I have returned from my trip to Espana with loads of pictures and stories to share!
Max and I had a wonderful time in Spain. We visited four cities over a ten day period. And it may not seem like it but ten days is quite a long time to travel, and I am rather exhausted from our grand voyage. Needless to say I have tons of goodies to post on the blog but I think squeezing the entire ten days into one mega post would be a difficult feat so I am going to do this thing one city at a time. Our first stop: Barcelona.
First of all, let me start by saying Barcelona is by far my favourite city I have ever visited - my apologies Paris and New York! We got to Barcelona at around 9h30 in the morning and I was immediately thrilled because it was so sunny! I hadn't seen the sun in a long time thanks to the dreadful weather in Germany. We headed to our hostel in a very sleepy state as we had been up all night save a few hours sleep on the airport floor - bleh. Check in wasn't until two so we dropped our bags and headed out into the streets of Barcalona! We were staying in the Gothic Quarter of the city which features a lots of narrow, winding streets filled with lovely architecture. After grabbing some breaky and doing a few hours of exploring the neighbourhood we were able to head back to the hostel and take a very much needed nap.
After our little snooze it was time to get ready for dinner. People in Spain usually eat dinner around ten at night, which is an odd adjustment to make but once you taste the food you realize it was well worth the wait! In Barcelona the main types of food are Tapas and Catalan food. Our first night we went out for tapas and I had the best calamari I had ever eaten! It was truly amazing.
The next day, Max and I thought it would be a good idea to rent some bikes and ride up to Park Güell. In theory, this was a lovely idea. However, it turns out that there are not many streets with bike paths in Barcelona and there is loads of traffic! So at some points I was just too nervous to ride the bike and had to hop off and walk it on the sidewalk. For the most part though the bike ride was a lot of fun! Park Güell is definitely a Barcelona must see, it is full of lush greenery and some zany Gaudi architecture. Here are a few pictures from Park Güell - in a slideshow I am becoming so tech savvy!
After Park Güell we rode our bikes around a bit more, stopping for some tasty sushi for lunch and then to see some more Gaudi! Here are a few photos of Casa Batllo and La Pedrera.
By the time we turned in our bikes it was nearly six o'clock so we headed back to the hostel for a little rest before dinner. We met a family friend of Max's who is living in Barcelona and he took us out for some delicious tapas and lots of wine. We went to a few different restaurants and bars throughout the evening and had a great time! We stayed out until about three or so which was quite late for me but is very tame considering the clubs in Spain stay open until about eight in the morning.
The next day we headed to la Mercat de la Boqueria, which is one of Europe's biggest and busiest markets. You can buy all types of fresh fruit and veggies as well as meats, sea food, and loads of olives - my favourite! Side note: my mouth just started watering because I was thinking about the olives in Spain. Anyways, going to the market was a great idea, it was full of people and yummy foods. We bought bread, cheese, fruits, and olives and then went down to the board walk and had a little picnic! A great afternoon.
The rest of our time in Barcelona was spent wandering the streets, marvelling at the architecture, eating lots of tasty tapas and traditional catalan food (think Paella with prawns and scallops and a thick tomato stew with monkfish and potatoes), and drinking loads of wine.
Gertrude Stein once said 'America is my country but Paris is my home town.' I believe this is how I will one day feel about Barcelona. It is an incredible city and I hope to return there one day soon and stay for a while! In the end I was terribly sad to leave but onward to Valencia we went.
Also, I feel a bit dishonest for just dropping intellectual quote like that in there, because I am not really a Gertrude Stein enthusiast but rather I heard that quote in The Devil Wears Prada. Say what you will, that movie rules.
Details on Valencia, Granada, and Madrid to come soon! In the meantime, here are some more pictures from the rest of our time in Barcelona. Enjoy!
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