Welcome to my story style travel blog, featuring my adventure through Spain and Portugal in the summer of 2025.
You can read the blog in order, or about whichever destination intrigues you! Within my stories, I’ll offer some recommendations and some tips and tricks for a smooth journey. When I travel, I mostly do group tours and the reasons are:
* As a solo woman traveler, it is much safer especially if traveling long distances or to countries that can be dangerous in some areas
*The itineraries are amazing and usually include all of the things you’d want to see and do…and if not, there is free time to do as you wish
*You don’t have to worry about booking transport, finding hotels, etc. Sometimes that can contribute to the adventure, but it’s also nice to sit back and relax and let your Tour CEO be in charge
* And finally…the new people you meet on your tour become your family, and I’ve made lifelong friends in these journeys. For myself, this has equal importance with exploring new countries.
This time I used Expat Explore; the tour is called Spain and Portugal Explorer. It’s actually split into 2 parts….you could do either part, or do the whole thing so of course I did the whole thing! I’ll explain more about that along the way! This is my second time traveling with Expat, and their European itineraries are really awesome and not super expenisve. Also, transport is by coach bus which is nice because the buses offer air conditioning, comfy seats, WiFi and charging ports.
I’m going to skip forward a couple of weeks; the tour has ended and I catch an Uber to my final hotel where I’ll stay for 2 more nights here in Madrid . The driver seems annoyed with my giant suitcase, and is also annoyed when I can’t figure out how to open the trunk. Haha. We sit in silence most of the way, but then when we arrive at the hotel, he says I’m beautiful and asks if my husband is in the giant suitcase. He says this in Spanish, but I totally understand and we have a good laugh.
Anyway, the place is called Hotel Elba Madrid Alcala, and it’s closer to the airport than the center of town, which is handy. Originally, the tour was using this hotel so that’s why I booked it. They switched hotels a few months prior – but – I like this one better!
It’s located on a busy street with lots of places to eat and shops along the way, which is perfect. I find a cute café and finally get to try fartons. I know, the name sounds ridiculous but they are so yummy.
It’s a long fluffy spongy pastry coated with icing sugar. It’s a Sunday night, and I’m tired and feeling like I’m coming down with a cold so I take it easy and have a nice bath in the jacuzzi tub! Whoohoo! Also, the room is really nice!!
The next morning I wake up feeling like total garbage and I probably have a fever. But I have a few things planned for my final day in Madrid, so I suck it up and get ready to enjoy my museum day! I have to take the train into the central part, but it’s really easy and takes around 40 minutes. The only challenge I have with taking trains in Spain is figuring out how to buy the transit card, or which card I need. Luckily, there’s always someone around to ask!
Madrid, Spain’s capital, is a city that thrives on contrasts—historic and modern, royal and bohemian, traditional yet effortlessly cool. The city’s plazas are full of life, from the iconic Puerta del Sol to the grand Plaza Mayor, where café terraces spill into cobblestone squares. Food lovers can taste their way through Madrid with tapas crawls, churros at San Ginés, and gourmet bites at Mercado de San Miguel. For a breath of fresh air, Retiro Park offers leafy paths, fountains, and a peaceful lake, while the Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral showcase the city’s grandeur. As night falls, Madrid truly shines—with rooftop bars, and a nightlife scene famous for lasting until dawn. But I’ll get into more detail as we go further!!!
I have booked a guided tour of the famous Prado Museum. The meetup point is at a Starbucks down the road from the museum, and who do I run into… Kate from my Spain/Portugal tour!!
We didn’t realize we had booked this same tour of the museum!
In hindsight, I probably would have been fine with exploring the Prado on my own, but I do learn some cool things and my guide Javi is super hot so I guess I’ll call this a win? Haha. I wish I had a pic with him, but there is a strict “no photography” rule here at the Prado. No exceptions for hot Spanish men.
He takes us to the main paintings, and the museum offers a pamphlet which maps out where all of the significant artworks are. And I get additional help from ChatGPT. This makes it super easy!
The Prado is Spain’s premier art museum and has one of the world’s most celebrated collections of European paintings. Founded in 1819, you’ll find works by Velasquez, El Greco, Bosch, Rubens, Rembrandt, Goya, and more. I’ll show you a few here, and all photos are courtesy of the internet.
