreal stop. 

We returned to the hostel, got settled in the room where there was a small spat that I was in the wrong bed, I wasn’t. They were in the wrong room. Then my worst meal of the trip. Apparently, the cheese of Portugal is too much for my taste buds. After Nathan had a good laugh, we headed to a local viewpoint for sunset and then chilled with people at the hostel before calling it an early night. 

Nathan shook me awake, and with that eagerness it could only mean one thing: surfing day. We grabbed our stuff and headed on the metro to the beach (pretty cool you can take public transport to surf) and damn what a surfing day it was. 2 hours in the water with perfect waves for me and I finally had a full ride into shore after quite a few rough outings (see Puerto Rico). It was epic. We celebrated at a local restaurant for lunch, but a codfish bone decided to lodge itself in my throat. I was terrified. I spent a couple minutes at the table trying to cough it up but eventually had to go to the bathroom where I luckily dislodged it. The adrenaline was flowing but damn, it was legitimately terrifying. 

Down a life, we headed back for a much-needed rest before exploring some more of the town: Bolsa Palace and the Church of San Francisco, both of which were absolutely epic but especially the church of San Francisco. After taking the first part of the tour around the crypts (avoiding stepping on the tombs), we had nearly the whole cathedral to ourselves as the light filtered in perfectly through the stained glass. We spent nearly half an hour just taking in the place and left only when the guard was locking up.

We walked down to the water hoping to find a small hole in the wall spot for dinner and ended up getting seated at a perfect spot. Apologies to Madison, but this dinner with Nathan may have been the most romantic meal of my life. Music flowing through the air, water reflecting pastel hues, good wine, great food. Perfection.

After dinner we headed over to the Crystal Palace Park, which ended up just being an ugly arena with some gardens around it. But at least there were good sunset views on the way and a peacock we made friends with. Then it flew into a tree! Wild. Never knew peacocks could fly. 

Nathan and I made it back to the hostel just in time for the bar crawl. And crawl we did. We met Ema, Lamia (the girl who was wrongly in my bed), Manon, Matthew (our hostel mate), Simon, Serena, Beatrice, and Mathys (along with a few others) and had an absolutely insane night. We took over wherever we went and stayed up until 5AM drinking, dancing, eating mediocre pizza, and chilling. We were somehow 2 for 2 for hostels having epic vibes. Calling it a night was bittersweet. 

The next morning was a rough start (Surprise…) as Nathan and I slowly rolled out of bed, packed up our stuff, and checked out just under the hostel’s 11 am deadline, leaving our bags to go on one final exploration of the city. We made our way to the main Porto Cathedral and explored. The cathedrals had all started to slightly blend together at this point but this one did have a small castle connected that we explored as well as insanely ornate interior decorations! 

After a quick pastry stop, we headed back to the hostel to grab our stuff, and then finally to the train station where we attempted our first train without a reservation… and it was successful!! Lucky us. 

Napping, Ted Lasso, Chilling. The train ride was typical and after 3 hours we were in Lisbon! 

We then made the first mistake of the trip – McDonald’s (we were starving, and one McDonald’s is required for every Europe trip) and then caught a subway to our hostel. We got settled in, ran some laundry (finally), and grabbed a bite at a local Italian place. A much-needed restful day. 

I slept soundly. Finally. 

With no plan, Nathan and I headed into the main town and started exploring a bit (checking out Martim Moniz square and Dom Pedro IV square) and split a morning pastry before hearing from our friends Justin & Julianne who were in town as well! 

We met up with them after a long walk through the city and began a morning adventure of exploring churches and drinking beers (A solid European morning). Our first stop was a cathedral to escape the heat, followed by a beautiful overlook to grab some beers. After catching up a bit more we realized we were actually right next to another cathedral and despite its plain exterior it was elegant inside. Next, we headed to another spot for a quick bite and another drink before Justin & Julianne had to head off.

Nathan and I headed up to explore the Castle of São Jorge, our first real castle of the trip (Imagine your childhood image of a fortress, it looked like this – classic Moorish design). Over the next hour we scaled all the walls, saw ridiculous amounts of peacocks, and even did a solid stair sprint up one of the extended battlements. We finished the spot off with some soda (and much needed water) overlooking the city before beginning a long walk back to our hostel. 

After some relaxation we regrouped and headed out for the night to explore Barrio Alto. Justin and Julianne joined us along with Ema and Lamia from Porto and after a tapas dinner we were out on the town. The streets were packed! People would grab drinks from bars and head outside, lining the streets with music, drinking, and of course the hanging bras providing the ambiance. We journeyed through the masses, drinks in hand before settling on a quieter bar for a night of games and conversation. It was definitely one of the liveliest places I’ve ever been to and made for an incredible night. And then we made the mistake of getting McDonalds. Whoops. 

