A Road Trip in Europe: Part 2 - Spain

Finally saying goodbye to Portugal and Algarve felt bittersweet. We had had such a great time going around my beautiful country and in a way we wanted to keep on going, but Europe called us.

We packed our bags once again and headed to the border between Portugal and Spain, where we could see the arch saying "até breve" - Portuguese for "see you soon". Some saudade kicked in straight away, I won't lie, but what was ahead of us would prove to be one of the best experiences in my whole life.

Crossing from Portugal to Spain

SEVILLE

Our first stop in Spain was the amazing city of Seville. We were welcomed by a whopping 38 degrees Celsius, a strong reminder of how extreme the heat can be in inland Spanish cities.

We started exploring the city by the beautiful Plaza de Toros, in what felt like the perfect way to embark on our journey to discover the Spanish culture. We are strongly against animal cruelty, so we oppose what goes on inside Spain's Plazas de Toros, but the beautiful arquitecture of such buildings is truly worth taking some time to admire.

Plaza de Toros in Seville

Right next to the traditional arena, we were pleased to find a beautiful and refreshing promenade right next to the river and surrounded by palm trees, making it a perfect place for some of our first photos of Seville. With many people strolling alongside the water, jogging, walking their dogs or simply enjoying the gorgeous sunshine, we could feel straight away that Seville was a cool and vibrant city - as it later proved to be.

Moving on towards the city center, we passed by plenty of cozy streets with local restaurants and coffeeshops where people were hiding from the heatwave and enjoying some AC (which the businesses themselves gladly advertised at the entrance by puting up a sign stating "AC inside"). Eventually we reached the gorgeous Avenida de la Constitución, where the city movement really started picking up, with plenty of people out and about, as well as cozy trams which kept passing by.

Following that Avenue, we could truly appreciate just how perfect the arquitecture in Seville really is. Somehow, all the buildings felt like they completely fitted in the city's atmosphere and style.

After many impressive sights, we reached Fuente Farola, a beautiful ornamented fountain in front of La Giralda - the famous bell tower which has become such a famous symbol of the city of Seville. We chose not to take the time to go inside, but those who do swear that the view from up there is stunning, so if you are interested in experiencing make sure to check the ticket information here.

After checking the Cathedral and its famous tower, we headed towards Plaza de España. After passing by what felt like an infinite amount of perfectly mesmerizing buildings, we were completely in love with Seville. We didn't think the city could fascinate us any more than it had already done, but we quickly understood we were wrong as soon as we saw Plaza de España.

Being one of the most famous places in the whole city and attracting countless locals and tourists, that square was easily the most beautiful I had ever seen. With gorgeous buildings all around and people gladly rowing their rented boats in the canals at the center of the square, it was one of the most perfect afternoon endings that I have ever experienced.

GIBRALTAR

200 km away from Seville, our next adventure awaited. Knowing that we were so close to a piece of the UK in Spain, we surely couldn't pass on the opportunity to visit such a unique place.

When we started approaching Gibraltar, we noticed a weird cloud ahead, which we didn't realize first but it was a type of cloud that often forms at the top of Gibraltar's rock.

In what we EU citizens have gotten so unused to, we were confronted with border checks at the entrance of Gibraltar. Everyone who went in and out of Gibraltar was having their IDs checked and it felt like such a strange and exotic experiece for us who are so extremely spoiled with free movement across the continent.

Once we got our IDs checked and were allowed to go into Gibraltar, we were in for another unique experience. Due to the extreme lack of space, everything in Gibraltar seems to be part of a clever solution in order to make the most use of the small amount of land available. The airport is no exception, so, like everyone else crossing into Gibraltar, we were forced to drive across the Airport's landing strips - it's literally the only way to go into Gibraltar by land, which felt really unique.

After that interesting experience, we somehow managed to find parking somewhere on Gibraltar's narrow streets and off we went to explore.

The city is quite simple to visit, as it is composed by one main street in typical colonial style where you will be able to find all the interesting buildings you should see during your stay. Simply head to "Grand Casemates Square" and start exploring from there - there's no going wrong.

One of the first things that you will probably notice is a sign saying "Welcome to Gibraltar" and showing a big map of the whole territory. On the side of it you will notice a box where you can buy a map of the city - it might come to use if you like to orientate through paper maps instead of Google maps, or it might simply be a good souvenir to keep.

Behind the sign, you will be pleased to find the emblematic English phone booths that provide visitors with a great opportunity for pictures.

The "Welcome to Gibraltar" sign and typically British red phone booths

After exploring the city center, head to Europa Point and enjoy the uninterrupted views of the Strait of Gibraltar. If you are lucky with the weather, you might even be able to see Africa all the way across the water.

Contrary to what many visitors believe, Europa Point in Gibraltar is not the most southern point of Europe - that would be Punta de Tarifa. But going to Europa Point will still put you at the southernmost point of the fascinating territory of Gibraltar, a place that has had so much importance throughout the times.

At Europa Point, you can admire a beautiful lighthouse contrasting against the deep-blue of the Mediterranean Sea, plus several other buildings of interest.

If you are not afraid of heights, you might be interested in going all the way up to the Rock of Gibraltar, where the famous monkeys live. They are believed to have been introduced to Gibraltar by the Moors, so they were already there way before the British came. If you would like to see them, catch the cable car going all the way up and enjoy that unique experience of seeing the only wild monkey population in the whole Europe.

ESTEPONA

Our next stop after experiencing the amazingly interesting British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, was the picturesque town of Estepona.

