Isabel & Stephanie – Page 4 – Ultimate Europe Trip

When in Rome

5 Comments / Rome / Isabel & Stephanie / June 16, 2022

The first line of business after checking into the hotel was to get gelato. Isabel got mango and strawberry and Stephanie got strawberry and lemon. All three flavors were delicious and we knew immediately that we would be eating a lot of gelato in Italy. After we finished eating, we headed back to the hotel to shower and sleep.

The hotel is amazing! We decided that after the ferry we might need the private room so we booked a double room in a b&b in the Trevestre neighborhood and it has everything we need and more. It’s so cute and the owners are very nice and accommodating. To get to the hotel, you have to first enter into a courtyard that has a gorgeous fountain and we even found a turtle in it!

I’m the morning, the hotel delivered us a full breakfast to our room. We eat had coffee, orange juice, a croissant, 2 pieces of toast, scrambled eggs, and a bowl of watermelon. It was all delicious and filled us up before we set out for the day.

For most of the day, we wandered around trying to see as much as possible. We started at the Colosseum, headed over to the Spanish steps, then to the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona.

Somewhere in the middle, we found a cute Italian restaurant and each ordered their menu of the day. It consisted of 4 courses, the first of which was a bruschetta on toast which neither of us liked very much. The toast was too hard and the tomato was, well, tomato. The second course was pasta. Isabel’s had bacon and egg while Stephanie’s had pepper and parmigiana. They were both delicious but we were starting to worry about how we would finish 2 more courses. The second course was the meat course and Stephanie ordered chicken while Isabel ordered a cutlet. They were both good, but less good than the pasta. We both ended our meal with tiramisu which was definitely the highlight. It was amazing and we ate every bite.

After lunch and wandering, we headed back to the hotel, grabbed our laundry, and went to a laundromat. We decided it would be a good idea to do it in the middle of the day so that we got a break from walking around in the heat. Unfortunately, we didn’t think about the fact that the laundromat would be even hotter than it was outside, but it was still a good decision to get it done so that we didn’t have to worry about it.

We took a little bit of time to cool off before we headed back out again. This time we went up to Terrazza Gianicolo which is on a hill in the Trevestre neighborhood and has a gorgeous view overlooking the city. We spent a lot of time there taking in the view and trying to figure out what direction everything was in.

We headed back down the hill and found a pizza place along the river for dinner. We shared a Davoli pizza and a spigarelli mozzarella, both of which were good, but the pizza didn’t leave us feeling like it was that much better then American pizza. Guess we have to try some more places! After dinner, we ended the night with some gelato. We tried some pineapple-mint gelato which was amazing and refreshing (like a mojito). Isabel ended up ordering it with strawberry while Stephanie stuck with strawberry and lemon. Overall, it was a great day and we saw lots of Rome.

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Sweet life on deck

4 Comments / Uncategorized / Isabel & Stephanie / June 15, 2022

Last night, we boarded our gigantic ferry, named Cruise Roma, in Barcelona which departed for Rome. We learned quickly that despite the signs advertising it, there would in fact be no wifi. Also, despite the pool, it would not be filled with water and open for swimming. Lastly, despite the facilities, the gym and spa were closed the entire time. Regardless, we made the best of it and got a lot of much needed relaxation.

Of course, the first thing we did was wander through the boat to see what we could find. After that, we stayed on the deck until the ferry left port and the sun set. At that point, we went back to our room to eat dinner and then get ready for bed. We got to bed early and then slept late to make the most of our time without anything to go see. This ferry is the 3 week mark of our trip and we were very ready for the break so that we could relax before the last 6 weeks.

In the morning, we ate some breakfast and watched the boat dock, unload, reload, and depart in Porto Torres, an Italian island which marked the boat’s first stop. Then we went back to the room to relax some more, watch a show, and take naps before heading up to lunch. We had pre booked lunch onboard because we knew we couldn’t bring enough food onboard for every meal. For the meal, we each got 2 rolls, some cheese-pasta that resembled lasagna, a large piece of breaded chicken, potatoes, an apple, and a drink.

After reorganizing and packing our bags, our afternoon primarily consisted of lounging (and napping) on pool chairs on a deck near our room. The cool breeze made it very nice to just sit and look out at the water. We also enjoyed some (more) apples that we brought onboard and Isabel temporarily used a small piece to replace her earring backing which was lost in Madrid. While we were sitting by the water, we were also very excited to see two whales next to the boat and then kept trying to find more.

