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 expensive. Also, transport is by coach bus which is nice because the buses offer air conditioning, comfy seats, WIFI and charging ports.
Back on the road again today, and our first stop this morning is Ecostean, an organic olive oil farm. It’s a family run business, whose tradition dates back to 1931.
One of the guys takes us around to show us the machines they use to make the olive oil. Then we gather into a large room and do a tasting.
It’s pretty neat…I can say I’ve never drank olive oil out of a cup until now. It’s best not to swallow it right away; you need to let the flavors dance around on your tongue as you swish it around in your mouth!!
It’s really cool to recognize the different flavors.
Originally, this tour was to make the drive all the way into Andorra, but the company decided it was no longer worth the time and effort. That’s pretty disappointing for me, because the easiest way to visit Andorra is from this area or Barcelona. I don’t have any extra time to make the trip on my own. But instead, Expat Explore has added a stop in the quaint town of Alquezar. It’s a small medieval town up on a hill above the Rio Vero in Northeastern Spain. The area surrounding the town has deep canyons, limestone cliffs, river gorges and caves with prehistoric art(I wish we could have made a stop to see a cave)!
The name Alquezar comes from the Arabic word for castle; the town was originally a Muslim fortress but was eventually conquered by Christian rulers and it evolved into a religious center. Bruno parks the bus and we stop for a few photos from here.
Gustavo takes us for a stroll through the narrow winding streets, under stone arches and past old stone houses.
It’s pretty quiet here today; not a lot of tourists and there are only a few hundred permanent residents living in Alquezar. It’s a hot one again today, and it’s worse because we’re at a higher elevation with limited shade. We end up at the base of the main church, which is on the site of the old fortress.
We have some time to kill, so me, Lyn and Vicky decide it’s a fantastic idea to hike up the steep hill to get up to the church.
It’s wayyy too hot for this and the combination of my shoes and long dress are making it more difficult.
Once we get to the church we discover there is a fee to get in. Should have known! This is where I’m always torn…sure, this is probably the only time I’ll ever be here but the average cost to get into churches in Spain is 6-8 euro. We hang around in the free area and snap some pics
Heading back down is equally challenging as I try not to wipe out. Haha
We head back down through the town for lunch in the main square.
There aren’t a ton of options, and we all end up at the same place. The outdoor tables provide amazing views to the valleys below. Lyn has ordered sangria, and it’s way too much for her to finish so she gives me a glass, and I’m always happy to help a friend in need!
For lunch I have a spinach raviloli, smothered in a creamy sauce. So good!!
We need to settle the bill, but it’s taking forever. There is no urgency for anything here in Spain. But we can’t keep Bruno waiting, so we blast up the hill in the 40 degrees heat to get to the bus park.
Now we’re making our way to Barcelona, driving past the beautiful Monserrat mountains. When we arrive in to the city, Bruno drives us around to show off some cool stuff in the Montjuic area.
Up on the hill is the Olympic stadium. We don’t go inside, but I was here in 1997(gasp!) so I’ve been in there before.
We end up at a viewpoint overlooking the sprawling city of Barcelona.
Our hotel is outside of the city, around a 30 minute drive. It’s called the Sercotel Ciutat De Montcada.
It’s a nice hotel, wth a rooftop pool.
There is a grocery store in a nearby complex, so I go stock up on beer and snacks.
Dinner is included tonight, and it’s in a banquet hall at the hotel. It’s three courses…a butternut squash soup, a tender beef stew and red velvet cake for dessert.
We have another chill night because tomorrow is our free day to explore Barcelona!!
A city where art, history and Mediterranean charm come togther, Barcelona is best known for its striking architecture by Gaudi, the Gothic quarter, La Rambla, lively markets and sandy beaches. It is a free day to explore, but since there is so much to see and do, I decide to take the optional half day tour Expat is offering.
We begin our day at Palace Guell, and we have some time to look around inside.
Eusebi Guell was a rich industrialist who hired Antoni Gaudi to design his mansion, which would show off his wealth and social status . Guell’s family lived here for around 20 years, and after that it was used as police station and prison, and then fell into decline. The Guell family donated the mansion to the city in 1945, and it was restored to this museum, which is also a UNESCO site along side other works by Gaudi. It’s super cool inside; here are some highlights…
One of the most unique parts of the mansion is the rooftop with its colorful and whimsical mosaic chimneys.
