Spain

…Plentiful UNESCO World Heritage sites, thought-provoking architecture, diverse and beautiful scenery, fabulous wines, delicious cuisine…

We’ve only visited Spain once so far and so have only seen a small portion of this large and diverse country.  Spain is home to the world’s third largest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites. So, we will definitely be back to see some more of these sites as well as to experience more of the spectacular scenery, amazing wine regions, and delicious cuisine.

Our trip focused on Barcelona, Rioja, and San Sebastian and was mostly about food and wine. Each day we'd carefully plan out our (limited) number of meals and wish we had bigger stomachs!  Food in Spain is amazing, possibly some of the best in the world (second only to Japan in our opinion). Spainards focus on high quality and fresh ingredients, take great pride in their food, and love to eat and drink wine.  In fact, we ended up with ended up with more "food" pictures (85) than "sights" pictures (65)!

Here are highlights (DINK Trip Tips) from our trip...for more details or to help plan your own visit, contact us!

Barcelona

• Explore the fantastic architecture/art of Antoni Gaudi, especially Sagrada Familia with all its detail and symbolism
• Experience the multitude of parks, gardens, and beaches full of locals engaging in all kinds of sports and games
• Enjoy al fresco dining on an array of fabulous food choices - tapas, paella, "bikinis" -  simple jamon (cured ham) and cheese sandwiches, pan con tomate (bread with garlic/tomato rubbed on it, drizzled in olive oil, chacuteries platters) - paired with excellent (and very affordable) Spainish wine
• Embrace the afternoon siesta, which is critical for experiencing the evening scene as dinner doesn’t start until 9pm and bars/clubs don’t get going midnight or 1am (and can go until 7am)
• Head down to Sitges to experience the beautiful coastline and beach
• Take a day trip to Montblanc to enjoy the countryside and visit Monestir de Poblet, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1151 located at the foot of the Prades Mountains

Rioja

• Drive around wine country to enjoy the scenery
• Visit some of the spectaular wineries (Marqués de Riscal, Bodega R Lopez de Heredia) to taste delicious wines and enjoy the great architecture (Ysios winery)
• Stay at the Frank Gehry designed Hotel Marqués de Riscal in El Ciego

San Sebastian

• Take a pinxtos (tapas) bar walking tour for dinner (i.e., pick a pinxtos bar, order a glass of wine (Rioja) or txakoli (young white wine), have one or two tapas, then move to the next one and repeat).  Most pinxtos bars had a house specialty or were known for something special...perfect if you love to taste a bunch of stuff. It's like sushi on bread...so many different combinations and so delicious!
• Stroll around the beautiful coastline and maybe even venture in the surf