The next morning, we all met up at Time Out Market Lisbon, where the myriad of options was overwhelming. Each of us grabbed take out from a different place with the common theme being a side of Pastel de Nata – the traditional pastry of Portugal. (This was by far the best one of the many we ate) 

Then it was time to say goodbye to Ema and Lamia as the rest of us hopped on some electric scooters/bikes to head down to the famed Belem Tower. The ride itself was a struggle of navigating to the main path. There were no ride zones, a switch of scooters due to an underground tunnel, and a minor crash (not our fault). We managed and arrived at the first landmark of the day: The Padrão dos Descobrimentos, a grand monument to the Age of Discovery with an incredible map of Portuguese exploration. 

We left the scooters and made our way across the street to the Church to Santa Maria, where we were greeted by a wedding procession. Joining in the cheers, we stuck around for a little bit, waiting to see the inside. Thank god we did. It was stunning, and home to the graves of Vasco de Gama and Luis de Camões (the greatest Portuguese poet) taking me to world history classes back in the day. 

After a quick coffee detour, our next stop was the Tower of Belém. And despite choosing to skip the tickets, it still was fun to sit out, enjoy the view, and steal a few sips of the pineapple juice Julianne had bought. 

Nathan was craving a beach trip though, so we all got in an Uber, went across Lisbon’s Golden Gate Bridge look alike, and made it to the ocean. Nathan found a surfboard (of course) and got out in the waves while I elected for just a quick swim. As the day got colder, we dried off and went to grab dinner and massive ice cream sundaes at local restaurants before heading back to our hostel. All feeling exhausted we decided to call it an early night instead. 

Our last day in Lisbon was a whirlwind as we had decided to try to make it out to Sintra to see all of the castles before our 4 PM bus. We met up with Justin and Julianne for a savory brunch, just beating the morning rush; before heading out on the 30-minute drive. 

Fortunately, our driver broke the rules and was able to get us all the way up to the entrance of Pena Palace, avoiding the usual hour-long walk. Admiring the crisp yellows and reds of the exterior walls, we waited in line to see the ornate interior, which was equally jaw-dropping. 

A few too many photos later and we quickly (and coldly) hiked down the mile to Sintra National Palace, passing Sassetti Village on the way. Sintra was definitely a bit underwhelming compared to Pena, and we quickly walked through the halls and gardens. Nathan and I gambled that we had enough time to see the final site on the list: Quinta da Regaleira and said goodbye to Justin and Julianne before breaking into a run. 

We waited excruciating minutes in the ticket line before getting inside and navigating to the famous Initiation Well. While stunning, we rushed through faster than we would’ve liked, taking in as much as possible before calling an uber back to the hostel. A short metro ride later and we were at the bus station with more than enough time to spare. With the extra time we grabbed mediocre mall food for our 8-hour ride into Sevilla. 

After the lonnnggg bus ride (with 1 stop on the way) we got into Sevilla at around 1AM, immediately crashing in our hotel room for the night. 

We slept in until 11AM, checked out, and went to the hotel’s balcony for an introduction to the city’s landscape. Then it was time to eat. 

Unfortunately, our top choice had a line out the door, so we instead opted to head to the Cathedral, securing reservations for later in the day and grabbing a quick bite nearby while we waited. The food was mediocre. A waste of a meal. 

Our ticket time was upon us, and we entered the magnificent Seville Cathedral, the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world, (and 4th largest overall) as well as the resting place of Christopher Columbus and King Ferdinand III. I know I said earlier that all Cathedrals blend together after a while but this one was iconic. 7 stories high, a beautiful garden and an incredible tower. Nathan and I spent an hour wandering around, admiring the intricate beauty, regarding Columbus’s tomb, and doing our daily prayer. Then, of course, we climbed up the tower, Nathan rushing ahead as I got caught behind the slow tourists struggling up the ascent. Up top, we took in the day’s second panoramic view of the skyline, the cathedral bells sounding loudly next to us, before we descended and made our way to the palace: The Royal Alcazar of Seville. 

Dehydrated and without sunscreen, we first took a quick shaded break to better prepare for the hot day. Then we began our tour. We spent over an hour taking in both the labyrinth of the garden (famous for being the filming location of Dorne in Game of Thrones) and the incredible Moorish interiors of the palace itself. 

