That's pretty much all we did in Spain, really. Eat. Tapas, paella, sangria... anything Spanish. But before I get into more detail about that, I'll start from the beginning of our trip.
We actually found this in Madrid but I find it a fitting title for my Barcelona post
Our weekend trip to Spain this time consisted of stopping at Barcelona and then Madrid. Our flight from Paris to Barcelona was at 6:40am, and in true procrastinator fashion, I did not end up sleeping until 3am. Was I a zombie the entire time again? Yes.
To start off the trip, the taxi we ordered did not show up. By this time it was 5am so we were freaking out. We had to call another cab and we ended up getting to the airport fine. We then went through security, where as luck would have it, I get chosen to do a body search. JOY. Of all days, really? We then go to pick up our stuff from the bins that go through the security check, where of course our bin gets stopped to get searched. Turns out Allan had put his >100ml bottle of lotion in his carry on. Clearly all modes of transportation hate us. But in the end, we end up getting on the plane fine and land in Barcelona.
We had already known prior to flying over that Barcelona would be rainy for the day. We just didn't expect how crazy the rain would actually be. We went to our hotel, dropped off our bags as check-in was at 2pm but we arrived at 9am. On our way to find the nearest metro station, we stopped by Barceloneta Beach, one of Barcelona's top 10 beaches. It was gloomy and rainy so it was completely dead except for a few surfers here and there.
Our original plan had been to start at Parc Guell, then make our way over to Sagrada Familia, then explore the Gothic Quarter (or Barri Gotic), and then go to Las Ramblas at night. Due to the rain, we decided to postpone Parc Guell and start at Sagrada Familia instead. By the time we got off the metro, it was POURING. Our shoes were soaked within the first 15 minutes of being out in the rain, and it did not help that we realized after 20 minutes that we were standing in the wrong line to purchase tickets. We finally got into the church, and the inside was gorgeous. Gaudi's work is spectacular! We soon finished looking around the cathedral and went to go look through the museum and gift shop, just to avoid the rain for a bit longer. After, we headed outside to attempt to take a few photos of the church's exterior. That was a mission in itself! We couldn't look up without our faces/cameras getting wet, so we got like 3 photos, which were all pretty terrible.
We then miserably made our way to grab lunch, and then took the metro to the Gothic Quarter. There, we saw the Barcelona Cathedral (also difficult to photograph in the rain), and decided to find a cafe to sit in for a while to wait out the rain. We spent 2 hours at Crema & Caffe sipping on tea & cappucinos, while trying to dry off. It was inevitable that we had to head back to our hostel at some point in time so we headed back, checked in, and chilled in our room for a bit.
After, we decided to go for tapas at Celler de Tapas. For those who don't know what tapas are, they are small plates of various Spanish appetizers which are deeelicious! We ordered a few different dishes and a pitcher of sangria, and met a lovely couple from Halifax who had noticed we were either from Canada or the US and started talking to us. I highly recommend this tapas restaurant, the prices are reasonable and the food is amazing.
After tapas, we made our way to Las Ramblas, where we did some shopping. Now since it was raining outside, everyone was told to leave their umbrellas by the door. By the time we were finished at H&M, my umbrella had been stolen. I was so sad. We then made our way to a few other shops before going for dinner at Taller de Tapas. They have the best paella there, definitely worth trying! After dinner, we realized that Karen's umbrella had also been stolen from the umbrella bin at the front of the restaurant. Clearly today was not our day. All we had left was Allan's very broken umbrella which was just bent beyond repair. We went back to the hostel and called it a night.
Prior to my flight to Barcelona, I had not known that flying when you were sick was a bad idea. I had a cough and runny nose, so by the end of the flight, my ear was hurting because it would not pop back from the air pressure, and my head was also killing me. Being sick, with my head hurting and ear messed up, while walking in the rain all day was not fun.
Overall we had a pretty crappy experience in Barcelona, minus the food. I really really wish we got to go to Parc Guell, it seems like such an amazing place with interesting architecture. It was just a shame that we didn't have better weather or else I'm sure I would've loved Barcelona!
Our original plan had been to start at Parc Guell, then make our way over to Sagrada Familia, then explore the Gothic Quarter (or Barri Gotic), and then go to Las Ramblas at night. Due to the rain, we decided to postpone Parc Guell and start at Sagrada Familia instead. By the time we got off the metro, it was POURING. Our shoes were soaked within the first 15 minutes of being out in the rain, and it did not help that we realized after 20 minutes that we were standing in the wrong line to purchase tickets. We finally got into the church, and the inside was gorgeous. Gaudi's work is spectacular! We soon finished looking around the cathedral and went to go look through the museum and gift shop, just to avoid the rain for a bit longer. After, we headed outside to attempt to take a few photos of the church's exterior. That was a mission in itself! We couldn't look up without our faces/cameras getting wet, so we got like 3 photos, which were all pretty terrible.
Barcelona Cathedral
Mint tea, green tea, cappucino
Bedcelona Gracia Hostel
After, we decided to go for tapas at Celler de Tapas. For those who don't know what tapas are, they are small plates of various Spanish appetizers which are deeelicious! We ordered a few different dishes and a pitcher of sangria, and met a lovely couple from Halifax who had noticed we were either from Canada or the US and started talking to us. I highly recommend this tapas restaurant, the prices are reasonable and the food is amazing.
The grilled squid with garlic and parsley dressing (bottom middle) was to die for
After tapas, we made our way to Las Ramblas, where we did some shopping. Now since it was raining outside, everyone was told to leave their umbrellas by the door. By the time we were finished at H&M, my umbrella had been stolen. I was so sad. We then made our way to a few other shops before going for dinner at Taller de Tapas. They have the best paella there, definitely worth trying! After dinner, we realized that Karen's umbrella had also been stolen from the umbrella bin at the front of the restaurant. Clearly today was not our day. All we had left was Allan's very broken umbrella which was just bent beyond repair. We went back to the hostel and called it a night.
H&M in Barcelona
Paella
Broken umbrella
Side note: I am never staying in a hostel ever again. Call me high maintenance, but I just couldn't deal with it. The beds themselves were okay, but the fact that we had to share a washroom and there was only 1 for 12 people was not ideal.Prior to my flight to Barcelona, I had not known that flying when you were sick was a bad idea. I had a cough and runny nose, so by the end of the flight, my ear was hurting because it would not pop back from the air pressure, and my head was also killing me. Being sick, with my head hurting and ear messed up, while walking in the rain all day was not fun.
Overall we had a pretty crappy experience in Barcelona, minus the food. I really really wish we got to go to Parc Guell, it seems like such an amazing place with interesting architecture. It was just a shame that we didn't have better weather or else I'm sure I would've loved Barcelona!
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