My first day has been enchanting in Barcelona. Our free walking tour guide took us through the Gothic Quarter and told us all about how Barcelona used to be smaller and then expanded. We stopped at La Dorotea for some Sangria before heading to one of Antoni Gaudi’s creations: Casa Battlo.

Today we took a bus tour to Montserrat monastery and a Spanish winery. We hiked a trail, tried local cheese and bread, and visited the monastery church. Inside, there were dozens of gorgeous hanging lanterns that I couldn’t keep my eyes off of.

Tonight we had gelato and dinner in Barcelona on the terrace of \240el CercleI. We tried the infamous seafood paella which is a mix of rice, vegetables and seafood. Yum! Other options include vegetable paella or a meat paella.

We shared the patatas bravas...another Spanish favorite! And finally, we had the Creme de Cataluna(similar to Creme brûlée). Beautiful night in Barcelona 💃🏻

Today we visited the incredible La Sagrada Família. No words describe the amount of detail and work that went into this building. Definitely recommend having a tour guide who can go into detail about all of the buildings nooks and crannies.

Each little detail has meaning, on both the inside and the out.

Last night we took a three hour train ride to Valencia. Today, we woke up and took a free walking tour that started in the Plaça de la Virgin.

Our tour guide mentioned to us that Valencians never eat paella for dinner, only for lunch. She also told us the recipes for Agua de valencia and Horchata, a hangover elixir.

We walked to one of the city’s last standing gates.

Halfway through our tour, we stopped at the Central Market of Valencia, which happens to be the largest indoor fresh produce market in Europe - meat, fish, cheese, bread, fruits, nuts, and chocolate. Yum! I chose a cheese cup and a few empanadas. Across the street is the ancient Silk Exchange building where men would go to exchange silk for money and other goods.

Later that day we went inside for a visit - enchanted by the high ceilings, twisted pillars, and huge lanterns.

Our next stop was the Fallas Museum, which houses over 80 figures that are saved from the annual Fallas festival parades in Valencia. Each year they choose a winner and the rest are burned. I recommend a visit!

After dinner, we journeyed to Cafe del Duende for a flamenco show and sangria. With a live guitar player, dancing shoes, and castanets, this performance completely blew us away. It was intimate, passionate, and exuberated the true meaning behind dance: freedom of expression.

Needless to say, we highly recommend a visit to Valencia. It’s a quaint Spanish city that feels more Spanish than Barcelona.

Today we returned to Barcelona to find a lot of unrest in the city. Many people in Barcelona are Catalan, and this area is also a part of Catalonia. The Catalans have been fighting for their independence from Spain for a very long time, and this week we saw it first hand.

There were lots of protests, fires in the streets, and unfortunately some violence.

It was eye opening to watch another country fight for independence, and it made me think back to when my country was fighting for independence(well what I know of it).

We ended up having a few glasses of sangria at a great local bar, L’Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample, the staff was great and the sangria was too.

Today we walked around Park Güell, an outdoor sculpture and art park created by the Spanish artist and architect, Antoni Gaudi.

The colors, shapes, and tiles were marvelous to look at and walk through. There are tons of trails and gardens that go up the hill, creating some scenic views.

Unfortunately, many of the great photo spots are surrounded by tourists, and honestly it put a damper on the place for me. However, it is still a must see when in Barcelona.

Later on, we stopped for some sangria at La Dorotea(where our tour stopped on Monday) and then made our way to Parc de Montjuic to see the Magic Fountain. It’s a big gorgeous fountain and the surrounding buildings and monuments are just as exciting.

We walked to the top, had some potato croquettes and sat outside for a while.

Dinner was served by La Teleferic, a great little restaurant that served us mouth watering food. Try the Iberian pork chop or the Parmesan truffle gnocchi, to die for!

To end the meal, we split the carrot cake, also delicious. And the price was great!