May 2019 // Spain
10/10 would recommend going on a 10-day vacay with your sister! Our Spain + Italy trip was an absolute dream. There's so much to share! I'm going to share the details of each city in a couple of different posts then share some of our travel tips + tricks.

BARCELONA: first up! We flew into Madrid and took the train to Barcelona. Overall, we liked Barcelona! We stayed for two days, and that was the perfect amount of time. We spent a lot of time walking around and looking at the rich architecture.

See + Do
La Sagrada Familia: breathtaking! We didn't tour the inside, but the outside is beautiful. We were walking and talking then looked up, and saw it. We were like WOW!
Catedral de Barcelona: located in the Gothic Quarter, this cathedral is stunning! Pictured above. We took a quick walk around the inside.
Beach: if there's a beach nearby, the Kramer girls will find it. The beach is public, and I imagine it's really crowded in the summer. It wasn't warm enough for a beach day, but we still walked up and down the shoreline admiring its lively blue hue and golden sand.

Eat 
Sensi Mezzanine Tapas: highly recommend! Their tapas are so, so good. The bruschetta was one of my favorites, and we had squid, which makes us laugh because that totally grosses our mom out. I recommend making reservations. Location: Carrer Ample 24.
Casa Lola: also, recommend! We had late-night pizza here after our museum tour. The pizza was great, and their sangria was some of the best! Location: La Rambla 12.
CNC Restaurante: favorite seafood pasta! We sat on the patio next to the beach. We talked about this place over and over throughout our trip. Their mojitos were tasty too.
Gelarto Rosa: you can find gelato everywhere, but this place was my favorite! They serve the gelato in their signature rose shape with a cone.
Cappuccino & Churros: I love churros! We had them a couple of different times. The best part about churros in Spain is the dipping chocolate, and I usually don't like chocolate. It reminded me of a thick, rich hot coco. We had cappuccino at least once a day in Europe. It was good every time!

Stay 
Black Swan Hostel: our first hostel experience! More to come about my overall opinion of hostels, but this one was positive. We were here for two nights. In the evenings, they provided dinner. We had Spanish potatoes and salad. Very yummy and fun because you eat with the other guests. We also went on a museum tour with a group from the hostel. We met a lot of fun people! The only real disclaimer I have to add is that the showers only stay on for 20 seconds to try and conserve water. But if you're like me, you just hold the button down and stay in there as long as you want. Ha!

Transportation
Plane [NYC to Madrid]
Taxi [Madrid Airport to Train Station]
Train [Madrid to Barcelona]: recommend! The train was nice, and I felt safe. We had assigned seats, like an airplane.
Taxi [Barcelona Train Station to Hostel]
Taxi [Hostel to Airport]

MADRID: Fast forward back to Spain! This was our last stop and least favorite location. It's very crowded and somewhat dirty. Be prepared for lots of PDA! At every turn, even in restaurants, couples were kissing. It just was not for me.

See + Do
El Rastro Flea Market: if you're in Madrid on a Sunday, you must go! They have great finds, like vintage jean jackets and jewelry. We got the cutest slip-on shoes for 13 euros! Keep in mind the market closes promptly at 3 o'clock.
Palace de Royal: largest functioning palace in Europe. We did not tour the inside, but we walked around the majority of the outside.

Eat 
Chocolateria San Gines: famous for their chocolate and churros! I highly recommend. They were delicious. The cafe has been there since 1894! The place was packed.
El Parnaso Cafe: this was our sign that it was time to come home. For the first time since our departure, we ordered American-ish food: chicken strips, nachos and margs. Ha! But the margs were one of the best drinks we had all trip! They were so good that we went back a couple of hours later for round 2. The restaurant is covered with vintage décor, including antique light fixtures. I could have sat in there all day and looked around. We stopped in this little spot because it was right in the middle of the Flea Market.

Stay 
Cats Hostel Madrid Lavapiés: a hostel with a private room, which we enjoyed! It was like being in a hotel. Their customer service was some of the best. The shower head came to KJ's shoulder (that means it was like 2 feet tall). You had to hold it by hand to use it. Again, I'm thinking this was their way of limiting our water usage, but that didn't stop me from spending my usual 20 minutes in the warm shower. Oops!

Transportation
Plane [Naples to Madrid]
Taxi [Madrid Airport to Hostel / Hostel to Airport]