Barcelona - my spirit city??? (November 2018)
The other day Matt asked me what city in Europe would represent me, then asked if it would be Barcelona. I knew almost nothing about this city before we bought our tickets, but by the time we left I was in awe with all the beauty and soul this city had to offer. If you have never been to Barcelona, go. If it is not on your list, add it.
This city has so much color and character, and we absolutely loved it. However, we do realize it is very different from other cities in Spain, so we promise to visit others (and we did go to Madrid!) ;)
When we first arrived in Barcelona, it was RAINING. A terrible way to start off, right? Well, what do you do when it rains? We eat.
Day 1: (rain and clouds)
Let’s be real, even when it’s not raining it’s never a bad idea to eat local food and drink local beer! Our first stop was the Mercado de Boqueria. Before we had even seen anything else in Barcelona, we were already off to a great start! There was SO. MUCH. FOOD. And it was delicious. We wandered along our merry little way tasting everything we could fit in our bellies. It was a great way to start our trip!!
The rain held off for a while (though came off and on, and it was still cloudy and chilly!) so we walked through the city and past the famous Gaudi houses - Casa Battló and Casa Milà. These buildings have a unique architecture and were designed using Catalan art nouveau style. We did not go in these houses because they are quite expensive to enter (ticket prices listed below in costs) and we also heard (read in reviews and were told by friends) that the price was not worth the entrance (perhaps for someone into this architecture or style it might be, but we wanted to save our money for the Sagrada Familia and other things!).
We also stopped by the Barcelona Cathedral, which was beautiful and worth the entry fee! However, we did learn the following day that it is free at certain times of the day - so look that up!
We ended our night with a flamenco show at Palau de la Música Catalana, and it was spectacular (both the show and the theater!!). I would highly recommend seeing a performance here if you have the chance (you can also take a guided tour, but why not see a show?!). The building is an “architectural jewel” of Catalan Art Nouveau, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 2: (blue skies)
One advantage to sometimes doing things a little last minute, is the weather is slightly more predictable one or two days out!!! We love doing bike tours, and booked ours the night we flew in! But, lucky for us, we knew it was supposed to be rainy on Friday, so we booked our tour for Saturday. And boy are we glad we did! The day was beautiful and sunny, which made for a wonderful tour.
We had biked with Fat Tire Tours in other countries, and decided to go with them again. Their tour was around 4 hours and the highlights included (no entry):
- Barcelona Cathedral
- Ciutadella Park
- Sagrada Familia
- Lunch by the beach (not included in the price)
- Plaça Saint Jaume
- Plaça del Rei
- Palau de la Mùsica Catalana
At night we met up with a friend I had met in (and not seen since) Uganda. It was great to catch up, have a few tapas, and grab some drinks!
Day 3: (more blue skies!)
Park Guell, more work by the famous Gaudí. This was my favorite stop (before we saw the Sagrada Familia, of course, but still wonderful!!). The park is free to enter but the monumental core needs a ticket. If you want to get here super early, I believe it is free to enter before 7am (double check!), but it is worth it to buy the tickets any other time. This park is full of buildings and sculptures covered in mosaics, and has wonderful panoramas.
You can get here with public transportation (that’s what we did!) but it’s a bit out of town so make sure you allow enough time to get there! You might also have to walk up a pretty steep hill… we were later told there were multiple layers of escalators, but we did not see them!
Day 4:
Our last day in Barcelona we visited the Sagrada Familia. I didn’t know much about it before we planned our trip, but once I started doing research, this was the highlight that everyone talked about. And with good reason. It was truly breathtaking. I know I tell you many things we visit are beautiful and amazing, and it’s true…but the Sagrada Familia really does not compare.
When I stepped inside, it was so beautiful it literally brought tears to my eyes.
There is some sadness to this, but with as much as I’ve seen in this world, with every trip it is harder and harder to have this reaction to something because everything I see is automatically compared to everything I’ve already seen and experienced. But the Sagrada Familia is truly something else.
We also wanted to go to Palo Alto market, but it appears to only be open the first weekend of the month.
Other Bars and Restaurants:
Wine bar - Amo Vino. Someone recommended it and it was good. You can get a wine tasting, and the owner was really nice.
Tapas - a few places we went included: El Callejón, Perikete, La Xampanyeria, La Fabrica (Argentinian empanadas), El Nacional (go here). Really, you can't go wrong with food here.
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| El Callejón |
Costs:
Plane tickets Naples (Nov 8-12) --> Barcelona $144.64 ($72.32 each)
Bike Tour with Fat Tire Tours --> € 56 (2p)
Flamenco tickets --> (€ 35ea?)
Taxi € 30-35 --> (we heard a taxi is better, cheaper and safer, than Uber)
10 metro ticket package
AirBnb --> $222.39, room, 4 nights, great location
Barcelona Cathedral --> €7ea
Sagrada Familia --> €27ea (with audioguide...book well in advance for €32 ticket that includes a tower visit)
Casa Battló --> €25 (basic)
Casa Milà --> €25 (basic)
Note:
***BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE IN ADVANCE
I can’t stress this enough. Sometimes there’s a discount, you can skip the line, and you reduce the risk of not being able to get a ticket (even in low season! We booked in advance but still did not get a Sagrada Familia with tower ticket!)
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