Overall, it ended up being a very relaxing journey but we both wish it had been shorter. When we got off, we headed for the train station and took a train into Rome and a tram to the hotel.

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ThE end of spain

3 Comments / Granada / Isabel & Stephanie / June 13, 2022

This morning, in Granada, we set out to find coffee and the first thing we found was Dunkin. Since it was already very hot out and no one else seems to sell iced coffee, we decided it was probably the smart decision to stop and get iced coffee and bagels. It ended up being the perfect breakfast and gave us some time to deal with a lotion explosion that we had noticed while we were walking.

The first destination for the day was the main attraction in Granada: Alhambra. We took a bus to the top of the hill and started in the gardens of GeneraLife. We loved seeing all the different flowers and the gorgeous views of the palace and Granada. It was still early enough that it hadn’t gotten too hot and there were plenty of fountains to refill our bottle regularly. We were also very intrigued by the fact that there were fountains in every single part of the garden and water escalators supplying the water. Each of these fountains, surprisingly, had freezing cold water (despite the rising air temperature) which made the water perfect for splashing on our faces, necks, and hands to cool off.

After GeneraLife, we continued along the main path through Alhambra in the direction of the palace. We continued to look at the flowers, admire the views, and drink water as we walked. We reached the palace a little before our time slot, so we looked at a few of the souvenir shops while we were waiting. We also took some time to enjoy the shade before we could get in line. A little bit before our time, they let us into line and soon after we were admitted into the palace. The stone and tile work inside was incredible and it was really cool to see how much detail went into every room. It was also fun to see that the fountains continued to be a major part of the palace and that there was lots of courtyards and open windows with garden views throughout. Overall, I think we both had more fun in the gardens, but we were very impressed by the palace.

By the time we finished in the palace, we were hungry for lunch so we headed out of Alhambra and found a very cute Italian place where we ordered pizza and cannolis. It was delicious and the perfect, quick lunch. However, after we visit Italy, I’m not sure we’ll still be able to say that anymore. For the majority of the afternoon, we wandered around the Jewish District and some of the shops near the main road. We found some dried fruit and decided we wanted to drop it off at the hostel and get some more water. Once we got to the hostel, we realized that what we actually needed was a break from the heat so we relaxed, got some of our stuff organized, and cooled off for a bit.

A little later, we ran out for some groceries so that we could be prepared for breakfast and have some snacks for the train in the morning. After dropping them off, we headed to dinner. We took the suggestion of one of the receptionists at the hostel and went to a tapas bar a couple blocks away. In Granada, the tapas bars, almost exclusively, give you tapas with the drink you order rather than having you order tapas and drinks separately. This bar is in the minority of one’s that actually let you pick what tapas you get with the food. The food ended up being delicious and we ended up getting a lot of food and drink for less than we would get it for anywhere else. Below is the list of drinks/food we got in each round.

1.  Alhambra Especial and The Good Cider Pear 
⁃   Chicken in spicy Thai sauce 
⁃   Chicken in Coconut Sauce with polenta
2.  Estrella Levante (on tap) and The Good Cider Dry Apple
⁃   Spicy Piri-Piri Chicken Wings 
⁃   Portuguese Style Saltcod 
3.  Al Aldalus Amber (Ale) and Anchurón (Granada red wine) 
⁃   Chicken in Coconut Sauce with polenta
⁃   Skewer of grilled pork and pineapple 
4.  Al Aldalus Rubia (Pate Ale) and athe Good Cider Pear and water
⁃   Chickpea salad 
⁃   Spicy chicken liver with coriander 
⁃   Chicken in spicy Thai sauce

Overall, that makes 9 tapas, 7 beers, 1 glass of wine, and 1 bottle of water. Any guesses on how much we spent? If you guessed 27€ then that’s correct. Each drink was between 2 and 3 euros and came with food which felt insanely cheap, but we were well fed and happy before we headed back to the hostel to pack our bags and get ready for the night.

In the morning, we got up early, grabbed our bags, and headed for the train station. We are currently back in Barcelona waiting for our ferry to take us to Rome! Italy, here we come!!

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3 cities in a day?

