Goodbye Barcelona! Goodbye Spain! It was a quick 8 day trip that started in Madrid and a quick stop to Bilbao on our way to beautiful seaside San Sebastian and ended with the best in Barcelona.
Barcelona’s airport was nice and modern but the real reason for this post is my most important tip to those planning to travel to Spain. Try to plan your travels on a Sunday. My cousin La and her family remained in Barcelona an extra day while we were in the airport the same Sunday. She told us almost all the stores and restaurants in the city were closed. We were so happy to be in the airport where all the stores were open and we were able to do last minute shopping specially in our favorite store, Natura.
Spain has many famous brands like Mango, Zara and Massimo Dutti which have branches in Manila. We discovered Natura which our tour guide Marta said was her favorite local brand. The clothes in Natura are made of the finest and lightest woven cotton which we all loved. We tried to visit as many branches as we could since each store sold different merchandise.
We took a Vueling flight to Florence which was our next stop.
As with several budget airlines all the meals were for sale. Cute menu.
Highlights of my trip to Spain:
Madrid: Restaurante Botin – the oldest restaurant in the world!
Madrid: Mercado San Miguel
Bilbao: Lunch at Bistró Guggenheim
San Sebastian: Pintxos Bar Hopping
San Sebastian: 3 Star Lunch at Akelaŕe
Barcelona: Day Tour Part 1 – Montserrat
Barcelona: La Sagrada Familia
Barcelona: Best Paella at Sta Maria Del Mar Bar – Restaurant
Eight days definitely wasn’t enough for Spain but it gave me a quick overview of the most popular attractions. I’ve already started a list of places and restaurants I want to go to specially in San Sebastian and Barcelona on my next trip. Hopefully I can see more cities around Spain. I loved the food, the culture and the friendly people. I shall return!!!
Shoot First Eat Later 