Reset search
Spain 2023Spain 2023
SatelliteEdit route

Spain 2023

July 2023
A 19-day adventure by Napoleon, Nadia Karina, Karina & Oliver Napoleon Read more
  • 39footprints
  • 2countries
  • 19days
  • 558photos
  • 2videos
  • 15.9kkilometers
  • 12.7kkilometers
  • 1.1kkilometers
  • 899kilometers
  • 79kilometers
  • 16kilometers
  • 2kilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Spain 2023
    111
    Day 5

    Casa Batlló

    July 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Casa Batlló is one of the most interesting, beautiful, and creative places of the trip so far. It was a great way to start our Gaudi's day. The exhibition was a mix of 2 digital experiences and an audioguide with AR complement using a tablet. The guide helped us understand the story and design elements of the house in a playful way (e.g., pointing the tablet to a window in the main hall would show a turtle to highlight the inspiration behind it). The tablet also allowed us to visualize how the different rooms looked like when the house was originally built and inhabited by the Batlló family and few residents.

    Each room was unique, and we could also experience some of the furniture designed by Gaudi for the house. Is a playful and gorgeous piece of architecture inspired by the sea, salamanders, rain, plants, and many other natural elements. It is a really unique experience, and there may be nothing else like it in the world.

    We got some orange juice and a coffee on the top of the building, and then we finished our tour and headed out to see other modernist buildings on the same block. Finally, we took a bus to Park Guell, where Gaudi created a unique public space while exploring how to alter known shapes and structures (like aqueducts and gardens) in unique ways.    Read more

  • Spain 2023
    Day 5

    Park Güell

    July 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Park Guell is a public garden with unique architectonic elements designed by Gaudí. As many other of Gaudi's buildings, the park was sponsored by Eusebi Güell. We traveled via bus as the day was really hot and we ended up spending a good amount of time on Casa Batlló. We "only" had to walk about 9 blocks, but they were on a hill, and at a time that was unbearable hot. We had to stop midway to hydrate and take a breath.

    The park didn't disappoint. The park displays Gaudi's naturalistic period where he perfected his personal style, combining natural forms in novel geometric arrangement. The architectonic elements mix with the natural geography of the hill and get integrated without any right angles but curve out undulated designs.

    After visiting several of the park spaces, we left and visited a nearby exposition called the Gaudí experience. It consisted of a 4d movie that showcased the entire work of Gaudí while exploring some of its inspiration. The ride started with a Gaudí alligator superimposed to an image of the audience, and Oliver really believed at the beginning that there was an alligator moving around! His reaction was adorable.    Read more

  • Spain 2023
    Day 5

    La Sagrada Familia

    July 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Our visit to the Sagrada Familia was an amazing way to finish our exploration of Gaudi's Barcelona. It is a one in a kind place and is breathtaking to get into its interior for the first time. We had 1 hour guided visit followed by an elevator to the Passion facade tower.

    It is really hard to find words to describe the experience. The sheer size of the cathedral, its unique design, and the interior illumination are unique around the world. The building is the largest of Gaudi's projects and one that is still evolving.

    The main building has two out of three facades finalized, the ones corresponding to the nativity (the sacred family) and the one of Christ's passion. When the building is finalized, it will have 18 towers and 3 facades.

    Everyone was in awe of the interior illumination. Gaudi was a genius as it came to lighting using natural sources. The colors, brightness, and overall experience of the basílica are impossible to capture in photos. There is a lateral side of the basílica that illuminates in rainbow colors that look even better in camera than in person.

    We loved to see the parts of Barcelona that were influenced by Gaudí, and we are happy we could have the opportunity to experience it. Casa Batlló and Sagrada Familia are by far gems within the trip. We were happy and satisfied, and after crashing for a while in our apartment, we had dinner, and then the adults went out to experience a bit of Barcelona night, famous for being lively and fun.    Read more

  • Spain 2023
    Day 6

    Tibidabo Attraction Park

    July 9, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Today, we are taking a break from being tourists and came to Tibidabo, a small, local attraction park that happens to be the oldest operating park of its kind in Spain.