4 Comments / Córdoba / Isabel & Stephanie / June 11, 2022

We arrived in Cordoba very early and were greeted by empty streets. Spaniards definitely do not get up early (until at least 10- especially on Saturdays). Our first stop was to the lockers in the bus station across the street since we weren’t staying overnight. If anyone ever comes to the Cordoba bus station, the toilet paper is OUTSIDE the stall, so make sure you grab it before you go in. Then, we wandered through a park that connects the train station and the Jewish district and found a very cute coffee shop where we got coffee and tried a Pastel Cordobes which was delicious.

Once we were fed and (more importantly) caffeinated, we finished walking along the park and entered the Jewish Quarter. It felt like we were stepping into Greece with its narrow alleyways and white buildings. We wandered through the streets toward Mezquita where we got our tickets and went inside. The architecture was incredible and it was very calming and peaceful to spend some time wandering around the pillars and arches in the dimly lit Mosque-Cathedral.

After leaving Mezquita, we headed toward to water to see Roman Bridge (fun fact: some of Game of Thrones was filmed here). It was really cool to see and there were a lot of pretty birds nearby. We then spent awhile wandering through the Jewish Quarter and looking in a bunch of the gardens and shops. We also tried to get into the Synagogue, but the line was about 5 blocks long and we didn’t have time to wait. When we decided we had seen everything we could, we wandered back to the park and began to explore.

The first thing we found was the market which was mostly very overpriced aside from a Mexican stand where we got some nachos and tacos for a quick and easy lunch. We started walking again and soon encountered a row of booths selling different things. It was clearly geared toward tourists but we wandered through to see what they had. Shortly after, we left with a new blue fedora that was half the price of all the other fedoras we’ve seen this trip.

After the market, we looked at the Roman Mausoleum and lots of statues and landscaping before heading into one of the other neighborhoods. We wandered around for a little while before heading back to the park to relax in the shade before the train. Today, Mother Nature decided to increase the heat advisory from a yellow level to an orange level and Spain’s hottest time of day is around 5pm, so it was starting to get unbearable.

On the way to the bus station to get our bags, we chose the shadiest paths and avoided the sun as much as possible. We got our bags and got to the train station with time to spare so we found some cold water before heading to the platform. The train arrived soon later and we climbed onboard and made our way to Granada.

In Granada, we checked into the hostel before heading out to get some empanadas from a shop on the same block as the hostel for dinner. It was the perfect welcome to Granada and we got some time to relax and get settled before going to bed.

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Toledo Plans are toaSt

3 Comments / Madrid / Isabel & Stephanie / June 11, 2022

Unfortunately, Toledo was not in the cards for us. We ate breakfast at the hotel again and hurried to the meeting spot only to find no one else there. After some research, emails, calls, and texts, we finally got ahold of someone who said that the tour was canceled months ago and that we should’ve been refunded by Viator. The problem came from the fact that we booked with TourMega (not Viator) who hadn’t gotten the memo.

We realized there was nothing else we could do, so we headed back to the hostel to figure out our next move. We both needed a bit of a break, so we relaxed for the morning, got our laundry done, and got ourselves organized for Cordoba. It was a much needed break from doing things nonstop. We are very sad to miss Toledo, but are also glad that we weren’t out in the sun all day (especially because there was a heat advisory).

After the laundry was finished, we went to a grocery store and picked up some food for a picnic lunch. Then, we headed over to the Retiro park and found a bench in the shade to enjoy our food. Our next stop was the lake in the park where they rent rowboats. We braced ourselves for the heat and got a boat for 45 minutes. It was so much fun, but if it was any longer, we would’ve needed to open an umbrella for some shade!

By the time the boat was over, all we wanted was some cold water and air conditioning, so we hopped on a bus and went back to the hostel. When we arrived, we filled our bottles and headed to the lounge to wait for dinner. Since we had an early train in the morning, we decided it was best to just stay in and enjoy dinner at the hostel again. Tonight’s dinner was noodle soup, roasted fish and potatoes, and ice cream. The food was good, but the company was better. There was a new receptionist/bartender working the dinner who did a great job encouraging everyone to interact with each other and introducing new people who walked in to the group. We met a lot of cool people and had a great time eating (and drinking- open bar). We were being pushed by the bartender to stay up all night and go on the pub crawl, but of course we weren’t going to do that when we had a new city to explore in the morning.

We are currently on the train to Cordoba (by the time this is posted, we will be in Cordoba). On our way to the station, we passed lots of people going home from the clubs (which close at 6am). We also had a little bit of a sunrise view before we left the station in Madrid. Yesterday, we were smart enough to get some croissants and yogurt so that we had breakfast this morning (and the hostel has 24hr coffee), so we were set to get up, eat, and go.

