Melissa is an international program associate at Explorica’s Boston office. When not working, she can usually be found with her nose in a book, or tracking pricing for flights for her next great adventure. Here, she goes into detail about her summertime travels to two of Spain’s most popular cities, Barcelona & Madrid.
I have a confession to make; I fell in love during my summer adventures. Not with a person, but with a country.
I had never been to Spain before this July; it had been on my bucket list, but not as high as some other countries in Europe I had dreamt about. When Explorica offered me the opportunity to join an in-depth trip to Spain, I decided that it deserved a chance. I’m so glad I did; the two weeks I spent in Spain were two of the best weeks I have ever spent abroad. It’s the perfect country to engorge yourself with food, history, breathtaking architecture, and of course, the hot sunny weather of a Spanish summer!
As an Explorica group, we were able to travel to eight of the wonderful cities of Spain, with three of the largest cities in the country on the agenda. First stop: Barcelona.
Quick fact about Barcelona – although Spanish is the main language used in this city, I quickly learned that Catalan is widely spoken as well. Those Duolingo Spanish lessons could only get me so far as I navigated through the city on my own, two days before the groups arrived.
Fortunately, the language barrier did nothing to take away from seeing Barcelona as a bustling, seaside city that had been gifted with some of the most eclectic architecture ever seen. Of course, I am talking about Antoni Gaudí, as one cannot discuss the city of Barcelona without the architect’s name coming up. Everyone who visits Barcelona for the first time always wants to visit the famed, unfinished Sagrada Familia, and after my own visit, I completely understand why.
I could talk for hours about the unusual architectural style of the outside of the Sagrada Familia, and the way the church almost looks like it was carved out of a rock formation; however, what really took my breath away was the inside. Stained glass windows in every color of the rainbow cause waves of multicolored lights to wash over the floors as fellow tourists explore every nook and cranny open to the public. Photos really don’t do this place justice — you’ll just have to travel (with Explorica of course) to Barcelona to fully appreciate Gaudi’s masterpiece.
Of course, Sagrada Familia was not the only work of Gaudí to see in Barcelona. As part of our Barcelona Guided Sightseeing Tour, we were given access to the entirety of Park Güell (that wasn’t under construction of course!). What truly stands out to me in the Park was seeing how Gaudí’s naturalist phase was able to go full speed ahead in the design. Originally meant as a housing development, the most popular spot in the Park is of course the main terrace — the benches, designed for intimate conversations among large gatherings, form the body of a giant mosaic snake.
My favorite part of the park, however, was the footpaths. Not a mosaic tile in sight, these footpaths underneath the roadway viaducts look like they were simply carved from the hillside with a scooper, followed by an intricate detailing of the columns supporting the viaduct. Fans of the television program America’s Next Top Model might find this part of the park familiar, as in Cycle 7 the final runway show was held here. Top Model fan or not, it’s hard not to see the beauty in the natural looking architecture Gaudí created.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end; after two fully packed days exploring the city of Barcelona, it was time to move on. After a quick stop in Zaragoza, we were off to our second stop: the capital city of Madrid.
Madrid is about as different from Barcelona as night is to day; it is a relatively modern city compared to Barcelona, and it is in the exact geographical center of the country, as the plaque in Puerta del Sol indicates, so it’s not even remotely seaside.
The moment our group walked into one of the world’s busiest plazas, I immediately felt a sense of belonging, a feeling that was shared with many of my fellow travelers. Perhaps it had to do with Madrid having the feeling of a true city — Puerta del Sol was bursting with people, tourists and locals alike; the street performers included a Yoda hovering in midair; the wide variety of statues from a Spanish king on horseback to a bear reaching for the fruits of a fabled strawberry tree. Whatever it was, the feeling stuck with me; Madrid felt like home.
On my specific tour, we did not get to spend a ton of time in Madrid proper, but what we were able to see was enough to make me want to go back after the tour ended. Madrid has a unique mix of public squares, long streets lined with townhouses, and green spaces.
Walking into the largest one, El Retiro, was like walking into a completely different world. Immediately, the traffic noises from the busy streets ceased, as though time slowed down. It was an easy place to get lost in, but in El Retiro I didn’t mind so much. The many walking paths lead travelers to a wide variety of sites, including the Crystal Palace, a pond to enjoy an afternoon canoeing, and my personal favorite, the Fountain of the Fallen Angel — Lucifer. Spain is a predominantly Catholic country if the Spanish Inquisition was any indication, so I found it amusingly ironic that a fountain depicting Lucifers’ fall from heaven featured so prominently in the capital’s largest garden.
Barcelona and Madrid were just two stops on the 10-day adventure in Spain, but they were the two cities that, months later, feel like I was there only yesterday. Barcelona had the uniquely creative architecture on its side — there is a reason why Gaudí and his magnum opus Sagrada Familia is one the most recognized landmarks of Spain. Just standing in the church admiring its carved walls and colorful stained-glass windows, it’s easy to see why so many people flock here at all times of the year.
Madrid, on the other hand, has the honor of being the capital and geographical center of Spain. The city is both so similar and different simultaneously everywhere you turn that it’s almost impossible not to find something that pulls you in.
In the end, if you’re trying to decide between Barcelona and Madrid, take the extra days and plan on doing both. Trust me — from my experience, you won’t regret it!