Travel Journal: Spain's Costa Brava

It's been awhile, but I realized that I never shared any photos from the last leg of our Eurotrip: Spain's Costa Brava. This little stretch of scenic coastline wasn't even on my radar before I started planning the trip, but I'm so glad I found out about it. It's dotted with medieval villages, stunning little beaches, and hilltop castles. (All photos were taken on my iPhone.)

We began our road trip in Barcelona, where we rented a convertible Mini Cooper — because if you're going to be driving through a region as jaw-droppingly beautiful as this, you better do it right. We checked into an old-school family-run hotel hugging the cliffs in Aiguablava.

See those dogs? They were wandering around the village near our hotel when we arrived. As Todd and I started exploring the nearby coastal trails, they joined us, walking just ahead of us as if they were enthusiastic tour guides. They would run ahead a few yards, then stop and look back to make sure we were following. When we got back to the hotel around sunset, they both disappeared into the twilight. It was pretty surreal.

We spent the next few days lounging by the pool and beach, taking walks along the shore, and exploring nearby villages like Begur and Pals. We had one of the trip's most memorable meals in the courtyard of the Hotel Aiguaclara's restaurant, where we shared a bottle of cava and enjoyed a view of the village's castle. The next day, we returned to the town square around 5 p.m. and watched it come alive as the locals wrapped up their work day.

Travel Diary: Barcelona

The last time Todd and I visited Barcelona, we spent less than 18 hours in the city, stayed in a crappy hostel, and decided we didn't like it. We gave it another chance, and I'm so glad we did. By the time we were done with our short visit, we were making fantasy plans to move there.

We stayed in El Raval, an up-and-coming neighborhood a few minutes from Las Ramblas. The apartment we rented had an awesome view of the street below; it made us feel like residents of the neighborhood. (Note that all of these photos were taken on my iPhone, because I got tired of carrying my camera around.)

We were tired from our early flight, so we decided to just sit for awhile and take in the scenery at Plaza Real. Our past trips have been all about go-go-go, but this time I think we really perfected the art of relaxing, watching, and soaking up the atmosphere. We may not have seen quite so many sites, but I think we enjoyed our time more and got a better sense of the city.

 

Everything I read about Barcelona said we had to go to La Boqueria, a massive food market that's apparently as popular with locals as tourists. It ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip. There was every kind of food imaginable, from delicate chocolates to neon-colored fresh fruit juices to seafood so fresh it was still moving. And then there were the churros y chocolate, which easily ranked as one of my top three food moments of all time.

Our feet were aching terribly from the previous day's hike, so we did something we've never done before: We purchased a bus tour. We decided on a double-decker, hop-on-hop-off option, and it allowed us to see the far-flung sites we couldn't have fit in on foot: Olympic Park (above), Gaudi's buildings, and the beach, for example. Todd may or may not have lost his ticket after eating lunch on the beach, but luckily we'd already seen most of what we wanted to see, so we just took the metro back to our apartment before heading out for more tapas and sangria (sensing a theme?) in Barri Gotic.

Barcelona, you might be the most delicious place I've ever been.

Eurodreams.

I'm back from Portugal and Spain, and as good as it is to be home, and as excited as I was to start a new job, I'm still a little sad every day that I'm not waking up there. It all feels a little bit like a dream.

This particular beach was on the Costa Brava, a short but intense hike through woods and tunnels and stone staircases near our hotel. This was the view when we rounded the corner, and we realized why they call it Aigua Blava ("blue water" in Catalan). We hung out on the beach for an hour or two, soaking up the Spanish sun and watching the adorable French and Spanish families (complete with topless mamas) on holiday.

If you follow me on social media, you've already seen dozens of photos from the trip (like it or not). I'll be sharing more here soon.

Costa Brava, Spain.

Cadaques

For the last leg of our upcoming trip to Europe, we had planned to spend a few days driving from Barcelona to Provence and then exploring the land of lavender fields and Pastis on the patio. But then I realized just how incredible the northern coast of Spain is. So the plans were changed.

The Costa Brava is a stretch of coastline on the Mediterranean between Barcelona and the French border that's dotted with charming fishermen's enclaves, medieval villages, and pristine beaches. We booked a hotel perched on a cliff overlooking a small harbor in Begur to be our base of exploration. The plan is to mosey up the coast, stopping anywhere that looks interesting, and to indulge in plenty of fresh Spanish seafood and wine.

Have you explored the Costa Brava? Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Tossa de Mar

Begur

Pals

Besalu

Barcelona.

Last time Todd and I went to Barcelona, we arrived late at night, left before dawn, and stayed in the loudest, dirtiest hostel I've ever seen. So when planning the itinerary for our upcoming trip, we knew we had to give the city a second chance. We are staying in this apartment for a few days, and I just can't wait to ingest copious amounts of cava and tapas, wander La Rambla, and check out the city's famous architecture. If you have suggestions for us, please share in the comments!

comida.

I took Todd to Barsa for his birthday a few weeks ago, and we had a leisurely meal of Spanish-style tapas and cocktails that had us remembering our trip to Spain a few years ago. Since then I've been feeling super wanderlusty — and watching lots of Rick Steves — so I decided to take it out in the kitchen. I made patatas bravas, gambas al ajillo, flan de fresas, and a salad made with local beets. Sounds fancy, but it was all super simple — and super delicioso.