This Spain trip started out as a joke which turned into a dare. Our eldest child decided to take up Spanish as his foreign language. Unlike his sisters who started learning Mandarin in kindergarten, Isaac learnt Spanish when he was already in middle school, making the learning process a bit more challenging. One day, I jokingly said that if he gets the highest grade possible in Spanish, then we are going to Spain. He accepted the challenge (wait, how did my joke become a dare so fast?), and two years after that mealtime conversation, the mother hen found herself scouring the internet for promo flights to Barcelona.
When I booked the flights, I didn’t have an inkling about how they do visa processing for tourists to Spain. I thought I had the Schengen visa down to a science since we have experienced applying in the embassies of Paris and Switzerland. It turned out, they do things differently in Spain. Or, more accurately, they do things tediously in Spain.
First of all, minors would need a double legalization of their birth certificates from their place of birth/issuing country. Since my girls were born in the Philippines, I had to have their birth certificates authenticated in the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, then have it legalized by the Spanish Embassy in the Philippines. Second, the parental authorization is required, whether a/the parent(s) is/are traveling with their minor children or not. And this parental authorization also needs to be legalized in the country where the family is residing. Third, at least one parent must have his/her passport certified as true copy. And fourth, a notarized true copy of the national ID/permanent residency document/work permit of at least one parent is also required. How tedious is that!
It took us two months to finally complete all the legalization requirements. But it involved so many tedious back and forth that we went from being excited to not being excited, and then when my girls’ visas were granted, back to being excited again.
Barcelona: 4d/3n- all about Gaudi
We arrived in Barcelona at around 8:30am. The international airport is connected to the city via the metro. We were all set to buy the 3-day Tourist Travel Pass at around 22 euros each (adult/child 4+), but then the guy helping people navigate the ticket machines advised us to buy instead the multi-journey (70 journeys in all), multi-person ticket for 60 euros. On our first hour in Barcelona, we saved 50 euros!
First stop: paella at this cozy café near Fisa Rentals where we stayed. We’re used to having paella done in different ways: a bit soggy, a bit hard, sometimes tasteless, sometimes overly tasteful. So we didn’t expect anything when our order of all-meat paella came. It took only one spoonful for us to declare that paella in Espańa is the real deal.
Tummy full and happy, we rode the bus to Castell de Montjuic, a military fortress turned museum that allows for a glimpse of Spain’s struggles during various periods of history inside and a splendid view of Barcelona outside.
We had early dinner to give us enough time to prepare for the day’s highlight: La Pedrera. So we ordered potato salad and chicken croquette and crispy pork in a take-away resto near our rental apartment. Isaac ordered for us, speaking in Spanish with the man behind the counter and it was a proud moment for the parents.
And then we walked to La Pedrera.
La Pedrera or formally known as Casa Milà is Gaudi’s last work before he focused on Sagrada Familia. It is reflective of what Gaudi holds sacred: nature and its undulating curves and beauty. It was declared a UNESCO heritage site in 1984.
I admit I didn’t have expectations about La Pedrera. But the minute I saw the facade, I knew I was in for a beautiful experience. And that was only from the outside. Once inside, I was overwhelmed by the design of this once private residence of the wealthy couple Milà. Everything was extraordinary- from the design of the structure, the constant curve outside and inside, the magnificent gate up to the chimneys on the roof.
I suggest you come at night, when the chimneys light up and dance as the blue-black sky stands still to watch beauty unfolding below, rivalling its own.
On our second day in Barcelona, we took the subway and emerged at THE Basilica de la Sagrada Familia
When I think of Barcelona, this grand church automatically comes to mind. But it was only recently when I came to know of Antoni Gaudi, the modernist architect, some honor him by saying he is God’s architect (which I think is fitting), who worked on Sagrada for 43 years until his untimely death. When asked why it was taking him so long to finish, he replied ‘my client is not in a hurry.’
