Spain - Day 10

I woke up early to take the metro to a clinic for my COVID test. I had an appointment at 9:00 am. The nurse that did my test was from Barcelona and her husband was from San Diego. I asked how they met and she explained they were both studying in Ireland and met in school!

After my test, I walked around a bit and grabbed a coffee and croissant at a nearby cafe. 

Then I rode the metro back to my hotel room to shower and get ready for my day. The only thing on my schedule was a wine tasting at 5:00. 

I went down a couple hours early for the wine tasting so I could grab a bite to eat and walk around more. As I was walking I noticed a horchataria (orxataria) that I had pinned on Instagram weeks ago and forgot about. I stopped by and got a cup and it was soooooo good! They also sell horchata ice cream, but I will have to go back and try it another time. 

The wine tasting was awesome. Spain produces 25% of the worlds organic wines according to the wien guide. 

It was a small class with two other couples (one couple from New York City another couple from Italy) and one other solo traveler marine vet who was currently on a world tour after finishing a job in Afghanistan. The dynamic was perfect and by the end of the tasting we all exchanged contact info and I had invited everyone to come visit me in California. The day was 9/11 so I felt like it was significant that I spent my evening with a veteran and New Yorkers.

9/11 is a significant day in Barcelona as well.  It is called National Day of Catalonia. During the day its a celebration but our guide explained that at night it becomes a political demonstration and can be a bit dangerous with rioters. 

Wine is definitely something that brings people together! After the wine tasting, I could tell everyone wanted to continue the party but this was my last night and I had a long day of travel ahead of me so I separated from the group and went back to my hotel room and started packing.

Spain - Day 9

Woke up and flew from Florence to Barcelona. I was able check in to my hotel early. I washed a few outfits in the hotel sink and hung my clothes out to dry. I was pretty tired so I just took a nap and relaxed in my room for a couple hours. 

I then purchased a 2 day pass for the metro and took a ride to Sagrada Familia to check it out. I didn’t want to do a tour but I took pictures from outside the gate. 

After two days of pasta and wine in Italy I really wanted something fresh. I stopped by a little shop and enjoyed an açaí bowl and people watched. 

I wandered around for a couple hours riding the metro and revisiting some of the sites from my first day in Barcelona. I did a little window shopping but of course I couldn’t buy anything because I am only traveling with a carry on luggage. 

I stopped by a sushi take-out restaurant and ordered a huge platter of sushi. I sat on a bench in La Rambla and ate my dinner before getting back on the metro and heading back to my hotel.

 

Italy - Day 8

 We woke up and met at 8:00 am to start our winery tour in Tuscany. 8:00 seems a little early to start drinking wine but we wanted to get the most out of our day.

The wine tour had about 20 people on it. It was a good mix of couples and friend groups. People from a few different countries but Americans made up over half of us

Once we were at the first winery I realized I had actually been on this exact same tour before. Even though I’ve done it before, this would be a whole new experience. It had been three years and I didn’t remember the wine at all.

The pours were so big we could really only do two wineries (usually at home it’s normal to do about 3 or 4 wineries in one day). Everyone was singing and socializing on the bus ride back. When we got back to Florence, everyone was trying to figure out what the Irish girls were going to do after since they were the life of the party. They were like, “We were just going to see what the Americans wanted to do next!” So we exchanged contact info, decided to do a power nap and meet up later. We never did meet up again though. 

Kyli, Alisha and I went back to the hotel room and quickly changed into fresh clothes. We walked and shopped in Florence and then ran into Alisha’s mom and her friend (they didn’t do the wine tour with us). We helped them find the Arno river and then after the sun set we went back to the hotel room. 

Alisha and Kyli’s room had a private terrace. We were so tired we just opened another bottle of grocery store wine, salami and cheese and ate it outside why Kyli packed her huge (huge!) luggage. Kyli had to leave on a train to Rome by 10:00 pm because she had an early flight home the next day. By about 9:00 she started getting hungry for a real meal. We walked to a restaurant nearby and Kyli ordered two entrees. Then she realized she didn’t have enough time to eat it all 🤔 she took it to go and we said goodbye to Kyli. 

