Top 5 Lists for Spain
Top 5 Most Spectacular Things We Saw in Spain
#1 - Temple of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona - hands down winner
#2 - The drive from Port de Soller toward Pollenca/Lluc in Mallorca (specifically the road to sa Calobra and the Torrent de Pareis becah) - we counted at least 29 switchbacks on the 12 km from the main road down to sa Colobra. They were filming a motorcycle commercial on the road as we drove down
#3 (tie) - Madrid’s parks, squares, fountains and boulevards. There was no single place in Madrid that was truly spectacular, but taken together, the grandness of the city is remarkable
#3 (tie) - Barcelona’s magic fountain. Particularly the way we saw it, stumbling on the view from above after wandering in Montjuic Park, and descending to sit right next to the dancing colored waters, was amazing.
# 5 - view from the castle at the top of Montjuic Park in Barcelona. 360-degree view of the Mediterranean, the city, and the mountains surrounding.
Top 5 Most Thought-Provoking Places and Experiences in Spain
#1 - Festival of Fire for St. Bartholomew’s Day in Soller, Mallorca. Once we realized that our children would not be critically injured, we appreciated that we had stumbled upon an ancient, pagan, truly strange tradition.
#2 - Temple of the Sagrada Familia - Gaudi’s workshop, and the well curated exhibits explaining how he drew inspiration from nature, and the models and drawings in the crypt, and the sculptures on the various facades were all very provocative
#3 - Joan Miro Museum in Montjuic park in Barcelona. The audio commentary was very weird (in English, at least), but seeing Miro’s work over several decades, and understanding the symbolism a little was great. The Lego room was best of all.
#4 - Ferdinand & Isabella’s Palace in Madrid - seeing the royal residence and the arms and armor museum
# 5 - Las Ramblas in Barcelona - this is the one-kilometer pedestrian zone which runs from the Plaza de Catalunya down to the Columbus statue. It is packed with open-air pet shops, street performers, cafes, news stands, and thousands of locals and tourists alike. Very intense evening walk.
Top 5 Most Fun Experiences in Spain
#1 - Aqualand in Palma de Mallorca. We only spent about two hours at this waterpark, but Zola and I would have used all of our votes on this. He and had a truly amazing time there.
#2 (tie) - Tibidabo Amusement Park in Barcelona. Most of the rides are vintage 1980s, but we had hours of fun, and the setting (on a mountain high above Barcelona) is spectacular. Someone called it “Coney Island with views,” which is pretty accurate.
#2 (tie) - Montjuic Park slide and playgrounds - Tallulah used her votes for this. The 30-foot slide was pretty remarkable.
#2 (tie) - Paddleboating in Port de Soller, Mallorca. We paddled way out along the rocky coast to the edge of the harbor, and snorkeled and swam in the light surf. A very enjoyable morning.
#5 - Cable car and funicular rides in Barcelona - there seem to be a lot of them, and we tried to ride them all.
We tried to identify a list of “things we would skip” if we were going to Spain again. Zola summed it up by saying, “I would do everything again. I wouldn’t skip a thing.”