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TUrtles and Ducks and peacocks, oh my!

3 Comments / Madrid / Isabel & Stephanie / June 9, 2022

This morning, we decided to try out the breakfast buffet at the hostel. Everything else at the hostel was amazing and the breakfast is all you can eat/drink for a good price. It was definitely the right decision! They had a spread of pastries, two types of eggs, beans, bacon, ham, salami, cheese, cereal, granola, an array of jams, butter, and honey, oranges, kiwi, bananas, juice, and coffee. We made sure we were both full before heading out for the day.

Today’s agenda was to see the the Parque de el Retirio, the market of San Miguel, and the Royal Palace of Madrid. Our first stop was the park which also houses the crystal palace. We wandered through the park and even walked through part of a book sale that had about 300 booths with vendors selling all sorts of books. When we got to the crystal palace, we were first greeted by a giant lake with a fountain and lots of animals. The first thing we noticed were the turtles, but there were also lots of ducks, some small birds, some large birds, and fish. We had a lot of fun just sitting and standing by the water watching all the animals (but mostly the turtles). After a little time by the water, we went inside the palace which was very pretty but less interesting than the turtles.

Since we had a lot we wanted to see and didn’t want to run out of time for lunch, we started heading back out of the park. On our way, we wandered into another section of the park which had beautiful hedges and flowers and we soon realized that that wasn’t even the best part of the garden. We saw that the garden also had lots of peacocks wandering around. Lunch would have to wait! We didn’t know about the peacocks and were so excited that we spent a ton of time looking at and taking pictures with all the peacocks we could find. It was so cool to see so many peacocks just wandering freely around a garden.

After we decided we really did have to go, we hopped on a bus and went to Plaza Mayor which is has a very local restaurant (La Campana) that was recommended to us by multiple people. Their specialty is squid sandwiches, so that’s what we had to order. We squeezed lemon on top and both loved it, it is definitely a must for anyone coming to Madrid. While we were in the area, we also went into the market of San Miguel, but we were glad that we weren’t still hungry because the prices were ridiculous. Nevertheless, it was fun to see and we headed toward the Royal Palace.

We ended up getting there a little early so we went into the cathedral first (it’s free and right next door) which was fun to see but no where near as nice as it’s Barcelona counterpart (Sagrada Familia). After the cathedral, we still had a little more time so we went into a bar across the street for beer, bathrooms, and air conditioning. We each got an Amstel and enjoyed the short break from the heat.

When it was time, we headed into the Royal Palace and started by wandering through the main rooms on display. In total, the palace has just over 3,400 rooms, but we obviously weren’t allowed in most of them. On days (like yesterday), the palace is still used for diplomatic meetings and decisions and only opens as a museum on days that the king is not present. While everything in the palace was gorgeous and over the top, we both found ourselves paying more attention to how much detail went into the room itself. The ceilings in every room were painted beautifully, the walls were all either covered in beautiful designs or elegant patterns that were raised off the wall. Even the trim around the doors and windows was extremely fancy marble, and the floor was gorgeous tile that changed from room to room. No two rooms were even similar and each had their own personality before you even looked at the chandeliers or the furniture or the paintings. The other area in the palace to visit was the armory which was really cool to see. It displayed all different kinds of armor that was worn by men, horses, dogs, and children as well as weapons including swords, javelins, guns, and cannons.

At that point we were exhausted, so we went to a nearby park and took turns taking short naps. The heat is deadly in the sun, but it’s actually very nice sitting in the shade. It was definitely something we both needed before wandering through the park more and then heading across the city for dinner. We met one of the girls we met at the hostel for paella at a local restaurant that we all loved. We ordered a mixed paella which had a variety of seafood and some chicken and then we each ordered a Catalan crème which was very similar to a crème brûlée but had more spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc) and a thinner layer on top. It was different from anything we’ve had but was very good. After dinner, we all hopped on a metro to get back to the hotel and got ready for bed. Tomorrow is Toledo!

