Hola, Barcelona!

Let me tell you about Barcelona… The city of Gaudi! What color! What sound! What culture! What a beautiful city!

Many people say Barcelona is one of their favorite Spanish cities. They love the vibe, the architecture, the food and more than anything, the spell it casts on its visitors.

But if I had five words to describe Barcelona, it would be:

sexy…

unexpected…

giant tourist trap!

I don’t disagree that it is absolutely stunning. Barcelona was built, not by politicians or monarchs. No, she was built by artists for her people to appreciate the art and effort that were put into these beautiful buildings and communities. Barcelona is quite unlike any other.

I vividly remember getting off the Metro in Sagrada Familia; starving and so looking forward to settling into my new apartment. Trying to catch my bearings, it was only right to have my first view of Barcelona be the GIANT La Sagrada Familia Cathedral. It was an amazing moment – having it truly sink in that yes, I was FINALLY in Barcelona. But it was totally ruined by the number of tourist standing in front of me, stepping on my toes, to get that one perfect picture. You could say the novelty passed real quick.

Barcelona is a beautiful city with so much to offer, yet for that specific reason, it does not make my list of favorites. I felt as if I’d been stuck in the middle of a giant theme park with no way out. There was ultimately just TOO MANY PEOPLE. Perhaps I’d just been too spoiled by my trip to the south of France. I just could not get over the large overwhelming number of tourists everywhere I went. I swear, it had to be some kind of fire hazard – especially with how hot it already was!

Though I must admit, making it to the city did have it’s perks – I did get to meet my mother and her best friend, who staid with me throughout our tour of spectacular Spain. Keep reading for some highlights/recommendations from my four days in sexy Barcelona…

• A ride up to Montjuic
  • the view, the cable car ride, the hike, it’s all totally worth it! What a stunner! If you make your way all the up to the peak, you will not be disappointed.
• Sangrias and tapas in hideaway restaurants (insert heart eyes here)
  • My favorite spot, Sensi, is on a little side street in the Gothic Quarter – their food was phenomenal! The staff were super accommodating and friendly despite the fact that we didn’t have a reservation. 10/10 would recommend!
• Razzamatazz!
  • My first Spanish clubbing experience with my favorite Melbournian girl, Anya. Anya and I met in Avignon before deciding to meet up again when we were in Barcelona. This resulted in one of the best nights out I’d had with some of the most beautiful men (and women) we’d ever met! I think there’s just something in the water out there that makes everyone SO beautiful!
    • Pro-tip: the Spanish take their nights out very seriously – go all out, leave your flats at home and be prepared to only be home for breakfast 😉
• An early morning hike up Parc Guell
  • If you’re considering to go to Spain in the summer, the first thing you should know is that at about 12pm, the heat becomes almost unbearable. It’s probably why the Spanish siesta exists because I could not even think about wanting to be outside at that hour of the day. This is the exact reason why my mom and I decided to do this early in the day (I’m talking 8:30am, and this is after leaving Razzmatazz at 5am). It’s much cooler in the mornings before the sun hits its peak. However, I loved this hike for multiple reasons – 1) because the park is spectacular but mostly because 2) it was some quality mother-daughter bonding time. It was so fun to walk around the beautiful architecture to enjoy the views and be dorky together.
    • Tip: Get your tickets early or else you’ll have made that hike up that steep hill for no reason!
    • Tip #2: There’s lots of unique souvenir stores up and down that street with something special for anyone you’ll be thinking of.

• Haggling with street vendors
  • I think one of my biggest accomplishments during my Eurotrip was my first completely Spanish conversation with a street vendor near Parc Guell. Funnily enough, I’m quite sure the vendor was not Spanish but he did humor my terrible conversational Spanish and let me buy a beautiful necklace for 5 Euros instead of 12. I am eternally proud of this achievement but my mom says it’s probably because he wanted to make me stop talking. Possibly true, but I’ll stick it to my incredible haggling skills! Next time, try asking “¿cuanto cuesta?“
• La Sagrada Familia Cathedral
  • This Gaudi masterpiece is by far one of the most spectacular cathedrals I’ve visited. Peak season tickets are usually best picked up way before your arrival date as they run out very quickly every morning – pick them up with the cathedral website or with a tour agency in advance. My preference is to purchase the expert guided tours instead of just the audio-guides because you’ll get to have a local explain  the history and meaning behind the structures and murals – it’s definitely better than getting it out of a recorded box… plus, they’ll tell you where the best spot to take pictures is! Though I didn’t get to go up the towers, I don’t feel like I missed out on much. The light coming through those stained glass windows inside the cathedral lit up my soul much more than a view of Barcelona city ever would.

also, how cute is my mom right now??

 

Now, after this crowded city visit, I was ridiculously excited to make my way down to the beautiful island of Mallorca. This beach bum needed some real sea time. More on that next time!

XOXO,

LV