Vibrant and sophisticated Barcelona

Sandwiched between two mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, Barcelona is an incredible city that's got something for everyone - a rich culture, thriving nightlife, natural beauty and active sports.

Its location on the Mediterranean makes it an ideal place to visit anytime of the year - February was a bit chilly but not bitingly cold.

We stayed in the Eixample district, considered one of the first examples of modern urban planning. We had a pleasant self-guided stroll through grid-patterned streets lined with Modernista architecture.

I have to admit that I did not appreciate Gaudi architecture until I saw it in real life. His whimsical buildings, including Casa Mila and Casa Battlo, are more fascinating than I had imagined.

Towering above the Eixample is Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, a jaw-dropping, neck-straining structure that's both strange and spiritual. Bright, airy and incredibly detailed on both the exterior and interior.

With an estimated 2.5 million visitors annually, the Sagrada Familia gets packed. Make sure to visit first thing in the morning before the busloads of tourists swarm the place.

More Gaudi art can be seen at Park Guëll, a nice garden situated on a hill overlooking the city. It's a bit outside the city core, but can be easily accessed by subway or bus. Everything is covered in colorful mosaics - from the serpent staircase to benches, fountains, walls and ceilings. It's a refreshing break from the bustling city, although there were plenty of tourists here as well.

Back in the city core, the famous La Rambla is a lively tourist strip that's perfect for people-watching...and pick-pocketing (so hold on to your purse).

 

On the Rambla is the Mercat de La Boqueria, considered one of the world's greatest markets. It was bursting at the seams with various smells, colors and textures - fresh seafood, colorful fruits and vegetables, cheeses, hams and an eye-popping array of spices, nuts and candies.

We were tempted to join the locals and tourists sipping wine and munching on tapas. Instead, we picnicked al fresco by the waterfront with jamon iberico, cheese, crackers and local beer.

The port area is a tourist and industrial mecca. At Port Vell, Maremagnum teemed with youth, lovers and families alike. Yacht clubs welcomed its sailors returning from a day's race on the water. (This is a world-class sailing community - the Barcelona World Race had just begun there less than two months prior).

The area is also an important trade zone and starting point for Mediterranean cruise ships. Nearby, you could ride a cable car up to Montjuïc for a spectacular, birds-eye view of the city.

A block off the Rambla, many surprises abound within the narrow alleys of the Barri Gotic neighborhood. We weaved through alleys of rush and quiet - from the bustling bookstores, cafes and restaurants to the quiet lane of apartments.

We stumbled upon a plaza with the biggest crowd we'd ever seen - thousands of onlookers watching castellers build multi-level human castles, topped off with a young child.

For dinner, we took Rick Steves' advice and went to Irati Taverna Basca in Barri Gotic, where we grazed on a buffet of Basque-style open-faced brochettes served on a toothpick, washed down with some vino Rioja. We paid based on the number of toothpicks on our plate. On our last night, we went to QuQu (Quasi Queviures) in the Eixample - a bit more on the touristy side (in fact, it had a multi-lingual menu that included Japanese) but the tapas selection was extensive.

Barcelona strikes the right balance of culture, history and modernity. It can be gritty and elegant at the same time. Breathing in the fresh, salty Mediterranean made us wish we could call this place home!

Toledo, the city of three cultures

A mere 30 minutes away from Madrid, through the plains of the Castile-La Mancha, lies the historic walled city of Toledo. Located on a hilltop surrounded by the Tagus River, the old city looks majestically imposing from the outside, and proves to be culturally rich on the inside.

Toledo was the capital of Spain until the Moors conquered it in the 8th century. For nearly 500 years of Moorish rule, Toledo flourished as a cosmopolitan city where Moors, Christians and Jews co-existed in harmony. Hence the term "the city of three cultures." This melding of cultures is most obvious with the presence of a mosque, a church and a synagogue within the city.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is perfectly described as such: "Successively a Roman municipium, the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom, a fortress of the Emirate of Cordoba, an outpost of the Christian kingdoms fighting the Moors and, in the 16th century, the temporary seat of supreme power under Charles V, Toledo is the repository of more than 2,000 years of history. Its masterpieces are the product of heterogeneous civilizations in an environment where the existence of three major religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – was a major factor."

Walking into the city felt like trip back to the medieval ages. The entrances are flanked by stone archways, bridges and wall remains. At the north entrance is the new Puerta de Bisagra, which is of Moorish origin but built in 1559 sporting the emperor's coat of arms. After entering, you'll see the walls and towers of the old Puerta de Bisagra (pictured on the right), which is the only remaining Moorish gate in the city.

Visiting on a Monday - when most things were closed - probably wasn't the best idea, but that was all we had. We hiked up the winding cobbled roads up to Plaza de Zocodover (the main square), past the imposing Alcázar fortress (a former Roman palace, now a library and a museum), and drank in the vista and the steep gorge and river below.

