20 May 2015 – 24 May 2015 (includes travel days)
For as long as i remembered, I wanted to visit Barcelona. I’m surprised that it has taken me this long to see this vibrant city. With only 3 days to spare, I squeeze all the excitement in with 3 of my friends.
WHERE TO STAY:
Since it was a last minute booking (because i don’t like to commit to things), our only options were frat house-like homes on airbnb, expensive hotels, or sold out apartments on TripAdvisor. I decided to book on VRBO (I think it’s called HomeAway now). I never booked there because it always seemed a little more pricier than AirBNB but the homes looked a lot more luxurious. We booked a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment for 4 days, 3 nights at a total of $446.50. The apartment was across the street from the famous Sagrada Familia. The beds were comfy and the rooms were dark just perfect for sleeping. The bathroom was extremely tiny but most bathrooms in Europe are (compared to America). It was noisy outside at odd hours but it’s normal to party all night in Barcelona. My favorite part about this place was the balcony that overlooked the busy streets. I would rate this place a 4/5.
DAY 1:
SAGRADA FAMILIA:
Sagrada Familia is the famous cathedral that will always be under construction but it’s a must see. You can’t leave Barcelona without seeing this.
SHOPPING:
I had about 3 hours to kill before my friends arrived so I spent this moment exploring possible places to eat and see. This outdoor shopping area is filled with designer shops, touristy restaurants, and great architecture surrounding the area.
PLACES TO EAT:
My 2 friends arrived around dinner time so we walked around Av. de Guadi, a strip with great restaurants without the crazy tourist attraction. My friends ordered the seafood paella while I had a spinach and cheese ravioli.
DAY 2:
HOP ON HOP OFF TOUR: Barcelona Bus Turístic
Our apartment host, Duncan warned us that Barcelona was a large city. He recommended that we take the hop on hop off bus to see the city without breaking the bank.
We sat at the top of the double decker for the fresh air and breeze. The view was also spectacular from above. We drove through several destinations like the Futbol Club Barcelona, several museums and the port. We first exited at Francesc Macia- Diagonal stop to find a place to eat.
TO EAT: Raf Bar
We stumbled upon the Raf Bar, probably my favorite place to eat during the trip. The bar was classy and the food was spectacular. Our waitress was phenomenal. The Raf Bar just opened about 6 months ago so the owner didn’t have the time to prepare “English” menus which I was okay with. Our server took a large chunk of time explaining the items on the menus. She refused to let us order anything that we could find in any other country. I ordered a chicken and sausage paella (I cant eat seafood which is commonly used in paella). Paella is a rice dished cooked over the stove. Our server told us that if a restaurants brings the paella in less than 20 mins, that means that it’s not good. Good paella takes 20 mins to cook..at least. As our food was cooking, i asked our server if she could whip us an authentic drink. She said, let me make you a vermut. It’s made differently across restaurants but it’s a must try. She gave us a drink on the house and a friend and I decided to order another one. Delicious! The food overall was 4/5. The restaurant is also a must go to place at night.
MUSEU NACIONAL d’ART de CATALUNYA
We hopped back on the bus full and satisfied. We passed a few more stops before MNAC. MNAC is a modern museum that gives you a wonderful panoramic view of Barcelona. We took a small break to enjoy the breathtaking views.
DAY 3:
GETTING AROUND:
Barcelona has a great transportation system. We purchased the T-10 tickets which allowed us to use the subway system 10 times (you can even share it with your friends) for €9.95. We just needed it for a day or we would have purchased the 2 day pass for €14.
PARK GÜELL
The reason I’ve been so keen on visiting Barcelona was all the views from Park Güell designed by the famous architect, GaudÍ. The mosiac benches and structures was what I imagined Barcelona to be (it’s not). We walked around trails through the park which lead us to the beautiful design. Sadly, you have to purchase tickets well in advance to actually see his work up close. The area is realitively secured and only a certain amount of people can view his work at a time. With great disappointment, we exited the premise and enjoyed his building from across the street.
On a side note, GaudÍ’s house is also available for the public to see for €5,50.
THE PORT:
Lunch:
For lunch, we ate around the Port. We were craving an all American meal. It’s quite strange because I never had this desire.. I hardly ever eat burgers. The meal hit the spot and the caipirinha was satisfying in the heat.
L’AQUARIUM:
My friend EK had been dying to go to the aquarium. She saw photos of people walking through a tunnel and large fishes swimming from above. We decided to check out the aquarium for ourselves for €20. We walked in the aquarium and saw fishes of all sort. We went through a few rooms before we saw the moving walkway that takes you through the aquarium as you observe fishes swimming around you. It was quite neat. After the walkway ended, it took us to a room with penguins. I sat there for a while hoping to see a penguin dive in the water… unsuccessful. The aquarium was a quick visit.
LA SARDANA:
Our next stop was to see the Gaudi Exhibit in one of the musuem. We saw plenty of advertisement but when we arrived around the area, we asked a guard and he said that the musuem was under construction…
We didn’t let that stomp on our spirit. We witnessed la sardana, groups of people dancing in a circle on the street. Music was blaring and many people standing there to observe. We walked into the cathedral but my friend was turned away for wearing shorts. The rest of us walked in to take a look at the architecture inside. Beautiful! I wish America has something like this.
DINNER:
We ended our last night eating empanadas and drinking mojitos. Everything was delicious and i also highly recommend this place. Sadly, I don’t remember the name of this place. All i remembered was that it was located close to the Sagrada Familia. If you find the place, let me know the name.
My visit to Barcelona was quick and I would love to return again to enjoy more of its great food, people, and atmosphere.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BARCELONA?
The Part Time Traveler 