Then it was time for one of the worst parts of travel: reserving train tickets. We meandered the mile and a half to the train station where the first employee sent us away for not having all our forms ready. We slowly got everything together and waited for the next employee. And he was an absolute homie! The guy not only booked our seats to Valencia, he also managed to book all our reservations for the rest of the trip! No more reserving tickets in the middle of the day! Hallelujah! I tucked the tickets in my bag (Still keeping all of Nathan’s after he lost his in Madrid) and we headed back into the city. 

It was time for food. More specifically, good food. We stopped at two tapas restaurants, starting with delicious sandwiches and churros, and then moving on to a fancier spot with empanadas, wine, and a traditional dish of codfish in tomato sauce (fortunately less bone-in-throat than Porto) 

Properly stuffed, we gathered up our bags from our one-night stay at the hotel, went to our new hostel, and chilled. At 10, Nathan had a job interview, so I set him up on my computer and did a lap around the river and admired the night lit landscape, stopping for cheesecake along the way. 

When I returned, Nathan’s interview was finished, and he had somehow managed to find us tickets for the Alhambra (The Red Fortress)! We had a plan for the next day. 

First things first, we had to get to Granada. We woke up early and headed to the train station, catching the 7:30 train. We slept through much of the ride, making up for the snoring-filled night at the hostel. 

Upon arrival, we found the bus stop and the ticket stand was out of order. Shit. With the plan to pay when we got off, we jumped on the bus anyways and Nathan promptly got yelled at for wearing a buff instead of a mask. After holding up the bus for a couple minutes frantically searching for a mask, he remembered: The mask from the cab driver in A Coruna! We were set and on our way! … Until the police got on during the next stop for a fare check. They pulled us off the bus and we tried to explain in broken Spanish “no funciona, la boleta estacion esta rojo” aka “It doesn’t work, the ticket station was red” 

Somehow, we were let off with a warning.

Now walking, we continued with a stop at the Granada Cathedral to financially contribute to the city after our good fortune, do our daily prayer, and take in the pristine white interior. All that was left was a short walk to the Alhambra itself! (Involving minor harassment from street saleswomen and a less than mediocre croissant) 

The Alhambra is made up of many areas, some requiring the ticket, some not. We started our journey at the Palace of Charles V, a simple but beautiful open air two story circular building in a very Roman style of building (no ticket required) Then the two ticketed areas: Nasrid palaces (the royal palace complex) and the Alcazaba (the oldest part of the complex) 

Our time in the Nasrid palaces went poorly as despite their beauty, a security guard decided he had a vendetta against me for wearing my backpack normally and not on my front. I ended up getting three warnings, the first when I had no idea it wasn’t allowed, the second when I thought the first warning was just for the original room I was in, and the third and should’ve been the final warning when I was in the outside area trying to take a photo; but luckily he lost count and we were able to continue our excursion and see the gardens in peace. 

After we swung through to the Alcazaba, another Moorish architecture example. (That mental image of a childhood fortress from before) It was then Nathan’s turn to get in trouble, accidentally trespassing on parts of the Military Quarter that were not clearly marked. 

The heat and our ineptitude were adding up so began our descent back into town, looping through the charming gardens and palace of Generalife, admiring the views of the Alhambra, and stopping for shade and water often.

Obviously, we were starving, and with our original restaurant choice not looking appetizing we went next door and had some of the best food of the trip: BBQ octopus and beers. What’s not to love? 

Full, sweaty, and exhausted; we took the train back to Seville and grabbed gelato. Walking around, we noticed a significant number of people in soccer uniforms getting hammered and later learned the Europa League Championship (arguably second only to the Champions League final for club soccer importance) was occurring the next day in the city! 

We sat by the water for a bit, drank Caipirinhas with more sugar than liquid, and headed back to the hostel to catch up on some much-needed sleep. 

Our friend, Emily Budinich, had studied abroad in Spain and recommended we check out the Plaza de España, so we got up (a little later than we hoped, but as you can now tell that’s to be expected) and walked over! And lo and behold, it was the central spot for the Europa League pregame activities, and we arrived just as it opened! 

Nathan and I proceeded to play every minigame available (no lines), with the highlights being soccer mini golf and a one bounce soccer volleyball court where we had an intense game with a couple of local kids. We were also interviewed for a school project as ten students ran up and asked us basic questions in English (we may have cheated a little bit and helped them in Spanish when they struggled). An unexpectedly enjoyable way to spend the morning.

Afterwards we headed over to grab lunch at a tapas place Nathan had found. They switched from breakfast to lunch service halfway through, so we ordered tapas for both! Obviously. The restaurant got loud as the raucous Scottish fans of Rangers F.C. chanted and drank, drowning out the German fans of Eintracht Frankfurt who were quietly demolishing beers.

