BARCELONA

If you follow me on Instagram and spend any time looking through stories, you’ll know that Andrew and I went to Barcelona in October of 2018. It’s hard to believe that trip was a little over 4 months ago! It was so much fun. We saw family, tons of landmarks and important buildings, and generally ate our way across the city. I really loved it- Barcelona was easy to navigate and the architecture and parks are beautifully done. The palette there is so much my style, with tons of greens and pinks, and then the classic building colors as well. Also- and I think this was my favorite part other than ALL of the amazing food- there were plants everywhere. Balconies, hanging plants, planters on the streets, and then of course the green park areas. It really spoke to my “I wish I was really good at keeping plants alive” side. We used public transportation for a good majority of the trip or walked, and I can’t say enough about how lovely the whole experience was.

So here’s a recap of our trip! I’m going to do a whole separate post with simple lists of places we would recommend; this is more of a day by day recap!!

Day 1: We arrived, and went to La Rambla to meet Andrew’s cousin for the apartment keys! I’ll be honest- I was so tired, and so ready for a shower. We had been traveling for almost a full 24 hours because of an all-day layover in Atlanta. We made it to the apartment, and immediately showered and “rested our eyes”. Listen, I know everyone says not to sleep but this hour or so of eye rest really did the trick. Next, we went outside and wandered across the street to a little restaurant and had some food- that turned the day around too! We walked around and got an idea of where we were, and that night, we enjoyed dinner at the apartment with Andrew’s cousins. (We stayed with his sweet sweet cousins, Tati and Edu, and their 2 year old! This was the view from their roof:)

Day 2: We slept, maybe the best sleep ever, and woke up to a lovely day! A small bakery was just below the apartment building, so we walked down and had some breakfast. Then, we walked to the Sagrada Familia and took some photos. After, we walked through the Gothic Corridor to La Boqueria and it was fab. It was overwhelming, but in the best way! We had some juice, lunch at Bar Central and some other vendors, and then walked on for some more wandering. We ended the day in the same way- supper with family at the apartment!

Day 3: It was rainy, so we decided to go toward the coast and see the aquarium! I love aquariums, so I loved it. They had an amazing tunnel with a moving walkway, and we went through 3 times. After, the weather had cleared up, so we walked to lunch and shopped around. Dinner was takeout with the fam- we had Venezuelan and it was fab.

Day 4: On this day we had one mission- churros. Both of the days before, we had been trying to catch a place Andrew’s parents love, and both times, they were closed. So, we went for lunch and after, decided just to walk towards a churro place we’d heard about. We ended up on a large green/park area, with tons of gorgeous apartment buildings and, we noticed, one of the Gaudi houses! We got our churros, went through the Gaudi house, and Andrew mentioned that he had a plan. We ended up at the Arc de Triomph! That was really cool, and the whole area around it was gorgeous. Then, we kept walking and ended up at the prettiest fountain I’d ever seen:

That night, we ate out and did some night touring. By the time we got home, we were exhausted! This was one of my favorite days.

Day 5: Our friends arrived this day! We went to their AirBNB and met them, and took them to see the Sagrada Familia. After hanging out with them for a minute, we headed home to get ready for supper- at Barceloneta! This is a really special restaurant to Andrew’s family and some of the best paella I’ve had. Another cousin of Andrew’s met us there and it was fabulous. That night, Tati and Edu headed on their own vacation to the Canary Islands. (So cool) We got home and I reorganized our unpackings— it was a real mess!

Day 6: Early this morning, two of the dearest people came to town- Tati’s parents! They wanted to take us up to Montserrat, the area/church where Andrew’s grandparents were married. We got in the car and rode up the mountain- the only rock formation of it’s kind in the world! It was foggy and a little rainy, but the church was still so pretty and it was very cool to see the little chapel where Andrew’s grandparents took their vows. We headed back into the city and had lunch, and then Jose and Marta took us on a walking tour of the downtown area. Then, we met all of the extended family for a big meal! It was a late night, but it was so much fun.

the chapel!

Day 7: We went with Jose and Marta and another friend to a Venezuelan bakery and restaurant- I had my first tequenos and I could not have loved them more. WILD. After brunch, we walked through the same park with the fountain again, and kept going. We saw Andrew’s grandad’s primary school and the Catalonian parliament buildings, and tons and tons of dogs- the weather was so pretty. For supper, we had a home-cooked paella by Jose and it was incredible. We took notes— I think we can make it, maybe!

Day 8: This day was wild. We met up with our friends from SC who were in the city and took a day trip to Girona, Pals, and Costa Brava. It was great to get out of the city and see a little more, and the coast was stunning. The weather was perfect, and each place was so different. Also, it was surreal to be hanging out with our friends in another country!

Day 9: Bus tour day! Barcelona has a great bus line that you can buy a ticket for, and it stops at all of the major sights. It runs on three different lines, and comes with audio of history and facts around each spot. We saw the Barcelona Stadium, Park Guell, the Gaudi houses, and so much of the city we had not seen yet. That night, we went to dinner and said goodbye to our friends from SC, and I have to say- dinner was incredible. We went to El Nacionale and I was blown away by the decor. It was great!

Day 10: Andrew and I still had a day of bus ticket, so we went to the bus and rode around on all three lines, all day. We saw every stop! We got off halfway through for lunch, then hopped back on and saw it all. This was a cool day, and it was nice to take a break from walking and relax.

Day 11: This was our last day in Barcelona! We went to grab a some lunch, I got some really cool espaidrilles, and bought my first pair of Birkenstocks! (they were on a great sale.) We enjoyed the last of the time, and had a chill dinner at the apartment with Tati and Edu, and packed.

That’s a wrap! It. Was. Amazing. We cannot wait to go back! If you’ve been, let me know your favorite spots in the comments! I can’t wait to see them!