As one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, I was pretty confident that my visit to Barcelona, Spain would be jammed packed and anything but boring.
Having just travelled from Madrid where my friend’s Fran, Blanca, Margarita & Esther showed me what to see in Madrid and with them, I experienced the World Cup win in the country that won it all, I was a bit worn out. They party till the sun comes up and Spain, and then party some more.
Fortunately, I had a reason to get rejuvenated! For this leg of my trip, I would be joined by one of my oldest and dearest friends from back home: Mindy. We went to high school together and when she found out I was going to be backpacking through Europe for the summer she decided she wanted to join me for a couple weeks.
Full of sangria, pizza and a lot of catching up we rested up for an early start the next day. Boy, did we jump in feet first!
We had done some research on what to see in Barcelona, Spain so we had a good idea of how to plan our visit and check off as many of the sights as possible.
Our first visit was the infamous, Sagrada Famila, a cathedral that was designed by the much loved Antoni Guadi, who’s work can be seen through Barcelona. They have been building it for decades and it is like nothing else I have ever seen. It’s meant to represent many of the aspects of nature. The support columns in the main room look like trees, creating a canopy that is the ceiling. The line was long but it was definitely worth it. Someday, if they ever actually finish it, I would love to return and see it in all it’s completed glory!
Continuing the Guadi theme we had some lunch at our hostel and headed over to Guadi park. It was very clear, Antoni had quite wild imagination. His style of design was eccentric and colourful. No wonder people love walking around and marvelling at all the little details.
We also somehow managed to sneak in a visit to the Picasso museum which might just have been the coolest museum featuring art I have been to. His work was displayed chronologically from when he made his first piece as a child to the day he died. It was interesting to so blatantly see the progression and evolution of his style.
Before we knew it, nightfall was upon us and it was time to experience one of the most famous parts of Barcelona – the nightlife!
Chowing down in the most energetic and delicious Tapas Restaurant we were feeling pretty splendid from more Sangria and wine. Eventually, a bachelor party (Barcelona is a very popular place for bachelor parties) entered the bar and we got caught up in their adventures. Soon enough, we were parading down the street with them and drinking in one of the main squares.
Before it got too late, Mindy and I decided to get ourselves home and rest up as we were already off to a new city: Nice, France!
If anyone asks me what to see in Barcelona, Spain, I know I won’t be at a loss for words. The city really steps up to the plate and provides a little something for all of it’s visitors.
Next time, I would love to spend some time on the beach and eat even more food but until then, I’ve got some awesome memories with one of my best friends to think back to!