Alisha and I were so tired. After Kyli left we just slowly ate our meal. After a few minutes the other customers started leaving and the owner opened up a bottle of wine for us even though we definitely should have been tired of wine by now. The owner mentioned that he wants to visit California. We bonded because we were able to tell him of wine regions in California other than Napa. He seemed really interested. He took note about Los Olivos and Paso Robles. 

He pulled up a chair at our table and poured himself a glass of wine and smoked a cigarette (we were done eating by now) and just chatted with us for a while! He’s a painter so he showed us some of his work. He’s been doing more painting during COVID since the restaurant has been slow. 

By the time we finished that bottle of wine Alisha and I were starting to get a second wind of energy. The owner let us pick the music in the restaurant and Alisha chose Usher. 

We were having fun but it was time to call it a night. Alisha had to be up early because they were doing free COVID testing at the park near our hotel and she wanted to be in line by 7:00 am. I had to be on my way to the airport for yet another early morning flight. 

Spain/Italy - Day 7

I could not sleep at all the night before. I think I slept too much in Mallorca! I started getting repacked and ready to go by 5:00 am. Took the metro to the airport and was on my way to Florence

My friends were on a full day tour and wouldn’t be back until around 8:00pm so I booked a cooking class for myself just to kill some time. 

When I got to Florence they let me check in early and upgraded my room (this keeps happening, I’ve had such great luck with hotel room upgrades and flights with empty seats next to me!)

I changed and headed out to shop. Since I packed only in a carryon I wasn’t able to buy anything but it was still fun to wander around the streets of Florence and look at all the fashion. It’s been 3 years since I was there last. 

One thing that’s very sweet in Italy is that a few times after someone found out we’re American they would say something like, “American!? We haven’t seen Americans in over a year!” and they really make you feel like you’ve been missed. I know Florence was hit hard in the beginning of the pandemic and they depend heavily on tourism so I think they took us being there as a good sign. It’s interesting to be going through a pandemic along with everyone else in the world. It kept us apart for so long but also brought us together in someways. 

The cooking class was amazing. Normally the instructor said he would teach classes up up to 20 people but today it was just me and one retired couple from Iowa. (He hasn’t had a large class since the pandemic hit.) We learned how to make ravioli, fettuccini carbonara, chicken and panna cotta. 

The class ended at about 8:00 and by the time I made it back to the hotel it was closer to 9:00. My friends were back from their tour. Alisha wanted to have a chill night in the hotel and get to bed early. Kyli wanted to make the most of her last night in Italy and explore the city nightlife. We found a happy medium and just grabbed a 5€ bottle of wine and sat underneath the duomo and chatted for a few hours. It was such a magical night to be in the most beautiful place with friends that I adore. Alisha kept saying, “I just can’t believe you’re here!” It’s surreal that we get to live a life like this. Nothing special was planned for this night but it’s easily one of the top 5 most magical evenings of my life. 

 

Spain - Day 6

Bit of a whirlwind couple of days and I’m to the point where I’m not sure which day of the week it is. Let me catch up…

I left Palma in the morning and arrived in Madrid. I took a taxi to my hotel and was able to check in early. 

I received a notice that I would need a COVID test before entering Italy so I asked the hotel receptionist for information on testing. She was able to arrange for someone to come to the hotel lobby and give me the results on the spot. It was only 40€  and I had the results emailed to me right away. 

I had the rest of the afternoon to do some sightseeing. I went to seen the royal palace, San Miguel Market and then some park. 

Once the sun set I decided to head back to my hotel and get ready for Italy. My flight the next day was at 8 and the metro to the station was about a 30 minute ride

Spain - Day 5

The blackout curtains at my hotel work a little too well. I didn’t actually wake up until 1:00 pm. 

