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We arrived in Madrid in the mid-afternoon and received a grand welcome as we entered the Puerta de Alcala. This is the famous gate erected in 1778 and was the first arch built in honour of the triumph of Europe. Madrid is Spain’s capital city, the seat of government, the residence of the Spanish monarchs, and the centre of politics, economy, and culture. Yet, despite the modern infrastructures, it has preserved the look and feel of its historic neighborhoods. Like school chil

Our trip to Zaragoza was unplanned. It was not part of the official tour itinerary. But that morning, as our bus was leaving Barcelona for Madrid, our Tour Director announced that he had a little surprise for us – instead of stopping at another roadside café, he decided we’d do a little side trip to Zaragoza to visit the Shrine of the Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar). It was not out-of-the way at all. All it would take was a little adjustment to the route. He

Northwest of Barcelona is Catalonia's most beautiful mountain retreat. Montserrat is a multi-peaked, jagged mountain range famous for its unique rock formations, monastery, and national park. Montserrat literally means “saw mountain” in Catalan. When viewed from afar, it does look serrated and reminds one of the carpenter's tool. It has three main peaks – Sant Jeroni, Montgros, and Miranda de las Aguilles. It is also Spain’s first national park. People visit Montserrat for v

We headed to the heart of Barcelona’s Las Ramblas district. I write it in the plural because this 1.2-kilometer tree-lined street in central Barcelona is actually a series of shorter streets, each with its own identity – Rambla de Canaletes (named after its iconic fountain), Rambla des Estudis (because this was the site of a former Jesuit university), Rambla de Sant Josep or Rambla de les Flors (named after its flower market), Rambla dels Caputxins (because this was the site

No visit to Spain would be complete without having one of its quintessential dishes: paella . Purists say the Valencian version is the authentic one, but every region in Spain carries its own unique rendition of this iconic dish. Since Spanish restaurants are hard to come by in the city where I currently reside, I took advantage of the fact that I was in Spain. Hence, I tried to eat paella whenever I had the chance. The ones we had in Burgos were indeed delightful and I cou

If there is one regret that I have about my trip to Barcelona, it's the fact that I did not get the chance to see the interior of the famed La Sagrada Familia, a monumental church dedicated to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. I know, I know...you are probably thinking what a big mistake that was because it's THAT one place you should NOT miss when in the city. It is considered Barcelona's crown jewel! Some even say it is practically illegal to go to Barcelona witho

We enjoyed our stroll around Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. It offers a mix of small artisan shops, leather goods, jewelry, major brands, and souvenir stores, as well as, tapas bars, traditional Catalan restaurants, and xocolaterias (for hot chocolate and churros). While it is heavily touristic, it still gives you a unique and deeply historic atmosphere, so I would advise first-timers in Barcelona to visit (but you can probably skip this the next time you go). Several of my foo

We spent some time at the Plaça de la Seu, right outside the Barcelona Cathedral. It is often referred to as the “soul of Barcelona,” and I could see why. It is open, bright, and full of life. Locals were meeting up for coffee at the tavernas, street musicians were set up near the steps entertaining a crowd, artists sketched portraits for passersby, tourists gathered around their tour leaders while taking pictures, and pigeons fluttered across the paved stones as children tri

After a wonderful spread of Spanish ham and Spanish-style omelets, along with the usual breakfast fare of bread, eggs, fruits, cereal, yogurt, and cold cuts at the hotel’s restaurant, we were ready to start a day of exploration around Barcelona. The morning’s schedule consisted of a walking tour of the city's old district, the Barri Gotic , and our first stop was the Barcelona Cathedral, also known as The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, or its shortened name, L

Bon dia! This is the official greeting in Catalan, as opposed to the Castilian phrase, "Buenas dias," that I learned from my Spanish class and often use to greet Spanish and Hispanic friends. In Barcelona, it is quite handy to know a few Catalan expressions, especially when speaking with the locals. Barcelona, the capital city of Catalonia, is a large metropolis. My first impressions as we drove along the busy streets of its many districts could be summed up into a few words

