Lagos (Portugal, not Nigeria)

After Sarah and I dropped off the glass-strewn rental car (and began the insurance claim process against Enterprise for the ABSURD amount we were charged for one broken window), we were determined to put this unfortunate chapter of the trip behind us. We had a drink at the airport and were off to warmer and sunnier Portugal in no time. Bad vibes must have followed us though because as we attempted to check in, we were told that the hotel we had booked had no availability and no record of our reservation. We had two confirmation emails from them so that didn't go over well. After speaking to various managers and being offered insincere apologies, we got our money back and booked the next closest hotel. Surely from here on, our troubles must be behind us, right? As far as we're concerned, yes. Portugal has been amazing during our first week here!

We woke up on Sunday to take care of some more insurance / getting-our-lives-back-on-track logistics, then set out to see some of Lisbon. The streets were beautiful, the food delicious and the people friendly - we are very happy to be coming back here after our time at the beach!

Restauradores Square. One of the best parts about Lisbon was that it wasn't too crowded!

Post-shopping, Sarah posed with her bags (and her recently acquired cold beverage) by the water in Lisbon. Doesn't that bridge look an awful lot like the Golden Gate???

On the recommendation of our friend Jill (who we met in Barcelona), we stopped at the Time Out Mercado da Ribeira for dinner. It's a great setting with delicious food.

I got the Classic Francesinha - basically toast with three kinds of meat inside with a fried egg and cheese on top...and delicious sauce all around. Loved it!

The view of the streets of Lisbon as we walked home.

We left on Monday morning for Lagos, one of Portugal's beach towns in the Algarve region. Sarah found this place by Googling the "Best Beaches in Portugal" and it worked out famously. It's still a developing area (lots of construction / renovation going on at the moment) but the natural scenery is amazing and the small-town feel was very relaxing after several weeks of hopping from big city to big city.

When we arrived, we were a little frustrated to learn there were no cabs available at the bus station so we had to walk to our guest house on the outskirts of town. Stretching our legs after a four-hour bus ride was not the worst thing in the world, but we were both pretty sweaty by the time we arrived! We dropped our bags in our room, then headed to the pool to relax and cool off for the rest of the afternoon.

Once the sun was a little lower in the sky, we walked to dinner nearby and stopped to snap some pictures of the amazing scenery on the way - we can see why many Europeans come here for vacation!

Lagos is famous for these cliff-like formations. Seeing them at dusk was a great way to kick off our time here.

Easy to forget we got robbed a few days ago while taking in this relaxing view.

Settled into our new environment, and much slower pace, we spent the next three days in Lagos at various beaches, at the pool at our guest house and wandering around the quiet streets of the town center. Our favorite place to eat was probably Bora and for post-beach drinks / snacks Bahia is the place to be. We get the impression that we were here just before things really get busy for the summer but that was just fine with us - we had no problem finding a quiet set of chairs on the beach or walking into any restaurant without a reservation. All of which is to say, we had a great, relaxing couple days.

Camilo Beach, one of the Algarve's most famous beaches.

It was so nice we got up early to see the sunrise from Camilo Beach.

Sunrise from a cave on the beach.

Another angle from the beach.

And one more right up by the water...spectacular from every angle!

We had the beach in town all to ourselves.

One of the many beautiful streets in downtown Lagos.

Back on Camilo Beach, during the day.

Apparently the "Dad Bod" is a thing back home. Good thing I've been (unintentionally) working on mine over the last year!

Sunset in Lagos Marina on our last night.

Merde

Unfortunately, our time in Marseille will forever be overshadowed by the single worst occurrence of our trip to date: our rental car was broken into and all of my belongings were stolen. Early on Thursday Alex and I drove up to Notre-Dame de La Garde to check out the beautiful church and hillside views before heading further south for a hike. Because the freezing wind was so intense, we only stayed 20 minutes – apparently enough time for a brazen criminal to smash the window, unlock the car and grab my purse, both of my backpacks and our iPhones. We realized we still had Alex’s belongings – including our camera, laptop, passports and his wallet – so we tried not to panic and immediately involved the church staff and police.

