Madrid

March 29-April 1

Accommodations: OK Hostel – one of our favourite hostels so far, it was the perfect balance of nice rooms and fun atmosphere! We had 3 of us in a 4-person dorm, and were lucky enough to have the room to ourselves until the last night. Breakfast was included, and had the typical options (cereal, toast, yogurt), as well as a make-your-own crepe station!!

Our Room

Dining Room

Day 1

We enjoyed the hostel breakfast before, you guessed it, the hostel’s city walking tour! We started at the massive La Plaza Major, which has 9 different entrance gates leading all around the city.

La Plaza Major

We also saw Palacio Real de Madrid, the Cathedral across from the palace, and learned about the history of Madrid. Madrid is located directly in the center of Spain, and once served as the border between the Christian North and the Muslim South. We also learned about the reason pork is so popular in Spain. During the Inquisition, the people’s Christianity would be tested based on their diets; eating pork would prove that one was a true Christian. Jews and Muslims, however, are forbidden by their religion to eat pork, and would have had to choose between eating pork or execution.

We had been craving sushi SO much, and we finally got some at a restaurant called Miss Sushi, where everything is pink. It was a much-needed break from Spanish food, no matter how delicious it is.

We headed to Museo del Prado, an art museum, where we ran into 2 guys from our hostel that we had met on our walking tour, Ben and Gill (this will become a common theme of this blog post). We went around looking for the ‘Masterpieces’ listed in the brochure, saw some interesting work by Goya, and were ready to move on.

We went to Parque de el Retiro, saw the Crystal Palace (which sounds much more extravagant than it is), sat by a fountain where kids were feeding the fish and turtles, then explored the park a bit more. During this exploring, we ran into Ben and Gill again– so weird!! 

The Crystal Palace

We went back to the hostel, and signed up for what has to be the most amazing deal I have ever seen – for 20 euros ($30 Canadian), we got a full dinner with open bar, plus the pub crawl which included 3 bars with amazing drink deals, and free entry into a club at the end. We had a lot of fun, met some interesting people, and ended the night with some late-night churros.

Churros & Chocolate

Day 2

We had a nice lazy morning, and began our day with Spanish omelettes, coffee, and a trip to the Royal Palace of Madrid. Of course, we ran into Ben and Gill AGAIN – this time, we almost weren’t even surprised. This palace was very unique, and particularly beautiful with its intricate Spanish décor and sliver-laced wallpapers.

Royal Palace of Madrid

For the afternoon, we spent some time on a nice shopping street called Gran Via, where we found the biggest Primark ever – I just looked it up, and found it’s the biggest Primark in mainland Europe, stretching over 12,000 square meters with 5 floors. After we had explored just a sliver of this store, we went for an early dinner at a really strange restaurant. It had a fancy atmosphere with nice tablecloths and waiters in suits, but the menu was a random collection of different foods at very low prices. To add to the weird atmosphere, pop music videos (I’m talking from Justin Bieber to Greenday) were playing on a TV screen at the front.

Gran Via- Shopping Street

We went back to the hostel to rest and see what we wanted to do later, but ended up just getting some much needed rest and going to sleep early!

Monica at the Nail Salon

Day 3

We woke up, packed our bags, and had to check out by noon, when we put our bags in the storage room and went out for the day. We decided to treat ourselves to manicure, which turned into one of the weirdest experiences ever. It was a tiny salon with just one lady inside who spoke no English, but she indicated to us she could do all 3 of our nails at once. We sat down in a row and she would tell us when to rotate seats. First she caught Katherine not keeping her hands in the nail dryer, and she started scolding her in Spanish. Then, I accidentally touched my nail to the dryer so she had to redo it, and she was FULL on yelling at me in Spanish… Like I said, very weird experience.

We got some calamari and smoothies for lunch, and decided to walk around exploring parts of the city we hadn’t seen yet! We started at the Cathedral across from the Palace, which turned out to be really colourful and beautiful on the inside.