Wanting to make the most of what was left in the day, I took a taxi to Magaluf and hung out on the beach. I forgot to take pictures but the water was so clear and so warm. 

I forgot my sunscreen so I was trying to hide my face from the sun meanwhile most of the other women there were smoking and sunbathing topless and their skin looked like tan leather. I think it might be an American or maybe a Californian thing to fear wrinkles and aging so much but I’m not trying to undo a year of expensive skincare, Botox and chemical peels! Even trying to hide from the sun I got a decent tan. I feel like I look like one of those people who “holiday in the Mediterranean” (read that in an accent).

After an afternoon of relaxing, I went back to my hotel for more relaxing and dinner. I went back to the Hard Rock Cafe and ordered chicken strips. I think I used up all my adventure tastebuds back in Barcelona. I’ve been eating Mc Donald’s and Hard Rock Cafe since I left. 

I have been trying to listen out for an American accent since I’ve arrived on this island. Finally at dinner, this group came in and demanded from the host that they open up a closed section of tables so that they could sit in a specific location. Later when I told my Irish friend he said he came across Americans at the airport having a fit because they weren’t able to cut to the front of the security line. He joked and said “Entitled Americans!” 😂

After dinner I went back up at the karaoke bar to meet up with the people from the night before. It was fun people watching and the crowd at this bar was so mixed in age. There was a little girl about 5 years all the way to people who must be in their 70s or 80s.

I set an alarm for 11:30pm so that I’d have enough time to pack my luggage and get my COVID forms ready for the next days flight. When 11:30 came around I was having too much fun and set my alarm for 12:30. I kept doing that and so I didn’t actually get back to my hotel until almost 2! 

Spain - Day 3

To be honest today was kind of lonely. My flight to Palma was at noon so I just took my time getting ready and headed to the airport. It’s a short 45 minute flight. When I got to the airport I found out I needed to do another COVID health form. It’s so confusing with all these different requirements! 

I checked in to my hotel and immediately went up to the rooftop pool. I took a dip in the pool and the little nap in the sun. 

After, I wandered towards all of the restaurants and people watched while I ate a burger. I tried to listen out for American English voices but this is a very touristy place with lots of German tourist and big groups of partiers I’ve noticed.

After I ate lunch/dinner, I walked back to my hotel for a siesta in my room. The AC broke so I woke up sweating! When I went downstairs to ask about it the lady was just like oh yeah all of them are broken right now, hopefully it works later.😑

I decided to just go for another walk back into town by this time it was about 9:00. I wandered around for about an hour and a half just watching everyone. There were lots of groups of 20-something year olds hanging outside of bars and it was just starting to get a little rowdy so I figured I might as well call it a night and I headed back to my hotel. 

In my room I finalized some plans and booked flights to Italy so I can spend two nights with my friends. I’m looking forward to that! 

I have two days here in Palma and nothing planned. I wanted to do some type of wine tour but a lot of the tours require a minimum of two people. I also looked in to some of the beach clubs and they sell their tickets by groups of 2 or more as well. Ugh. 

Spain Day 2

My plan was to explore Barcelona today but my plan didn’t have any more details beyond that. I was fortunate enough to meet a few Californians early in the day at a little cafe. The world is so small, one guy’s mom actually lives in Atascadero. He is also traveling solo and he’s a huge foodie/wino so we instantly clicked. I tagged along with him most of the day. It was great because he had done a lot of research on places to eat and how to get around so I didn’t have to do or think about anything! 

He had plans for the day and was kind enough to let me tag along. We took the metro up to Montjuïc and found a perfect little bar at the top of the hill. I wish a bar like this was at the top of every hill! 

After we had a quick drink, we wandered around Fundació Joan Miró a modern art museum. I liked the way this guy just blew through the museum. He was like “I’m not trying to interpret each piece of art to figure out the meaning of life. I just want to see some shit and then go” which was great because I felt the same way. 

