Pascale Wegmann
Barcelona
Barcelona is an enchanting seaside city with boundless culture, fabled architecture and a world-class drinking and dining scene. Truly a compact city, not too big and not too small and a dynamic and open personality so typical of cities by the sea. As the only major European metropolis within three miles of the beach, it is the perfect place to relax, stroll and enjoy its surroundings.
Madrid
Madrid is the city that truly never sleeps. It has a distinct European flavor. Designer names from across the continent fill boutiques, big-name chefs whip up tasting menus at see-and-be-seen restaurants, and glamorous hotels dot the skyline. Tradition remains in the tapas bar and in the warmth of Madrileños, who are as proud of their royal family, their cuisine and their art, as they are generous. They want you to love Madrid too.
Tenerife, Canary Islands
Looming volcanoes, prehistoric sites, lush pine forests, lunar landscapes, sandy coves and miles of Sahara-style dunes. And Tenerife is the striking grand dame in the archipelago family with a potpourri of experiences including tropical-forest walks and designer-shop struts, dark forays into volcanic lava, a sexy Carnaval celebration that’s second only to Rio, and a stash of museums, temples to modern art and creaky old colonial towns. But above all else, this is an island of drama, and nothing comes more dramatic than the snow-draped Pico del Teide, Spain’s tallest mountain and home to some of the most fabulous hiking in all the country.
Lisbon
Seven cinematic hillsides overlooking the Rio Tejo cradle Lisbon’s postcard-perfect panorama of cobbled alleyways, ancient ruins and white-domed cathedrals – a captivating recipe crafted over centuries. No doubt, one of Europe’s most soulful, captivating and picturesque capitals with Culture everywhere, from the medieval village-like neighborhoods, the traditional tile paintings and the vintage trams, to the World Heritage monuments and singular museums of international design and contemporary art.