Vive Barcelona

(At Catalunia National Museum looking out on the city)

So, I'm basically in love with Barcelona. I don't know if it was the phenomenal weather, the amazing company that came along or the enchantment of the city that made it so spectacular but it was probably a little bit of everything. By far, Barcelona has been my favorite experience in Spain and my favorite city. I could definitely see myself living there one day or at least taking a nice, long vacation. My girls Nikki and Hege came along this time and we decided to save time and take a flight out from Bilbao Friday morning around 8am and return Sunday night around 10:30pm in order to get the maximum time in. We were warned how big the city was and how there were tons of things to do. The one set-back was that we wanted to celebrate our friend Hilde's birthday before we left since it fell on Friday so we had a party for her at our flat Thursday night. A little dumb I know...we ended up only getting about 2.5 hours of sleep before we had to wake up and get to the airport! You can only imagine how tired we were...we actually had bouts of dilerium that made it super funny. Hege couldn't stop giggling at every single thing she saw and I became grandiose saying things like I was so thirsty I wanted to drink all of Barcelona. Yea, I know. Nikki stayed pretty level headed, which is a good thing because she was the one who planned the trip and was trying to always figure out where we were going next. I did manage to make her laugh quite a bit though.

Each day there, the sky was clear blue (that is rare in Bilbao) and the sun was shining so much that by the end of each morning, we no longer needed to wear a jacket. Now, how is that possible in the end of January? The best part about this trip was although we didn't see every single thing we wanted to see, we really enjoyed everything because we made sure to relax and sit in places, taking in the scenery, having a cold drink and just talking. Usually I feel frantic trying to get it all in to where I now realize I tend to not enjoy it as much. This time, we just let go a little bit, chilled a little bit more and I have to say this is the way to go. I think it also helped that we were all girls and all wanted to do the same things. Dynamics are very important I have learned.

So when we first arrived to Barcelona, we took a bus to Plaza Catalunya, which is the center of town. Then we walked to our lovely hostal in Old Town called Hostal Avinyo. Although still a little shabby, it was better than the one in Madrid with lots more space. Finally we set out to do some sight-seeing. We walked down the famous Rambla...a large street full of performance artists, cafes outdoors, shops, just about everything you can think of. There is always something to look at on this road and you will never be bored. Everything is just so alive. We walked all the way down to the port (Port Vell) and then realized we needed to turn back around in order to make it to our lunch reservation. We walked up the Rambla to the famous food market called the Boqueria. This place was so cool. Overwhelming amounts of fresh food and cute little bars in different parts of the markets where you got to eat some of the hand-selected fresh food from the market that was cooked right before your eyes. Somehow I was able to make a reservation at Bar Pinotxo before we got to Barcelona thinking that this place was closed-in and there were actual tables. I was wrong. It was in the center of the wildness of the market with maybe 10 little bar stools that were completely filled. We mentioned we had a reservation but it didn't help much. We eventually all got to sit down but it was quite a hassle. We enjoyed the famous Spanish champagne called Cava and ate some of the Catalunian delicacies. I ate a really good sausage thing. Then we wandered around the market for a while before moving on.


(Bar Pinotxo)

Then we headed back down the Rambla toward the port once again where we took a seat on one of the coolest bridges I have ever seen and watched the boats and rested for a while. Then we headed to the Ciutadella park which is known for some of its beautiful architecture, a zoo and a nice area with fountains and paddle boats. We walked around as the sun was setting and decided to get in one of the boats to take in the beautiful ambiance. It was nice peaceful until Hege took us under a low-suspended bridge that almost decapated my head! That was fun trying to get through. Finally we headed back to the hostal, took a short nap because we were past the point of functioning and woke back up to eat dinner. We ended up finding a place in the Old Town called Fondo that was this beautiful, split level wooded restaurant filled with red lanterns. The food was delicious and cheap. I had a yummy salad and roast lamb. Then we called it a night so we could catch up on our sleep to enjoy the next day.

On Saturday we had a nice breakfast near our hostal and then headed to Monjuic, which is a big mountain that looks over the city. We took a cable car all the way up to see the Castle Monjuic. It was beautiful. You could see sea and the ports and just about everything. We hung out there for quite a while and even had a few drinks enjoying the view. Then we walked around to find the site of the 1992 Olympic stadium and other facilities. It was pretty cool to walk into the stadium and look around. I believe we had another drink around there and then made our way to the Catalunia National Museum. This was an amazing piece of architecture. Outside, there was live music playing so we sat down again and gave an interview to a sociologist. Then we met this cool Italian dude who was selling some pretty glass jewelry and bought some things and chatted with him. Then we walked down to Plaza Espanya,where they have a famous fountain and light show on the weekend and which we sadly missed.

Finally we went to eat some yummy Mediterranean food (my favorite) at Babilonia Braseria where I had some Shwarma and hummus. It wasn't the best but it satisfied my craving. Then we finally saw the much anticipated Church of Sagrada Familia, created by the famous Guadi. It is said to be the "Bible in stone." It is still not finsihed although the construction began in 1882. There are contantly additions being added and supposedly it is not supposed to be complete for another 50 years. This is the most intricate building I have ever seen in my life. Now I understand why it is so famous.


(Sagrada Familia)

We then continued on the "Gaudi tour" heading back to Passeig de Gracia (famous for shopping and the best stores around), where several of his masterpieces stand. We saw the Casa Batlló and the Casa Mila on this street. Then we rested at a Starbucks...yes I gave in for the second time since I've been away. Then we went back to Plaza Espanya where we thought we would see the fountain and light show but sadly discovered we missed it. So then we walked all the way along Gran Via, which was nothing like the ones in Bilbao and Madrid. It took such a long time that we took Nikki's phone out and began singing along to her MP3s. We're dorks. Finally we reached a famous cocktaileria called Boada's Cocktails, where I had my first Cosmopolitian since I have been away. It was a nice bar but very small and very crowded and smokey so we didn't stay long. Then I dragged the girls to a famous tapas bar that I really wanted to try only to find it was closed. But we were in the Gothic area and there were several other places to choose from. We ended up at an old tavern called La Taverna del Born on Born Street, a famous street in Barcelona, and ate some really delicious tapas. Then we called it a night after doing a load of walking that day.

The next morning, we woke up and decided to eat breakfast on the Rambla at one of the cute little cafes. Then we headed up to Park Guell, which was a good 30 minute bus ride. This is also known as Guadi's park as he actually lived in a pink "Alice in Wonderland" house he created in the middle of this botanical haven. We walked around and sat at his famous winding benches. That was my favorite part. There was a man playing the sax with all the classic songs and everyone was just sunbathing and relaxing.


(Guadi's benches)

Then we headed back to eat lunch in the Old Town at one of the oldest restaurants in Barcelona called Can Culleretes founded in 1786. They are known for their very interesting combinations of Mediterranean food. I had goose with apples. It was delicious. Then we headed to our last destination: the beach in Barceloneta. This was so beautiful. The pictures don't really do it justice. We found this cool bar on the beach called IceBarcelona, where for 15 Euros you can walk into a bar constructed totally of ice with a temperature of -7 degrees celcius and have a cocktail made with Absolute Vodka. We gave in because we were so curious and I had seen a news report on it once and wanted to try it. We put on these really furry, warm clothes and stayed for about 30 minutes. It was about all we could handle. But I have to say it was literally one of the "coolest" experiences of my life. Then we stayed a little while on the beach before heading back to Bilbao.



This was definitely a trip of a lifetime that I will never forget. Next on the agenda is a visit from my little New Yorker, Eva. She will arrive Feb. 13. I am very excited. :)