We meet up with our tour guide Gonzalo, and he takes us on a walking tour in this crazy heat. Now I’ve experienced this heat in Spain for the last 5 days, but let’s add in the humidity factor. So gross. We have a stroll though the Gothic Quarter, the historic heart of the city.
A maze of narrow streets, hidden squares and old buildings dating back to Roman times.
We start in the lively Placa Reial, and make our way to Barcelona Cathedral, but we only view it from the outside.
Gonzalo also takes us to the best preserved Roman walls, in a small museum.
We are having lunch at La Boqueria, the city’s most famous market. There is SO much to choose from in here, it’s pretty overwhelming. And of course, it’s bustling with tourists and locals. The market started in the 13th century as an open air market but is now protected by an iron and glass roof. The stalls are overflowing with Iberian hams, seafood, cheeses, sweets, fresh produce, and spices.
So what shall I choose today? I have an empanada, mostly because it’s easy to eat while standing because there is limited seating. And a cup of fresh fruit juice.
After lunch we walk back to the bus so Bruno can drive us over to the gem of Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia.
Designed by Gaudi, construction of this basilica started in 1882 and it’s still not finished! This makes it the longest running architectural works in modern history. Will it ever be finished? I don’t think so, considering the original parts will need to be restored. Gaudi devoted 40 years of his life to this project and fittingly, he’s buried here in the crypt.
I was here in 1997, so Gonzalo uses a miniature model to show me what has been added since I was last here! I couldn’t go inside back then, so I’m excited to go in today!
It is honestly one of the most unique buildings I have ever seen, and the details are just phenomenal. It has a blend of Gothic and Art Nouveau styles, and will have 18 towers once completed, which will make it the tallest church in the world.
There are two entrances, and each is vastly different – this one is covered in biblical symbolism,called the Nativity façade, also with images of nature and zodiac symbols.
The entrance on the other side is the Passion façade, which is a simple design with bare stone and straight lines to resemble skeleton bones. It was intended to portray the sins of man, and the suffereing of Jesus on the cross.
And on the side is the Glory façade – I only see this from the inside since I don’t have time to walk over to it on the outside.
This section only started construction in 2002, so it’s the most incomplete. It represents the road to God and his glory.
The inside has tree-like columns to make it resemble trees that rise to the ceiling like a forest canopy
And the gorgeous stained glass
And now we have free time for the rest of the afternoon. I really want to just walk around and enjoy the atmosphere but it’s sooo hot which means I need to be a little more deliberate. I situate myself along La Rambla, the main pedestrian street, and walk down to the one end to the Columbus monument.
And then back up the other way, stopping to pick up a few souvenirs at the street stalls. I end up in the area where 2 of the Gaudi designed houses stand. I’d love to go inside but it’s like $20 to get into each place, so no thanks! Casa Batllo, also called the house of bones, has a façade with flowing curves and mosaics made of ceramic tiles with the balconies resembling skulls.
Beside it is Casa Amatller, but it was not designed by Gaudi.
A little further is the Casa Mina, which has wavy stone walls that resemble a quarry, with wrought iron balconies.
I have a look from afar, and then make my way over to the train station so I can head back to the hotel. Gustavo has explained how to get back, I have maps, and I’m usually pretty good at figuring these things out. The challenge is I need to take a rural train line to get to the hotel and today, I can NOT figure this out. I wander around in the suffocating heat in the underground tunnels, and maybe I’m in the right spot to catch the train but I’m not confident. I’m so overheated at this point; I give up so I can get out of this hell and back to fresh air. I’m extremely frustrated and hot, and I have a tiny meltdown and I need to just sit and breathe and recoup. This is probably my worst moment on this trip. My other alternative is to wait a few hours for Bruno to drive us back to the hotel(some of the group is at a flamenco show tonight, so I can meet up with them after and get a ride). I need dinner, but I have no idea what I want….so I go back to the market, because why not? I have another amazing fruit juice and calamari rings. I’m relieved when I can finally get back to the hotel and de-stress and have a cool shower.
Overall, there is SO much to see and do in Barcelona! I could easily go back and spend another few days deep diving into all it has to offer. But it’s time to leave this crazy place and hit the road again tomorrow!
Everywhere On Earth With Erin 