Jessi and I recently returned from a trip to Spain. We ditched the kids with my mom and set out to rest and relax while sprinkling in a couple of mini-adventures. This was part of Jessi’s four-week sabbatical from her job at our church.
Spain has been on Jessi’s shortlist for years because she speaks Spanish and thinks their lisp/accent is fantastic. I’m glad we went, and I think we achieved our goal. Here’s what we did.
Barcelona
We started with a few days in Barcelona. It’s a beautiful city with many things to do. We had three highlights.
La Sagrada Familia
Construction of the basilica started in 1882... and it’s still going! I’m not sure if I should be impressed by their fortitude or shake my head at their abismally slow progress. Either way, the final result is impressive. Here’s the outside:
It was architected by Antoni Gaudí, who incorporated nature into his designs. The whole thing is full of symbolism and contains incredible details. For example, here’s the main entrance.
It’s difficult to describe how massive this thing is, so here’s an aerial photo (from the official website) showing its size.
I actually think the inside is even cooler! Gaudí wanted the columns to feel like trees, and he succeeded. We visited in the morning, and the sun’s rays reflecting off the stained-glass windows were breathtaking.
Eventually, they’ll install these doors with the Lord’s Prayer written on them. The gold “A | G” are the handles.
We also went to the top of one of the towers. The views were incredible!
We rode an elevator up and then walked down a spiral staircase. The last bit of the stairs isn’t for people who are afraid of heights.
Flamenco Dancing
We also watched a flamenco show. The performers’ skills are unbelievable, and you can tell that each one is having a ton of fun.
Mercats
A surprise highlight was visiting some markets, called “mercats”. One was a massive flea market, and the other had food from many vendors. Shopping isn’t typically high on my list, but I enjoyed this window shopping.
Málaga
The rest of our trip was in Málaga, on the Southern coast of Spain.
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| (image from Britannica) |
Our goal was to relax, and our Airbnb apartment helped us achieve that. It was a cozy, relaxing place.
Museo Picasso Málaga
Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga. So, naturally, we visited a museum about him. The way he saw the word was... unique.
I was impressed with his output and the breadth of his mediums. You could tell he loved art (and women).
La Playa De Malagueta
Something about spending a day at a warm beach in February is fantastic.
Apparently, it only rains 40 days a year there. And we happened to be there during a “severe weather warning” day. I wish this were our definition of “severe weather! Here’s what the "destruction" looked like:
Caminito Del Rey
We also took a tour outside the city to walk a 5-mile aerial trail with breathtaking views of the gorge. The trail was initially built in 1901 to access a hydroelectric station. However, the trail fell into disarray when a new hydroelectric station was eventually built in a new location. In 2014, it was restored, made significantly safer, and opened to the public.
This first picture shows the original - dangerous - path under the new one.
Yeah, this bridge moves quite a bit in the wind.
Lots of Walking
One of our favorite things is simply walking around everywhere. It felt like a lot, and it’s nice when the data backs that up.
The good part about all those steps is that we could eat whatever we wanted, like pealla.
And now we’re back, and Jessi is finishing her sabbatical with a couple of snow days.
Life is good.