Although the thought of leaving Barcelona was lurking overhead, I was over-the-moon about getting to spend nearly ten days flying all over Europe for our program’s spring break. Planning and mapping out where to travel in our final weeks abroad was stressful, but the incredible places we visited were more than worth it.
The first place we visited was the Amalfi Coast. Ever since I first saw those pictures of the beautiful coastline, I knew I had to see it for myself. We flew into Naples and took a bus to Sorrento, where we would stay for the weekend. The first thing we did when we arrived was sit down for lunch at Pizzeria Aurora and give in to the hype that is pizza from Southern Italy. This meal would kick off an over-the-top, non-stop food tour. We walked through all the narrow streets flooded with vendors, admiring the overwhelming abundance of lemons, leather bags, and handmade souvenirs.
We continued walking until we stumbled upon Gelateria Davide il Gelato Sorrento, stopping in for a dark chocolate, hazelnut cone. After watching a beautiful sunset, we decided to go straight to dinner on the water at the most charming restaurant called Soul and Fish. We shared a heaping bowl of mussels and the best plate of gnocchi. This place came highly recommended by the owner of our Airbnb and it is easy to see why. The friendly staff, incredible food, and the cozy atmosphere make for a lovely evening.
The next morning, we set off on the ferry for Capri! Lucky for us, it is pretty simple to navigate through the cities on the Amalfi Coast. When we docked, we went straight to lunch at Lo Zodiaco, a restaurant overlooking the water. We all ordered, you guessed it, pizza.
After lunch, we rented a boat and enjoyed glasses of wine out on the water. Our tour guide took us through the grottos and the Faraglioni Rocks. This relaxing boat ride absolutely took my breath away and was a definite highlight of the trip. We briefly walked through Capri before getting back on the boat to Sorrento.
After some downtime, we all went to Ristorante ‘da Filippo’, another restaurant that was recommended to us. This place was much more secluded and there were very few tourists. Just to get a break from the overload of carbs, I ordered a great filet and treated myself to profiteroles for dessert. After dinner, we went to an Irish pub for a few beers and ended up at the weirdest little club, pretty much filled with American students.
Our last stop on our tour of the Amalfi Coast and my personal favorite of the three little towns was Positano. We took an early bus from Sorrento and had brunch at one of those restaurants that tower off the coast with a magnificent view of the water. After we ate, we made our way down the side of the cliff walking through steep alleyways, finding cool boutique hotels and shops along the way.
Much to my excitement, we were able to put our bathing suits on and layout in the sand for a few hours. To save a little money, we went ventured into a tiny grocery store and made a smorgasbord of wine, brie cheese, olives, bread, and crackers. Sitting on this beautiful beach, with our little picnic was exactly what I had in mind.
After a great day in Positano, we were absolutely exhausted so we ended up picking up a pizza and eating it on our balcony, taking in the beautiful view of the town below. Putting on sweatpants, reading my book, and listening to music with my friends as the sun was setting was a perfect way to wind down.
The last day in Sorrento was spent walking around, drinking wine and getting our last fill of pasta. Early in the afternoon, we sipped wine on the pier. The whole time I was wishing we were there in the summer so I could just dive right into the crystal clear water. We walked around, sampling limoncello and buying some souvenirs for friends and family. For dinner, we went to Ristorante Pizzeria Da Gigino for a bowl of decadent Spaghetti Carbonara.
The following day, we had a few hours to kill before catching the bus back to Naples Airport. We ate our last pasta dish at L’Antica Trattoria, a rooftop restaurant draping with the prettiest purple flowers.
The Amalfi Coast is quite the experience. For foodies, it really doesn’t get much better. It’s definitely a relaxing vacation. There is very little nightlife and the towns themselves draw an older crowd. I can’t wait to travel back to this dreamy place when I am not working with a college student’s budget.