On the bus ride from Carcassonne to Barcelona, I was catapulted from my medieval fantasy mode to our present reality by the racket created by Ms. Lady Leader and her gang (a clique of seniors that comprised almost half of our tour group and who had recently embarked on a new hobby of playing poker while on the road to pilgrimage sites). Fifteen minutes into the ride and the merry group of card players were already resuming their game. I could tell that majority of the other p

Carcassonne is home to some sophisticated French fare. Since it lies within Languedoc-Roussillon, one of the largest wine producing regions in Europe, it takes its gastronomy very seriously. After all, one requires a a cuisine capable of soaking up all that wine! At the same time, due to its proximity to Spain's Catalan region, their most cherished dishes brilliantly combine the aromas of French Provence gastronomy with the influence of Spanish cuisine. Carcassonne is situate

Perhaps you are familiar with the board game, "Carcassonne," the tile-laying game in which players fill in the countryside around the fortified city. But did you know that this was inspired by a real city by the same name? The real Carcassonne is a hilltop town in southern France’s Languedoc-Roussillon area, well-known for its medieval citadel surrounded by imposing stone walls with turrets and towers. This settlement was built on the ruins of an old Roman fortress and was at

At two o'clock sharp, we met the “The Prayer Group” faction of Ms. Lady Leader's gang. Looking at them, I started to wonder how they fitted in with the rest of their tour group. They were the exact opposites of the boisterous gambling gang. Their patience must be greater than ours because they had to spend more time with their comrades. At least, all four of us, my solo traveler amigas and myself, had the choice to do our own thing. I guess this time, they were able to "esca

Outside the Sanctuary, we saw the little tourist train. We found out it was to leave in five minutes for a 7.5-kilometer tour through the old streets of Lourdes, the uptown area, and its monuments. The complete loop would take about 45 minutes. What perfect timing! Our feet were rather sore, so this was an opportunity to take a rest and do some more sightseeing at the same time. My new-found friend, who had to leave his wheelchair at the Sanctuary, and who unflinchingly did t

From the Sanctuary, we continued on with another tour in the footsteps of the visionary, Saint Bernadette. To get to know the saint, we visited her birthplace, the house where she grew up, and her neighbourhood. It was a short walk to the aptly named 2 rue Bernadette Soubirous, but in those few steps, we saw up close how bad the devastation was in Lourdes. Debris from the recent floods still littered the sidewalks. Damaged and unsalvageable belongings were still sitting in bi

We began our second day in Lourdes with an early morning Mass in French at the Upper Basilica, also known as the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. It is the second of the churches at the Sanctuary to be completed. Built in the Gothic style, the church seems to emerge directly from the rock of Massabielle and features a 70-meter spire and two smaller spires on both sides. Above the entrance is a mosaic depicting Pope Pius IX. At the entrance on the right is a marble plaqu

Our group had agreed to meet at the lobby twenty minutes after we concluded our meal. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes was a five-minute walk from our hotel, according to our Tour Director. We were going to join the Torchlight Marian Procession scheduled at 9:00 p.m. It was a good thing I went with him. There were others that left the hotel earlier and others that left after us. I wouldn’t have known the “short-cut,” if it weren’t for him. He led us to the back alley wher

As we got closer to Lourdes, we saw more and more of the Pyrenees. Lourdes is a small market town lying on the foothills of this mountain range. It rises at an elevation of 1,380 feet and is overlooked from the south by the Pyrenean peaks of Aneto, Montaigu, and Vignemale, while around it are three summits reaching up to 3,280 feet – the Béout, the Petit Jer, and the Grand Jer. It’s my kind of place…high elevation with mountains all around. I also like the climate which is mi

I knew we had crossed the border to France when I saw road signs written solely in French. Our Tour Director finally started telling us about our next destination - Lourdes, the location of the famous Catholic pilgrimage site, Sanctuaires Notre-Dame de Lourdes and the Grotto of the Apparitions. During the past few days, we had been wondering if we would be able to go. This was in the summer of 2013, when heavy flooding swept through the towns and villages in the Pyrenees and