Spain (Part 1)
We left the UK very excited to start what would be a month long road trip through Spain and Portugal. We landed in Barcelona, rented our vehicle and headed to the town of Besalu. We walked around the town, got an espresso and admired the Spanish architecture. It was here we had our first taste of delicious (very affordable) Spanish wine.
Next town was Sos del Rey Catolico, which is my favorite small Spanish town we visited. The town is laid out on top of a hill and has beautiful historic architecture. We stayed at a small inn at the center. It was a maze walking through the empty streets. Again, since it was off season, we were some of the only guests in the town. I would also like to note that these are places in Catalonia, a region of Spain. While I won't go into the history as I don't want to get it wrong, there are deep roots here and I would highly recommend listening to a podcast on Spanish history as well as one on the Spanish Civil War. If you think our politics are complicated, buckle up.
As you can probably see, we were doing pretty quick hits in these towns. No more than one day each as we made our way to the west. The next town is just over the French border, Saint Jean Pied De Port, where we stayed at a charming inn called Manexenea. We took a walk through the town, had duck for dinner that I still dream about, and drove through some beautiful country roads.
The next day, we made our way to Vielha, which has more of a ski town vibe as it is in the mountains. The drive there steadily accumulated more snow. We went out for dinner in town and quickly learned that if we were going to get served, we were needed to be a bit more aggressive. The town was packed as it was ski season, but in general, it was off season tourist travel in Spain. I should also note that culturally, restaurants might not even open until 8, but most people arrived closer to 9 for their meal, which was typically a couple of tapas.
Next town was Sos del Rey Catolico, which is my favorite small Spanish town we visited. The town is laid out on top of a hill and has beautiful historic architecture. We stayed at a small inn at the center. It was a maze walking through the empty streets. Again, since it was off season, we were some of the only guests in the town. I would also like to note that these are places in Catalonia, a region of Spain. While I won't go into the history as I don't want to get it wrong, there are deep roots here and I would highly recommend listening to a podcast on Spanish history as well as one on the Spanish Civil War. If you think our politics are complicated, buckle up.
As you can probably see, we were doing pretty quick hits in these towns. No more than one day each as we made our way to the west. The next town is just over the French border, Saint Jean Pied De Port, where we stayed at a charming inn called Manexenea. We took a walk through the town, had duck for dinner that I still dream about, and drove through some beautiful country roads.
On the way to San Sebastián, we stopped in a surfing town to walk along the beach. While I don't remember the name of the town, the walk was memorable.
Finally, we made it to San Sebastián in the Basque region of Spain. Known for its beaches on the Bay of Biscay, it was much more of a lively city than were we had been in the past week. During the night, we did a tapas tour of our own by jumping from one tapas bar to the next. During the day, it was mostly raining, but that didn't stop us from renting bikes and going for a run along the bay.
While in San Sebastián, we met a girl who needed a ride to Porto, Portugal, where we were headed next. She decided to accept our offer to hitch a ride and we made our way into Portugal.
Until next time!
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