Barcelona

The final installment of photos from our trip to Spain. It always really feels like it's over once I've finished editing the photos.

That's the awesome thing about photographing your adventures, you get to re-live that moment whenever you want and really extend the vacation (which, let's be honest, we all want vacation to last as long as possible!).

Anyway, Barcelona was sort of cold and rainy while we were there and it was still magical! If you're planning a visit, I suggest avoiding most of the commercialized tourist traps (La Rambla for example, what a nightmare...) and stick to the historic sites.

The old stuff is where it's at!

Girona

I've actually been avoiding this post because I know I'm not articulate enough to describe how much I loved this city... but here we go!

Girona was sort of a random pick for us. We had already booked our trip to Barcelona but I wanted to explore a little more of Catalonia and Girona just looked like it was in a good spot to see other things. We ended up spending most of our time in the city instead of exploring elsewhere because it was seriously so cute!

This place has it all! You're near the mountains, you're near the coast, and the city itself is historic, colorful, and absolutely walkable!

If you're a big Game of Thrones nut you'll also dig this place because a lot of the show was filmed in Girona. It's got that awesome medieval "Westeros" vibe to it.

Honestly, no matter what you like I promise you'll love Girona.

Cadaques

Cadaques is where the artist Dali lived. Unfortunately, because of the time of year, most of the museums (and really everything except a few restaurants) were closed.

This was still my favorite day of the trip though...

Who would have thought that visiting a beach town in February would be one of my favorite days on the trip! It was freezing and windy but there's something about driving around the Mediterranean that makes you feel like you're in a movie.

While everyone had lunch I took some time to wander the side streets of Cadaques. That's honestly my favorite part of being in a new city. There are so many little scenes you'd never see if you stuck to the main roads. The little details (like random squid street art!) you find are so fun!

We drove north along the coast and hit France just as the sun set. Then we turned around and drove back to Girona. It was simple and perfect.

It's a day I'll always remember and those are the experiences you hope to have when you travel.

Montserrat

As you may know,  we recently took a trip with our friends Justin and Rachel to Catalonia (see video here)! While I'm making my way through our Spain photos I figured I'd take a whole post to share one of my favorite spots from the trip, Montserrat!

Once we decided to visit Catalonia, Montserrat was the first big stop I added to my "must see" list and once you see it, you'll understand why. 

Montserrat roughly translates to "serrated mountains". The jagged sedimentary peaks draw your eye from the minute they enter into view. It's unlike any mountain range I've ever seen. The drive up the mountain is worth the trip, alone!

Nestled at the top of the mountain is the sweetest 10th century Benedictine Abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey. You could hike all day and grab a bite at one of the local cafeterias or spend hours milling about the Abbey and museums. If you're planning a visit, the climbing is also supposed to be EPIC! 

It's a truly breathtaking place and I'm so thankful to have gotten to experience it! 

Shadecation 2018: Catalonia

This month we took a trip to Spain with our dear friends Justin and Rachel.

As I'm going through the squillion photos I took I thought it'd be fun to throw together some of the little videos I (and Keaton) took on the trip.

We spent most of our time in Barcelona and Girona but did a little day trip to Cadaques.

I'd challenge you to show me a better way to spend your birthday ;)