These are professionals who have done this before - they got in by breaking this small window and using a coat hanger to open the door from inside. BUT THE UPSIDE: The only thing of mine not taken? The dress I bought for a friend’s upcoming wedding. Not very helpful right now but I’m sure I will appreciate it later!

After a harrowing, stressful and emotional two days in Marseille, we made the difficult decision to cancel the France road trip we had planned for the next two weeks. Beyond the obvious rental car damage and logistical challenges we faced, the driving experience in Marseille was also miserable. Instead, we booked two relaxing weeks in nearby, sunny Portugal to try and shake off the darkness of the past 48 hours. Not exactly how we planned to end the European part of our adventure, but hopefully a vast improvement over our time in Marseille!

P.S. Below are some “highlights” from our time here; while we did get to see some impressive sights, neither Alex nor I really feel up to the task of showcasing a place that caused us so much misfortune.

Looking up at Notre-Dame de la Garde from the Old Port. (Yes, alright, it's beautiful).

The Marseille Cathedral.

Did Dali design this gazebo?

Blissfully ignorant that at this exact moment, we were being robbed. (Thought Alex's only problem at the time was not wearing pants!)

Up close at Notre-Dame de la Garde.

Inside the church. Very nautical-themed, if you ask us.

Looking out to sea from Notre-Dame de la Garde. Beautiful...but we just won't remember this view favorably...

Barcelona

Our early Sunday morning wake-up call, coupled with our fun-but-exhausting previous week with Jigar, resulted in a dire need for some rest once Alex and I arrived in Barcelona. Having been to the city twice before, I was confident I could show Alex the best sights - plus a few new ones - in two full days after using our first day to relax and catch up on some final trip planning. We spent the day mostly perched within our guest house, ventured out for a couple meals and ended the evening feeling relaxed and recharged, ready to take on Barcelona in the morning.

We started Monday by walking to the Sant Pau del Camp, since it was on the way to the Barri Gotic neighborhood, our primary destination for the morning. Unfortunately, a concert was scheduled to take place within the church so it was closed to visitors. While not that impressive from the outside, we did love the flowered walls nearby. 

Alex now knows how to spell "bougainvillea" because I love it so much and always point it out.

We continued walking toward the Marina and stopped briefly to check out the various monuments, government buildings and, of course, the many boats anchored nearby.

A lot of these boats sailed from pretty far away!

Checking out the seemingly-out-of-place Picasso statue near the water.

Next, we headed to El Casal, a small off-the-beaten-path café for lunch and enjoyed a quiet and delicious meal away from the hoards of tourists we encountered on Las Ramblas. After a delightful leisurely lunch outdoors (a standout was Alex’s appetizer – fish gratin, which was like a rich, fluffy crab cake), Alex and I continued to stroll through the Gothic Neighborhood, finally ending up at the Catedral de Barcelona.

Looking up at Placa St Jaume.

Everone seemed pretty impressed with the classic gothic-style Carrer del Bisbe archway.

The Barcelona Cathedral is an enormous Gothic cathedral and seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, Spain. It was constructred during the 14th-16th centuries and is known for the many gargoyles that line the various roofs. We meandered through the beautiful interior and were also able to ascend to the rooftop for views of the city and nearby rooftops. The outdoor scenery wasn’t quite as impressive given the numerous television antennae but we still enjoyed being able to look out across downtown Barcelona.

Looking up at the impressive altar.

Now looking back.

View of the steeple from the rooftop.

We only saw the front as we left the building!

Park Guell, our next stop, is one of my favorite places in Barcelona so I made sure Alex and I allocated an afternoon on a clear day to check it out. The park was designed by Antoni Gaudi, whose unique architectural style - typified by bright tiles and unique curving walls - is displayed throughout Barcelona. Unfortunately, upon arriving we learned that the admission rules have changed since I was last here and we could only buy tickets for two hours from the time we arrived. Fear not! The park has siphoned off a “free public area” where we were able to grab a beer and stroll around to pass the time until we could enter the main area. Once we were able to enter, we were not disappointed; the beautiful tiled architecture and views of city, sea and sky were just as good as I had remembered.