A stop at the hostel for bags, a hard to call cab, and a McDonald’s ice cream later we were on our way to Valencia (through Madrid)  

Back in Madrid for a few hours, we found a nice spot close to the train station for food. They weren’t serving any, so we went next door for a good but forgettable dinner before catching the next train to Valencia. 

After a few wrong turns on the way to the platform (give yourself at least 30 minutes if you are ever at Madrid’s Atocha station) we managed to hop on board with a couple minutes to spare. 

Train, Metro, Hostel. We are settled in Valencia and get to meet up with two more high school friends: Yeshar and Anuved! 

Late at night, a few beers in, and all craving a bite, we headed to the only spot that was open after 11PM: Five Guys. A step up from McDonalds. We got lost in conversation, all catching up, before meandering back to the hostel. Along the way we admired the nightscape and sculptures before stumbling upon a carousel. (fun fact- you can manually spin them to get a ride going; but you should check if there are people on it beforehand)

With the plan to get up at 8:30 AM, we headed off to bed. 

We met downstairs at 9 AM (pleasantly surprised we were all close to on time) before heading out to The Central Market of Valencia. We walked around, grabbed some fresh squeezed orange juice, strawberries, and croissants, and explored the stalls while Nathan and I adapted to a four-person decision group instead of two. 

Next on the docket was a cultural tour: La Lonja de la Seda, an old mercantile exchange and UNESCO World Heritage site followed by the Valencia Cathedral. 

The 8-euro entry fee for the cathedral caused some debate, but we all decided to head in and quickly learned a very good reason for the price: The Holy Grail was inside! The Literal Holy Grail! (Well at least the one recognized by the Vatican & Pope) We explored the cathedral, saw the extremely well protected chalice, and Nathan and I partook in a daily prayer. 

Spiritually enlightened, or as close as four late twenty guys could be, we swung by the hostel before heading towards the beach for the highlight of the day: True Valencia Paella at Casa Carmela, apparently the best in town. We started with a feast of appetizers, including sea anemone (it tastes like seaweed) and of course croquettes. 

Then the paella: A massive platter of rabbit, duck, chicken, snails, and of course rice. Yeshar (a vegan) even partook! The highlight of the meal was when Anuved, who already wasn’t a big paella fan, got confused on why his part of the meat was so bony. He sets it down to the side, and a little later in the meal we all come to the conclusion that the bony fish was in fact the rabbit’s skull. Laughter, true uncontrollable laughter, overtakes the table as Anuved visibly loses his appetite. 

After that realization, the rest of our appetites were quickly satiated, and we barely were able to finish our desert. Then with our stomach protruding, it was time to show them off at the beach.

Except we forgot towels to cover us while we changed. Shit. Anuved and Yeshar elected to stay covered up on land while Nathan and I struggled to find a way to get into our swim trunks, finally managing without completely exposing ourselves. Celebrating our success, we ran into the Mediterranean… only for me to feel something slimy move out from under my foot about 100 yards in. I panicked, immediately taking my feet off the ground. Not knowing if it was a stingray, flounder, or something else I swam back to shore, heart racing, and proceeded to climb up the playground safely on land for the rest of our time, getting far away from whatever, “it” was. 

A round of drinks to celebrate a day well spent was next up and after some good drinks and conversation we were back at the hostel. Anuved and Yeshar led the way in socializing, meeting a crew of people downstairs while I rested, and Nathan finished another interview. 

We all went out to a few bars in town and enjoyed good conversation, but I was exhausted and bounced early, hoping to catch up on some rest before the wedding weekend.  

The next day we were all slow to awake, getting our stuff together and meeting with Yeshar and Emma (a girl who had joined us the night before) at a vegan place for brunch. The food was surprisingly good, and everyone ended up ordering after trying a bite of Yeshar’s charcoal pizza. 

Then it was time to get the party started as we all headed to Barcelona (on 3 different trains) 

Anuved, Nathan, and I all managed to make it to Barcelona, quickly dropping off our bags at our hostel before heading to the first of many social events: a welcome dinner for everyone already in town. 

Now a quick introduction to the new players since things are gonna get crazy for this section: 

• Zack (Groom, friend since Middle School, volleyball teammate for school & club) 

• Jasmine (Bride, bad-ass snowboarder, and lover of Spain),

• Sam (Zack’s PA school friend, awesome person, AirBnB organizer) 

• Big Ryan (Zack’s EMT friend, textbook example of a chill guy) 

• Morgan (Big Ryan’s fiancé, now wife, laid back and a dirt biker) 

• Ryan (HS classmate, the definition of down, will make you laugh)

• Meg (middle/high school, DECA competitor, and one of the boys) 

• Jack (Megs BF, Super chill British dude, 2nd time meeting him) 

• Richard (Final AirBnB housemate, PA school classmate of Zack) 

Anyways, after dinner all of the wedding crew headed out for gelato where we reconnected with Yeshar. Then we took on Las Ramblas looking for a bar. We were aggressively pulled aside by one guy with a club above a dick waffle shop (Yes, they sell waffles in the shape of a dick) and after ignoring him, we arrived at our planned bar, only to find it was too full. We decided on Obama’s near Zack and Jasmine’s hotel instead. It ended up being the greatest bar of the trip. 