There are simply no words adequate enough to describe La Sagrada Familia. It is imposing to say the least. When we came out of the metro, it was the first thing we saw- grand, breathtaking, magnificent- ‘unfinished’ wouldn’t even come to mind even amid the scaffoldings below and moving cranes above.
If the outside was grand and imposing, with all its intricate carvings of the Holy Family, the Passion of Christ and all other special biblical events, plus the doors embossed by such words as ‘Sacrificial’ or ‘Jesus’, the inside was uplifting and breathtaking at the same time. Maybe my children described it better when they exclaimed ‘mama! It’s like the colours of heaven are all here!’ Light from outside seeped through the stained glass windows, illuminating the church so that everywhere you go, you are embraced by different beautiful colours, enveloped by the warmth of God’s love.
All the time we were inside the Sagrada Familia, Aryana was listening to her audio-guide and she was proud to tell me that: Mama, I’m the only 6 year-old who finished an audio-guide!
The cornerstones of Sagrada Familia were first laid in 1882, Gaudí took over as the architect in 1883, and they hope to finally finish by 2026. We will come back, especially because Aryana will not be a minor by then (and all the double legalizations it implies whew).
And then we had a memorable lunch at Paisano Café: nachos with guacamole, cheese quesadilla, all gone in a jiffy. I finished a big glass of Sangria, and as we know, mid-day Sangria is always a great idea.
In the afternoon, we went to Barcelona’s biggest market in Las Ramblas called La Boqueria Mercat. It was drizzling when we got to the popular Las Ramblas, but the rain didn’t deter anyone. Las Ramblas was bustling with tourists sampling everything from tapas to chocolates. Aryana was one of the happy customers at the marketplace. We then took a nice stroll along the gothic quarter, prayed inside the church and then ate pastries at Caelum Barcelona. This pastry shop in the gothic quarter is a must-go when in Barcelona. The delectable desserts are made by local nuns.
We went on a sunrise tour of Casa Batllo on our third day in Barcelona. This is another Gaudi masterpiece, and I have to break my rule of using the same adjectives to describe two different things, but this too was both breathtaking and magnificent from the outside to the inside. The sunrise tour allowed us to see Casa Batllo unfiltered. I felt like I was floating from one floor to the next, I wasn’t analyzing his art, I was taking it all in and my spirit soared.
We went to have lunch at Barceloneta, and indulged in our favorite pastime: relaxing at the beach, eating seafood (and it is freshest here in Barcelona, you don’t need any special sauce nor any other garnishing except salt and lemon), and exchanging jokes.
For dinner, we went to Tapas 24 and ate tapas in every color and flavor imaginable. We then went on a night bus tour of Barcelona, one that I would not recommend because we couldn’t hear the guide, plus it was cold and jetlag set in. The only nice thing about that tour was that we got to watch the fountain show (complete with changing colors and music) at the Magic Fountain of Montjuic, although you could go via bus on your own.
We woke up early on our fourth day in Barcelona and had churros for breakfast. Then we went to the train station, waited by the nice modern architecture across the train station and then found ourselves racing towards the platform to catch our train. I thought it would get significantly easier as they grow older, but nope, traveling in 5s will always be challenging, more than usual. It used to be that the problem was how to carry everything- stroller, baby bag, diapers, milk, bottles, everything sans the house itself. But now, the problem is making sure everybody is not hungry, not about to pee, on time. We almost missed our train to Madrid, but we made it.
Madrid: 3d/2n- all about foodie
We arrived at Feelathome Suites, our temporary home in Madrid at around 4pm. I highly recommend this apartment rental. It was newly-renovated when we rented it during the summer of 2018, spacious, clean, and pretty. The girl who met us was so warm and she even took the time to introduce Madrid to us using a good old map and gave us the idea to do a food crawl.
So we started our food crawl in San Miguel market and had calamari-to-go, cherries and strawberries, cheese and chicken croquettes, walked further down narrow alleys and open balconies covered with flowers in all its summer colors then sat down for Spanish sausage, cod in olive oil, calamari, all washed with cava in this cozy restaurant called Meson. We ended the night on a sweet note with churros at Madrid’s famous 24-hour churros place called San Gines.
