Al final del día, mi hija dijo que lo mejor del viaje fue beber agua de la cantimplora junto a la cascada y sentarse cerca de la hoguera.

It can be understood in both ways:

• Literal: at the end of the day
• Idiomatic: when all is said and done / in the end

In this sentence, it most naturally sounds like literal time reference: later that day, the daughter said that the best part of the trip was those activities.

A learner should know that Al final del día is also used idiomatically in Spanish, just like at the end of the day in English.

Both are contractions:

• a + el = al
• de + el = del

So:

• al final = at the end
• del día = of the day

This is mandatory in standard Spanish when a or de comes before the masculine singular article el.

For example:

• Voy al parque = I’m going to the park
• Vengo del trabajo = I’m coming from work

Here que means that.

• mi hija dijo = my daughter said
• que lo mejor del viaje fue... = that the best part of the trip was...

In Spanish, que is very commonly used after verbs like:

• decir = to say
• pensar = to think
• creer = to believe
• saber = to know

English often drops that, but Spanish usually keeps que.

So while English can say:

• My daughter said the best part was...

Spanish normally says:

• Mi hija dijo que lo mejor fue...

Lo mejor means the best thing or the best part in a neutral, abstract sense.

• lo mejor del viaje = the best thing about the trip / the best part of the trip

Why lo?

Because lo + adjective turns the adjective into an abstract idea:

• lo bueno = the good thing / what is good
• lo importante = the important thing / what matters
• lo mejor = the best thing

If you said el mejor or la mejor, you would usually need a specific noun:

• la mejor parte del viaje = the best part of the trip
• el mejor momento del viaje = the best moment of the trip

So lo mejor del viaje is a very natural and common way to say this.

This is a very common learner question because both come from ser.

Here fue is the preterite form, and it works well because the sentence presents the daughter’s judgment as a completed statement made at that moment:

• mi hija dijo que lo mejor del viaje fue...

It refers to what she identified as the best part of that finished trip/event.

Using era is not impossible in some contexts, but it would sound more descriptive, more open-ended, or more like background information. In this sentence, fue is the most natural choice because it gives a clear, completed evaluation.

Very roughly:

• fue = turned out to be / was
• era = was in a more descriptive or ongoing sense

Because they are naming activities.

After lo mejor del viaje fue..., Spanish often uses an infinitive or a list of infinitives to say what that best thing was:

• Lo mejor fue descansar. = The best thing was resting / to rest.
• Lo peor fue esperar. = The worst thing was waiting.

So here:

• beber agua de la cantimplora
• y sentarse cerca de la hoguera

are two actions being treated like ideas or experiences.

English can do something similar:

• The best part was drinking water... and sitting...

Spanish prefers the infinitive here.

Because sentarse means to sit down / to sit oneself, while sentar usually means to seat someone or has other meanings depending on context.

Compare:

• sentarse = to sit down
• sentar a alguien = to seat someone

Examples:

• Voy a sentarme. = I’m going to sit down.
• La profesora sentó a los niños. = The teacher seated the children.

In your sentence, the daughter is talking about her own action, so the reflexive form is needed:

• sentarse cerca de la hoguera = to sit down near the campfire

Because Spanish can use one fue for both infinitives in the list:

• lo mejor del viaje fue beber... y sentarse...

This is like English:

• The best part was drinking water... and sitting...

You do not need to repeat the verb unless you want special emphasis.

So this structure is perfectly normal:

• fue + infinitive + y + infinitive

Here de means something like from.

• beber agua de la cantimplora = to drink water from the canteen/water bottle

Spanish often uses de where English uses from in this kind of context.

Other examples:

• comer de un plato = to eat from a plate
• beber de una taza = to drink from a cup

So de la cantimplora tells you the source/container the water was drunk from.

In Spain, cantimplora usually means a canteen or water flask, especially one used for trips, hiking, camping, or the outdoors.

It is a very natural word in this context because the sentence talks about a trip, a waterfall, and a campfire-type setting.

Depending on region and context, English translations could be:

• canteen
• flask
• water bottle

But canteen or flask often fits the outdoors feel best.

Both express proximity, but they are not exactly the same.

• junto a = next to / beside / right by
• cerca de = near / close to

So:

• junto a la cascada suggests being right next to the waterfall
• cerca de la hoguera suggests being near the campfire, but not necessarily immediately beside it

This difference is probably intentional:

• being right by the waterfall
• sitting near the fire

That sounds natural and expressive.

Because these expressions take specific prepositions:

• junto a = correct
• cerca de = correct

So you say:

• junto a la cascada
• cerca de la hoguera

Not:

• junto de la cascada in standard usage here
• cerca a la hoguera in standard Spain Spanish

These are simply set combinations that learners need to memorize.

Because both nouns are feminine:

• la cascada = the waterfall
• la hoguera = the bonfire / campfire

So the articles and adjectives must agree with them in gender and number.

Singular feminine nouns usually take:

• la
• adjectives in feminine form when relevant

Here there are no adjectives modifying them directly, but the article still has to match.

Not exactly.

• fuego = fire in general
• hoguera = bonfire / campfire

So hoguera refers to a specific kind of fire: a fire built outdoors, often for warmth, light, cooking, or atmosphere.

That makes cerca de la hoguera sound much more specific and vivid than just cerca del fuego.

Because Spanish very naturally uses infinitives to talk about actions in a general way.

So:

• beber agua
• sentarse cerca de la hoguera

sound simple and idiomatic.

Using noun forms would either change the meaning or sound more formal/less natural:

• la bebida = the drink / beverage, not really drinking
• el beber exists, but often sounds more abstract or literary

For everyday Spanish, infinitives are the normal choice here.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are possible:

• beber agua = to drink water
• tomar agua = to drink water / have water

In Spain, beber is very straightforward and literal. Tomar is also common, but it can be broader in meaning, like to have a drink.

So in this sentence:

• fue beber agua de la cantimplora sounds perfectly natural
• fue tomar agua de la cantimplora would also be understandable and natural

The word order is very normal.

Breakdown:

• Al final del día, = time expression
• mi hija dijo = main clause
• que lo mejor del viaje fue... = reported statement
• beber agua de la cantimplora junto a la cascada y sentarse cerca de la hoguera = the two activities

Spanish often places a time phrase at the beginning for context. English does the same:

• At the end of the day, my daughter said...

So there is nothing unusual here, but it is a very useful model sentence because it shows:

• a time opener
• reported speech with dijo que
• lo + adjective
• fue + infinitive
• a coordinated pair of actions with y

A natural rhythm would group it like this:

Al final del día, | mi hija dijo | que lo mejor del viaje fue | beber agua de la cantimplora | junto a la cascada | y sentarse cerca de la hoguera.

A few pronunciation notes for an English speaker:

• día has two syllables: DÍ-a
• hija: the j is the strong Spanish j sound
• viaje: also has that same j sound
• cascada: stress on -ca- → casCAda
• hoguera: the h is silent

The sentence flows quite naturally if you pause slightly after día and maybe after dijo.