Two Days in Barcelona

OK- I give in. Since seeing all my pictures of Spain on Instagram I’ve been harassed non-stop about when I’m going to post about the ten days I spent in Spain.

I wanted to wait until the weather here in London got REALLY super sad so I could relive the entire trip and bring a little warmth to my life, but you win- I’ll dish now.
The first stop on the trip was Barcelona. I was extremely excited about two things: pretending I was Rebecca Hall in Vicky Christina Barcelona (i.e., gawping at Gaudi architecture, not having a little fling with Javier Bardem…not that I would be opposed to that…) and drinking lots of good Spanish wine.

Before I could indulge in either, though, we spent our first morning wandering the city. We ended up in the Parc Montjuic, which is on a hill above Barcelona.

Dress Urban Outfitters | Shoes Steve Madden | Watch AquaSwiss

One thing I loved about Barcelona: it was still hot, hot, hot in October. I’m still reeling over how warm it was, considering we were just a one-hour flight from London. When I compare it to how things are an hour’s flight from DC at home (think NYC, Philly, etc.) it just weirds me out. I know the weather patterns are different and everything, but still! It boggles my American mind.

I think we stayed in one of the best places possible, the Barri Gotic, or Gothic Quarter. It is sandwiched between Barceloneta (which is where one of the best beaches is) and right off Las Ramblas, the most touristy street. So while we were between lots of tourist places, we were never assailed by buskers or swept into touristy restaurants. The only thing that gave us away as tourists was our incredible lack of knowledge of Catalan, which, considering my French and his Spanish, is pretty pathetic.

Incredibly, instead of amazing wine in Barcelona, I tried, and loved, Estrella. I think we might have it at home, but I never tried it. I really liked it, and it was VERY refreshing after the heat of Barcelona afternoons!

When we finally got to the Segrada Familia after a rather long siesta, I almost cried. I tend to be pretty emotional anyway, but seeing it was one of those silly “bucket list” things I’ve built up in my mind for years. It’s unbelievable, too. You walk out of the train station, turn around and BOOM! There it is, looming above you. It’s huge. It’s also so interesting, you can pick out all the bits and pieces that are old, and those that are new, and those that are just beginning to be built. I wonder if they’ll ever finish it. I took shots from a few angles so you can see the old and the new parts.
After a short tapas and Estrella break…

Casa Batllo

A close up of Casa Batllo

La Pedrera at night

Another shot of La Pedrera

More Gaudi! I was really worried we wouldn’t get to see all the architecture in the city before dark, but it turns out that the lighting is such that you might want to see at least La Pedrera at dusk.

On to the next morning…

Purse Chanel | Shirt Nordstrom

I’m bad at reading guidebooks and like to just wander, or take the advice of people I meet wherever I am. To cure a bit of a hangover from a night of jars of sangria at Ovella Negra (full of college students from the US studying abroad and right off Las Ramblas- not typically my scene but was recommended by a friend, and had nice sangria anyway) we wandered around the Barri looking for breakfast. We stumbled upon La Boquiera Market, which I found out later is kind of a big deal. There were tons of fresh foods that made me wish I had a kitchen, but I settled for a zumo de coco y fresa instead.

Next we climbed up the massive hill/mountain that is Parc Guell, which is where Gaudi lived toward the end of his life. The view is jaw dropping and gasp inducing.

We also got to see more Gaudi architecture (it never gets old to me).

After two days of tracking down Gaudi, we were pretty beat and called it an early night to prepare for an early train to Sevilla. Before leaving, though, we did have an amazing dinner in what is reportedly Spain’s oldest restaurant, Can Culleretes. Because of an unfortunate incident with a bottle of wine (or two), no pictures of this evening remain, but I will tell you it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had, so if you’re in Barcelona, pay them a visit.