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Travel · Spain

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. …

TravelSpain
Travel · Spain

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…

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Travel · Spain

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, …

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Travel · Spain

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…

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Travel · Spain

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, …

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Travel · Spain

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…

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Travel · Spain

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…

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Travel · Spain

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…

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Travel · Spain

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…

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Travel · Spain

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…