If you’re traveling across the world to Europe, be sure to include the United Kingdom and Spain on your list. You’re already abroad so the cost of a train ride or better yet, Eurorail is definitely worth it. Who knows the next time you’ll be in Europe – so take the chance! We’ve even put together a list of why you should go in case you need a little more convincing.
1. Royalty. In the U.K. you have the chance to visit royalty and see the Edinburg Castle first hand. Who knows, you might even be able to take a picture with Prince William and Princess Kate or perhaps snap a selfie with the boy band One Direction if that’s more your style. In case you were wondering Spain has their royalty as well; King Felipe the sixth and Queen Letizia. Fun fact, the king and queen of Spain are actually going to the U.K. in 2016 to visit U.K. royalty.
2. Breathtaking Sites. Sure, every place you go abroad has sites to see, but the U.K. and Spain are filled with so many that also have a rich history. There’s Stonehenge in the U.K. and the artistic side to Scotland’s main city Glasgow. Spain has Egyptian temples and Roman ruins like the Roman theatre in Merida, which is still used for performances at times. Then there’s the Alhambra in Granada or the breathtaking cathedrals like the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. There are even 1,000-year-old mosques like the Mosque of Cordoba.
3. Food. Is anything else other than that word even needed? The U.K. but more specifically Ireland is filled with pubs everywhere that are all linked back to the countries history, each having its own unique story. Now Spain has some of the oldest running restaurants in the world like Casa Botin, but they also have some of the best food like tortilla española or patatas bravas which are just potatoes in a fancy sauce, but they sure taste way better than regular potatoes!
4. Events. While there are definitely places to go to and restaurants to try, there are also events to take part in. There’s everything from fireball whirling in Scotland to the Edinburgh festival, which is one of the largest performing arts celebrations. Supposedly there’s even Scotland’s Loch Ness monster! Spain has its fair share of events too, sometimes drawing in thousands of people like Pamplona’s running of the bulls or the annual Tomatina where you get doused in tomatoes. You could even eat grilled meat on an open volcanic vent on the volcanic island of Lanzarote. Not to mention the quaint decorations of people’s houses that look like they could come right out of a picture book.
5. History. The U.K. is where classic writers started off like Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, and so on. Spain is where the famous artist Pablo Picasso started. It is also home to soccer or betters said, football and players like Iker Casillas. Talk about inspiration.
6. Outdoors. Take a stroll in Britain’s first and most popular national park the Peak District. It has river valleys, picture perfect houses, and all the greenery imaginable. Spain has its Mediterranean coast that gets sun almost 300 days per year, talk about a stay-cation. But if beaches and warm water aren’t you’re thing Spain has mountains too like the Bardenas Reales.
You’re already in Europe so why not go to these amazing places. The experiences and memories are well worth it – they’ll last forever!
Contributed by Samantha Watkins
