I was lucky enough to travel to Spain for two weeks! Spain has always been on my travel list, so it was great to finally see it. A nice bonus was that I got to use my Spanish skills, which although were a little rusty, worked just fine for our trip.

We flew into Madrid and figured out the metro system very quickly. We stayed in the Bibao area of Madrid in an Airbnb apartment. This was my first time using Airbnb, so I did not really know what to expect. Overall we used three different Airbnb apartments on our trip and for the most part it worked out great. I figured traveling with the family would be easier in a full apartment rather than a hotel room, especially since Spain’s hotels do not have two double beds in their rooms (but rather only two twin beds). A word of warning when using Airbnb…the pictures make the rooms look much larger than what they are. Also, read the comments carefully so that you can piece together the “true” details of the accommodation.

In Madrid, the metro system was easy to navigate to all the “must-see” sights. The weather was a heatwave at about 20 degrees hotter than usual, so we used the subway a lot more than usual. On our first full day, we meandered over to Puerta del Sol and the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace gave insight to the opulent lifestyle of this national palace.

There really is something magical about the meandering cobblestone streets that were built hundreds of years ago. We also visited (and ate) at the Mercado de San Miguel. There are many art museums to choose from so we went to the Thyssen because of its smaller but impressive collection. On day two we went to Retiro Park, which is a beautiful respite of green space from the very busy city. We also walked the Gran Via and were amazed by all the hustle and bustle; Madrid is a lively (and very clean) city!

We rented a car from Madrid to Barcelona, which was a five hour drive, but much more economical than taking the train or airplane for four people. Barcelona’s metro was not as easy to navigate and so we took a taxi (a definite splurge) to our apartment in the El Born neighborhood. During our time there, we went to Ramblas, La Boqueria Market, Cathedral of Barcelona, Santa Caterina Market, Church of Santa Maria del Mar, Casa Batilo, Palau Guell, the Barceloneta and Block of Discord. It is so interesting to see how Gaudi has influenced the architecture of the city. Barcelona’s must-see attractions are much more close together, so it was easier to walk everywhere instead of navigating the metro.

We then flew to Mallorca. (I definitely would not recommend Ryanair!) I was expecting a quaint, undeveloped island but Mallorca is definitely not that. There were lots of tourists and tourist-related activities. We stayed in C’an Picafort which was primarily a family area. We visited three different beaches in some wonderful hidden coves. We also visited Soller, which is situated high in the mountainous side of the island.

Spain is a beautiful place. The people were very friendly and we had a great time discovering these three areas. The vibrant Spanish lifestyle was very apparent as people seemed to hang out, eat late and then walk the streets late into the night. We managed to find some traditional Spanish fare (versus the touristic menus) and definitely recommend the Menu del Dia to sample the wonderful food. Olives, olive oil, jamon and wine reign in this region! I am sure my kids will remember their Spanish experience for years to come. And ultimately the lesson I always walk away with when I travel is that the world really is a pretty small place where we are more alike than different and location certainly does influence building materials, food and lifestyle.