Calamari

Cathedral

Then we went for a long walk towards the river, and explored this new area. We stumbled upon a beautiful park, with so many different areas to explore. We found a large bench across from a field where a bunch of little kids were playing with their parents. Two young kids had started a game where they were running around with a scarf – the boy in the front dragging the girl along, who was holding the back. They saw us sitting there and started to continually run by us in circles, saying ‘Hola Chicas’ each time they passed… so cute!

The River & Surrounding Area

The Kids Playing in the Park

Next, we headed to the Matadero, a ‘cultural center’ with beautiful red brick buildings filled with modern art exhibits. From there, we went to Museu Nacional Cenro de Arte Reina Sofia, where we saw art by Picasso and Dali. After a delicious tapas dinner, we went back to the hostel to get our bags and catch our night bus to Sevilla.

The Matadero

Valencia

March 27-29

Accommodations: The River Hostel – we had a private triple room booked for these two nights, and it was great to have some quieter privacy for a while!

                                        

We arrived at the hostel in the late afternoon and rested until dinner! We treated ourselves to a nice dinner outside with some great food. Since it was Easter Sunday, not much was happening around the city so we just had a relaxing night in.

Day 1

We did the hostel’s free walking tour in the morning, and learned about Valencia, one of the oldest in cities Spain, which was founded as a Roman colony. It exists on top of amazing Roman ruins, which we went to see at the archaeology museum afterwards. After some Spanish omelette and fresh orange juice made from famous Valencia oranges for lunch, we did a bit of exploring and shopping all afternoon.

Orange Trees outside the old Silk Exchange building

La Estrecha - Narrowest house in Europe

Plaza de la Virgen - built on the site that used to be the forum of Roman Valencia

We had plans that night to meet 3 friends from Singapore, who we met on our Tapas tour in Barcelona. We went for an amazing Tapas dinner, where each tapa was 1 euro, and beers were only 1.50. Afterwards, we went to an American bar where they served beer in red cups and we taught our new friends how to play flip cup!

Day 2

We met our friends again at Mercat Centrale – the biggest produce market in Europe. We got some traditional Valencian foods – horchata, a drink made from tigernuts, water, and sugar, and fartons, which are essentially straight, glazed donuts. 2 cups of freshly squeezed orange juice later, Katherine, Monica and I were ready to go to the beach!

Horchata & Fartons

After 40 minutes on the city bus to La Malvarossa beach, and a challenging search for sunscreen (which we learned is labeled ‘sun milk’ in Spain), we were so happy to have a relaxing afternoon on the beach. We had a delicious lunch at a beachside restaurant, where I tried ‘Valencian Paella,’ made with chicken and rabbit – I know, I can’t believe I ate it either.

We went back to the hostel to grab our bags, met our friends from Singapore for gelato and to say goodbye, and then caught a high-speed (I’m talking up to 310 km/h) train to Madrid!

Barcelona

March 23-27

Accommodation: The Black Swan Hostel– great location, walking distance to most attractions, and close to the metro. We stayed in a 10 person female dorm and we met some cool people at the pub crawl run by the hostel on our first night! It was nice and clean – nothing amazing but no complaints!

Day 1

We did the Sandeman Walking Tour again (same company as Amsterdam & Dublin) and got to get a feel for the city with our tour guide, Leon. He was from London but had been living in Barcelona for 14 years, and he was great. We learned about some interesting history and legends of Spain, saw the Barcelona Cathedral, and the Jewish quarter. We got some delicious Spanish omelette and sangria for lunch. After the tour, we headed towards the beach do more exploring. We found Parc de la Ciutadella on our way – it’s a huge park with lots of people lying on the grassy areas in the sun and many buildings, fountains, and statues to check out around the park.

Barcelona Cathedral

We went to the beach first, where it was a bit chilly but nice to walk on the boardwalk. We stopped for some fresh seafood paella at a place called ‘Chiringuto Las Sardintas,’ which my friend had recommended to me – I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone going (the BEST paella).

