My family’s trip to Spain summer 2025 started out with Hollywood music rather than Spanish music. After a day of walking around Barcelona, looking at architecture and enjoying Spanish food, (and staying ahead of jetlag), we got tickets to a concert at the Palau de la Música Catalana. It was a strange yet unique experience hearing John Williams’ music in such an ornate, historical building.
The next day, we visited Park Güell, designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudi, and then walked to the civil war-era anti-aircraft bunkers overlooking the city. The vibrant spray paint all over the crumbling concrete contrasted with that dark period of Spain’s history. From up there, one could see Barcelona’s exquisite city planning, neat blocks and beautiful buildings, as well as the irregular old and new sections of the city.
While in Barcelona, we visited many churches like the Cathedral of Barcelona and the Sagrada Famiglia (also designed by Gaudi). Afterwards, we toured the Hospital Sant PauI, an old, brilliantly designed hospital complex. In the older parts of the city, you could see the cities deep history in layers; medieval bricks on top of Roman bricks.
After Barcelona was Madrid, a city of grand, imperial palaces and avenues (and more churches). Even the post office was designed to project power and wealth. We went to plenty of history and art museums while we were there.
While staying in Madrid, we went to the old capital city of Toledo, a medieval walled city whose winding streets bore evidence of the Umayyad conquest and the Reconquista, with churches and converted mosques and synagogues. The architecture and scenes of the Toledo Cathedral was awe-inspiring.
The Spain trip was the third time I’ve been back to Europe since living in London (visited Belgium and England in 2023, then Ireland in 2024). Every time I experience the delicious food, deep history, and rich culture of those countries, living in the US feels very mundane by comparison. I’m looking forward to experiencing Peru.