My Highlights of Spain and Portugal

Sintra

Just a forty minute train ride from Lisbon, visiting this Unesco World Heritage site makes you feel like you have stepped into a fairy-tale land. We took bus 434 up winding green hills to visit a 1000-year-old Moorish castle. Then on to Pena Palace, the wildly colourful and ornately decorated home of Portugal's last monarchy. From the top of the palace were incredible views of the ocean and forest below. This was many people's favourite day.

Palm Sunday in Seville

We arrived at night to join the massive crowds. Sevillano's dressed in their Sunday best to watch processions of worshippers, dressed in capuchas (white pointy hoods) take over the city. The capuchas are not only hoods, but also masks, with only eyeholes for guidance meant to represent anonymous repentance. We watched the worshippers carrying candles and large floats portraying the Stations of the Cross on their shoulders- some even walked bare foot. The accompaniment of the marching band helped to set the tone of solemnity for Holy Week, which was an intense, somewhat uncomfortable and definitively unforgettable experience.

Orange Juice

Freshly squeezed, Spanish orange juice available everywhere. Enough said.

La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona's most outstanding landmark, designed in Antonio Gaudi's unmistakable style. La Sagrada Familia re-defines how a place of worship looks and feels. The longer you look, the deeper the detail you see. Incredible stained glass windows and light streaming through as if rising up to the heaven's, this is somewhere you could spend hours.

Lisbon

Wandering through the winding streets of Lisbon's Alfama, you will see a convergence of cobble stone streets, cute café's, modern graffiti art, historical ruins and fantastic viewpoints. This is one of my favourite places to just wander and get lost. Take the time to drink it in.