I came back from the Toledo trip in time for a seven o’clock anticipated Saturday Mass. Instead of going back to the bus depot, I requested our tour bus driver to drop me off at Gran Via, closest to my hotel street and from there, I walked for less than five minutes to the 17th- century Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Carmen y San Luis Obispo on Calle del Carmen. This church used to belong to the old San Damaso Carmelite Convent that has since been disentailed. It continues to

As our tour guide promised, he took us to Damasquinados Suarez to get authentic and quality Toledo artisanal souvenirs. They special in damascene art. This refers to the ancient Moorish craft of laying gold, silver, or copper threads on non-precious metals like iron and steel. These are then fired so that the underlying metal oxidizes and becomes black, leaving the gold to stand out in sharp contrast. The craft is believed to have its roots in the oriental-style craft work in

Toledo is the capital of the autonomous region of Castille-La Mancha. It is only 70 kilometers from Madrid, that’s why I did not think twice about visiting. I had always wanted to go there. In my imagination, Toledo appears as a colourful backdrop of medieval castles for richly adorned knights riding atop their majestic horses. The day tour that I booked began with a comfortable coach ride. About three quarters of the bus was full, mostly solo travelers like me. It was just f

After the bullfight tour, I had no desire to gallivant in the Old Town or along Gran Via, even though the sun was still bright at nine o’clock and there were interesting things to see along the avenue. I just went back to my hotel to rest for a bit and have a quiet dinner at a nearby restaurant. Interestingly, my hotel, which had recently been renovated at the time of my visit, featured a Japanese theme. My room, which was on the highest floor, was furnished with contemporary

We left the sports bar after half an hour and proceeded to our main destination – La Plaza de Toros de las Ventas del Espiritu Santo, or simply, Las Ventas, Madrid’s main bullring. The impressive Mudejar-style building is made of red bricks and ceramic tiles, making it stand out from the rest of the structures around it. We did not have to line up, since we already purchased our tickets from the tour company. The only thing our guide did was to give instructions on who goes w

This afternoon was going to be quite interesting - I was sure of that. I was going to see an Egyptian temple, then watch a bullfight. Could anything be even more contrasting than these? I found the storefront where I was to meet my guide for the bullfight trip. She was a young lady in her early twenties, wearing a shirt with the logo of their company. She told me she would walk me to their office where I could pick-up my tickets. Beside it was a bus depot, where the tour bus

That night was the last night of the official tour, so we held our farewell dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, followed by some picture-taking and exchange of contact information. Our Tour Director gave instructions regarding check out and airport transfers for the next day. Most of my tour mates, including my travel amigas , were leaving Spain at various times in the morning, with Ms. Lady Leader’s group departing at dawn. We said our good-byes and turned in early, I had deci

The main reason for our visit to Avila was to see the Shrine of Saint Teresa of Avila (also known as Saint Teresa of Jesus), who was born and spent her years there as a Carmelite nun. Since childhood, I have admired these two female saints with the same name – Saint Therese of Liseux (also known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus) and Saint Teresa of Avila, and I had longed wished to visit their shrines. Although they were both great women of faith and have dedicated their l

For lunch, my travel amigas and I decided to pick a place closest to the gate where we were supposed to meet our Tour Director. Along Calle de San Segundo, right outside the Tourist Information Office, was a line of hostels, restaurants, and bars, mostly with outdoor patio seating along the pedestrian street. After quickly scanning the menu posted outside, we went to Restaurante Casa de Postas, a steakhouse that had a beautiful, covered terrace, as well as a huge trellis out

From Madrid, we took a day trip to Avila. Avila certainly gave us a grand welcome. As we arrived, we were greeted by the formidable walls dramatically surrounding the whole city with the red tile rooftops of houses peeking out in between the watchtowers and the turrets. I felt like I was transported back to the 16th century. In fact, Castilian writer Jose Martinez Ruiz said the same thing in his book, El Alma Castillana (The Castilian Soul) ,” that Avila is “perhaps the most

On our second day in Madrid, we drove around the city once more, but this time stopped at some of the major landmarks – Royal Palace, Sabatini Gardens, Almudena Cathedral, Basilica de San Francisco El Grande, Plaza de Cibeles, Puerta de Alcala, Buen Retiro Park, Gran Via, and Puerta del Sol, where we had the chance to take some pictures and do some souvenir shopping. By noon, our Tour Director left us at Plaza Mayor to enjoy a meal at one of the many restaurants around the ar

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