We made it to the Catedral de Toledo, considered the masterpiece of High Gothic. Incredible detailed carvings on the outside, and jaw-dropping stained glass windows, high ceilings and chapels on the inside. We were awestruck by the abundance of gold (check out this 500-pound, 10-foot-high, 15th century gilded monstrance!), and geeked out on the Chapter House featuring portraits of all Spanish archbishops to present day. We couldn't take photos inside, so go take a look. (We wanted to respect the rules here, even amidst many other rude tourists that would surreptitiously snap a photo from under their jackets. Not that we would've done it justice anyway.)

During siesta, we purposely got ourselves lost within the residential neighborhood's narrow alleys. Up and down hilly streets we went. I felt like an intruder every time we passed by locals because that area was so...un-touristy. Within the narrow alleys we found many gift shops selling swords, knives, ceramics, etc. Completely invisible if one doesn't wander off the main drag. How in the world would tourists ever find these shops?!

By the way, Toledo has been the sword-making capital of the world since medieval times. Also, Toledo is considered the world's largest producer of damascene ware. Damascene is the ancient Moorish art of decorating non-precious metals with gold. These are not on the cheap side, and only rightly so.

On food: Found an empty restaurant just around the corner from the cathedral. Toledo is famous for roast meats and stews like roast lamb, roast pig, and partridge stew. I had  chicken asado (roasted chicken) and it was literally half a chicken. My husband had a stew with all sorts of unrecognizable bits (innards, perhaps). They're also known for marzipan, a sweet treat made of almond paste and different types of sugars.

On our hike back down to the train station, we enjoyed a late afternoon sun-drenched panoramic view of modern Toledo beyond the historic walls.

All in all, Toledo has the most fascinating history, drop dead gorgeous views, and it's small enough that you can walk the entire city in a day. I think we may have walked about 10-12 miles total on this trip. We were completely wiped out and slept through the train ride back to Madrid.

Magnificent Madrid

It's no secret that we're big fans of "active" vacations. Our vacation to Europe was no exception. In February, we spent 10 full days visiting Madrid, Toledo, Lisbon, the Algarve and Barcelona - in that order.

Let me begin with this - February is a wonderful time to visit Spain and Portugal. Probably not the best time for beach lounging and water sports, but a great time to explore the city and cultural life without the summer crowds. We didn't see any American tourists in Madrid and Lisbon. There were a lot of Japanese tourists in Toledo and Barcelona. There were British and northern European visitors in the Algarve. Yet overall, we felt like we had these cities all to ourselves. We stuck out like a sore thumb in the Metro. There was hardly a line to get into the museums. The parks and restaurants were pretty much dominated by the locals. Or maybe we just chose a different experience.

In Madrid, we stayed at the Hotel Regina, a three-star hotel with five-star service, perfectly situated by the Sevilla Metro stop. It's a short walking distance to everywhere in the historic part of the city - Puerto del Sol, Plaza Mayor, the Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace of Madrid), Buen Retiro Park, and the Paseo del Prado area that is home to the three major museums - the Prado, Museo Nactional Centreo de Arte Reina Sofia, and Thyssen-Bornemsza.

On a lovely warm Sunday afternoon, everyone was out and about. Plaza Mayor was teeming with students, couples, and families alike. The plaza was filled with street artists - an accordion player, a soap bubble blower, a SpongeBob mascot, a glass artist, and painters selling their work, to name a few.

Just outside Plaza Mayor is the Mercado de San Miguel, a covered market where you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, nuts, wine, fresh flowers, and Jamón Ibérico (Iberian ham). It looked like a place to see and be seen, jam packed with lively locals perched on bar stools or standing up, having tapas and wine for lunch.

There are plenty of public spaces in the city, all within reasonable walking distance of each other. On a Tuesday afternoon, Buen Retiro Park was filled with families, teenagers and older adults - strolling, lounging on the benches, reading the newspaper, paddling around the lake.

We were astounded at the huge number of locals just hanging out in the plazas and the park in the middle of the day. You certainly don't see that in the United States. Well, the owner of a small Italian restaurant (where we had dinner one night) shared with us that Spain has over 4 million unemployed people, a million of which are in Madrid. I guess that explains all the folks out and about. He said life was especially hard for those in the food services sector - a waiter may earn around €1,000 a month, €600 of which goes toward rent. (After additional research, found that Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the industrialized world - currently around 20 percent.)

On food: We'd have small servings of paella and then a variety of tapas like croquettes, smoked salmon, manchego cheese, Iberian ham - washed down with some sangria. Then we'd stroll around the city and stumble upon a random bakery for a ham and cheese pastry. We'd have gelato, fruit tarts and chocolate croissants for breakfast, lunch, dinner. I became addicted to cafe con leche throughout the trip.

Madrid is both historic and modern - a bustling city with grand buildings, ornate architecture, and narrow alleys. Everything looks especially beautiful at night with illuminated historic buildings, fountains, and arches. We've walked its streets both day and night - and we can safely say the place never sleeps.