Spain was a blur — a good blur, but definitely a blur. The food, the history, the culture, the people, the landscape, the cities…all of these are things that I fell in love with. My time was primarily spent in the Andalucia region, so my perspective of the country is fairly narrow; however, I’ve only heard great things about the rest of Spain, and I look forward to returning some day to explore some of the other wonderful places. Here are my favorite memories from my time in Spain:

• Feeling an overwhelming sense of calm and relaxation, even from my first few minutes off the ferry
• Watching the sunset on the beautiful (and windy) beach in Tarifa
• Observing the elaborate Holy Week celebrations
• Hiking the Caminito del Rey and being thankful that I hiked it after the safety features were added
• Enjoying the nightlife in Malaga’s historical, old town
• Eating incredible tapas and Iberian ham pretty much everywhere I went
• Having a beer in Granada while overlooking the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada mountains
• Touring the Royal Palace of Madrid with my sister
• Walking the mosque turned cathedral in Cordoba
• Seville — the entire city. I loved it.

When I return to Spain (definitely not “If I return”), some of the places I would like to explore are:

• Barcelona
• Toledo
• Valencia
• Pamplona, home of the running of the bulls
• Northern coastal cities, like San Sebastian (in the east) and Santiago de Compostela (in the west)
• Maybe even complete one of the world-famous walks, like the Camino de Santiago (800 km, 500 mi)