After the museum we went to a tapas bar called Quimet & Quimet. He said he was happy to have me along because it meant he could try more things. Tapas are definitely meant to be shared. I was happy to be with a foodie who knew what to order. I’m not a very adventurous eater, but I committed to at least trying everything. I was out of my comfort zone and tried anchovies, caviar, and olives. 

We kept the party going and wandered over to another restaurant on his list called Cañete. We just wanted one drink but they were like, this is a restaurant you have to order food. So we ordered a second lunch of lobster croquettes, jamón, and champagne. 

We chatted and made friends with the others seated at the bar and one French/American guy was like “Wow I’ve never seen anyone just order a bottle of champagne and drink without an occasion” I felt judged and I was glad when he left bc I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life! Who needs a special reason to drink good champagne!?

After two lunches and champagne I was ready for a siesta! My foodie friend added me to his dinner reservation and we made plans to meet up at 9:00 for dinner (seems so late to me but I guess that’s the Spanish way). 

Back at my hotel I got text and messages from two of my good friends who just arrived in Italy. Im having serious FOMO so I may end up in in Italy some times this week, even if it’s just one night.

Dinner was at a place called Xavier Pellicer which was a such a gorgeous relaxing and organic environment. I want my house to look like this restaurant! All day I had to try to eat outside of my comfort zone but dinner was everything I love. We ordered the omnivore menu but it was still very plant forward. Each dish was so yummy, here are some pics. 

Then after dinner we went to a bar that is famous for their gin and tonics. I’ve never had gin, so this was a great way to end a gastronomically adventurous day. 

I really lucked out meeting my CA foodie friend. He’s continuing his adventure in San Sebastián and I headed to Mallorca today so we parted ways but hopefully we cross paths again back home! 

This trip started off so strong, it’s going to be hard to top a day like today! 

Spain Day 1 - SFO to ZRH to BCN

Well I actually forgot about this blog for like 6 years. It took some digging, but I finally found it and figured out my login! Let me catch you up real quick:

In 2016 I got a big girl job that basically just sucks the life out of me! Just kidding (kind of). But it is demanding and also does require me to limit how much of my real life I make available online.

I thought I’d resurrect this blog this week because it actually is cool to look back and see some of the adventures I’ve been on. I wrote about the first time I traveled to Europe solo on this blog and rereading it last night reminded me that I was so scared that trip that I actually cried at the airport 😂. That was like 10 years ago. 

I’ve had lots of adventures since my last post. Mostly domestic (probably like 10+ new states in the past few years) and one trip to Italy in 2018. 

So there you go, you’re basically caught up. 

—

I’ve had anxiety about this trip over the past couple of days. It’s still a little scary traveling to another county alone. My Spanish sucks so I’m out of my comfort zone.  I also know I’m risking a lot traveling during COVID (I thought COVID was going to be over by now when I rebooked this trip). I also feel anxious about being abroad and traveling so close to 9/11. Like, I purposely chose to fly back on 9/12 just in case! 

My trip to Spain was booked pre-COVID and kept getting postponed. Luckily I think I’m in a window where the EU is still accepting American tourist so I was able to make it in to the country but things can change quickly so I’m ready for anything. I’ll keep an eye on the regulations over the next week and a half but so far I’ve had great luck. 

Since I wasn’t sure this trip was actually going to happen, I didn’t really plan much. I have my hotels booked for the first 5 nights and then after that I’m just winging it. I have a couple of friends in different places Europe and I’d love to meet up with each of them but again it all depends on COVID safety so I try not to get my heart set on anything. 

I flew out of SFO for the first time. I have to admit the few trips I have taken this year have actually been sort of pleasant because of social distancing. I’m one of those people that hopes social distancing will stick around forever. I love not having people breathe down my neck while standing in line!

I made it to SF with just enough time to park, shuttle to the international terminal, present my documents, and then board the plane.

The first flight was 11 hours but the most amazing thing happened on this flight… the middle seat was empty! It was such a comfortable flight. I took a melatonin and drank a glass of wine but couldn’t really sleep. 

Overall it was an easy arrival. I hope this is how the rest of my trip goes!