Not a bad view from the "public area."

There were many contrasts between Guadi's more modern architecture and older styles.

One of the best spots n the park, in my humble opinion.

Looking out toward Barcelona.

The tile makes everything look so bright and colorful.

We saw our brief opening without other tourists and pounced on a friendly English tourist to take our picture.

One more shot of the tiles and cityscape.

And one of me in my favorite place.

Some of the more "modern" columns.

Looking up at the pavilion ceiling, also detailed with tiling.

Walking down the hill – which was much easier than the steep incline up! – Alex and I settled on a restaurant near to the bar at which we were later meeting a friend-of-a-friend. We took the subway to the Eixample area and checked out the Casa Mila on our way to dinner.

Commonly known as La Pedrera, Casa Mila is the largest civil building designed by Gaudi in Barcelona.

If you are ever in Barcelona and find yourself “tapas’d out” definitely go early to snag a seat at Foc I Oli. The small place is very casual, only has about ten seats and serves one thing: delicious burgers.

Tiny unassuming place (I mean, we are basically on top of the cash register!) but amazing burgers.

After dinner, we met up with Jill, who is friends with our friend Kristen from NYC and just happened to be in Barcelona on her yearlong travel adventure! We sipped cocktails – a welcome change from Spanish wine - and shared travel stories for a few hours before realizing it was way past our bedtime. It was great to meet a fellow traveler and swap recommendations for our upcoming destinations; Alex and I are really looking forward to France now!

Today we woke up to a cloudy, rainy day – our first in a while – so we took our time getting ready and headed back to a nearby spot we discovered with amazing brunch options.

Copacetic is such a great neighborhood gem – the servers are super friendly, the food is delicious and the chefs can accommodate just about any allergy or preference!

Feeling refueled, we took advantage of a brief rain interlude and walked with our takeaway cappuccinos to catch the subway to Sagrada Familia. Learning from my admission experience at Park Guell, I had prebooked tickets online so we were able to go in immediately upon arriving – no waiting in the rain for us! We walked around the church outside and marveled at the structure – and how far the builders still have to go in order to complete it.

So strange to be able to see the old and new parts of the church side-by-side.

Once inside, I was shocked by the changes that have occurred since I was last here five years ago. I remembered dusty floors, dark wooden scaffolding and empty areas that were blocked off to tourists; now the interior is almost complete and the finished product seems within reach.

We thought the newer interior was very alien-like.

Quite a different looking church altar!

Alex and I both felt like the brand new inside was at odds with the older feeling outside, but obviously it is difficult for harmonious architecture to exist when the church has been in construction for nearly 100 years! By the time we had finished checking out the inside, it was pouring rain again so we stepped into a nearby coffee shop to wait it out for a bit. Once the rain let up a little, we headed to our last Gaudi stop in Barcelona, Casa Batllo. The house was built by Gaudi for the Batllo family and is fashioned in the typic Gaudi “funhouse” style (as I like to call it). With no right angles in the construction, we thought the structure was more reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland than a real house that people lived in.

The exhibit illustrated how the façade was designed to evoke feelings of water, nature and man.

I’m not sure what Gaudi’s views on drugs were but the crazy design in some of these places make it seem likely that he took a liberal stance!

We had one last Spanish meal of meats and cheeses at a cute tapas spot near our guesthouse, Vino y Otros Remedios, before heading home to get some sleep. Tomorrow we fly to Marseille and both Alex and I are excited to spend a few weeks driving through France!

It's Always Sunny in Seville

Our return to Madrid was brief and uneventful. We were all a little tired from our early flight back so we decided to do like the Spaniards do – eat a heavy lunch, then take a nap! After we felt rested, we walked around the city for a few hours to show Jigar some of the sights we saw when we were here a few days earlier. After a light Mexican meal (we were all tapas’d-out!) we headed to bed early so we’d have plenty of energy for Seville on Thursday.