Rounds of beers flowed as our group narrowed down to those listed above. (Except Ryan who was arriving the next day) We proceeded to play beer hockey across three tables; pausing the intensity only when a random drunk woman came over to try and hit on Richard. Big Ryan quickly shut that down. 

As the night wore on, we switched to Cheers to the Governor, adding crazy rules throughout (and earning the nickname “Bean” from Sam) We all managed one final win before calling it a night and I picked up the tab as a wedding gift. The AirBnB group (Nathan, Anuved, Yeshar, Sam, Richard, and I) made our way drunkenly back with a quick detour to a local playground detour.

The next morning was rough. My head was hurting, I had two loads of laundry to run and had to prepare to meet my former boss Marta (she had moved to Barcelona right before the pandemic). Taking it one step at a time, I managed to run the washing machine and hang up everything to air dry. (My least favorite part about Europe) Then after a shower and a couple glasses of water I was alive enough and off to our selected breakfast place!

I had a blast catching up, hearing about how Marta’s life was going in Spain, how she and her partner were getting ready to welcome a baby and getting recommendations on places to see! It was a perfect respite from the social and sight-seeing hurricane of the last two weeks. 

A quick walk back to the AirBnB and a nap were the next things on my list. 100% needed. The rest of the squad rejoined later, having enjoyed their trip out to the markets. Around 5, we got dressed up and ready for the night’s wedding festivities: Tapas & Dancing. 

(Anecdote that didn’t really fit anywhere else: during this time, we realized a comforter and some of Nathan’s clothes had fallen off the drying line to an inaccessible balcony further below. Despite contacting the AirBnB host, they were never recovered)

We hopped on the metro and rode it to the hotel, meeting up with everyone and enjoying some hors d’oeuvre and trivia about Zack and Jasmine. Jasmine arrived wearing one of her four wedding dresses for the weekend’s celebrations and we were all soon being taught salsa dancing by Jasmine’s friends!

Then Ryan finally appeared, all of his gear in tow straight from the airport. The high school squad was finally all together. 

The night continued as everyone caught up, enjoyed the great food, and admired Yeshar’s insane moves on the dance floor. (He used to teach salsa, and it absolutely showed) When it was time to announce the trivia winners, Nathan took first place and with it a bottle of sangria! A pretty solid showing from the best man.

Not wanting the night to end, but also not wanting to stay out too late with the wedding the next day, the squad (everybody named minus Meg & Jack) decided to go to a speakeasy for a couple drinks. While the drinks themselves were spectacular, the service and pricing left a lot to be desired and we called it after our first round and headed back. (Richard never got his drink) 

Wedding day!

It was finally time for Zack’s wedding (the unofficial one, they were officially married during Covid but come on, if your friends aren’t there does it really count?) 

The AirBnB was chaotic as Ryan, Anuved, Yeshar, and Nathan were all in the wedding party and trying to get their suits looking good. I spent the morning ironing dress shirts and helping the boys get ready in any way possible, somehow managing to get them out the door in time. 

Sam and Richard rushed to and from Park Guell, returning just in time to get dressed and head out three hours later. We got to the hotel on time and regrouped with Meg, Jack, and Morgan. Meg & Jack even hooked me up with a small bite of food to tide me over until the wedding itself. It was a life saver. There was some minor confusion with finding our bus, but fortunately we located our driver and got settled onboard. After a brief delay waiting on the Maid of Honor’s husband, we were on our way. 

I sat by Morgan on the drive over and we chatted for the duration of the commute, taking in the sweeping Spanish landscapes during the pauses in conversation. 45 minutes later, we arrived at La Borinia, a stunning ivy-covered 20th century castle that would act as the venue for the night’s festivities. I ran up some gear to the groomsman and had a shot with them. Then got settled in with the guests. (They had an incredibly playlist going before the wedding started that added to the already charming ambience)

The ceremony was beautiful. It started with a hilarious twist as Ryan had the important job of “shot bro” (the modern-day flower girl) and made sure to get one in my hand. The wedding party, Zack, then Jasmine followed, drawing every eye. Soon enough everyone was in place and the ceremony began. Big Ryan did an incredible job as the officiant, orating a speech that had Zack, Jasmine, and most of the attendees wiping away a few tears. It was a singularly beautiful moment seeing a friend, teammate, and someone I’ve shared countless memories with commit to the love of his life. 