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History and churros

4 Comments / Madrid / Isabel & Stephanie / June 8, 2022

Today started off a little slower with a stroll around the nearby streets to find a coffee shop and an ATM. We managed to find both with minimal trouble and then got back to the hostel in time for a free 3 hour guided tour of the old city that is offered daily. Our tour guide, Erika, did an amazing job and taught us a lot about the city. One fun fact was about their iconic bear statue, El Oso y el Madroño, which shows a bear climbing up on a Madroño tree to eat its (fermented) fruit. She told us that this is very symbolic of Madrid because the bear climbs the tree for the fermented fruit until it becomes too drunk, so it takes a nap and then wakes up for more fruit. She also pointed out that the bear is a female which means that their icon is essentially a party girl.

After leaving the bear statue and the main square (which is not only is in the center of Madrid, but is also in the center of Spain), we continued to explore the city and learned about where to find the best (and oldest) churro spot, the best squid sandwich, and the best paella. We also learned a lot about Madrid’s history including details about their civil war which left bullet marks in all of the buildings, the Black Plague, and about the origin of sangria and tapas. The tour also took us to see a few of the most famous plazas, the Royal Palace (which the king was inside of at the time), and amazing views of the mountains.

When the tour ended, we took the suggestion of our tour guide and went to a nearby tapas restaurant. It ended up being more expensive than we expected so we only ordered 2 tapas to share. The first was a smoked burrata and the second was a pastrami sandwich. We both preferred the burrata, but they were both very good. After lunch, we were still a little bit hungry so we headed back to the best churro restaurant in the city and ordered their churro with chocolate special. It came with 6 churros and a glass of very thick hot chocolate to dip in. We loved it and could understand how they made it to be the oldest churro shop in Madrid.

Our next stop was to Primark, a huge department store that we were told has excellent prices. It was something very different see and we had fun wandering through 5 floors of clothes and other things, daydreaming about how much we could get if only we had an extra empty suitcase to fill.

We took a quick detour to the hostel to drop off the few things we did buy before heading back out to the Prado museum. The museum was a lot of fun and we had a great time looking at the art that we saw, but we didn’t quite get through everything before they started getting ready to close. It ended to being for the best because we were very ready for dinner. We decided today was the perfect day for a casual dinner so we stopped at Lidl on the way to the hostel and picked up some bread, cheese, salami, raspberries, garlic spread, lemonade, and yogurts that we ate back at the hostel.

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Bottomless Sangria

5 Comments / Madrid / Isabel & Stephanie / June 8, 2022

We had limited time this morning before our train to Madrid. Our first destination was Park Guell which we really enjoyed. It had more pretty purple flowers which made it even more exciting. We also got to go into Gaudi’s Casa del Guarda, which was fun to walk through and see the interesting architectural decisions that he made. After the Casa, we wandered through the gardens to admire the flowers and other buildings. We really enjoyed the lizard fountain, the caves, and the mosaic platform with a view overlooking the city. We both had a great time in the park and were sad to leave, but we also wanted to have time to (try for the third time to) go to La Boqueria.

This time, we were very excited to find the market open and wandered through aisles of meat and fruit and fish and spices and tapas and everything else you could imagine. Eventually, we each found a few small things to try which became the perfect lunch.

After a little more wandering, we headed back to the hostel to pick up our bags and get ourselves ready for the train. We gave ourselves plenty of time and even got to sit on the couches for a bit to relax before walking to the train station.

The train ride was relaxing and uneventful. The train was nicer than the other ones we’ve been on and we made it to Madrid right on time. We quickly bought metro passes before catching a ride to our hostel.

This hostel is definitely the nicest (and best location) for all of the hostels we’ve stayed in. We are in a 6 bed female dorm with a private bathroom. The hostel has a lounge, game room, bar, and even offers walking tours of the city. On top of all of that, they also offer a 3 course meal and open bar every night for only 12€. It started about half an hour after we arrived, so, of course, we decided tonight was the perfect night to try it. The first course was a salad which included pickles; it was very interesting and ended up being really good, but it was also a little surprising. The main course was chicken wings and potatoes and then dessert was carrot cake. Overall, everything was good even if it wasn’t very local and it saved us the pressure of trying to find food so quickly. The open bar was also a very nice bonus- their sangria was delicious! We ate at a table with 2 other girls staying in the hostel and had a really great time getting to know them. After dinner, we got ready for bed so we had some time to plan tomorrow!

