Barcelona
May 10–13
Modernisme, sea, and the Gothic Quarter
The Journey Begins
Butterflies and boarding passes. Our first international trip together starts with a 6am alarm and ends somewhere over the Atlantic.
Arrival Day
Bleary-eyed wonder. First steps on European ground. The city is louder and warmer than expected, and we love it immediately.
Gaudí Day
Awe. Sensory overload in the best possible way. The city reveals itself through the mind of one genius.
Montserrat + Wine + Beach
Mountains, monks, and Merlot. A full day out of the city that ends with paella and a sea breeze.
Seville
May 13–15
Orange blossoms, flamenco, and ancient history
Arrival + Flamenco
Step into another Spain. Orange trees line every street. The heat is different here — dry and golden. And then, at 7:30pm, everything changes.
The Big Seville Day
Ancient history, hammam bliss, peacocks in a Moorish palace, and sunset on the Guadalquivir. Twelve hours of Seville at full intensity.
Madrid
May 15–18
Art, rooftops, and the literary quarter
Madrid Arrival
High-speed train through Andalusia, a new city, an Egyptian temple at sunset, and churros with chocolate at midnight. Madrid announces itself.
Palace, Prado & Underground Dinner
The full Madrid day. A palace in the morning. Masterpieces in the afternoon. And dinner in a 17th-century wine cellar lit by candles, deep underground.
Guernica, Retiro & Rooftops
The reward day. No rigid schedule. A ghost metro, one of the most powerful paintings ever made, and the best rooftop in Madrid at sunset.
Last Day + Train Home
Savoring the last hours in a city we already want to come back to. A gentle morning, one last Spanish lunch, and then the high-speed train north.
Homeward Bound
One last espresso. One last look at the city. Hasta luego, España — we already know we're coming back.