I joined our Unforgettable Spain & Portugal tour, and although it wasn’t my first trip to Spain, it was for my travel companion, Jean. This tour was a great way to see and experience Iberia again through “new” eyes.

We arrived into Lisbon in the morning and after meeting with our Tour Director, Luis Lopes, took a walk around Lisbon. Portugal was playing in a World Cup soccer game that day, so the streets of the Bairro Alto were alive with cheering as we enjoyed lunch in a café. The excitement and liveliness of everyone really made us feel welcome in Portugal!

Our first day of touring included a walking tour of the Alfama district, a medieval part of Lisbon. Historically, the fishermen resided here as it lies along the water. The streets are a maze and extremely narrow and the old buildings are situated very close together. I felt like I could have been transplanted to another century as we walked through here.

During our free time later that evening we went back to Bairro Alto; it really is an area not to be missed, especially at night. We walked around the narrow streets, many of them pedestrian only, that were teaming with people. Many shops stay open quite late and have some unique items for sale. We had a wonderful dinner at O Barrigas Restaurant, a small place with great service and wonderfully prepared food which I highly recommend.

As the tour continued on through Fatima, we arrived into Porto and stopped on the ‘Gaia’ side of the river where there are many restaurants to choose from. After lunch, we headed out for a Port wine tasting, where we had a cellar tour and then tasted both white and red port. Afterwards we strolled along St. Caterina Street, a busy pedestrian street which was filled with shops, cafes, restaurants and musicians playing along the sidewalk – all in celebration of the Sao Joao Festival, the biggest celebration of the year in Porto.

Our first stop in Spain was in Santiago de Compostela, a charming town with a gorgeous cathedral. We had free time to explore on our own after the city tour so my friend and I found a lovely restaurant and had seafood tapas for lunch with a glass of the local Albarino wine. Then we walked around looking for a local specialty – jewelry made from jet.

The drive from Santiago de Compostela through Leon and on towards San Sebastian was really beautiful, traveling through the countryside planted with all sorts of produce and even bright red poppies. We spotted numerous stork nests with the birds inhabiting them, it really was quite a sight!

As we approached the Basque region of Spain, the scenery became even more dramatic, we were surrounded by rocky cliffs, mountains and valleys. Farm houses were perched upon hills that seemed impossible to get to, the steep mountain sides planted with crops that made me curious as to how they plowed the soil and harvested. Oddly enough we did not see much livestock, as I had expected to see sheep!

As we got closer to San Sebastian, we saw the blue water in the Bay of Biscay. As our hotel was located about 3 blocks from the water, Jean and I did not wait for our luggage to arrive in the room, instead we headed directly to the beach! The hotel was near the playa de la Concha and the Playa de Onearreta, two of the best beaches there.

I had been looking forward to our included visit to the Guggenheim and I was not disappointed! Most people are familiar with Frank O. Gehry’s Guggenheim and its sweeping lines of the exterior made of limestone, titanium and glass, but the interior is equally impressive! We enjoyed a guided tour and then had time to wander through the galleries on our own. I enjoyed the large gallery housing Richard Serra’s collection of enormous pieces that are interactive in interesting and unexpected ways. The permanent collection features some great artists and Jeff Koons ‘puppy’ outside of the museum covered in live flowers was amazing!

During the afternoon I took a walk along the boardwalk and hung out at the beach for a while. Many people on the tour took the funicular that was near the hotel up to see the beautiful view. In the early evening, Jean and I went to Parte Vieja (Old Town) which has many shops and restaurants in a concentrated area. When we were ready to eat, we grazed at a few cafes sampling the Pinxtos (Basque tapas). San Sebastian is definitely a foodie’s paradise, so I was in heaven!

Our tour of Barcelona began with an orientation tour of the city and then a visit to the Gothic Quarter. The Cathedral there is a truly amazing piece of architecture! I really recommend that you take some time just to wander around Barcelona: the narrow streets framed by the tall buildings, alleyways that might offer a photo opportunity or a glimpse at daily life really instill a sense of history of the city. We then drove in the area around the Passeig Gracia, a very ritzy neighborhood filled with high end shops and restaurants as well as the Casa Batllo and La Pedrera, two of Gaudi’s unusual buildings.

In Montserrat, we enjoyed great views from atop the rocky mountain, home to Benedictine Monks. Usually the choir boys sing at one o’clock, but they had just left for their summer vacation! I have been lucky enough to have heard them before and it is really quite an experience to hear them in the Basilica.

Later that day, my friend and I strolled around the Ramblas, then over to the harbor area to be lazy in the sunny afternoon. That evening we attended the optional dinner which was very delicious and accompanied by regional wines.

On our final day in Barcelona we took the optional tour to Park Guell and the Picasso Museum. It is really beautiful up there, with sweeping views of Barcelona, especially at this time of year with so much in bloom. It is such an unusual place with the curvy, tiled serpent bench, the Hansel and Gretel house and all of the amusing and creative mosaics adorning everything from stairs to fountains.

The museum has such a wonderful collection of Picasso’s paintings, spanning his entire life from childhood to adulthood. From visiting this museum, you really gain insight to what was happening politically during his lifetime and how this affected his work as well as his contemporaries. After our guided tour we had the option to go back to the hotel or to stay in this part of town. We opted to stay and found a great place to eat lunch and then walked around this area filled with unique shops. We also popped into the chocolate museum, which had everything you wanted to know about chocolate and huge chocolate sculptures!

In the evening, Jean and I went to a restaurant recommended by Luis, Los Caracoles, and had a wonderful paella and some Rioja. The restaurant is interesting from the moment you walk in the door. In the front there is a small room with a bar and a few bar stools, then the maitre’d takes you through the kitchen, past the stove and ovens that are wood fueled! The restaurant has multiple rooms, the walls adorned with photos of people who have dined there, many of whom are famous. After dinner we walked up the Ramblas, where there was much revelry, as Spain had just won another soccer match in the World Cup championship. We celebrated with a nightcap at Boadas, one of the oldest cocktail bars in Barcelona, also frequented by many famous artists and writers over the years.

We spent our last day in Spain walking around central Madrid, stopping for refreshing sangria at the Plaza Mayor before enjoying a wonderful farewell dinner to end our time in beautiful Spain & Portugal.

Click here to view pictures from my tour

For more information about our 14-day Unforgettable Spain & Portugal tour, including the day-by-day itinerary, accommodations, and dates & prices, 

click here.

At GET we strive to provide our clients with accurate and current information about our tours. In order to do this we invest significantly in our staff, sending them out on tours so that they can share their stories and experiences with you, our clients, upon their return.

Our Travel Specialist, Barb Gardner and her friend Jean recently joined our 14-Day Unforgettable Spain & Portugal tour. We hope you enjoyed her report.