A beautiful, warm country.

Jacaranda trees filled with stunning purple blossoms (assuming you visit in the June time frame).

Absolutely outstanding architecture, with an interesting blend of both Islamic and Spanish history, fresh fruit, and a great appreciation for art.

Malaga

Eats

• Maldonado 21 – I got their Burgos blood sausage with fried potatoes. However, the sausage wasn’t actually sausage but was stuffed with rice.
• La Canasta – I got their giant Palmier cookie and empanada, both pretty average.
• Casa Mira – Renowned long-standing ice cream shop. I got the custard flavor, which in retrospect, I regret. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the right flavor for that shop.
• Pastelería La Princesa – Known for the best deal on local pastries: borrachuelos, tortas locas, roscos de vino, and piononos!
• Confitería Panadería Lochi – Would not recommend. I got their cheesecake, which wasn’t very good, and empanadas with ham and cheese. While that’s an elite combination in my opinion, it was poorly executed.
• BYOKO – Very Western, health-conscious vibe, but the galette was fresh and high quality.

I did my first walking tour in Malaga, and it was so fun!

Sights:

• Malaga Cathedral – Stunning building with free concerts on Wednesdays.
• Central Market – Tried lemon, basil, onion, and garlic olive oil. Tons of Iberian ham, which I found quite salty. I did find a place that cut it right off the bone, which was awesome.
• Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón – This was a hidden church that was SO beautiful!
• Picasso Statue – Picasso has an interesting background of womanizing, but aside from that, the locals also comment on how unlike him the statue looks.
• Parroquia Santiago Apóstol Málaga – Unassuming church.
• Calle Del Marqués De Larios – Really cute street, very touristy, and very expensive.

Stays:

• Hotel Zen Airport

Mallorca

Stays

• HSM Son Veri, which also had breakfast and dinner so we basically had every meal at the hotel. The audience is german tourists so a lot of bread, meat, cheese, potatoes. NOthing to write home about.

Sights:

• Playa De L’oratori – Cute beach, amazing water, but crowded.
• Cathedrale de Mallorca – Paid admission, which is against my religion for cathedrals, but the admission did include the museum. I was surprised (and skeptical) to find a piece of wood supposedly from the cross that Jesus hung on.

Barcelona

Eats

• Burritos – Saint Pere – Feels exactly like Chipotle.
• Copasetic – Incredible gluten-free selection!
• Baluard – Fantastic apple pastry.
• Restaurante Pizzeria Edén – Fun environment. I got the gnocchi, which wasn’t very good—overcooked and stuffed, which isn’t my favorite version. The pizza was better.
• Badiani Gelato – Fantastic gelato, but it’s a chain, so you can find it in most places.
• L’OBRADOR – Plaça Ajuntament, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain – The best cannolis I’ve ever had—made with a toffee nut exterior and filled with a rich chocolate ganache. Also got a croissant banado y belleno. The empanada wasn’t my favorite.

Sights:

• Mercat de la Boqueria – One of the more disappointing central markets, to be honest.
• Betlem Church – Beautiful.
• Cathedral of Barcelona – Absolutely stunning Gothic architecture.
• El Born Center for Culture and Memory – Stumbled upon this archaeological site/display of a well-preserved old street. It was interesting.
• Parc de la Ciutadella – Huge park with a great running track that I did not use.
• L’Arc de Triomf – Behold, the arch.
• Marina Port Vell – Went over here to find a bridge on the water and view the sunset. It was underwhelming.
• Design Museum of Barcelona – Interesting, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
• La Sagrada Familia Basilica – Absolutely insane. Reserve your tickets 2-3 months ahead.
• Tuscania Food & Wine – I learned I don’t like paella here.
• Palau Robert – They had a really interesting exhibit on the future when we went. We got to drive a simulation of the world’s fastest heart, look at an augmented reality version of our hearts, and engage with some fascinating people.
• Casa Batlló & Illa de la Discòrdia – Fun buildings by Gaudi.
• Casa Lleó i Morera – More fun buildings by our friend Gaudi.
• Casa Vicens Gaudí – ^and again.
• Park Guell – Remarkably underwhelming in my opinion.
• National Art Museum of Catalonia – Wonderful selection of art, and relics.
• Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy – A basilica dedicated solely to the patron saint of Barcelona, Santa Eulàlia.

Future:

• de la Mota Cafe
• Casa Dbandera