discovering spain | madrid, segovia, & toledo

My husband has always wanted to go to Spain, having taken five years of Spanish classes and loving every minute of it. So, in September we finally explored Spain for the first time. We traveled to Madrid, Segovia and Toledo with travel photographer Ralph Velasco and a small group of other awesome photographers. You can check out Ralph’s award-winning travel blog, his book, and his upcoming cultural photo tours here. I am also honored to have one of my photos from our trip featured on Ralph’s blog!

Central Spain is so earthy, hearty and full of life. You could spend a month in Madrid just seeing all the amazing art, enjoying the gorgeous parks, and tasting tapas. One of our favorite things in Madrid was attending a flamenco performance at Corral de la Moreria in the heart of historic Madrid. Just incredible and definitely a must-do if you haven’t before! Segovia was my favorite place to explore with its Roman aqueduct (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Alcázar fairy-tale castle, and the beautiful wooded walk around the outside of the city. Toledo was also a fun mix of modern life and cultural heritage. The Jewish quarter with its winding streets and gorgeous architecture was a fun place to get lost.

And as always, the food and wine are some of the best parts of exploring Europe! Our favorite restaurant in Madrid was Restaurante Esteban in La Latina with amazing traditional Spanish cuisine like snails, stews, and, of course, ham! Brandon couldn’t get enough of the churros and chocolate at Chocolatería San Ginés either! José María Restaurante in Segovia does an amazing roast suckling pig, and Taberna Alfileritos 24 was definitely the place to be in Toledo! The coolest spot of all might just be Círculo de Arte Toledo, a cafe, art gallery and live music venue in an old converted church with the DJ booth in the pulpit.

The entire trip was amazing and much too short. Please share your favorite spots in Spain to explore in the comments below…for next time!