The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

Last Updated on

How to Get to Valle de los Caรญdos, Spain

valle de los caidos - feature photo

A view of Valle de los Caรญdos

Funny story: a half-baked version of this article about Valle de los Caรญdos has been sitting in my “drafts” folder since April 29, 2017. That was only a week or two after I started this blog. I knew it was a topic I wanted to cover — it fits well with my theme of independent, intentional travel — but I couldn’t remember all the necessary details from my trip to write the article that I wanted.

So, now that I’m in Spain full-time, I recently had the opportunity to go back to this interesting place. Since I was bringing friends with me this time, I was wishing I’d finished the article two years ago so I could go back and read it. (Didn’t want to get us lost.) But once again, the trip was successful.
[Read more…]

Last Updated on

A Review of FlixBus: My Trip from Wrocล‚aw to Berlin

The last time — and only other time — I tried to take an international bus trip, it didn’t turn out very well. That was when I wanted to go from Brussels to Amsterdam. After waiting for the bus to show up for two and a half hours, in the pouring rain and freezing cold very early in the morning, I gave up and took the train.

So I was a little nervous about my plan to take a bus fromย Wrocล‚aw, Poland, to Berlin. I decided to use a different bus company than the one that had failed me (I’m looking at you, OuiBus). My friends Carson and Natalie had used FlixBus for their trip from Paris to Madrid, and their bus clearly showed up, so my standards were pretty low. But I have to say I really enjoyed my FlixBus experience! [Read more…]

Last Updated on

Trip Review: Wrocล‚aw, Poland

Wrocล‚aw poland

View in Wrocล‚aw at Market Square

I had an ulterior motive when it came to visiting Poland for the first time. Way back in 2012, after spending a Christmas in the far northeast of Germany with my boyfriend’s family, we’d driven across the border to Szczecin just to say we’d stepped foot there. (And I think we ate pizza.) But since I didn’t spend much time there, I never really felt that I could say I’d *been* to Poland.

In order to alleviate this traveler’s cognitive dissonance, I kept an eye on flights to Poland in 2019, during my first year living in Spain. And finally, a cheap flight to a city called Wrocล‚aw aligned with a puente (long weekend) from school. [Read more…]

Last Updated on

ALSA Bus Review: My Trip from Madrid to Granada, Spain

alsa bus - feature photo

For better or for worse, Spain’s ALSA buses are a topic I’m all-too familiar with. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 1:15pm, I would board a big green ALSA bus from Buitrago del Lozoya, where I worked, to get back to Madrid, where I lived. Occasionally I had to catch the 6:45am bus to work — but I don’t like to think about that because it was truly the stuff of nightmares.

Anyway, I don’t know what ALSA stands for, but I do know that it’s the largest Spanish bus company for more long-haul trips. So when I went to Granada for the weekend with my friends, that’s what we used. Here’s how the experience stacked up. [Read more…]

Last Updated on

7 Reasons Why You Should Visit Granada, Spain

granada spain - feature photo

Granada, Spain, was a city that I’d always heard about while living in Madrid, but never gotten around to visiting. Its location — isolated in Spain’s deep south — requires visitors to have sufficient time to not only enjoy the city but travel there as well. Situated in a mountainous region of Andalusia, Granada didn’t even have a high-speed railway station until mid-2019! Which meant that my transportation options were limited to flights, cars, or buses.

One of my friends in Madrid, Ellie, had studied abroad in Granada during college. Along with our friend Sarah, we planned a weekend trip, traveling via bus. It was 5 hours each way, which was a lot, but it wasn’t horrible. From the time I set foot in Granada, I fell in love, and I think it’s my new favorite city in Spain. Here are 7 reasons everyone should visit Granada! [Read more…]

Last Updated on

Day Trip: Dublin to Giant’s Causeway

dublin to giant's causeway - feature photo

A few years ago, my best friend Hanna took a trip to Northern Ireland with her mom. All the pictures were so beautiful, and one of the places she specifically mentioned was the Giant’s Causeway. Fast forward to when I lived in Madrid. I’d been planning a trip to Dublin to visit my friend Nicole, who was living there at the time. A week before the trip, Nicole texted me: “What would you think about taking a trip up north from Dublin to Giant’s Causeway?” [Read more…]

Last Updated on

Top 5 Things to Do in Porto, Portugal

porto portugal - feature photo

View from Vila Nova de Gaia in Porto, Portugal

Back when I lived in Madrid, I had a ritual I would do about once a month. I would go to my favorite flight-booking website, Skyscanner, and do a search: Madrid, Spain to Anywhere. That gave me a breakdown of how much it would cost to go to a variety of different destinations on my determined dates. Inevitably, Portugal always showed up as one of the least-expensive options. I knew I would get there eventually, but I was waiting for the right time. [Read more…]

Last Updated on

Side Trip: Madrid to Salamanca, Spain

madrid to salamanca - feature photo

A view of New Cathedral in Salamanca

When my friends invite me to do something, I try to say โ€œyesโ€ as much as I can. You Only Spain Once. (Maybe.) Anyway, my friends Sarah and Ellie decided to plan a trip from Madrid to Salamanca. With the high-speed train, it was easy enough to do as a day trip — no need to book a place to stay for the night — so when they invited me, I said yes.

Here’s everything you need to know to plan your own trip to Salamanca, whether you go for the day or the weekend. [Read more…]

Last Updated on

A Comprehensive Guide to the Madrid Metro

madrid metro - feature image

Learn how to navigate the Madrid Metro!

The idea of public transportation can be daunting, especially if you aren’t accustomed to it. Even if you’re a frequent traveler, every city has its own system, which makes it even more confusing. Madrid is no exception; though I lived in London for a semester, the Madrid Metro is different from the London Underground in a lot of ways.

When I’m with a group of friends, I usually become the official trip navigator. My favorite app, Citymapper, helps with this important job. But I like to think I’ve got a good handle on public transportation in general.ย (Now, the Barcelona Metro? That’s another story. Despite my mastery of most metro systems, I managed to end up on the wrong train not once, but TWICE in three days.)

For anyone planning a visit to Madrid, I’ve put together a comprehensive guide to the metro. [Read more…]

Last Updated on

Side Trip: Madrid to Zaragoza, Spain

madrid to zaragoza - feature image

Plan your own trip from Madrid to Zaragoza and you’ll be rewarded with this view.

Since I didn’t go home to the U.S. for the holidays during my first year living in Madrid, I was lucky enough to spend Christmas in Sardinia and have visitors in Spain for New Years! One of my best friends from college, Carson, and his wife Natalie came to spend a few days with me in Madrid on their European holiday vacation. After starting their trip in Paris, they took a bus to Madrid, and they would then be continuing on to Barcelona by train. Along the way, they decided to go from Madrid to Zaragoza, which is about halfway to Barcelona.

Since I’d never been to Zaragoza before, I went along with them for a day trip. And I’m so glad I did! Here’s everything you’ll need to know if you want to plan your own trip from Madrid to Zaragoza. [Read more…]