Like a balm to our souls, Spain is charming, relaxed, and immaculate. This was especially true for our first destination in this marvelous country: the world-renowned city of Barcelona. We were in love the instant our flight landed. It’s the perfect combination of wonderfully hospitable people, pleasant weather, true culinary delights, and a majestic ocean that’s hemmed in by some of the best beaches in the world! Needless to say, we were hooked from the start!
Spain is vibrant, a captivating composition of colors and sounds. As we were sauntering around Barcelona, in no particular rush to be anywhere, we came across the famous works of Antoni Gaudi (a Spanish architect from Catalonia). Like many artists, Gaudi was influenced by his passions and incorporated his love for architecture, nature, and religion into his pieces. 
Utilizing a distinct one-of-a-kind style, the buildings that Gaudi created are artworks in and of themselves. This is particularly true for one of his masterpieces: Casa Batlló. A prime example of Catalan Modernism, Casa Batlló displays the hallmark characteristics of Gaudi’s particular style: namely the integration of ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork, and carpentry. Casa Batlló was definitely our favorite and we couldn’t help but admire the wavy lines of the balconies, the oddly rounded windows, and, most especially, the play of sunlight over the multi-colored roof. It was all so fantastical and we left with our senses dazzled. 
In keeping with the culture, we also enjoyed the Spanish culinary specialty of tapas. After our first attempt, we were so amazed by this delightful cuisine that we ate nothing else for our entire stay in Barcelona! Served hot or cold, tapas are traditionally presented in small portions and it’s customary to order several dishes that can be shared amongst friends and family. Much like our first experience with Greek food, we had no real idea of exactly what we were eating. Some of the plates had distinctly odd components, and there were some that had a combination of ingredients that we never would’ve thought to put together. However, this didn’t matter in the least since it was all truly delicious! Five years after our first try of tapas and we’re still very much in love!
Not to be missed while in Barcelona, our designated beach day brought us to the shores of the Mediterranean. After a full, utterly relaxing, day in the sun, we knew it was going to be a difficult thing indeed to leave the ambience of this extraordinary country.
Another day in Barcelona brought with it an enchanting surprise. We were staying in the district of Gràcia (one of the oldest areas in Spain) and, unbeknownst to us, that day was to be the Gràcia Festival (also known as Festa Major de Gràcia). We stepped out of our lodging and directly in front of us was a fully formed drum circle where hundreds of participants were dressed in various lively costumes. The drum beats were only vaguely in harmony, but that didn’t seem to matter to anyone. In fact, the impression we got was that it was supposed to be about the power behind the rhythm, the beats representing a somewhat primordial sound of the universe.
We enjoyed the parade until its conclusion and then set about exploring other parts of Barcelona for the rest of the day. However, that night, with the festival in full swing, we journeyed out again and came to discover one of the best parts of the Gràcia Festival: the fact that, as part of a contest, each street in the district was decorated in a different whimsical theme. Apparently the residents of each street come together and host a unique motif, complete with decorations, food, and entertainment to be enjoyed for free!
While migrating from street to street, excitedly pursuing each new site, we could not help but marvel at the sheer creativity of the Spanish. The boldness and execution of the designs were impressive in the extreme! For example, one street was decorated like a jungle and was complete with huge colorful flowers, another was a tribute to the Flintstones, and yet another displayed the likeness of immense pieces of fruit. We absolutely loved it all!!
Unfortunately, we also misplaced our camera that night, one that held all of our pictures for the last five countries. Thousands of photos lost, we were understandably heartbroken. However, this story has a happy ending. As a prime illustration of the Spanish people, a couple had found the camera and went out of their way to return it to us. This involved a great deal of detective work on their end. Apparently they looked through some of our most recent pictures until they came to one that displayed us in front of our hostel. They then called the establishment and the hostel employees tracked us down. Luckily, even though they didn’t know our names, the employees could still locate us based on the fact that we’re twins. We were so surprised when they asked us if we had lost anything and, once we confirmed that we had, we were even more surprised to learn that the couple was going to drive over an hour in order to give the camera back to us.
Basically sobbing with relief and gratitude, we met the couple in the lobby and expressed, as best we could, just how much we appreciated all that they had done for us. They were wonderful! Not only was our camera restored to us, but this experience brought with it an added bonus: the couple said that they wished to teach their children that good things can come from doing the right thing. To this day, this occurrence reminds us to have a little faith in humanity.
Four years later, we decided to return to Spain. This time we took in Tenerife & Lanzarote of the Canary Islands. Both islands were quaint and calm, but unfortunately we were extremely sick the two weeks or so that we were there. As a direct result, we weren’t able to do much of anything. On a more positive note, it was the perfect place to recuperate and the hosts for the apartments we stayed in were extremely nice and helpful. They even went out of their way to get us medicine!
Despite our sicknesses (an unavoidable evil when traveling), our spirits were high. The Spanish truly like travelers and we have yet to meet someone who wasn’t willing to help. Man or woman, young or old, they’re always generous with their smiles. It’s comforting to know that, even with the language barrier, there are some things that transmit across all boundaries, allowing kindness to reign and giving new friendships the opportunity to blossom.
Overall, Spain hosts a flavor all its own, one that should be experienced by all. It’s no wonder why Spain is one of the top destinations in the world. For us, the very essence of the country itself calls to us and, happy to have enjoyed three different locations, we’re already planning on returning to this beautifully charismatic land soon! 😀
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