The train ride from Madrid to Seville was very nice. The service was exactly on time and we even got fed a hot meal onboard. Some of the other passengers on our car ordered multiple rounds of wine (which was free), though none of us were in the mood to imbibe at 10am. I think these other passengers have done this before because the wines were served in mini-bottles and many of the passengers just tucked them in their bags for later! Oh well – I don’t think there will be a shortage of Spanish wine in Seville!

We booked an AirBNB apartment for the next three days so we checked in with our host and set out to explore the city. It was REALLY hot on Thursday – RealFeel temperatures were over 100 degrees! – so we moved at a slow pace and tried to stay in the shade as much as possible. Our first stop was Metropol Parasol, the largest wooden structure in the world. While it certainly is a huge wooden structure, none of us really cared for it that much because it struck such a sharp contrast to the more traditional Spanish architecture that defines the rest of Seville.

On our way to the Metropol Parasol, we found ourselves strolling down one of the many beautiful, small streets of Seville.

Old meets new: the Iglesia de la Anunciación and a corner of the Metropol Parasol.

A very strange structure indeed.

View from the top of the Metropol Parasol, looking south at many of the city’s main landmarks.

And the view looking north.

Even exploring the Metropol Parasol slowly left us drained in the extreme heat so we decided to take a break at one of the many restaurants in the area. This one happened to be advertising the cheapest beers in Spain - €0.40! – so we figured it was as good a place as any to cool off in the A/C. The drinks cost that little because they were tiny, but it was still a good place to relax for a few minutes. Next we walked south to see some more of the city, but before long it was time to duck into Bar Alfalfa to escape the heat!

There is a beautiful courtyard waiting around almost every corner in Seville.

Another beautiful alleyway.

Sarah popped her head into a private courtyard to snap this great picture.

My favorite street in Seville.

After a hot day of exploring Seville, all three of us were ready for some food. Our first stop was Taberna Coloniales for traditional tapas. It was here that we were first introduced to salmorejo, a thick, tomato-based gazpacho soup – it is delicious, make sure to try it if you ever visit Spain! After a few rounds of tapas and people watching from our table on the street, we walked over to La Azotea for our main courses. I opted for an omelet, Jigar got roasted vegetables and Sarah got a mini-burger. All were amazing!

Didn't realize I was getting freshly (and thinly!) sliced ham - straight from the leg - on my omelet!

Not "traditional" tapas, but still delicious (and excellent presentation!).

We slept in until an embarrassingly late hour on Friday, but when we eventually rose we headed over to the Seville Cathedral to see (arguably) the city’s main attraction. When we arrived, however, the lines to get in were absurdly long. We figured it would be best to let the crowds pass and eat a leisurely lunch at Bodeguita Romero – this place is known for its sandwich tapas and the pulled pork / chorizo / black bean sandwich was one of the best things we’ve eaten so far in Spain!

The Seville Cathedral. Beautiful from the outside (we'll explore the inside after lunch).

Another shot from the outside of the Cathedral.

When we were done with lunch, the crowds to get in had practically disappeared – timing is everything! Our wait to get in only took 10 minutes and we explored the incredible Cathedral for a couple hours.

Almost inside, we snapped a picture of this statue by the entrance.

This is the largest Gothic-style cathedral in the world. But the pictures don't even come close to doing it justice!

Looking up at the main dome of the cathedral - the different lighting provided quite a contrast.

One of the many intricate "treasures" on display in one of the side rooms.

We were able to climb to the top of the Cathedral to get some great views looking down on the rest of Seville.

Back down in the courtyard, looking up at the Cathedral's towers.

After the Cathedral we headed down to another of Seville’s tourist attractions, the Plaza de España. This beautiful, but modern, structure was very pleasant to walk around for an hour or so. There were row boats for rent to explore the moat but we opted to take in the views from dry land.

The Plaza de España.

Another benefit of having Jigar around: we always have a photographer on hand!

And Sarah is always happy to return the favor for a shot of the two of us.

Incredible tiling detail throughout - really a spectacular place.