Then we headed back to the Parc de la Ciutadella to sit in the sun, when we all fell asleep lying on the grass for a bit. We found a gorgeous fountain in the middle, and some really beautiful buildings, and walked by the Arc de Trimopf.

Arc de Triomf

Parc de la Ciutadella

   

At night, we decided last minute to join our hostel’s pub crawl – for just 1 euro, we got 2 free shots, and free entrance into a club called Opium. The bars were a lot of fun, and we met some cool people staying at our hostel from all over the world – from as close as Toronto (Yonge & Lawerence), to as far as Chile, Brazil, and Australia.  The bars were small but fun, with cheap drinks. The club was really touristy, with many international people there – but it was like something from out of a movie. Half was inside, and the other half was outside with fire heaters, leather couches and palm trees.

Day 2

We had a nice but long brunch in the morning – we are slowly realizing that part of the Spanish lifestyle is that meals are an event, and sitting down for a quick meal is not an option. We walked around La Rambla, the main shopping street, in the morning, but a lot of shops were closed for Good Friday.

In the afternoon, we toured the Sagrada Familia, the church designed by Gaudi, which has been under construction since 1882, and is expected to be completed by 2026.  The inside of the church was unlike anything I had ever seen before – couldn't even capture it in photos.

              

After a short rest, we headed to meet our group for the Tapas Tour also with Sandeman’s – we really like this tour company because the prices are great and the demographic is young travellers like us. For just 15 euros, we got a tour to 3 different Tapas restaurants, with a good amount of food and drinks included. We met a group of 8 friends from Singapore, all on exchange in different places around Europe and travelling together for their Easter break. They were really nice and a lot of fun, and we enjoyed sharing stories of what it’s like living in Canada versus Singapore.

At the first stop, we learned about the Basque people who live in certain areas of Spain and speak a different language. Their version of tapas is called ‘pinchos,’ and it is served on a piece of baguette. We also got to try their premium, all natural cider and learn about how it’s made, and take turns practicing the special pouring technique.

The second stop was Segons Mercat, a Michelin star restaurant located in a fisherman’s village by the beach. We were given a glass of wine, and 4 tapas to try – pan con tomate (bread with tomato), croquettes with ham and cheese, chorizo sausage, and patatas bravas (potatoes with garlic aoli) – all were delicious!!

The last stop was Restaurante Pasa Tapas, where we all entered the bar area at the back. We were given some seafood paella, and we got to try Porron Wine, which is served in a traditional wine pitcher with a spout to pour into your mouth. Its purpose is to allow a group of people to share the same pitcher without touching it to their mouth. After sharing some sangria, we headed home to sleep!

Porron Wine Pitcher & Paella

Day 3

In the morning, we went to Park Guell, where we were disappointed to discover that they had implemented a ticket system since both Monica and I had been there, and they were sold out for the day. We couldn’t enter the monumental zone, but we still got to walk around the area and see some of the monuments from outside.

Park Guell

After that, we headed to Passeig de Gracia to see 2 famous Gaudi houses, Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. Then we spent the afternoon shopping on La Rambla and went for lunch in the Boqueria, a market right on the main street. I had fresh fruit juice for 1 euro, an empanada, and some chocolate covered strawberries. It was a busy but beautiful market with tons of fresh fruit, juices, and smoothies.

Casa Batllo

Casa Mila

First (of many) Juices

We went to the Magic Fountains, which come up often as a top tourist attraction but were kind of underwhelming. Then we got a late dinner at Taller than Tapas, where Katherine and I shared 4 tapas dishes – fried cod, nachos with guacamole, chicken wings, and patatas bravas… and some sangria, of course.

The Magic Fountains

Day 4

We spent the morning packing and checking out, and then we went for a delicious brunch at a place called Firefly. We caught our bus to Valencia at 2:30 pm, and had a beautiful 4-hour drive along the Spanish coast.