As a part of Costa del Sol, this quaint town would have been a popular destination for sun-seekers anyway, but an interesting fact makes it even more alluring for visitors chasing good weather. Thanks to Esteponas natural environment, being surrounded by both mountains and sea, the city has a micro-climate which allows it to have a whopping 325+ days of sunshine per year. That plus the amazing beaches are sure to make it a very popular place for sun-travelers and people looking to retire in a sunny place down south.

While in Estepona, we chose to simply walk around the streets and discover the true spirit of the city. We were pleasantly surprised by how nicely decorated the streets were, with colorful flowers giving a special touch to the typically spanish white houses. If, after visiting those picturesque streets decorated with flowers, you get a taste for more, make sure to check out the Orchidarium Estepona where visitors can stroll around a 1.000 square meter building and see more than 5.000 different plants, including thousands of orchids coming from all over the World, and waterfalls that give a truly magical feeling to the space.

MARBELLA

Half an hour away from Estepona, our road trip across Spain led us to stop at one of the most famous destinations of Costa del Sol: Marbella.

Visitors travel all across Europe headed to this popular city, to enjoy the wonderful weather as well as the picturesque and sophisticated atmosphere that the city has to offer. Whether you are interested in spending a day at the unique Nueva Andalucia beach or you are looking for cozy strolls around the quaint Old Town, you are sure to find what you are looking for in this amazing city. Just make sure to stay for the sunset, as it presents some of the best we have seen.

VALENCIA

After falling in love once again during this road trip, this time with Costa del Sol, we finally had to move on to new adventures. After a few days in our familiar Benidorm, our instincts took us to Valencia - another beautiful spanish city in Costa Blanca.

As soon as we arrived in Valencia, we were kind of shocked by the traffic and frenetic movement we felt all around us. Being spontaneous as we always had been during this road trip, we somehow didn't really interiorize that Valencia is actually Spain's 3rd largest metropolitan area. After struggling to find a parking amongst the crazy city traffic we encountered, we couldn't wait to start exploring that city which had already surprised us so much.

While walking down Valencia's busy streets, we encountered what felt like a green highway in the middle of the city: a park which stretch alongside the avenues, as long as the eye could see. It turned out to be Jardi del Turia, Spain's largest urban park. It turns out, though, that this beautiful park actually originated in a catastrophe. Back in the days, there used to exist a river dividing the city of Valencia, but a storm made it flood the city so badly that plans were made to re-route the river elsewhere, to eliminate the risk of such huge floodings happening again. That was, interestingly enough, what left space for the now huge and impressive Jardi del Turia.

After that we headed to Valencia's gothic Cathedral, which dates all the way back to the 13th century and is a beauty to look at. Right in front of it is a gorgeous square called "Plaça de la Mare de Déu", where visitors can stop for a well-deserved rest at one of the many cafés overlooking the fountains. If you are looking for a more quirky square, head to Plaza Redonda - a circular square composed of peculiar stalls all around.

Valencias Gothic Cathedral

As the night fell over Valencia, the city turned into an even more beautiful sight that we didn't want to leave behind. But, once again, new adventures awaited and as we processed all the impressions that Valencia had on us, we were already looking forward to the next incredible things we would experience.

Valencia by night

TARRAGONA

After such a busy day in Valencia and a long ride north, we were so extremely pleased to realized that there was a quiet and cozy city waiting to be explored close to where we had spent the night.

As soon as we arrived in Tarragona, we were greeted by a very peculiar statue of what looked like a tower made out of people who had somehow climbed on top of each other. A quick research revealed that this was in honor of the human towers that are native to the city and have become so emblematic of Tarragona. To be honest, I still don't quite understand how anyone manages to do something like that - it is such an impressive feat and I hope to get the honor to see it live someday.

Sculpture honoring the human towers typical of Tarragona

Moving along down Rambla Nova, we came to one of the most beautiful viewpoints we had come across so far on our trip. Suddenly the beautiful city of Tarragona met the Mediterranean Sea, in perfect harmony, and it truly was an impressive sight to behold.

View from "Balcó del Mediterrani"

Straight next to this stunning viewpoint, we moved on to visit Tarragona's Amphitheatre. Dating back all the way to the 100s, this Roman amphitheatre is now a place to contemplate History and Roman arquitecture, but back in the days it was the stage of extremely bloody events. For example, when the Roman Emperor Valerian persecuted Christians, several people of Christian beliefs were burned alive at the amphitheatre. Thankfully, such horrific massacres stopped taking place there later on when the official religion of the Roman Empire became Christianity.

After a beautiful sight of Roman History, we headed to Tarragona Cathedral. The building is very impressive in itself but we were lucky enough to catch a Medieval Market in its surroundings, which made the whole experience even more special. With people dressed in costumes, plenty of traditional food being cooked outdoors and interesting local products being sold in stalls scattered around the streets leading up to the Cathedral, one could almost feel a true medieval atmosphere.

Medieval market in Tarragona

When we finally made it past the market and into the Cathedral, we were even more impressed by its look inside than the outside of the building. Read more about it here if you would like to buy your tickets and explore the Cathedral.

With so many amazing visits done in Spain, we truly fell in love with the spanish culture and History. City after city exceeded our expectations in so many ways and left memories for a lifetime. We left with a certainty that we would come back and explore the rest of that beautiful country. Ahead lied yet another astonishing country to be explored: France - stay tuned for Part 3 of this adventure.