Barcelona, Spain

Hola from Barcelona, Spain!

Welcome to Bar(the)lona! We woke up in Gava Mar, which is about 20 minutes from Barcelona,  called a cab and were on our way!

Ask a local!

At first we didn’t know where to start, so what better way to see a new city than to ask a local. Chatting up your cab driver is a great idea when in a new country. This gentleman was extremely helpful! He asked us a little bit about ourselves, what brought us here, and what we were looking to gain from this experience. Today, we wanted to taste some local food and learn some history about this place. That was all we had to say, and he dropped us off in the perfect location. He pretty much told us to just wander, and we would find what we were looking for. We followed a bunch of small alleyways. Very Harry Potter-like! Later, we found out that we were walking along Las Ramblas, which is one of Barcelona’s main thoroughfares. 

Barcelona Cathedral

The architecture here is amazing. Just the doors on some of the buildings are so insane. Such intricate details, and they are huge! As in 12 feet high. Necessary? No. Stop you dead in your tracks beautiful? Yes. As we wandered, the alleyway opened up to this huge square, and plopped us right in front of the Barcelona Cathedral, which is also known as The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia. I was not prepared for the emotion that would overcome me seeing something on this scale. It is honestly jaw dropping. And this isn’t even the biggest church in Barcelona! 

Let’s Talk about Food in Barcelona, Spain

After the sudden rush of emotion brought on by the beauty of this place, I was famished. As I have mentioned before, it takes very little to make me hungry. Once I snapped out of my stupor, I realized all that was happening around me! My eyes first dialed in on some tables and waiters. First things first. We were sat at the most perfect table. Direct view of the cathedral, and outside along the square. There were people all around, singing, playing music, dancing, kids running around playing with giant bubbles. I could have sat there all day. We ordered our food, and yes, I cried (and years later I continue to get teary eyed) over the deliciousness of this food. Seth cried too. That is how seriously good this meal was. We ordered tuna tartar, and a parmesan fondue. Let me repeat that. PARMESAN FONDUE. Topped with roasted cherry tomatoes and a basket of bread. . Everything about this moment was perfect. I foresee myself saying that a lot on this trip. 

Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar

After a few hours of licking every plate clean, we got out and ventured some more. We aimlessly wandered until it was too hot to keep going. We came across the Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar and decided to go in and cool down. As soon as you enter you can tell that this place is old and rich in history. You can smell it..if that makes any sense. Damp and old, musty but lightly perfumed. Inside is spacious and airy with rows upon rows of pews, surrounded by hushed tones. You just get a feeling you can’t shake. 

Ending the day in Barcelona, Spain

Before our day in Barcelona was over, we had to eat one more time. We stopped at the first place we saw with outdoor seating. I wanted to soak up all the people watching we could. We ordered some drinks and tapas (spanish for appetizers). Patatas bravas is where it’s at! Chunks of fried potatoes, drizzled with a red sauce (consisting of tomato paste, smoked paprika, and extra virgin olive oil) and an aioli. You can find these on almost every menu in town, and every one slightly different.

 

In conclusion, we cannot wait to come back here. We didn’t even get the chance to visit Barcelona’s most famous church! So much to see, so little time. My taste buds and eyeballs long to come back to this city. 

 

Up next..San Sebastian!