I decided to take the most efficient route around the world and head to Spain from Perth. Logical? No. Worth it? Yes! This was the best decision for me and the most perfect place for me to begin my tour of Europe. The main plan was to meet up with some friends to walk the Camino de Santiago but I got to see a lot more of Spain! Overall, my favorites were the people and the culture. I think I say that about every place. Well, I found people to be extremely friendly and trustworthy in Spain. They live on something I like to call “Spanish Time.” Imagine a world where you can arrive to work at 11AM, take a two hour nap everyday, stay up partying until 6AM, take a two hour lunch, don’t tip, drink coffee, drink wine, go to dinner at 10 PM, drink beer and smoke cigarettes all of your life with no consequence. You just imagined Spain. I don’t understand why Spanish people aren’t always severely dehydrated. Anyway, here are the highlights:
Madrid
- Food – this is where I was first introduced to THE jamon bocadillo. But I don’t want to talk about those anymore. Madrid also had some excellent coffee shops and fresh food markets. Café, inexpensive beer and wine. Yum. I LOVED that there was always a Lil Biscuit sitting next to me and my coffee.
- The streets – narrow lane ways with colorful buildings. It is an endless maze.
- Music, flamenco and museums.
- Church – I must have gone to 20 churches when I was in Spain. It was my favorite thing to do. They are all incredible museums and provided a quiet peace.
Pamplona
- We stayed above the street where the action happens during the running of the bulls!
- It was pinchos week.
- This is where we started the Camino so we took it easy. It is much smaller than Madrid so it was nice to just stroll around without the large crowds. Fun streets and a cool square to just hang out and people watch.
Camino de Santiago
You can read all about it HERE.
San Sebastián, Santander, Burgos
- Real pintxos!
- Nice beaches.
- Elegant mustaches.
- Even better churches.
Talavera de la Reina
- I went to the MXGP of Spain motocross race!
- Bocadillos were the only snacks and beer was considered a soft drink.
- They even took a siesta between some of the races! In the famous words of the friend I was with, “Are you kidding me?!” We thought everyone was leaving so we almost did too. Then we remembered… this is Spain.
Sorry, I lost some steam while I was writing this so I just started listing stuff. I love Spain. Sell your TV and go visit. ¡Vamos!
¡Click one of the pictures below to see more Snaps!
Madrid
Pamplona
Santander and San Sebastián