A trip to Spain

A few weeks ago my partner Al was chatting to his cousin Simo who was planning to do the Camino de Santiago, an 800km walk across northern Spain. The idea emerged that we should accompany Simo on the flight and to the walk's starting point, then do some travel while there... sounded exciting but just a dream. But then, somehow, all the stars aligned... The next thing we knew, flights were booked and the countdown had begun.

And finally, on 8th April, departure day arrived! The kids headed off with their dad to Tasmania for the school holidays; and Al, Simo and I boarded our international flight. From Canberra to Melbourne to Singapore, Dubai and finally landing in Barcelona... including transit time, we travelled for over 36 hours. But excitement kicked in and we were buzzing with energy ready to see this amazing place. My friend Silvia met us at the airport and showed us around central Barcelona for the afternoon.

Silvia and I

Despite being exhausted from the travelling, day 1 ended up including us eating tapas, seeing the building 'Casa Batllo' designed by Antonio Gaudi, exploring Plaza Catalunya, a walk down Barcelona's central boulevard Las Ramblas, and shopping at Barcelona's central market and surrounding shops for some snacks for our evening. 

Tapas!

Gaudi's 'Casa Batllo' on the right

Jamon!

Our trip was only 8 days but the itinerary was jam-packed, covering a great deal of the north-east of the country. As there's too much to tell in just one or two posts, I'm planning on writing a series so I hope you enjoy as I share more. It might take me some time as I'm still filtering through the 1,500 photos we took along the way! The holiday was a spur of the moment decision but we're so happy we decided to go. 

Day 2 next time x