Then the party. Heat was the theme, as everybody took off their jackets and found places in the shade for the cocktail hour. The wedding party joined following their photoshoot, bringing everybody together (minus Nathan who was disappearing often to practice his speech) 

Food, dinner, and speeches were the precursor to the main performance of the night: the dancing. Everybody hit the dance floor hard, and shirts quickly came unbuttoned. I’m going to be honest here and at this point the burn out from the trip, lack of sleep, and everything had finally gotten to me. It was poor timing, but I was so mentally out of it and needed time to reset. I managed to find a way up onto the roof of the castle and just escaped for a while, admiring the stars, and taking a break from the world. I came back down in time for the final round of dancing, enjoying the last of the celebrations before returning to the bus. 

Mentally and physically exhausted, I checked out on the return and as soon as we got off the bus in Barcelona, I immediately walked back to the AirBnB as others looked for additional things to do. It was a terrific day, but I was completely spent. 

The next morning found us all on a boat, hungover and tired. We hit the water, all trying to recover from the night before and enjoy our last day together. The rally was a success and after a short ride we were diving off the boat, submerging in the brilliantly blue Mediterranean water. It was a classic day. After a few dives, I decided to call it on the water following Nathan’s near miss with a jellyfish (My largest water fear) and got settled on the boat. Unfortunately, sea sickness started to get me (and Anuved) on the ride back as we both worked hard to keep ourselves from yacking. Somehow, everything stayed down, and we made it back to the dock without causing a scene. 

The AirBnB squad all caught a cab back and took a much-needed nap as I tried to get over my sea sickness. (Side note, cabs and Ubers are SO MUCH cheaper in Europe, like 5-10x cheaper. It was amazing.)  Feeling slightly better we then headed out for one final wedding event: the goodbye dinner. It was the best place we had eaten the entire trip. Literally every single thing was so damn good, and the monkfish was arguably the best fish I’ve had in my entire life. Nathan and I were literally signaling about it across two tables. Over dinner we also managed to get our train tickets booked for San Sebastian the next day, with Ryan, Anuved, and Sam joining us for the next leg! 

The rest of the night was spent exploring the town, going around the Catedral de Barcelona and the side streets where Nathan and Anuved purchased a soccer ball. I called it an early night as I still wasn’t feeling great and needed some time to myself after being on for the time in Barcelona (and pretty much the whole trip) 

Our final morning in Barcelona, most of the AirBnB went over to Sagrada Familia, but I had promised myself I would wait until construction was complete to go again. (My family visited back in 2007) Instead I went to a local cafe, had a great breakfast, and ended up just relaxing for much of the morning at a local park; eventually meeting up with the rest of the San Sebastian bound squad at the train station later in the day. 

After trading seats with some strangers, we congregated near each other at the front of the train. I alternated between sleeping and conversation over the long ride, feeling much worse for wear than the previous days. I’d unfortunately developed some sort of ear infection. Shit. 

During the train ride we also had to figure out a hotel, as I had only booked as far as Valencia, and we were all too preoccupied with the wedding to think ahead. Fortunately, Nathan took the lead, calling a bunch of places, and found us a room, and a reasonably priced one at that. Getting to the hotel, we snuck all of us into the room (we were only allowed to have four) and quickly settled in. 

Then, starving, we began the search for food, settling on the only place that was open nearby. (Places close surprisingly early in Spain)

It was so fucking good. San Sebastian is known as a food capital of the world and our first stop was not a disappointment, eating one of the most amazing burgers I’ve ever had, along with our first taste of Pintxos, a tapas-like portion local to northern Spain. The owner came over often to check on us, not fully aware (or aware at all) of personal space, but always hospitable and made sure we had a wonderful meal.

The night ended at the pharmacy to get Covid tests. We exclusively relied on Sam’s knowledge of Spanish and medicine (a perfect combination), and she did not disappoint. We somehow, someway, all managed to test negative. Shocked, we chatted for a bit before quickly falling asleep. 

The next morning the rest of the boys decided to hit the surf break, while Sam and I slept. Sam eventually headed out to watch the surfing while I laid in bed trying desperately to feel like myself. That afternoon, we all regrouped at Gerald’s bar where I was struggling but could still enjoy the good and extremely reasonably priced food and great company. 