Since we were close to some of the bridges that connected us with Triana, the west side of Seville, we figured we'd cross over and see what that side of the river had to offer. There were a handful of bars and restaurants, but many were closed when we were there. Extended siesta, perhaps? In any case, it wasn't long before we headed back to the downtown Seville in search of tapas. After bounding around a few places we didn't really love, we ended up at Bodega dos de Mayo and loved it. The food was great (even though we were a little full from our earlier, less delicious tapas) and the place was packed with locals.

Aging pig legs: our view for dinner. When in Spain!?!

Sarah and I decided to get up early on Saturday to see the city when it wasn't bustling with people. Jigar said on Friday night that he planned to join us...but it's always difficult to pull yourself out of bed before sunrise! He stayed behind, but we got some great pictures of the city without too many other people blocking the views.

Sunrise at the Cathedral.

Empty plazas...

...and streets.

The Christopher Columbus Monument.

Lots of joggers along the river this morning - with views like this I don't blame them for choosing that route!

After we returned for a nap, we woke Jigar at his regularly scheduled hour, 12 noon ("It's the jetlag!" does not work on the 7th day of the trip!), and walked south to explore Seville’s palace, Alcázar. Though not as impressive as the sights we saw yesterday, it was still well worth a visit to see the beautifully tiled rooms and impressively manicured gardens.

Me and Jigar at the main gate of Alcázar.

One of several great courtyards in the palace.

Some Islamic features of the palace design are hard to miss - haven't seen archways like this since Dubai.

A quiet corridor of the palace (and Sarah's favorite part).

Ok maybe this was Sarah's favorite part.

We concluded our evening - and our time in Seville - with a Flamenco show. We'd been meaning to do this in Spain and our AirBNB host recommended a great place so we figured it would make a fun end to our time with Jigar. These shows are obviously geared towards tourists but I can't tell you how much we all enjoyed it! Really incredible guitar, singing and dancing - well worth it if you are in Seville (or Spain in general)!

OLE!

Jigar just left us on an overnight bus to Portugal. Sarah and I will probably get just as much sleep as Jigar since we have to be on the move by 5am to catch our flight to Barcelona, but we all enjoyed our time in this lovely town. It's hot in the summer months but definitely worth a visit!

San Sebastián

After meeting up with our friend Jigar at the Madrid airport on Sunday, we took a small propeller plane to San Sebastián and arrived around noon.  Realizing just how small the airport there was (there are only six flights a day), we were thankful for the sole taxi that showed up about 15 minutes after we landed. Alex managed to direct our driver in broken Spanish to the Pension we were all staying at and we made it to the center of the old city just as the many pintxos bars were filling up. Pintxos are similar to Spanish tapas – though there is much debate as to what separates the two – and are a cornerstone of the Basque Region cultural experience. We were ready to “pintxos hop” and luckily, our host had prepared a helpful map of the best local spots for eating and drinking. Over the course of our three days here I tried to keep a detailed list of what we ate and where we ate it but my rioja consumption may have caused me to miss a few spots…nevertheless, we have some great recommendations if you ever make it to San Sebastián!

I was reminded a bit of Bourbon Street – every sign marks a different bar to grab a drink and pintxos!

Main drag in San Sebastian, leading up to the Iglesia de Santa Maria.

A Fuego Negro - Our first stop was recommended by many as the best place to grab a mini-burger. While the burgers were good, we didn’t think they quite lived up to the hype. No problem – time to move on to the next spot! 

Gandarias –Literally down the block from A Fuego Negro as all of these pintxos bars are located within a few blocks of each other. We tried a variety of the options waiting for us along the bar as well as the local white wine (served in a large cup). Best for: croquettes and skewers of sautéed mushrooms and prosciutto.

La Cepa – Just a quick stop here to grab a glass of wine and take in the views from a perch outside.

View from the doorway of La Cepa.

Beti Jai – We loved this place as the options were plentiful and the food and service were great. The interior is definitely more modern than many of the other options, but there is a well-appointed seating area, which we appreciated after a couple hours on our feet. Best for: presentation. Definitely the most appetizing spread we saw with lots of great options.

Really hard to go wrong here.

Feeling like we had a pretty satisfying afternoon of casual eating and drinking we headed to the water to watch the sunset. The views were incredible and we loved the comraderie among both locals and tourists just happy to sit and chat on the pier while taking in the scenery.

