Our plane from Seville to Barcelona landed about 30 minutes late, which set our plans back a bit. However, this meant that when we arrived to our hotel in Barcelona, our room was already ready for us, which was great. 

Our first stop was a paella place that was only a few blocks from our hotel. It’s located next to Gaudi’s Casa Milà, and thus called Paellería Gaudí! We had a Barcelona paella speciality that was made with bomba rice, which holds liquids well and is more resistant to breakage. It was past 2 PM at this point so we were starving and this tasted delicious. The service was kind of slow, but they were busy. 

After lunch, we walked down to La Rambla to visit Mercado de La Boqueria. This market was hectic, but there were so many delicious looking stalls selling local foods as well as seafood. We ended up getting some croquetas and a fruit cup since we were still full from lunch. We were told La Rambla is pickpocket central, so we were a bit paranoid in this area. 

It soon neared our 5 PM timed entry for Casa Batlló. It wasn’t long to walk through, and we did the audio guide. But wow the building itself and the interior design was out of this world. It felt like I was in a fairytale house or something. The attic had walls reminiscent of a ribcage and I liked the implication that the house was alive. 

After Casa Batlló, we walked over to the Catedral de Barcelona. My lower back was dying again so we stopped by a coffee shop along the way to charge up. I had the least matcha-y matcha I’ve ever had and the most mid mini croissants. 

The cathedral was beautiful but we didn’t go inside. We were tired and knowing how packed our itinerary was, we opted to just admire it from outside. We sat down on a bench across from it and people watched for a bit. 

After that, what came after? You guessed it: more walking. We went to El Xampanyet and had some light tapas. This tapas bar is apparently a local favorite and it was so busy! Luckily it moves fairly fast especially if you’re willing to share a table with other patrons. We had some delicious razor clams here! 

We ate. So now what? More walking! We wanted to head down to Barceloneta to look at their beach! It was too chilly out to stay long, but I can’t believe they have a beach just next to all this other amazing stuff in their city!! 

At 9:30 PM, after our boardwalk stroll, we sat down at La Mar Salada and ordered another Spainish paella-like specialty: fideuà. This is almost paella but made with pasta noodles! It was a bit too salty for us. One thing I didn’t know about paella in general before coming to Spain was that folks have it with aioli/mayo. Which is a delicious combo. And that was our first day! 

For day two, we booked a Catalonia food tour and were so glad we did. We got to try a wide variety of foods and also got a crash course in the history of the region. Like a little pooping man called El Caganer, who is a beloved Catalan tradition. And the “giants” festival where big paper mâché (and other materials) figures are shown off across the city via parades. 

My favorite dish sampled was actually the first dish we had: eggs and sausage with honey. The sweetness really tied the dish together. We also had some weirder things like pig snout/feet over Fesols de Santa Pau (beans). But also classics like turrones (Marcona almond nougat) and churros! We had a delicious cod (bacalao) with muselina sauce. Some notes for my own memory below! 

• 1st stop: La Pubilla for some “Esmorzars de Forquilla” (fork breakfast) 
• 2nd stop: Mercat de la Llibertat for a variety of meats and cheeses 
• 3rd stop: Graneria Sala for some fruits and nuts 
• 4th stop: Oli Sal for an olive oil tasting 
• 5th stop: Pastisseria Montserrat for some traditional sweets (turrones, chocolate almonds, Tocino de Cielo)
• 6th stop: Cal Boter for some homestyle Catalonian dishes for lunch 
• 7th stop: Xurreria Trébol for some churros 

Pam, our food/tour guide was so great! Super approachable, and answered all my silly little questions. We were also joined by another couple who were lovely as well. 

The tour ended super close to our hotel so we went to freshen up before walking to the Basílica de la Sagrada Família. We were excited to see Gaudí’s magnum opus, and oh boy, I was not ready for the awe I experienced upon walking in. 