    We came up through a funicular at the base of the mountain, a short 4 minute ride. Coming out, one gets access to the panoramic area where one can take rides to see Barcelona from above. There is a basilica on the side of the park that offers what are probably the best views of the city.

    We had a blast going through the park. Oliver enjoyed the jumping star the most. It's a small elevator ride for kids. He must have been on it at least 15 times! Nadia and dad's favorite was the rollercoaster and the miner's ride, a small log ride in a water attraction. Karina and Nadia got into Krügers house, a scare house attraction, and they said it was a blast.

    We finished the day getting a dinner in La Pepita, one of the best tapas restaurants in Barcelona. We then headed home and prepared to take our flight early in the morning towards the north. We are recharged and relaxed from the day and ready to get going in the north!    Read more

  • Spain 2023
    Day 7

    San Sebastián

    July 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Early in the morning, we took a flight to Bilbao and took a car to start the second leg of our tour, through the North of Spain, as well as La Rioja, driving all the way to Madrid.

    As a first stop, we took our breakfast in Donostia San Sebastian, one of the most expensive and exclusive destinations in Spain. The town is really beautiful, facing a light blue sea and a small island. We took our breakfast on La Perla, which was a recommendation we received in Barcelona. We walked through the shore a bit and then headed to our real destination of the day: Pamplona!Read more

  • Spain 2023
    Day 7

    San Fermines in Pamplona

    July 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Pamplona during the San Fermin festival is likely one of the hardest things to describe. It is a whole town that holds a week-long party and with everyone dressing in the same way. And more interestingly the festival is full of activities for families and kids to do, and we had our fair share of them to try!

    We stayed very close to the historic center where the action occurs every year. It was a short 10-minute walk that felt longer because we were at a not so pleasant 35 °C temperature. After getting our traditional San Fermin clothing, we headed to Plaza del Castillo to get a quick lunch, and from there, we walked around the city to experience the celebration.

    The best activity we did as a family was the fire bull, a "run of the bulls" for kids where a bull that has firecrackers goes up the Santo Domingo street behind small kids. Nadia didn't want to run, but in the end, she got in. Napoleon held Oliver in his arms, and as he was running through the street, Oliver kept yelling "faster, faster! It is catching up with us!".

    At night, we went together near the ruins of Pamplona Old Citadel and got to see a 20-minute firework show. It more than made up for the fact that we skipped the 4th of July show in NY. At points, it was like the fireworks were exploding just in front of us. By the time we went to bed, it was beyond midnight, and we set our alarms to watch the bulls the next day very early in the morning.    Read more

  • Spain 2023
    Day 8

    Run of the bulls and Pamplona's

    July 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We were ready at 6:30 at the lobby of the Tres Reyes hotel where we met our host for a balcony on Estafeta Street. The reason we had to meet him so early is that the police close the streets around 7am, and whoever is outside of the area where the run occurs is not allowed inside afterward. The run is made every day at 8am during San Fermin, and the route follows from Santo Domingo to Estafeta and finally into the city bullfight ring. We were midway on Estafeta Street on the first floor and with a very good view of the runners.

    The host prepared coffee for us, and he also had small pastries and orange juice. We were all really excited about seeing the event live and we got into the balcony at 7:55 am. We heard the shot indicating that the first bull had left the pen at 8 sharp, and we were looking eagerly into the street to see the action.

    It is easy to tell when the bulls are coming as a sea of red and white starts moving down the street. We saw the bulls directly below our feet as they ran in Estafeta. The whole event lasted just 2 minutes; somehow, in TV, it feels longer.