Lyon

March 23: Three Countries in One Day

March 23 was KATHERINE’S BIRTHDAY and also they day we would be travelling to Barcelona. We had flights booked from Lyon to Barcelona in the evening, so we planned to go there in the morning and explore the city! Katherine’s friend from McMaster, Eamon, is studying in Lyon for the semester and showed us around for the few hours we had!

We had baguettes and crepes (of course), and did some sightseeing. The city is beautiful, I fell in love with it– every turn is another beautiful building or street, and we went up to the Church and saw a breathtaking view of the entire city with its red roofs. We had some birthday wine for Katherine on the plane, and arrived at our hostel late that night.

                 

Lausanne

March 20-23

3 nights in Lausanne, the fourth most populous city of Switzerland, located on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Accommodations: My mom’s friend from high school, Sheila, lives in Pully, a small city just outside of Lausanne. Shelia, her husband Pierre, daughter Jeneya, and son Christophe, were nice enough to let us stay for 3 nights, and take great care of us. Without a doubt, this was the best accommodation yet.

Day 1

Our train arrived in Lausanne at around 5:45, and Sheila and Pierre came to pick us up at the train station. They drove us around the surrounding area of Pully, through some gorgeous mountain vineyards. We were planning on going skiing, so Jeneya helped us plan our transportation and lent us warm clothes for the next day. For dinner, Sheila made raclette, a traditional Swiss dish where the cheese is melted under a grill and scraped off over potatoes. We had a lot of fun, and Pierre gave us some amazing wine to accompany it. For dessert, we had meringue with cream and strawberries – so yummy.

Raclette

Meringue & Cream

Day 2

We woke up at 5:45, put on all of our layers and took 3 trains to eventually arrive at Le Chable, a village just below the ski resort of Verbier. Here, we rented ski equipment, put our stuff in a locker, and headed up the gondola to Verbier. It was an incredible day of skiing with gorgeous views, warm sunny weather, and close to empty slopes. 

We got lunch, burger and fries, at the top of the mountain and lay on the lawn chairs in the sun. 

Monica enjoying the sun

    

At the end of the day, we went to a bar towards the bottom of the mountain for some ‘après ski’ drinks. 

We were enjoying our beers so much that we totally lost track of time. Our ski rental place closed at 6:30, and the time when we realized we had to leave was 5:40… we still had to ski down the rest of the mountain, get our stuff from the lockers, and take the gondola down to Le Chable. On top of that, the lifts were all closed so we had to take an alternate route down which left us in the wrong area, forcing us to take a bus to get to our lockers. By the time we made it to the ski rental place, it was 7pm. LUCKILY they were still there and when we knocked on the door they let us in to return our things. It was a slightly stressful way to end an otherwise perfect day, but we were able to laugh at it right after. We got back (exhausted) around 10 pm, and went straight to bed after a late dinner of delicious pasta (thanks to Sheila, once again).

Day 3

We had a much-needed sleep in, and headed to Lausanne to explore the city for the day. It is a beautiful city, one I could picture living in, with gorgeous scenery, and lots of people just walking around the shopping streets enjoying the sun. We met Jeneya after she finished class, and she showed us around for the afternoon! First we went to the Lausanne Cathedral, and then we took the metro to a Le Flon, a newer, artsy district of Lausanne. Next, we went to Ouchy, a popular tourist area at the edge of Lake Geneva, south of Lausanne. 

Lausanne

Lausanne Cathedral

Monica, Jeneya, Katherine and I at Le Flon

We spent the afternoon at home doing our nails and drinking wine, and then had delicious homemade falafel for dinner. Sheila had made Katherine a birthday cake, since tomorrow would be her 21^st birthday!! We spent the evening in, drinking wine and playing card games with Jeneya and Christophe, and planned to catch a train to Lyon, France in the morning.

Happy Birthday Katherine!