Filled up and Nathan’s surf craving settled, we began our first exploration around San Sebastian. Our first stop was back to the pharmacy to get medicine for my ear, before heading into a local mall looking for cards. Despite all the games in the mall, we could not find cards anywhere. (We ended up finding them right next door at a tobacco store) Our next stop was the Good Shepherd of San Sebastian Cathedral, where the stained glass filtered a vibrant rainbow across the sanctuary and nave. Nathan and I of course had to complete our daily prayer here, and it ended up being our last official one of the trip. 

We then walked along the Kontxa Hondartza beach and through the Alderdi Eder park. It was satisfying seeing tons of families out and about, enjoying the perfect weather with their kids. A sharp juxtaposition to city life in Seattle. 

Then food. Sweet San Sebastian Food! We began our first Tour de Pintxo’s in Old Town hitting 2 different restaurants: the first serving cold pintxos, the second hot ones. The highlight occurred at the second restaurant where after absolutely loving the beef cheek, we ordered some more. However, they instead brought what we thought was the tenderloin. We had gotten the two mixed up among all the food on the table. Whoops! We still enjoyed the actual beef cheeks, laughed at our inability to tell the difference between cheek & tongue, then headed out to grab drinks for the night. 

We spent around 30 minutes at a supermarket determining what we wanted, only to learn that we were just past the point that they could sell alcohol. Instead, we went to a nearby bar where we enjoyed some more Caipirinhas while all attempting to flip coasters and catch them in midair.

We started heading back to the hotel, only to realize Sam misplaced her watch. We began a scramble to try to find it, retraced our steps and returned to the bar. Unfortunately, it was lost. 

Not wanting the night to end on a bad note, we headed back into old town for one last drink. The drinks quickly took a back seat to our typical discussions/debates around the meaning of life, free-will, and determinism. Fun stuff. 

The next morning was a slow start (now a tradition). We checked out of the hotel, stashed our bags, and then we headed out to brunch. 

The restaurant was like a mini backyard garden! We sat on a quaint outdoor terrace surrounded by hundreds of potted plants enjoying the peaceful scenery. At one of the other tables, we saw one of the more annoying guys from our crew in Valencia but opted not to say hello. Instead, we focused on our avocado toast (And the kinder eggs I had bought the night before) 

Then it was time to relocate to our new hotel. It was awesome. Located inside Tabakalera (“a contemporary cultural center inside a converted tobacco factory”) it included libraries, games, and exhibits in addition to the hotel. We hid Ryan and Anuved during check-in as it was only a two-person reservation, leaving Nathan and I to lug four people’s bags to the front desk. (The hotel itself was awesome,) While we managed to sneak everybody’s bags in, the rest of the crew kicked around the soccer ball a bit outside. Nathan and I joined up and soon we were playing keep, managing 40 consecutive touches (with everybody touching it once) before it hit the ground. Stoked, we headed into the city, running into an expat on the way who recommended both his food tour along with a ton of other events & restaurants to check out in the city. Really chill and helpful guy. 

The rest of the crew decided to surf again, while I, not wanting to get water in my infected ear, decided to explore the town a bit. After waiting on them for a few hours, I decided to do my own thing for the night. Starting with a nap, I eventually decided to take a long three hour walk all the way up to the San Sebastian’s soccer stadium and bullfighting ring. Unfortunately, the stroll took longer than anticipated and I ended up missing Sam’s departure back to Barcelona. (Fortunately, she lives in Leavenworth, and I saw her a few weeks later) 

At this point everybody left (Ryan, Anuved, Nathan, and I) were all some level of sick. Nathan and I were the only ones functional the next morning and we headed out to a quick breakfast while the other guys slept. The food was solid, but the fresh squeezed orange juice was by far the best part. 

We got back to the hotel, and everybody rallied for one more day out in San Sebastian. The four of us headed into old town for lunch where everybody else had the worst meal of the trip (I was still full and luckily abstained) 

Then the craziest coincidence happened. We were playing a game involving pulling a random card from the deck and trying to guess the exact right card, and for the 2nd time in as many attempts Nathan got it correct. Both times pulling the 2 of clubs. He has since retired from the game. 

Next, we decided to make our way up Motaka Gaztelua, a 12th century castle that dominates the main waterfront of San Sebastian. We trekked up, getting to near the top where we took a bathroom break and extended it for soccer “horse,” choosing different targets around the area and trying to hit them. After a proper amount of time acting like the foolish tourists we were, we scaled the actual castle, heading to the ramparts and looking over the city from above. We finished our exploration inside, reading about the history of San Sebastian and the castle. (I absorbed none of the information)

On the way down we saw that there was a bar built into the mountain, so we of course stopped. Overlooking the water, we played card games for a couple hours while enjoying some brews. Peaceful is the only way to describe it. 

