Central and Eastern Spain in 8 days, or, how I learned to love day trips

Hello! My post on my trip to Andalucia was honestly rightfully criticized for having over the top photo editing, (just starting photography, go easy on me) so hopefully this batch will be better :)

High speed rail in Spain is incredibly convenient. This means you can see half the country in half the time it used to take. I’m a hectic and swift traveller so I enjoy packed itineraries and extreme day trips. I used Madrid and Barcelona as bases due to their convenient connections and I loved their surroundings. I visited in winter, so the weather was gloomy at times, but Spain is a year round gem. My favorite destinations were definitely Segovia, Toledo, Valencia, and Girona. I would advise skipping Tarragona and the Costa Brava in the wintertime as it’s off-season, but I enjoyed the quiet in both locations. I can’t really say any of the locations weren’t worth it. I guess Zaragoza was slightly underwhelming for all the hype surrounding it as a hidden gem, but I still enjoyed it.

1 - Orange dusk over the seaside, Tossa de Mar, Costa Brava

2 - Cathedral and riverfront, Girona

3 - Church facade from an alleyway, Valencia

4 - The aqueduct saunters, Segovia

5 - Franco’s symbol of vanity, Valley of the Fallen

6 - The basilica of Philip II, El Escorial

7 - The Prado, Madrid

8 - Tagus and Alcazar, Toledo

9 - Puerta de Alcala, Madrid

10 - A cool building, Madrid

11 - Walls, Avila

12 - Catalan National Gallery, Barcelona

13 - Cathedral, Barcelona

14 - Modernist hospital, Barcelona

15 - Sagrada Família, Barcelona

16 - Cathedral, Girona

17 - Dawn at the monastery in the sky, Montserrat

18 - Cathedral, Valencia

19 - Amphitheatre by the sea, Tarragona

20 - Cathedral interior, Zaragoza