When we had churros in Barcelona, we had this big wow moment, and we kept telling each other ‘it’s so different from what we had before’ and it was just churros from the cafe around the corner from our rented apartment.
When we came to Madrid, the lady in our apartment insisted that we have churros at this 24-hour chocolate place because ‘it’s the best I tell you, although I don’t even know who eats churros at 5am on a Tuesday.’
The queue was very long, but lucky for us, they opened another door and we were suddenly next in line. When our churros and chocolate dip came, it was definitely an oh-heavens-thank-heavens moment. Nothing quite the churros we have had in our lifetime. This is the best, life-changing if you will. It transformed us- it was like there was a boodle fight in our table! We finished all 6 churros in 6 seconds. Itold my family ‘look at the others, they’re eating their churros slowly, and they are intent on their conversation, unlike us.’ So we ordered another round of churros, savoured each one, dipped it slowly, talked to each other, laughed at our chocolate-filled faces, and our hearts were happier.
We went sight-seeing in between our eating. The Royal Palace is a nice, leisurely stroll from our rented apartment. We passed by so many street musicians playing different instruments- guitar, drums, harp, violin, name it, Madrid has it. Madrid is alive! Music in every corner, a bustling market called San Miguel a few steps plus a hop from the royal palace, an ongoing fair at the Plaza Mayor, tapas bars and cafes lining the streets, and lots of open spaces where children like my Aryana ran free and squealed to their hearts’ content.
On our second day in Madrid, we went for a big breakfast (Spanish omelet por favor) at Café de Oriente, then went inside the beautiful Royal Palace (Palacio Real de Madrid) with its 30 or so well-appointed rooms (my favorite was the Yellow Room). And then, we walked for 30 minutes to have lunch of caprese, margarita, and fresh pasta at Trattoria Sant Arcangel, Museo del Prado and finally went to nearby Museo del Prado, Madrid’s answer to the Louvre.
We had our first sit-down dinner in Spain at Restaurante Botin. Restaurants here usually open at 8pm. Since we adhere to the adage ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’ we eat tapas like them Spanish at 6pm, go back to our rented apartment supposedly just for some siesta time, but we would always end up in a deep sleep, waking up in the morning and not during dinner time as planned.
But our first night in Madrid was extra special. We had dinner at the oldest restaurant in the world (tip: reserve online a day before and come on time, you will lose your slot if you tarry as the queue is kilometric).
We had garlic soup and callos for starters- best paired with bread. Then we had clams simmered in a special sauce that doubled as a dip for the bread. Mains were the suckling pig (crispy skin, soft and juicy meat) with baked potatoes and roasted chicken with vegetables. The Sangria didn’t disappoint either!
Our last stop in Madrid was the Parque del Buen Retiro. Inside this beautiful park is the Crystal Palace, a grand fountain, and a playground unlike anything we’ve ever been to. We were off to Sevilla at 2pm via Renfe train.
Sevilla: 4d/3n – Andalucian art+food
It was a 2 ½ hour ride to Sevilla. We stayed in this apartment called Tempa Museo which was just a one minute walk from the Museum of Fine Arts and equally important, just a stone throw away from Confiteria La Campana, the dessert institution in all of Sevilla.
I love Sevilla, the minute I got off the train and stepped on Sevilla soil for the first time, I knew I will come back to this place. It doesn’t have the hurried pace of Barcelona or the languid pace of Madrid, it dances to its age-old rhythm, attuned to nature’s whims, accommodating to everything wonderful like art and food and people’s contagious smiles, pliant, and warm like the Andalucian sun.
Our first stop was the Flamenco dance show and museum at Museo del Baile Flamenco and then we had another sit-down oh-so-delicious dinner at La Bodega.