First, Hieronymus Bosch(Netherlands) and his most famous painting, The Garden of Earthly Delights. The colors and detail on this one are insane. It’s a triptych, a work of art divided into 3 panels. The earthly delights are in the center, and the two sides are Eden and Hell.
Diego Velazquez(Spain) – Las Meninas – the most viewed painting here in the Prado. A portrait of the royal family (and he has painted himself into this artwork). It’s regarded as one of the most important paintings in the history of Western art.
Here are a couple more important paintings by Velázquez
Next up…Francisco Goya. Also from Spain,and one of the most renowned and famous in the world. An illness left him deaf, so his work became more dark and depressing over the years. His best paintings are here at the Prado, and they are
This painting was to commemorate Spanish resistance to Napoleon’s army in the occupation of Madrid
And the creepiest one by Goya….
Fra Angelico(Italy) – Annunciation – this painting needs to be seen in person, as the use of gold leaf makes it stand out
Antonello de Messina (Italy)- Dead Christ Supported by an Angel
Bartolomé Bermejo(Spain) – Santo Domingo de Silos
A really interesting piece is the Prado Mona Lisa – painted by the workshop of da Vinci, the earliest known studio copy. It was supposedly painted by one of Leonardo’s students, so it is the copy with the most historical value. It’s rumored that this copy was completed before the original, so which is the authentic Mona Lisa then?
Portrait paintings were a big deal, and these are two significant ones
Pieter Bruegel the Elder(Netherlands) – The Triumph of Death. The details and colors in this painting are wild!
Tiziano(Italy) – he’s got a few interesting ones here at the Prado…
Bartolome Esteban Murillo (Spain) – best known for his religious works. Here is The Immaculate Conception of El Escorial. This is regarded as his best painting.
Peter Paul Rubens(Belgium)
Rogier van der Weyden(Netherlands) – The Descent from the Cross. Very stunning in person
And finally, El Greco(Greece) – one of the greatest artists of all time! The Prado houses the largest collection of his works
Phew!! That’s a lot of art!! I enjoy myself immensely, and it takes me around 3 hours to see the entire museum at a quick pace. If you’d like to check out more works of art, the Prado has a fantastic website
I exit the Prado, and find myself in front of the San Jeronimo el Real..
It doesn’t look like it is open, so I snap a quick pic and head over to Retiro Park. It’s hot hot again, and I need to find some water and food! This park is the largest in Madrid; inside are many gardens, monuments, and an artificial lake.
Also, a few cafes, so I stop and have a ham sandwich. I would love to spend more time wandering around and enjoying the scenery, but I still need to get to one more museum today!!
My last stop is the Reina Sofia, Spain’s national museum of 20th century art. Photography is allowed here, so I can show you some originals!! This place is much harder to navigate, and I’m not a big fan of the layout. I have to use my ChatGPT to find the important paintings – and I’m getting tired so I can’t spend as much time wandering around. The main attractions here are works by Picasso and Dali; Reina Sofia is mainly dedicated to Spanish art.
Fun Fact: this building is on the site of the first General Hospital of Madrid.
The most famous work of art here is Guernica by Pablo Picasso. It’s pretty stunning, and takes up most of the wall. I didn’t realize it’s so big!!
Here is more Picasso
And a few from Salvador Dali – wow, this guy was messed up!! His artwork is cool, but also weird. Haha. The most famous one here is The Great Masturbator.
And these two. He definitely had a unique style and imagination.
This one is by Francis Picabia – Amsel ou Sagesse. I think it’s really pretty
Angeles Santos – A World. This one is very captivating and has a great central spot in the museum so you can’t miss it!!
And finally Joan Miro
I spend around an hour here; at this point I’m experiencing art overload and I’m still not feeling great. I take the train back to the hotel and spend my final evening in Spain just relaxing at the hotel. I have dinner in the hotel restaurant and I choose this amazing salad.
I head uptairs to finish packing and hit the sack early. The next morning, my flight is on time and everything goes smoothly as I arrive back home to Vancouver. It’s the perfect way to end this trip!
Everywhere On Earth With Erin 