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June 6 (a day late)

4 Comments / Barcelona / Isabel & Stephanie / June 7, 2022

This morning, we were lucky to have a hostel that included breakfast before we headed out to La Sagrada Familia. We were able to get there early and wander around some of the shops nearby (and admire the basilica from outside) before our entrance time. When we went in, we were amazed by the architecture and the stained glass that seemed to include every color you could imagine. We wandered around trying to take it all in until it was our time slot to go up the tower. We had tickets to the Passion Tower which primarily has views of the city with a glimpse of the sea. You take an elevator to the top and then walk down a series of spiral staircases with a few spots to stop and look at the view throughout. While we were on the elevator, the attendant even had to warn everyone not to look down too much to avoid dizziness and vertigo.

The top had an incredible view of the city with a little bit of an ocean view to the side. We’ve loved being able to climb to the top of towers, so it was great to see Barcelona from above. As we climbed down, we took every opportunity to look out on every balcony there was. It was a great time, but we could easily see why they had to warn us against looking down. It was a long way down, but we made without issues.

Once we were back down, we listened to the audio guide to learn more about what we were seeing and had seen. La Sagrada Familia was designed to look like a forest and it was very interesting to learn about the details Gaudi thought of in order to emphasize this. It was also interesting to hear that the tallest tower was designed to be 172.5 meters because he intended it to be slightly lower than the nearby mountain. Gaudi believed that the work of man should be lower than the work of God. It was also interesting to hear that Gaudi’s body is in the crypt below La Sagrada Familia which I thought was a little strange given that it is still being built.

After we finished the audio guide, we headed back out to admire it from a little farther away before finding lunch. We ended up at a really cute Chinese place and each got some rice noodles with vegetables, egg, and a protein. It was very good and very fresh, but we also liked that it was something a little different while still being a local restaurant.

We spent a little bit of time looking at souvenir shops before heading over to La Boqueria, a huge marketplace, but apparently google didn’t get the memo that they were closed (again). Instead, we wandered around by the port for a little while and sat by the water to take a few moments rest.

Our second (and last) excursion for the day was a wine and cheese tasting delivered by a local sommelier. We had signed up for 3 wines, but got upgraded to the class with 5 wines because no one else had signed up for 3. We started with a cava which we both loved and then tried 2 whites and 2 reds. I think we both favored the whites to the reds, but the reds were better after we got to try them with the cheese. They were very dry to drink alone and paired well with the softest cheese we had. The reds were definitely designed to enjoy with food. After tasting all of them, we were given another glass of each wine and a cheese plate to try them again. We had a great time and loved the sommelier who also gave us a restaurant recommendation for tapas nearby.

We went to the restaurant and got chicken croquets and salmon tartar, which were both delicious. The salmon was very fresh and came with avocado, pickled onions, and an avocado lime sauce. When we finished, we weren’t quite full so we stopped for some ice cream on the way back to the hostel. Today was also the day we hit 100 miles walked!

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¡Hola España!

5 Comments / Barcelona / Isabel & Stephanie / June 5, 2022

Marseilles was very quiet when we left the hostel. It was very surprising to see how quiet the city was especially after how busy it was the day before. None of the cafés near our hostel were open before 7 and we decided we would be smarter to head toward the train station and find breakfast there rather than wait for something to open. We found a café about a block before we got to the train and got a quick breakfast before heading to the station to wait for the train. I think that our close call at the train station in Nice made us nervous about time, especially because this leg required seat reservations. Either way, it’s good that we were early and we started our day with a hot and sweaty walk through Marseille. This time, we made it on the train with almost 30 minutes to spare.

Unfortunately, the train didn’t award our timeliness with their own haste and we ended up arriving almost 2 hours late. It was a relaxing ride but it was definitely a little annoying to be that late. When we did arrive, we purchased the rest of our train tickets for Spain (they had to be purchased in person) and we got our tickets from a very nice and helpful man in the Renfe office. After we were ready to go, we found the hostel and dropped off our bags before heading out to explore.

We wanted to see La Rambla today, so we took the metro to one end and walked toward the water. It was a lot of fun looking into different stands and stores and reading different menus along the street. We made it to the end and wandered around the port briefly before heading back up La Rambla to find a restaurant for dinner. We ended up at a cute Spanish restaurant (of course) and ordered Paella de Pollo and drinks. It was delicious and we were so full that we had to wander around for awhile after to walk off some of the food in order to make some room for churros.

After churros and more walking, we made our way back to the hostel to shower and get ready for our busy day tomorrow. Weirdly, we found out that the hostel showers are operated by a push button that only stays on for three seconds which made it very difficult to shower. We made it work and are now settling in for the night.

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