I don’t know what to highlight on our first day/night in Sevilla: the Flamenco show or our dinner which was an event in itself, maybe both, with equal billing.
I booked the Flamenco museum+show a week before we left for Spain, the last booking that I made. Sometimes I get this feeling- the moment my online purchase came through, I begin to second-guess myself if that was actually a smart purchase considering I have three children who might not care for what I’m interested about. So I didn’t tell the children until the day before we were to go to Sevilla. And it was such a pleasant surprise to see them get so excited about Flamenco, and especially to watch them during the show: open-mouthed, cheering after every performance, just amazeballs. Aryana wanted a Flamenco fan and was imitating the dance moves while at the shop.
We ended the night with a sumptuous sit-down delicious dinner of codillo (baked pork knuckles), bacalao homestyle (cod fish in vegetable sauce), baby shrimps, and some tapas at La Bodega, a 2-minute walk from the Museo del Baile Flamenco. All washed with cava and sangria, of course.
We slept late and woke up late the next day, just in time for brunch at this lovely, child-friendly café called Dulce Trazo where the children ordered heaps of chocolate croissant while the adults sampled one pastry after another. Then off we went to Real Alcazar, a UNESCO Heritage site and more recently known as the location site of HBO’s Game of Thrones. What can I say? Real Alcazar is grand, all my imaginings of what a royal palace should be came to life before me, with its beautiful gardens and majestic fountains and grand stairs and the tallest of trees and pathways that lead to mysterious nooks. I highly recommend that you buy your tickets online because the queue for the same-day tickets is unbelievably long, and please, please shell a few more euros to include the Cuarto Real Alto which is a tour of the private residence of them royals.
Late lunch was at a nearby Italian resto, the chorizo and jamon iberico pizza was so good that it is still unforgettable six months later. And then we took a leisurely walk, and ended up behind a 30-minute queue to see the inside of Catedral de Sevilla, the largest Gothic church in the world. Inside was a treasure trove of paintings and statues and fountains and arches: truly a feast for the soul.
Lazy day was the theme for our third day in Sevilla. We went sidewalk brunching near our apartment with assorted bread and pastries and then walked across to the Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla (Museum of Fine Arts to enrich ourselves with Murillo’s art. This museum is a super must-go when in Seville.
In the afternoon, we did a tour of the Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballeria de Sevilla (bullfight arena and museum). The 12,000-capacity bullring in Seville, sight of the most popular bullfights in the world and home of the bravest bullfighters. Inside is a chapel where bullfighters pray before they fight, and a museum which houses elaborate costumes, paintings and sculptures. And then we crossed the road to have a late lunch at Sevilla Market (Lonja del Barranco) at the foot of Isabel II Bridge, overlooking the Guadalquivir River. We had paellas in black ink squid and yellow turmeric chicken, fresh oysters, and pasta for the girls. Then we relaxed at Plaza de Espana, Sevilla where we chased bubbles, went boating, and literally stopped to smell the roses.
We ended our stay in Sevilla with another dose of artworks at the Hospital de los Venerables. We left Sevilla at 1:40pm via renfe for Barcelona, with a 3-hour layover in Madrid where we saw Pablo Picasso’s Guernica at the Museo Reina Sofia, located just across train station.
And then we left Barcelona for Singapore the next day. We went home with tummies full and joyful hearts. What we love about this Spain trip was that it gave us exactly what we wanted and needed: beautiful artworks and delicious food, in perfect doses, not overwhelming, not lacking in any way. To quote Aryana: this is chill. It used to be that we would race from one tourist spot to another and another all in one day. But in Spain, we opted to surprise ourselves and not plan too much. We booked online only for places where we are sure we want to go (and the ticket queues are long) and that means Gaudi’s masterpieces in Barcelona, the Royal Palace and Prado National Museum in Madrid, and the Flamenco show in Sevilla. So we had ample time to chase bubbles, to stroll at a leisurely pace, to soak and take it all in. Because life should be savored.
Mother Blogger 