We took a weeklong trip to Spain from June 10-18 with our two youngest kids, aged 10 and 12. This was their first time in Europe, so I was really motivated to show them some cool stuff. Madrid was the easy jumping off point, due to so many flights going there directly from O’Hare Airport, so that’s where we began our adventure. I had been to Madrid once before, so a lot of what we did I had already done…
Oh, Roister, you have never disappointed me! This was my third visit to Roister restaurant in Chicago and I went with my brother to celebrate his 40th birthday! Roister’s Chef is Grant Achatz, of Alinea fame. The Chef was actually on hand on this evening working in the kitchen. I like to think he made a special appearance for my brother on his birthday. It was interesting that he was at Roister, and not his three-Michelin-starred Alinea, however from glancing…
After visiting La Sagrada Familia and having lunch, we took a taxi up to Parc Guell. The park is a relatively compact 12 hectares, as it is not super wide, but instead just goes higher and higher up the hill. It is a beautiful area, and was actually not mega crowded when we went around 3pm. I also booked tickets in advance for this experience to avoid waiting in lines. You can do so on their website, and you can…
We were originally planning to have a free day to simply walk around and get lost in Barcelona on our most recent trip, however instead I decided to book a tour up to Montserrat to see the Basilica, the cool views, the weird mountain, and check out a winery. I booked through Castle Experience Tours. There are about a billion tour companies offering different tours from Barcelona to Montserrat, however I chose this one due to the winery stop for…
One of the highlights of sightseeing in Madrid is its excellent art museums. We purchased the “art walk” ticket (in advance, of course), which would allow you to gain access to the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofia museums in one day for a pretty decent discount. Purchasing regular priced tickets for all three museums would cost a total of 40 Euros. The Art Walk ticket costs 32 Euros, and you can purchase it off of any of the…
Anyone who does even the most remote amount of research before visiting Barcelona, Spain, knows that the city swims in Gaudi architecture. The crown jewel is La Sagrada Familia Basilica (The Sacred Family). Like any other massive tourist attraction, I highly recommend booking tickets in advance, and you can do so without worry of scams or upcharges through the Sagrada Familia website. There, you can choose whether you just want base level tickets, a tour, tickets to go up into…
After a few days in Madrid, we took the high speed train to Barcelona. We were able to catch a cab outside of the Barcelona train station to the Gothic Quarter, where Hotel Neri is located. The cabs are typically not allowed in the pedestrian-only streets in the Gothic Quarter, so we rolled our bags for about a 5 minute walk into the center of the quarter to get to Hotel Neri. It was HOT, but when we arrived, the…
Everywhere you go in Europe, there’s a central plaza that is super jam packed full of tourists and surrounded by rip off cafes and restaurants. You’ve got Piazza Navona in Rome, Piazza de San Marco in Venice, Praca do Comercio in Lisbon, and the Grand-Place in Brussels to name just a few. In Madrid, you’ve got Plaza Mayor. This massive plaza is actually in its fourth iteration as it had previously burned down three times. It used to host executions…
When in Spain, which I believe has the greatest food in all of Europe, you absolutely must collect a Michelin star or two. On our trip with the kids (10 and 12 years old), I was excited to take them to their first Michelin starred experience, and this restaurant absolutely lived up to my expectations. Cocina Hermanos Torres has two Michelin stars (out of three) and has easily earned those stars. From the incredible food, the impeccable service, and the very…