Euro Summer 2025
In June I headed to Europe for a trip packed full of friend reunions, sightseeing, and of course, incredible food and views. I had been wanting to visit France and Spain for a while since I have some friends living in both locations, and figured combining it all into one trip would be ideal!
Paris - Day 1
My first stop was Paris, where I was staying with one of my best and oldest friends, Tasina, who I visited in Berlin in 2024 and Rome in 2023.
We have been friends since seventh grade, and they say if a friendship lasts more than 7 years, it will probably last forever! We’re going on 11 years <3
I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport late on Saturday night after a very long trip from Seattle, which included a killer 6 hours layover in Dublin. To top it off, the city was hosting “Fête de la musique”, a music festival. This meant the streets were packed with people, so I opted to take a cab and forgo attempting to navigate the metro alone.
Bonus tip: Paris uses Bolt, a service similar to Uber, and if you sign up for an account you’ll get a discount (about 20%) on your first ride. The offer does expire a few days after sign up.
Paris - Day 2
The following morning we ventured over to the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, a collection of museums in a stunning glass building. Tasina wanted to see “Nosso Barco Tambor Terra”, an exhibit by Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto.
After seeing the exhibit we headed to the Jardin du Palais Royal and grabbed some drinks before sitting in the park. There was a heat wave in the city so we were doing our best to stay cool.
Bonus tip: To easily get around via bus and metro, download the Île-de-France app to get a digital card you can use to tap to ride, as well as navigate around the city.
I did some shopping for my trip to Spain at Samaritaine Paris Pont-Neuf, a shopping center in the 1st arrondissement. Afterwards I met back up with Tasina and we enjoyed dinner at her friend’s apartment before heading back to the flat.
Ibiza - Day 3
The next morning I woke up and headed to the Paris-Orly airport to catch my flight to Ibiza. It was a short two hour flight and the views of the island as the plane landed were gorgeous. I loved the blues of the water along the coastline.
The villa I was staying at was absolutely stunning. For this part of the trip, I was staying with a group of about 22 people, so everyone split paying for the house evenly. The group stayed at Villa The Nest, which included two villas that are booked together. There was a huge rooftop with a stunning view, really unique modern art, and even a room with a window into the bottom of the pool.
Ibiza - Day 4
For lunch the next day we headed to Blue Marlin Ibiza, a really pretty restaurant on the beach with fantastic food.
After our meal we went next door to Jondal, a beach club with a beautiful view of the water. We rented some day beds, grabbed drinks, and enjoyed the sunshine.
Everyone headed back to the villa in the late afternoon to get ready for our night out. The group booked a VIP table at Hï Ibiza, one of the most popular clubs on the island. We saw The Martinez Brothers and I had such a fun time dancing and enjoying the club atmosphere.
Ibiza - Day 5
For the last full day in Ibiza, everyone headed to Nikki Beach, a beach club on the water. It was a cool spot and there was a live DJ, plenty of daybeds and catered food.
For the rest of the day everyone hung out at the villa, enjoying the sunset over drinks and dinner. Some of the group even ordered a tattoo artist to come to the house!
Barcelona - Day 6
The next day I headed to the airport for my afternoon flight to Barcelona. I’d been once before in 2023 but was on a work trip, so I was really excited to explore more of the city. I spent some time walking on the main beach and near the marina. I was pretty tired from all of the group adventures in Ibiza, so after a delicious dinner of white wine, paella, and gelato, I called it a night.
Barcelona- Day 7
The next morning I set off to explore the city. For breakfast I stopped at Bloome by Sasha and got a beautiful acai bowl.
After breakfast I continued wandering around, and stopped at the Mercat de la Boqueria. I had come here two years ago and would recommend it to anyone visiting the city. It’s a huge market full of stalls selling everything from fresh fruit juice, to candy, to roasted meats and jars of olives and jams.
I headed over to La Sagrada Familia, which was amazing to finally see in person. I grabbed some matcha from Matcha Crew afterwards and did some window shopping on the way back to the hotel.
I love all the little criss-crossing streets of Barcelona. There’s so many things to explore around every corner, from street markets to cafes to thrift stories.
Paris - Day 8
The next morning I flew from Barcelona back to Paris to spend a few more days with my friend. After I landed we headed to La Boulangerie Des Invalides for some lunch and madeleines.
For the rest of the afternoon we relaxed at Tasina’s apartment . I loved her little balcony and the view of the Seine.
Paris - Day 9
The next morning we went to Azur Cafe for breakfast and then stopped by the Arc de Triumph, which is just down the street.
Next we took the metro to the Luxembourg Gardens, which were easily one of the prettiest places in the city.
We continued walking around the city just exploring, and on the way stopped into this gorgeous church, named Iglesia de Saint-Sulpice.
For dinner, we met up with some of Tasina’s friends at Loulou. They had delicious drinks and the menu was perfect for what I was craving.
After dinner we all took a cab to the Philharmonie de Paris to see the band badbadnotgood play.
Paris - Day 10
For my last full day in Paris, I kicked off the morning with a stop at Kith. This location is a combination of a cafe and a retail store.
I really wanted to see the Wes Anderson exhibit so I took the metro across the city to La Cinémathèque française. It was such a cute display and I loved seeing the costumes and stop-motion props.
I met up with Tasina later in the evening to go see the new Wes Anderson movie The Phoenician Scheme. Sadly I was disappointed by the movie and only gave it 1.5/5 stars. We grabbed some gelato on the way home and then I enjoyed the view of the Eiffel tower sparkling from the balcony before bed.
This was a really special trip for me and I felt so lucky to have a good reason to visit Europe again. Being able to explore Paris with a friend and go back to Barcelona to see more of the city was something I had been wanting to do for a long time. And of course, I fell in love with Ibiza and the blue waters and sunsets.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading!
Love,
Callie