Easy to see why so many people gather to watch the sunset!

"Sarah, get one of me holding the sun." NAILED IT! So happy to have you Jigar!

Perfect way to end the day.

Since the sun didn’t set until after 9pm, the pintxos bars were starting to fill up again for the “evening shift.” We will still pretty full from our afternoon of eating but we managed a few additional stops before calling it a day.

Nagusia Lau – None of us remember much about this place and based on online reviews I think there is a reason for that…

La Vina – Famous for its tarta de queso, this highly recommended spot lived up to the hype! Alex and I convinced Jigar we only needed one plate to share and were glad we did. Best for: dessert. The cheesecake is worth it!

We slept in pretty late on Monday and all three of us were feeling a little exhausted from the previous day’s bingeing so we headed to a quiet lunch at Maiatza, which I highly recommend if you are feeling tired of pintxos.

After regaining some of our lost energy, we walked across the bridge and checked out the Zurriola Beach before heading south.

The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd was pretty quiet on Monday.

Me and Alex in the center of town.

Looking back at the San Sebastian Cathedral.

Our Pension host had warned us that Mondays would be much quieter so our subdued activities for the day certainly fit in with the local vibe. Having spotted a few boutiques I wanted to check out, I left the boys for a few hours and did some shopping while they grabbed beers.

Atari Gastroteka – More of a sit down restaurant though tapas are offered. Best for: its spacious area with beer garden-style wooden benches.

I met up with Alex and JIgar in the evening and we continued our new favorite pastime of pintxos hopping.

Bar Sport – Popular place that I had read about on TripAdvisor, though it doesn’t look very impressive from the outside. Best for: fried spicy meatballs and hot chorizo sandwich.

We decided to take it easy went to bed early so we could get up early and hike to the lookout on nearby Monte Urgull in the morning.

Today we grabbed coffee and successfully “climbed” (much more like an uphill stroll) Monte Urgull. The weather has been cooler and hazy here so the sky wasn’t very clear, but we still got to see some great views of San Sebastian.

Even on a hazy day, the beach views are something to behold.

Even a cloudy day can be a great beach day.

Looking out over the dock where we watched the sunset.

Having completed some – albeit limited – physical activity for the day, it was obviously time for more pintxos! We headed to probably the most highly recommended pintxos spot – seriously everyone kept talking about this place – and settled in, expecting magic.

Bar Borda Berri – I was definitely more impressed with this place than Jigar and Alex. Jigar didn’t care that much for his goat cheese and Alex feared the pesto glaze used on the meat dishes contained nuts so it was left to me to eat most of the food! Luckily the veal cheeks were outstanding, though I will note that the atmosphere of the place is much more subdued than most of the other bars: quiet, indifferent service and no pre-made pintxos lining the bar. Best for: tender veal cheeks, peppers stuffed with veal cheeks.

Our trio popped into a few of the other places we had already visited so Alex and Jigar could get some lunch and then we strolled down the beach to the Miramar Palace.

The sun finally started to come out!

Looking back on San Sebastian.

Turned out to be a pretty nice beach day after all!

Pretty picturesque.

Needing something other than the local rioja and white wine options we had been sampling over the past couple of days, we headed to a local beer bar our Pension host mentioned.

Bar Extenzo – definitely the broadest selection of beers we saw here but virtually no English to be found. Best for: trying local beers, obviously!

For our last dinner in San Sebastian, we finally heeded all of the advice we’d received about where to go for a delicious steak meal.

Bar Nestor – Famous for only serving five items (but doing all of them very well), this place has been feautured in multiple publications and guides. We really enjoyed the whole experience but were a little let down by the famous meat. Best for: everything they serve besides the steak - tomato salad, omelet (make sure you get there early before the only one they make each day sells out!), shisito peppers.

So rare and so much fat - we thought those yellow blobs were potatoes at first!

Satisfied with our extensive culinary immersion in San Sebastian, we headed home to get some rest. Tomorrow we fly back to Madrid briefly before catching a train to Seville for the next few days.