Barcelona is an absolutely vibrant city. I booked my tickets out of complete spontaneity! I had three days to kill before I went off to Norway and my friend Raquel was already heading to this ciudad bonita, so I thought, “Why the hell not!?”.
Coming from such a cold and cloudy Denmark, the Spanish sun was beyond refreshing. During my visit, the whole region of Catalonia was stirring for independence. Despite the violence that came with the protests, my experience was hardly disturbed. I did stumble upon a peaceful, joyful demonstration – I later discovered it was in favor of sticking with Spain. There was also “Si” flags draped over every balcony in the city. It was a rather unique time!
I spent my first day in Barcelona alone. I made the decision to come a day earlier than Raquel so I could have some “me” time! I first wandered Las Ramblas for a tattoo. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any artists available that day. How sad :,-( Then I made my way over to Park Guell, which looked SO MUCH like the Hills of Los Angeles! I wandered through the park for an hour or two. I ran into a dog walking couple and stuck with the oldest dog, who was straggling behind. Afterwards, I enjoyed a sangria that was much larger than I was expecting. I made sure to finish it and went on to my next adventure tipsy.
I ended up at the David Bowie exhibit at the Design Museum. It was a beautifully curated exhibition. I can’t believe I went through the whole thing and only realized one of his pupils was bigger than the other until the end. Duh! After this, I stopped by the chapel in Sagrada Familia. I lit a candle for Michael. I ended the night roaming a square whose name I forgot before heading home.
On day two, I spent my last hours alone sketching away in the Picasso museum. Afterwards, I welcomed Raquel. Our first order of business was go to the beach! And so we did! It was a tad chilly – after all, it was October, but we didn’t care. Tons of blanket and beverage peddlers combed the beaches with their discounted offers. Raquel and I said no to all of them and laughed “mojito fresh” to each other when we learned that their mojitos might not be as fresh as they say.
We remained on the coast for our meal. We had amazing tapas and sangria at a restaurant called FOC. It was too delicious. 10/10 recommend. Seriously go!!! After this, we went to Park De La Ciutadella and roamed the lively area. Then, something strange happened. *cue x-files music* We and hundreds of people were locked in the park? We had to squeeze through the fence to get out. We never found out why that happened.
On day three, I slept in (because of a loud snorer and a loud ambient-music listener) while Raquel and our newest addition, Sarah explored the city. We went to the aquarium, rowed boats in the park, and then met up with Raquel’s college friends. We went to the amazing square where I discovered los pinchos, a concept of eating similar to tapas. Ugh, it was incredible! After we handed in our toothpicks to pay, we hiked up a huge hill to see Lorde – or as the Spanish fans say Lorday! She was fantastically angelic. A perfect way to end my trip!
Here are some more photos from my trip for your viewing pleasures:
Archived Travels 