    After the event, the host guided us to another hotel to get a full breakfast before taking a tour of the old city of Pamplona. We visited several historical spots, and the guide explained how San Fermin became a cultural phenomenon within the last century. We went into the San Fermin basilic, and finally, at the very end of the tour, we found the Giants and Big Heads (cabezones y gigantes) parade. Oliver had a blast with the Big Heads as they went through the crowd, hitting people with foam bulls. Nadia said that she had found her calling and wanted their job! 😝

    After the parade, we disengaged from the tour and picked up our bags to continue our trip further down into Navarra and La Rioja, the wine region of Spain.    Read more

  • Spain 2023
    Day 8

    Navarra and La Rioja countryside

    July 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Navarra and La Rioja natural setting is extremely different from the one we saw in Catalunya and Basque Country. The fact that it was extremely hot didn't help at all. The land is mostly off yellow and red hues, a far cry from the green and blue colors we saw while traveling Catalunya.

    The official language in Navarra is Euskera and is further apart from Castilian than Catalan. This part of the country has industry related to farming, including wines and hams. We stopped in a couple of landmarks along the way and stopped at a town called Logroño. We had a fantastic local lunch at a tabern located just on the side of San Juan Street called La Quimera, where we tried a delicious tomato salad and mussel croquettes. We also tried Natural Sidra, and the only way to describe it is refreshing. This trip is really opening our eyes around me flavors, sometimes with sophisticated ingredients (like fois groa) and other times just mixing the familiar in novel ways, like the tomato salad.

    Since all of us were really tired from San Fermin, we skipped the visit to a local winery and headed directly to our stay in the heart of La Rioja.    Read more

  • Spain 2023
    Day 8

    Monastery of Nuestra Señora de Valvanera

    July 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Finally, we have arrived at our stay tonight: the monastery of Valvanera. Located deep in La Rioja, the monastery is the only sign of civilization several kilometers around. This monastery has existed since the year 990. The sight is breathtaking and a huge contrast from San Fermin. We went from being in a party to having the space and time to decompress and having a welcoming rest. The silence was also appreciated when compared to the loud music and drums in Pamplona.

    We arrived around 5 and crashed... well, mostly the adults. The kids decided to get some "me time" with their electronics and decompress a bit. The only restaurant around in the area is one that is part of the monaster, and we had a traditional dinner. Napoleon tried lamb for the first time and actually liked it, while everyone agreed that the deserts were outstanding. The monastery is famous for its honey production, and it didn't disappoint. The honey is sweet and has a unique flavor that goes really well with yogurt or light creams.    Read more

  • Spain 2023
    Day 9

    Suso Monastery

    July 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We had overall an easy 8th day in Spain and yet one that was memorable. Our only target in terms of sightseeing was visiting San Millan de la Colguera, one of the most ancient sites in all of Spain. San Millan is associated with two monasteries called Yuso and Suso, which comes from the Latin words for "low" and "high," respectively.

    Our GPS set the route to visit Suso first, and we ended up going up a very narrow road up a mountain. We ended up in a clearing within a forest and decided to continue afoot and avoid damage to the car.

    This hike ended up being one of the most memorable parts of our trip. We loved being able to spend time as a family!
    We were mostly alone up the hill and got in beautiful views of the countryside. We rushed a bit coming up because the GPS said we had 40 minutes before the monastery was closed. Once we got there we realized that we should have visited Yuso first and gotten into a bus to come up the trail. We found a tour guide just outside the monastery ruins, and she graciously agreed to let us join her last group, although we were supposed to get a ticket in the lower monastery.

    What followed was a fascinating explanation about the history of the monastery. It was built very early on, and it started with a hermit who was known for his ability to heal people, taking over a cave on the hill as living quarters. The monastery was built around the cave and exhibited different styles of architecture as the building expanded and was occupied by different groups. We saw a set of 6 arches that showed the change from romanic to moorish inspired motifs on the same structure. It is impressive to think of people traveling through this land long before the invention of modern technology and occupying these spaces. In a rather comical note, the building also has bricks full of dogs' pawprints, which were the result of people preparing the building materials on site with dogs running around.

    After the visit, we headed back to our car, this time more leisurely. However, Oliver was walking close to a fence when he accidentally fell down a small creek. He didn't hurt himself but got really scared, and we carried him halfway before he said he wanted to be brave and strong and keep walking by himself. Once we got to the car, we headed down the hill into San Millan.    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English