It was finally time for me to get into the water as we all headed back down to the beach for some late afternoon bodysurfing. Trying my hardest to keep my ear above water (and caring a little less because it was our last day there) I finally let loose for the first time in days and really got to enjoy myself. We finished up playing some keep up on the beach, with me bailing on the game a little early as I was the weak link. 

The day culminated with a second tour de pintxos, this time featuring a Japanese and a standing room only place. Then, all satiated, we picked up some gelato to go along with our last stroll along the river, admiring the San Sebastian nightscape. 

The next morning, we packed up early and checked out, getting in trouble as we were caught having four people in the room. Luckily, it was too late for them to do anything except ask us never to do it again. 

A quick walk to the station and we were on our way back to Barcelona for the last stretch of the trip. 

The train ride back involved sleeping. A lot of it. In the brief periods everyone was awake we planned some logistics to ensure Ryan was able to take a Covid test to return home that day. We arrived at the train station, and Ryan headed to the Covid test site with Anuved, while Nathan and I headed to the hostel (in a completely different part of the city than our AirBnB had been in).

Ryan and Anuved came back around an hour later with a clean bill of health and the four of us went out to lunch for a farewell lunch at Tapas Carambas. Papas bravas, croquettes, a mini (rabbit headless) paella, and some meatballs along with some cold ones left us all feeling grateful for the last few days before Ryan sadly had to head to the airport. 

Anuved and I walked back to the hostel for some rest while Nathan, ever energetic, explored the city for a few hours. Then at 9 PM the main event for the night began: The Champions League Final. 

Anuved and I headed out to an Irish pub with the plan for Nathan to meet us there, but literally every single bar with a tv was uncomfortably filled to the brim. Instead, we found a below mediocre pizza place to sit in and watch the game. The restaurant was too hot, the food was bad, but all that mattered was that we were able to watch the final. Real Madrid managed to get the win in an exciting 1-0 bout. 

Anuved needed to run a practice interview and returned to the hostel while Nathan and I continued the night heading meeting up with Emma (from Valencia) and one of her friends Helen. We searched for a good place and eventually found Scobie’s Irish Pub, where we grabbed a few drinks. The one memory that stuck from that stop was I got hit on by a drunk and belligerent dude, not fun. Anyways at 1AM we were all feeling exhausted and decided to call it a night. 

Our final full day in Barcelona and of the trip was upon us.

The day began with Covid tests. Nathan and I both brought at-home tests but were left waiting hours to try to get the virtual queue. I will not say anything other than I was fortunately Covid negative, and Nathan got an official negative test result as well. Read between the lines if you wish. 

All set to return home the next day we headed out to lunch, with Nathan and Anuved grabbing Indian food while I headed to Gringos, an appropriately named restaurant, for a fried chicken sandwich. Afterwards we ended up shooting the soccer ball in a basketball hoop for a little bit before heading to Park Guell. (Nathan would be upset if I didn’t mention he hit a ¾ court shot on his first try)

I was so excited to see Park Guell for the first time, missing it on my first two trips to Barcelona… except when we arrived, we learned that tickets were sold out. Damnit. We scoped the area out to see if there was any way to sneak in; but unfortunately, nothing seemed reasonable, and we left with just views from outside. 

The three of us walked all the way back to the main part of the city, swinging by a McDonald’s for a needed bathroom stop for Anuved, while Nathan and I chilled in a Swarovski store next door (It had some awesome Star Wars figures) 

Still not feeling great, Anuved peeled off for a couple hours, while Nathan and I headed to the Barcelona Cathedral hoping to get inside. Unfortunately, the main cathedral had mass, so we were left to explore the side area, doing a “daily prayer” that only half counted. 

After, we headed off to our final dinner, a tapas place (Bodega Biarritz) recommended by Nathan’s friend. We managed to get there just as it opened, sitting down at one of the few available in the entire place. It was a terrific set-course menu and Anuved managed to join just towards the end. 

We worked off dinner with some 2 on 1 soccer in the alleyway before walking Las Ramblas one final time all the way down to the Rambla de Mar. Laying down and enjoying the sunset for over half an hour I just tried to process and appreciate everything that had happened over the last 25 days.

Anuved and I made our way back to the hostel while Nathan, ever the energetic one, continued to explore a bit more. When he returned after sunset we headed down to the park where we had played basketball earlier. We opened up the bottle of sangria Nathan had won during the tapas earlier and with a final “cheers” gave a proper farewell to one of the most memorable trips of our lives. 

There’s not much to be said about a trip home. We made both our connections, slept as much as we could, and got back into the US without any problem. I forgot my sunglasses and hat which Anuved managed to get back to me months later.