Spain
SPAIN
LOCATION
MUST DO
- Exploring the historic ancient walled city of Toledo
- Flamenco show and dinner in Cordoba
- Eating churros and chocolate at Chocolateria San Gines
- Taking the Strawberry train to Aranjuez palace
- Visit the Alhambra in Grenada
Trip Details
When: September – December 2004
Where: Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo, Avila, San Sebastian, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruna, Bilbao, Burgos, Segovia, Cordoba, Grenada
How: Study Abroad semester in college
TRAVEL TIPS
- Flamenco dinner/show at Villa Rosa.
- Rent a paddle boat and Visit Crystal Palace at Retiro park Lake
- El Rastro flea market (sundays)
- Gran Via – Madrid’s famous shopping street – must shop at Zara!! and MANGO.
- Visit San Miguel market (serving pastries & tapas) and nearby Plaza Mayor for people watching. Free walking tour starting at Plaza Mayor
- Prado museum is one of the best museums in the world
- patatas bravas – potatoes fried in oil and served with aioli
- paella – seafood and yellow rice
- churros con chocolate – churros dipped in thick hot chocolate (best at Chocolateria San Gines
- tortilla espanola – like a potato omelette
- croquetas – chicken or ham and bechamel fritters (kind of like chicken nuggets)
- gazpacho – cold tomato soup
- mazapan – marzipan – sold everywhere but best in Toledo.
- turron – honey nougat candy
NOTES
I studied abroad in Spain for a semester during college. I lived with a homestay family in the Chueca neighborhood in Madrid, right off of the famous shopping street Gran Via. I love everything about Spain! The people, the food, the architecture of Madrid and Barcelona, the history, the art, the landscapes, the music, the TV dramas, and especially the siestas. Some of my favorite memories are spending time with my host family eating dinner after 10 pm then going on long paseos (walks) to the plazas to bump into friends and neighbors and stopping for churros con chocolate.
During my semester abroad, we got to travel to different parts of the country with different landscapes, architecture, and even languages. I will never forget the amazing experiences I had in Spain. It’s one of my favorite countries.