Andorra (11/26/2021 - 11/28/2021)

 A brief interruption to the Spain road trip was heading 2.5 hours north of Barcelona into one of the world's smallest countries and a real hidden gem - Andorra. 

Andorra was first independent in 1278, and supposedly named by Charlemagne in the 9th century. It has historically been a buffer state between empires, and remained neutral in World War II. 

It is a very isolated, landlocked mountainous country whose national language is Catalan (the only country where it is the primary spoken language). Its population is just under 80,000.

The capital, Andorra la Vella, is very picturesque, and hilly with loads of cute museums, galleries and very good restaurants. I was lucky to catch the Christmas markets as well. 

If I were to sum up my experience, it felt like Switzerland but with amazing food (and I would expect nothing less being sandwiched between Spain and France), and with lower prices (only 4% VAT making it a very popular shopping destination as well). 

My Spanish rental struggled in the snow and was nearly stuck were it not for a bit of lucky maneuvering and the salt taking effect.  

I will definitely revisit this place for a longer period of time one day.

Spain Road Trip III - Southeastern Coast (11/17/2021 - 11/25/2021)

After heading inland during the previous leg of the trip it was time to go back and explore the southeastern beautiful coast of Spain - beginning with Alicante to see an old friend, then heading to Valencia and then finishing in Barcelona. 

Sadly, the weather did not agree with my plan, hence comparatively fewer photos as it was raining cats and dogs. Well, in absence of scenery, it was a great opportunity to eat some delicious food!

Most of the time was spent in Valencia, and one of the oddest things I've tried was fried cod milt.

With Barcelona itself, I thought it would be good to check in on the construction progress of my favourite building in the world - the Sagrada Familia.

Alicante

Valencia

Barcelona

Spain Road Trip Part II - Central Andalusia (11/12/2021 - 11/17/2021)

My road trip through Andalusia continued for the next week, visiting Sevilla, Córdoba, Montilla and Granada. 

Sevilla is the largest of the cities I visited, and the capital of the region.  Most people go there to see the Royal Alcázar (al-Qasr al-Muriq), the beautiful Cathedral of Seville (that was unfortunately under renovation during my visit), the Archive of the Indies (documenting their colonial times), Toro del Oro and Plaza de España. I did all these things in addition to a lot of walking, just to feel the air of the city.

Walking around the narrow cobblestone streets I encountered something non-obvious and unexpected - an extraordinary amount of dog feces, which is something that I haven't been used to for a long time (very common in 1990s Romania) and fortunately I didn't misstep. 

Aside from that the food was excellent, and the architecture beautiful (including the very odd and modern Setas de Sevilla - the world's largest wooden structure).  

And yes, I got a haircut at the Barber of Seville, and it was a masterpiece. And no, I did not sing Figaro while getting it :).

In Córdoba, I discovered sherry - not the cheapest bang for buck alcohol you could get in college, but a refined beautiful fortified local Montilla-Moriles wine, which came in various ages and strengths some of which approached fine cognac (I undoubtedly offended some people with that comparison). It was only a short stop as the main reason for visiting was the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, a unique building that was a church, half-church/half-mosque, a full mosque, then a church again, over the course of ~800 years (beginning in the mid-8th century). 

The sherry let me to vineyards of Montilla, and nearby I discovered there were some solar reflector powerplants, PS10 and PS20, which are quite rare worldwide. 

Granada was the real star - solely due to Alhambra - one of the best preserved and most famous Islamic palaces in medieval times. I could have spent the entire day just in the gardens, and walking through the palace I was in awe of the craftmanship - the carved calligraphy, the mosaics, the intricate patterns, just outstanding!

Sevilla

Córdoba

Montilla and PS10 / PS20

Granada