I think this is my favorite church that I’ve ever visited. It’s not overdone in statues and gilded decor. Its beauty is quiet, but magnificent to gaze upon. You almost take the tranquil pillar forest for granted until you look closer and realize the treat you’re actually experiencing. The facades on the front and back are also amazing. There’s what I like to call the sad side and the hopeful side. I actually teared up in the church. There are many other artists carrying on Gaudí’s work and I’m excited to see it continue to evolve in the future. 

We ended the visit with a trip to the gift shop and then we headed to Casa Muyo for some paella for dinner! It was good and after we were full we went to Ciutadella Park for a walk. We watched local doggos playing with their owners. And then stumbled across another Gaudí creation: the water fountain at the edge of the park. We ended the night getting some snacks at Lidl and then headed back to our hotel. 

On our 3rd day in Barcelona we woke up and immediately headed to Park Güell! It was a bit complex getting up there by Uber since it was confusing where we should get off. But we figured it out and spent a good while traversing the park grounds and getting overwhelmed at the lizard fountain because there was an endless amount of people trying to take pictures. We snuck a quick selfie and moved on. Park Güell provides a beautiful view of the city though! It was cool seeing the Barceloneta W hotel and realize how far we were from it! 

Afterwards, we walked to the bus stop and commuted to the Gothic Quarters again for some shopping before our lunch reservations. We ended up buying some local prints and souvenirs. And then it was time for our lunch at Barcelona’s 2nd oldest restaurant: Los Caracoles! 

Their walls are adorned with pictures of their management team with various celebrities and renowned figures. The interior was also a lot larger than I initially thought it to be. Our server was a lovely middle-aged gentleman who didn’t really speak English, and we didn’t really speak Spanish yet somehow we made it through. He was so nice and he kept pointing out “carcole” motifs throughout their snail-themed restaurant and it made us laugh. We had the broken egg with chorizo, their house-roasted chicken, a lobster paella, and a local crème brûlée (it was orangey!). And also a snail-shaped bun. 

As we were paying, our waiter, brought us two postcards and animatedly, started talking and pointing at the man in the postcard. He then motion for us to follow him, and he took us to a picture on the wall, and he excitedly pointed at the wall and then at our postcard to show that the same man was on both. He then took my phone and offered to take photos for us with the postcard and the photo on the wall. I had no idea what was going on, but we were excited ‘cause he was excited haha! I later googled it and it turns out the man in the postcard was the owner, and the picture on the wall was the owner with Salvador Dalí! Very cool! 

The restaurant and Park Güell were the only items on our itinerary initially. We wanted to take it easy on the last day, but it felt wrong to do so! So we decided to do the other Gaudí houses in the city! 

We took the metro to Casa Vincens in Gracia: the first house Gaudí designed. I loved the color of this house and it was a lot larger than I thought it would be! The rooftop was small, but again, striking in its bold colors and unique towers. It’s cool to imagine how this house would’ve looked back then with a giant garden before urbanization took over. 

After Casa Vincens, we walked back towards our hotel since it was near Casa Milà. Dropping off our stuff quickly, we then went to Casa Milà. 

It was interesting seeing Gaudí’s design for an apartment complex. His love for rounded shapes and interesting use of light and colors still shone through, despite it being a bit more subtle in this Casa. The roof had lots of cool ventilation shafts shaped in artistic and whimsical shapes. I’d love little soldiers perched atop my roofs to keep guard!! It was really neat being able to see the Sagrada Família from here too. 

It was past 8 PM at this point and we walked to Honest Greens for dinner. I really wish we had this chain in Vancouver. It’s a great option for eating healthier while paying McDonald’s prices. The ambiance in Honest Greens was also very chic and nice. For like €2.50, you can get unlimited drinks at their H2O bar which featured natural fruit and veggie flavoured water. They also have many branches available just like other fast food joints. 

After dinner, we tried to sleep earlier but failed and ended up sleeping at almost 11:30 PM. We had to wake up at 4 AM since our flight was at 7:10 AM to Germany the next day! But there’s no rest on vacation I guess 🤷‍♀️ Adiós Spain! You were wonderful. I think we went at a perfect time when it wasn’t hot yet so it was super comfortable the whole time. I really hope to come back one day in the spring/early summer time again! Leaving very inspired.