¡Hola Spain!

Spain…What a beautiful country and I will forever be in love with Barcelona.  We stayed in a province outside of Barcelona called Castelldefels, which is similar to a sea resort.  If you are interested in exploring the beach that can definitely be an option for you as it’s away from the more touristy areas. Unfortunately, we were so busy exploring Barcelona, we never got to dip our toes in the water :/ So that’s why I say – pick wisely and time it properly so that you know where you should stay – prioritizing is key.

First stop on the agenda – Gaudi’s Park Guell. You’ll feel like Hansel and Gretel in the witch’s gingerbread house.  Such unique designs and so colorful – it is an absolutely stunning park and will take you a good half a day to explore.  IF you are going during the hotter months dress light and bring sun protection – it gets hot! And of course wear comfy shoes because it does involve a lot of walking, especially if you are planning to reach the hill with the big cross. This park was the highlight of Barcelona for me…absolutely stunning! When you get out of there though, beware of the tourist traps that advertise paella and sangria…the restaurants they take you to are cute but food quality subpar, and sangria ehh.  You are better off trying a restaurant with a less touristy attraction in order to get some unique and delicious cuisine.  Also – don’t get any souvenirs there – overpriced! Instead, we got some really cool stuff at great prices around Sagrada Famillia.

 

Gaudi’s designs are all over Barcelona and wow what a genius this man was.  Make sure you check out the exterior of La Pedrera and Casa Battlo – both are awe inducing and definitely a must in order to get the full idea of Gaudi’s style and brilliant mind.

And of course, don’t forget about Sagrada Familia.  It’s unfortunately somewhat covered in scaffolding and cranes because Gaudi died before he can finish it so they are constantly working on it.  Which is even more the reason to make it a trip there since half of it is in the old Gothic Gaudi style and the other half has more of a modern feel to it. But like the rest – pure masterpiece!

 

From there head on to the Gothic Quarter and check out the Jewish ghetto and the rest of the old townhouses and sculptures.

Take a quick break at a café, have a cappuccino and a yummy pastry – the window displays are drool worthy!

While in the Gothic quarter, do make it to the Gothic Cathedral. As any church in Europe, be aware – knees and shoulders must be covered or you will be denied entry. So make sure you have a shawl with you.  The Cathedral is a bit overwhelming – so much design and architecture on every bit of the wall, it is captivating.  Once you’ve explored the inside, don’t rush out – make your way to outside garden where the Cloisters are.  Very serene, filled with palm trees and greenery and some loud duckies that you can feed bread to (just be smart and give the bread on your open palm – unless you don’t value your five fingers 😉 From there you can exit the cathedral from the back and see the design and view from that square. You can then make your way to La Rambla where you can pick up some nice souvenirs again as well as other keepsakes and candies.  Like other touristy areas, keep an eye on your belongings since pick-pocketers love to prey on the visitors.

As you make your way down La Rambla you will reach Mercat de La Boqueria which is a fascinating marketplace. So much different food and cuisine, so much abundance of it all.

Check the schedule ahead of time but as nightfall nears make your way to the Magic Fountains and enjoy the show – it’s not Bellagio but it still is very beautiful and colorful.

Definitely make a trip to Montserrat while in Barcelona.  It is about one hour away, tucked into the mountain.  They have various options of reaching it, one which is a pretty steep cable car.  We opted to drive there, there are a lot of turns so choose what makes you comfortable.  Once there it is such a beautiful view of the mountain terrain. This is a whole day trip so plan accordingly.  Yes, it’s a monastery but there is a lot to see there and a lot of exploring.

 

At a certain time of the day they have a choir mass and it’s amazing to hear all the little kids singing so angelically. You will also see a line forming to see La Moreneta or the Virgin of Montserrat, also known as the Black Madonna.   It is thought to have some healing powers, whether spiritually or physically so everyone lines up to get a glimpse and to touch it.  We decided we are there so why not, the line took about 40 minutes but it really wasn’t too bad since you are mainly inside the monastery so you get to look around as you move through.

We spent a full day at the monastery since there was a lot to see and explore, at least to our interests.  There is a nice restaurant there that I definitely recommend dining in. It leans more on the finer dining but it’s not super fancy but the food tasted fresh and very delicious.

 

While we were in Spain we also travelled to Girona – the old town portion of it.  It had a beautiful grand cathedral all the way on the top of the hill.  The rest of the old town reminded me of Verona.  It was all cobblestones, tiny streets and old style houses but had a great charm.

It also has a big history of the Jewish inhabitants there so if you are a history nerd the Jewish museum is pretty interesting in telling the story of this little Spanish town.

Also – the people are super nice, we lost a driver’s license there and by the time we realized it the museum had closed.  We stuck a note with directions on how to contact us and 3 days later the id arrived at our location in France – how many times can you say you got a lost item back, especially in a different country…yep 🙂