A whirlwind, sangria-fuelled week was spent in the beautiful Spain, starting with three nights in Madrid and followed by four nights in Barcelona. I wish I had had more time to spend in Spain, but the girls I'm travelling with are on the countdown until they head home and only had a certain amount of time. Every time I miss something, I always remind myself that some discoveries and adventures and cities have to be saved for next time.

Madrid was my favourite and just so absolutely beautiful. The weather was divine and summery, the people were the loveliest and warmest people I've come across, the architecture everywhere was simply stunning, the sangria was delicious, and there was plenty of authentic tapas to be found, especially at the wonderful San Miguel food markets, which were bursting with stalls of the tastiest tapas. To top it off, I found the city deliciously photogenic.

In Barcelona we filled our days with wandering the city, visiting museums, food markets and churches, and filled our nights with tapas and sangria (you could say I've developed quite a taste for the drink...), not to mention a few crazy late nights out embracing the Barcelona nightlife. Leaving the Spanish sun and warm weather was certainly a shock, especially considering I replaced it with the Irish autumn rain, and I'm certainly having sangria withdrawals, but Ireland, Scotland and England and all their beauty are waiting to be discovered!