Madeline
This was not my first time in Barcelona and so, in my planning, I had an idea of how to approach the city. Although the Gothic Quarter (aka the tourist area) is great for the first time around. Given the nature of this trip that had been planned for both fun and culture, I wanted more of the native culture, which landed us in L’Eixample. It ended up being a great choice to stay with a very centralized location.
Sagrada Familia
Going to Barcelona and not seeing Sagrada Familia is like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. Or San Francisco and not seeing the Golden Gate Bridge. Sagrada Familia is the symbol of Barcelona. It is a beautiful four pillar basilica that is different from any basilica in the world. The stained glass is detailed and brings a vibrant color into the structure that is not obvious from the outside.
This was one of the only things on my bucket list for this trip. No way were we going to go to Barcelona and not see this structure. Anyone who knows anything about Barcelona would kill me for not dragging my companion, who never heard of the place, there. And guess what, it ended up being a highlight of the trip for her. Point one for Maddy and her travel plans.
Montjuic Castle
Jet lag is a bitch when traveling. In the case of the visit to Montjuic Castle, it was a bit of a blessing. We had both woken up around 3am looking around the room. After a few hours, it was time for a walk. Once on the walk, it was time for some coffee and tea. Once sitting with our coffee and tea, it was time to make the trek up to Montjuic Castle and so we did.
Montjuic Castle is not the site that makes it worth the trek. It is the view. On a clear day, you can see all of Barcelona, from the ocean to way up in the hills. You can see things you can never see while in the city. Although I have been up the mountain before, I went on an overcast day and never got to enjoy the site in it’s greatness. On this perfectly clear morning, I got to see all of Barcelona in all it’s wonder.
The Picasso Museum
The Picasso Museum was also a little gift from jet lag. I, again, woke up early but my companion was fast asleep. Knowing she had no interest in visiting the Picasso Museum and also that she would likely be asleep for a few more hours, I sent her a text explaining where I would be and slipped out the hotel door.
My memory of the museum is not what I had remembered. Given I have been to numerous art museums in numerous countries, I think I was thinking of a different one. After the museum, I would give it a rating of a “B”. It was fine but not by far the best of the art museums I have been to.
The Food
The food was also a bit tricky for my companion. It also was tricky that we were in an area with a raging nightlife during the time of COVID where crowds were a huge no-no. This left us with the tricky task of finding a place my companion would eat that also had room for us. I also had my own rules: no pictures of food, no french fries, and it would preferably be on a list that I had put together from hours of research using resources that was NOT Yelp. In the end, we ate like princesses and drank like queens. We had found close by cocktail bars that were fit to our likely, although a vodka soda was a nonexistent item in just about any bar.
The Shopping
If you can afford it, when in Europe, take advantage of the VAT (tax) refund and the lower price for many luxury goods. It will not disappoint. Because I had been planning this trip for years, I had also not bought any of my luxury goods in the US for years. I also knew exactly what I wanted and what store it would come from. Between the two of us, we spent a lot of time (and money) in Valentino, Louis Vuiton, and Hermes. And between the two of us over $1000 in savings, and we are not the big ballers someone with that much savings one might imagine with that much savings in luxury goods.
Final Thoughts
As expected, Barcelona treated us right. It has the perfect mix of both fun and culture. We ate, we drank, we saw amazing buildings and views. We knew the next leg of our trip, to Naples, Italy, would be different. But we did not expect it to be as amazing as it was.
