Greetings Loves!
I think my favourite part about Europe and why I love it so much is that the ability to travel is so simple! I will never get over how in just a couple of hours on a plane, you can be in another country with a completely different culture and climate.
This past weekend, Eddie and I decided to head off to Spain! His famiy has a holiday home in a place called Tamariu. It's up in Northern Spain and just under 2 hours from Barcelona by car. I had been to Barcelona when I studied abroad, but I was so excited to see the smaller and more serene part of Spain.
Although I knew we would have a wonderful time no matter what, words cannot describe how perfect our trip was! It was so fabulous from start to finish; I know I'll never ever forget it.
We left Dublin around 7 am and landed in Barcelona around 10am (Spanish time.) We had rented a car so we picked it up and hit the road! Since our flight was so early we passed out on the flight. It was good because once the adrenaline hit, we were wide awake!
It was quite a treat that I got to drive- my side of the car and my side of the road haha. We spent the extra moolah to get the automatic car so there wouldn't be any trouble handling the curvy roads and cliff drives.
After that, we took a drive down to Tamariu Beach. Although it was February and a lot of the places were closed up for the season, it was incredible. You can tell that during the summer, all of the places will be bustling and full of life. My jaw dropped to the floor, because it truly looks like something out of a magazine or postcard.
We then headed up to the house. The views on the drive up were spectacular! It was so hard for me to look away and keep my eyes on the road (Don't worry, Mom, I did.)
We took a quick nap before heading out to get some groceries. We made some pizzas, watched movies and drank Cava in front of the fire place. Such a relaxing first night in such a peaceful place.
Side note-- The Cava (which is comparable to Prosecco/Champagne, but made in Spain) is only a couple euro for a whole bottle! It's basically the same price if not cheaper than milk! That is my kind of spot!
The next day, we had some breakfast (made by the one and only Eddie) out on the sun soaked patio. This was to become a daily routine and I loved it!
We then headed off to Girona, which is considered more of a city. It's more like Barcelona meaning that people live there year round so there's tons of restaurants and bars and things to see and do. We did a bit of exploring (and by exploring I mean drove around lost for about 35 minutes) and then got ready to hit the town!
Eddie and I, being the steak lovers that we are, used our Spanish skills to try and find a place with steak. Finally, we stumbled upon an Irish bar (figures we'd leave Dublin just to eat in an Irish bar in Spain) and had a DELICIOUS steak with pepper sauce. We had a couple of beers and listened to some pretty atrocious live music and laughed about it the whole time.
We asked the bartender where some foreigners could 'find the craic' and she gave us directions to a place not too far away where there would be live music and tons of people. SOMEHOW we managed to find it, even though we got a bit turned around haha.
Let me tell ya, folks. This may have been one of the best bars we have ever been to. You walk inside and it's a bit deceiving because the smoking area is not much to look at. When you venture into the actual bar, it's as if you're walking into a huge underground cave with awesome lighting and music. We ordered 2 cocktails, which ended up being basically fish bowls and squirmed our way into the room with the music. Each time a performer came on stage we thought there was no way the next one could top it and each time we were wrong. Each of them played cover songs that rivalled the originals each time. The music spanned from love songs to pop to hip hop and rap.
It was incredible. Eddie and I stayed singing along and sipping until it closed in the wee hours of the morning. We had a little trouble finding where our hotel was because we had wandered so much earlier in the night looking for steak. Luckily, we found a group of English Speaking young guys who used their phones and guided us back! What gents, I tell ya!
The next day, we checked out and grabbed some grub before doing some more exploring. We got a chance to see all of the adorable streets and shops and even get a tour of the massive church in the middle of the city. I'm a sucker for Church architecture, so I loved it!
We headed back to Tamariu and stopped to get some more food. We made our own version of Tapas for dinner in front of the fire and relaxed after our little adventure inside a holiday!
Saturday, we went for a bit of a Valentine's Day hike. Although, I'm a bit of a scaredy cat, I had my fearless leader to be the trail blazer and guide the way. The views from the top were nothing short of perfection. It almost seemed as if we were staring at a green screen. It was a clear day and you could see for miles. It was so silent and serene. Pictures just don't even do it justice.
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| Please note Eddie on top of the cliff |
We made our way to the lighthouse and had a drink at the hotel bar that's overlooking the water. It was spectacular. We watched the sunset and once again got some great pics that just do not do the view justice.
Sunday, we grabbed some food and got ready to head back to Barcelona for our flight. Although we were there for about 5 days, it was so sad to leave! The sunshine just does wonders for a person. It was impossible not to have a smile on the entire time.
It was an absolutely perfect little holiday and such a nice way to spend Valentine's Day with my Valentine. It was so wonderful to be able to spend time with someone who means so much to me in a place that means so much to him *cue the awwwwww.* I am forever grateful to his family for allowing us to use the house and this trip will certainly remain one of the highlights of my time abroad!
Until next time,
Paige xx
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