We started our journey by flying out of Atlanta. After a stay in the Raleigh Durham airport, the next stop was New York City!  Lindsey had never been, so for our 10 hour layover we journeyed into the city.  A stop in Times Square, lunch in Chinatown and a visit to the 9/11 memorial, we felt very fulfilled.

Our bed in Raleigh airport

We arrived in Madrid at 7:30 am, they are 7 hours ahead of US.  As we made it thru customs there was a sense of adventure in us both.  Extremely exhausted from the day of travel we rallied.  A taxi to the Plaza de Mayor was our first stop. The city center and the pulse of Madrid seemed like a great first stop.  The Bnb was not ready so we wandered around the city center and acclimated to the Spanish lifestyle.  Our host, Victor, finally told us the apartment was ready in the beautiful neighborhood of Malasana.  A quaint apartment tucked away in one of Madrid’s best locations.  Central to everything and we called this our home base for 4 days.  I cant express enough how fabulous a city Madrid is.  It is full of old school charm and character.  We were able to visit the Prado museum (free after 3 on Sundays)! We walked, subwayed and bussed around this beautiful city. Taking in all it had to offer.  Amazing tapas, wine and the friendly people!  Getting lost on its windy avenues and plazas.  We were able to access this city and take in its charm.  Words cannot describe it so I will let the pictures do the talking……

The Madrid pics are at the very top.  This is a picture of us dining with our host, Victor, at Public restaurant in Madrid.

We were very fortunate to take an overnight trip to Valencia on the high speed train.  We bought tickets to FC Barcelona vs Valencia in futbol.  Valencia is a Mediterranean town.  The third largest city in Spain.  It is also the birthplace of Paella and we indulged!  We had our first taste of churros while watching the Sea.  The score of the game was 1-1 which made the Valencia fans very content.  It was at Estadion Mestalla which seats around 63,000.  It was an awesome experience to take in this very passionated sport in Spain.  The next morning we were back to Madrid…….

The next stop on our Spanish tour was to the enchanted Medieval town of Toledo.  A little south of Madrid atop a hilltop stands Toledo.  It was built around 1000.  Having seen the Moors, Romans and native Spaniards all adding to the history of this extremely magical place.  Little winding cobblestone roads surrounded by a body of water.  It has two Roman built bridges as well.  The Moors, Christians and Jews all put there mark on this town by their cathedrals, mosques and synagogues.  A magical place that is what fairytales are made of.  I highly recommend to anyone.  Once known for its metalsmiths and weapons making center, it still has the feel of a thousand years ago.  You could imagine yourself living the daily life that they did many years before.  We both fell hard for this beautiful place.

The next leg of our journey took us to San Sebastian in the north of Spain.  This charming town sits on the Bay of Biscay.  Deep in Basque country the people here would like their autonomy from Spain.  Its been an old fight taking the people back to the days of the Fascist, Franco. They even have their own dialect called Euskara.  It is evident as you walk around this city, the peoples pride in their region.  It has a world famous beach called La Plancha which has graced publications throughout the world.  A great surfing beach sits on the other side of the mountain, Playa de Zurriola.  There were many surfers out everyday.  This was Lindsey’s first stay in a hostel, A Room In The City, and she came away with a changed mind on the beauty of a hostel.  We roamed the streets of this beautiful place and dined on pintxo’s which is North Spains version of tapas.  A very homey feeling town with a mix of old history and the modern world.  One of my favorite places on the trip!

After enjoying San Sebastian, we decided to hop the border and head to France.  To our delight, it was a fabulous experience.  We found ourselves in Biarritz.  A wonderful town that sits on the Atlantic coast.  A charming city that embodied everything French.  Another surfing hotspot at the beaches of this lovely place.  As we were there, the Roxy Pro was happening up the road in Hossegor.  This town was amazing as the views of the ocean were incredible!  A very charming downtown area full of fresh markets and lovely crafts.  I think both of us fell in love with this location.  Wish we had more time here as it was vibrant with life and character.  I highly recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to go.

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