After Amalfi, we jet-setted off to Madrid. If I have one regret about my study abroad experience it would be that I didn’t get to see enough of Spain, so I am very happy that we got to visit the country’s capital at the very least. We landed late in Madrid and stayed a little far outside of the bustling center. The Airbnb was brand new and since we had pretty much mastered the metro by this point, we didn’t mind our location.
We started out our first full day in Madrid with brunch at Bendita Locura Coffee & Dreams. Although our brunch was so delicious, if you ever go to Madrid please go to Habanera and let me know how it is! I saw this brunch place on Instagram before arriving in Madrid and desperately wanted to go but it wasn’t open. After brunch, we walked through El Parque del Buen Retiro, where we sat along the pond watching the rowboats pass by and took in all the statues and historic buildings. The architecture throughout the city is grandiose and definitely differs from Barcelona.
We walked through Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol, two very touristy, pedestrian-only plazas. Madrid is just bustling with people and I really enjoyed the upbeat, big-city energy around me. One of the things we were most excited for in Madrid were the bars that gave out free tapas.
We went to El Tigre Sidra to order drinks and within minutes were being bombarded with trays and trays of free tapas. This is a super cool concept; however, El Tigre doesn’t have any chairs and is definitely a dive bar. Do research before you go because there are for sure more free tapas to be discovered!
After we ate, we walked to the Royal Palace of Madrid. The palace is massive and so is the line to get in. If you want to tour the inside, research before you arrive to find the best times to visit. After a long day on our feet, we metro-ed back to our apartment to rest before going out. The club scene is so fun in Madrid and super comparable to Barcelona’s. We were able to talk to some people studying in Madrid to find the best deals for covers and drink specials, which was super helpful.
The next day the weather started to shift so we tried to stay inside as much as we could. We got a late start, so our first meal of the day was at Tiki Taco, where we loaded up on cheap tacos and coronas.
After lunch, we stumbled upon the famous Chocolateria San Gines. The inside of this place is filled with pictures of celebrities that have visited and stuffed with eager customers. We ordered a small plate of churros and hot chocolate dipping sauce. This was a perfect treat for a rainy day.
After lunch, we went to Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. We went after a certain time, waited in line and got in for free! This museum was very cool; it features a lot of Picasso’s work including the famous painting, Guernica. This painting is one of the most noteworthy anti-war paintings in history and one of Picasso’s claims to fame.
Madrid is a really cool place and great for young people. As always, I really recommend doing research about the restaurants, museums, and other sites to get the most out of your trip. I can see why students love to study here and I would definitely put this city on your travel bucket list.
Our final stop was Mallorca, Spain. Unfortunately, this trip really fell flat for us. We expected beautiful beach days and a luxury vacation destination. However, we were quickly met with thunderstorms that kept us indoors for the majority of the weekend.
This trip was unique because we stayed in a hotel for once. The Sol Beach House Mallorca was relatively nice with a huge complimentary breakfast buffet. It was steps from the beach, had both indoor and outdoor pools, and was a really great deal. However, from this experience, I would recommend staying closer to the city of Palma.
Nothing seemed to go our way on this trip. When the rain finally held up, we tried to go walk around Palma, but the bus we were on got into an accident on the way. After we finally were able to call a taxi, the driver wouldn’t accept cards and we were out of cash, so we were forced to walk back to the hotel. I am so grateful I was in such great company and was able to spend the time indoors laughing, playing cards, and ordering room service.
We just kept reminding ourselves that this was really the only unsuccessful trip in almost four months of traveling. I had friends that loved Mallorca and got fantastic weather so I wouldn’t necessarily count it out, but I definitely would rather go in the summertime.
And just like that our travels outside of Barcelona had come to an end. Spring break was amazing, fun, exhausting, and bittersweet. Traveling for extended periods of time sure takes a lot out of you, but it’s worth every day of bad weather, every flight delay, every overpriced meal, every pound of pasta, and every mile walked.
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