While planning where I wanted to go during my span in Europe, I never really thought about going to Spain. I had seen pictures from my cousin, who lived there, and I always thought it looked beautiful. When we were looking at places that Ryanair flew to, we ran across a place in Spain called Ibiza. We had heard the name before, but only through the media and songs which referred to it.
After Googling and looking at all Ibiza had to offer, we HAD to go there.
The cheap rates and beautiful beaches had us sold!
After we arrived in Ibiza, we could feel the temperature increase to about 70 degrees and we knew it was going to be a good weekend. Once we walked into the airport, though, we realized everything was written in Spanish. Most of us had taken Spanish in high school, but couldn't remember more than a few phrases. The most frustrating part was trying to communicate with people and not being able to. After leaving the airport, we made our way to Ibiza Town, where our hostel was located. Luckily it wasn't too far away from the airport AND it was only minutes away from the beach.
In pictures and blogs, Ibiza was made out to be a busy tourist attraction known for amazing beaches and party life. The beaches were there, but there was NO people. The town looked empty. After asking around, we realized that high season had ended about 2 weeks before we arrived. At first we were bummed, but it honestly turned out for the best. During high season, everything is more expensive. When we went, all of the prices had decreased to what they normally are for the people who actually live in Ibiza. We were happy about this, AND we had the beaches almost to ourselves. People weren't taking over the beach with their parties and chaos, which is usually what happens during high season apparently. We could actually relax without a ton of people around us.
On the first day, we decided to lay out on the beach in the sun the entire day away. The temperature was in the high 70's and felt GREAT. We even got a little burnt!
The second day, we decided to go on an excursion that our hostel hosted. We didn't know what to expect, but we were promised we would go to the different beaches on the island, and snorkeling! We traveled to 3 beaches, went snorkeling in a cave in the Mediterranean sea, swam, had sangria at sunset, and listened to Spanish music the entire time. Our host was so nice and friendly, which made for a good day.
For our last day in Spain, we traveled to Barcelona. We stayed in a hostel close to the city center. It was a lot busier than I expected- a lot of tourists. It was almost like a mini New York City. We went market shopping, saw the light show, and visited the giant Basilica created by Gaudi named La Sagrada Familia. We only had time to see the outside of it, and it was SO BEAUTIFUL. The outside architecture was incredible. I wish we could have seen the inside, though.
(I guess just some other day I'll have to travel back & see it!)
I would say our trip to Spain has been my favorite... BY FAR. It even topped Ireland (which I thought would be pretty difficult to do). It was so relaxing and beautiful. I love it. I never wanted to leave (and go back to the cold, dreary weather of England). I guess all good things must come to an end.. but I can guarantee you I will be back to Spain. Such a good time- I would recommend making a trip there- it's SO WORTH IT!
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