Series
A Trip to Spain
From Barcelona to Madrid, documenting architecture, coastlines, small towns, and unexpected delights along the way.
Spain | Barcelona: My First Taste of Barcelona (Part One) For my first-ever trip abroad, I chose Spain—a place I initially couldn't even explain to myself why I wanted to visit. Honestly, even after thinking it over, I still couldn't come up with a reason. Maybe I just had some time off, wanted to go abroad, and Spain popped into my head. Before setting off, all I knew about it was ham and bullfighting, but what I actually saw once I arrived… 
Spain | Barcelona: A First Glimpse of Gaudí’s World (Part Two) After a short rest, we set off to wander around Barcelona. Having learned from our last taxi ride, we went straight for the metro this time. It wasn’t exactly cheap either (a ten-ride ticket cost 12 euros), but compared with taking a taxi, it was a bargain. Once we’d bought our metro card, we headed into the station, only to find a platform with no safety measures whatsoever. To be honest, … 
Spain | Barcelona: Sagrada Família (Part 3) After a night's rest, I was pretty much back to normal. We had a few fried eggs for a simple breakfast and headed out. Honestly, figuring out “what to eat for breakfast” has been a daily struggle these past few days—we ended up eating fried eggs for five or six mornings in a row after that, hahaha. Today we planned to start by climbing a small hill in the city center for a view of all of Barcelona, then head back down to that… 
Spain | Barcelona: La Boqueria Market (Part Four) After being blown away by the Sagrada Família yesterday, today we figured we’d stroll over to La Boqueria Market and have a wander. To be fair, it really wasn’t far from where we were staying—probably only a ten-minute walk or so, just right for soaking up the atmosphere of the local streets along the way. But we’d barely gone two blocks when a very strange-looking vehicle suddenly appeared by the roadside… 
Spain | Madrid: First Impressions of Madrid (Part 5) After three straight days of wandering around here, we’d pretty much covered Barcelona. Today we’re heading to our next stop, Spain’s capital—Madrid! We’re taking the high-speed train to Madrid. We’d already bought our tickets online in advance. There’s one big difference between buying train tickets here and back in China, which is… 
Spain | Madrid: The Royal Palace of Madrid (6) After soaking up Madrid’s laid-back atmosphere, we headed to the famous Royal Palace of Madrid. It’s one of Spain’s most iconic buildings, and a quick search online revealed that it’s actually the largest royal palace in Europe by floor area. Even before going inside, just standing outside was enough to feel its sheer opulence. I looked up a little background, and the palace was17… 
Spain | Madrid: A Night in Madrid (7) Near Madrid is a little town called Toledo, about an hour away by coach. It has a rich history and was once the capital of Spain. Walking into Toledo feels like traveling back to the Middle Ages. The town is full of winding cobblestone lanes, sometimes so narrow that even two people walking side by side feel squeezed. And here you can see traces of Christian… 
Spain | Barcelona: A Day at the Beach (8) That pretty much wrapped up our time in Madrid. Early the next morning, with the darkness still lingering and stars overhead, we set off back to Barcelona. We deliberately chose a different company's high-speed train for the return trip, hoping to see what was different. Honestly, the overall experience wasn't all that different from the journey there. The biggest thing I noticed was probably that the seats and carriages were a different color, … 
Spain | Barcelona: Blanes (9) After a day of rest in central Barcelona, we decided on a change of scenery today, taking the little coastal train to Blanes and Tossa de Mar. Gazing out at the sea along the way was so relaxing, and we were full of anticipation for the surprises these two Mediterranean towns might have in store. On the little train hugging the coast to Blanes, we ran into a group of kids on their way to school… 
Spain | Barcelona: Tossa de Mar (10) After about an hour on the road, we finally arrived in Tossa de Mar. Once we got off, we walked along the town’s little lanes for a little over ten minutes, and when the sea came into view again, I was still blown away. Honestly, its beauty was completely different from Blanes—the sight of the old town meeting the sea was simply unbeatable. We climbed up along the old castle, … 
Spain | Barcelona: Ending on a Surprise (Part 11) At last, it was the final day of our vacation. We decided to explore a town just south of Barcelona. We’d meant to go to Sitges, but somehow ended up in Vilanova i la Geltrú instead, hahaha. After getting off the vehicle, we picked a random restaurant on the map. Little did we know it would turn out to be the most satisfying meal of our entire trip. The prices… 
Spain: Afterword Our trip to Spain has come to a close. After giving it some thought, I decided to write a separate post and ramble freely about how the trip really felt—the moments that blew me away, the pitfalls we ran into, and the unexpected little things on my mind. About applying for a visa: After going through the whole process, the main thing I want to say is: if you can do it yourself, don't use an agency. …