Unforgettable Adventures: Exploring Spain's Hidden Gems

My favorite trip to date has been to Spain. I went with a very good friend of mine. The trip actually had several legs: London, Spain, and Germany. I'll get into the others later, but Spain was by far my favorite place. It is the first place I visited where I seriously considered if I could stay there. Sadly, I didn't figure out how to stay, but while I was there, I had a blast.

The whole reason we were there was La Tomatina, a festival in a small town called Buñol where you throw tomatoes at people. At first, I was hesitant because of the food waste. But I looked into it and apparently, years ago, Buñol learned that the tomatoes grown there weren't fit for sale. Somehow, this tradition formed, and now the tomatoes are grown specifically for being thrown. Additionally, it’s like a total refresh for the city as they wash down the whole town afterwards, so I made my peace with the situation.

Image courtesy of https://www.tomatofestivalspain.com/after-party-tomatina/

This was years ago, so here's what I remember. We arrived in Spain just in time for siesta, except we forgot that they have siestas and promptly left the hotel in search of food only to find that everything, I mean everything, was closed. We silly Americans went back to the hostel and (politely) asked why everything was closed and where we could get food. Siesta, duh! But there was exactly one place open. She directed us there, and we got some things to eat. We got extra in anticipation of the next day's siesta as well.

Next, I remember the cobblestone streets of Valencia. It was beautiful but hazardous for someone already clumsy on their feet. It’s me; I’m someone. Even in flats, I slipped almost every time we left the hostel. Thankfully, I never fell, but sheesh!

Then there were the oranges. I learned later that Valencia's oranges don't actually come from Valencia, but at the time I was convinced that the reputation of Valencia's oranges were living up to their name. I had never had such delicious orange juice. Tropicana could never!

I remember a beautiful day trip to the beach where we met a couple of cool Australians. Meeting Austrialians seemed to be a consistent theme of this whole trip. I was convinced it was a sign that I needed to go to Australia (I did try the next year, but it didn’t work out). Anyway, we had a lovely day at the beach with our new Aussie friends, and I wondered why the beach was so full on a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon. This was the height of the previous recession, most people were out of work and just making the best of a bad situation. Maybe our current recession wouldn't feel so bad if I had a lovely beach to go to, but alas, no such luck.

Image courtesy of https://www.timeout.com/spain/things-to-do/best-beaches-in-spain

And of course, there was the whole reason for the trip: the tomato fight. We got there later than intended and almost didn’t get in. Buñol is indeed a small town. A line of officers blocked the streets, but as people left, they let others in. With my very tall friend with me, we stood out, and we got in. Being so late did dampen the festivities as the tomato-filled trucks took a while to get to us. While we waited, locals threw random tomatoes, and unfortunately, my tall friend was a favorite target. But once the trucks got there, we were all in. Tomato bits and pieces flew through the air with no particular target.

Prior to this, I remember trying to buy safety goggles and, whatever Google said, combined with my terrible accent, left the salespeople confused. A lot of strange looks, wild gesturing, and being led to various areas of the store, but finally, we ended up with “ojos de gafas.”

For each day of the trip, I made an attempt to memorize phrases I thought I might need. The day of the fight, I googled, "Where's the hospital?", "It hurts here," and "There's tomato in my eye." Thankfully, we didn’t need them.

And finally, my favorite memory of the trip wastrip was a party we attended one night. The weather was perfect, the scenery was gorgeous. We were near a beach and the cool night air gently blew the white fabric that lined the the area. It was serene.

Image courtesy of https://www.white-ibiza.com/a-laid-back-evolution/

I danced, drank, and partied, and eventually had to go to the bathroom. There, I bumped into a helpful woman who had some important info to share. She tried Spanish; I had no clue. She tried French; that was worse. She tried German; that definitely wasn't going to work. So finally, she tried English, her weakest language. She handed me facial tissue and then gestured while saying, "for your pu**y" – apparently, there was no toilet paper, and she was trying to help a sister out. I am forever grateful to her but I really should learn at least one other language!

What was your favorite travel adventure?

We invite you to join our travel community by subscribing to our blog and following us on social media. Stay updated with the latest travel advice, destination guides, and exclusive travel deals. Let's explore the world together!

And as always, working with a travel agent is totally and always free!

If you're ready for you next travel adventure...

Book Now