Barcelona, Spain, the third and final installment of my European getaway. Before I dig into this portion of the trip, I wanted to flag that I don’t know how it has taken me this long to pay homage to all the delicious food I’ve eaten up until this point. Ultimately it can be best described in one word – carbs. The best thing about Europe, other than the wine and sustenance, of course, has to be the fact that you can feel semi-guilt free in eating all of it. Why? Because you walk EVERYWHERE! In one week I feel it’s safe to say that I probably consumed more bread and pasta than I do in an entire year, however I never felt as if I gained weight. This fact alone has fueled my passion to one day live in Europe.
Any way, enough of my carb-induced love affair. Barcelona is such a unique city – a modern metropolitan mixed with historic gems. One of my favorite attractions had to be the Gaudi architecture – colorful, eccentric and beautiful – unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Gaudi’s most recognized structure has to be the Sagrada Família church. This artistic revolutionary began construction on the church back in 1882 and by his death in 1926 was only a quarter finished with the project. Still to this day the church is incomplete with the anticipated completion date estimated for sometime around 2026, the centenary of Gaudí’s death.
A fun twist on a tour if you’re looking for one in the city is taking out a motorbike. These motorized bicycles are a staple around the city. You must be thinking to yourself, gee that sounds fun! And normally I would agree with you, however we decided it was a good idea to steer away from the tour and go off on our own. Motorbikes are a great idea when on an open road, they are not however great when trying to navigate through a crowded pedestrian sidewalk. Regardless, it was yet another active way to explore the city and burn off those morning carbs J
I can’t talk about Barcelona without mentioning that my best friend happened to also be traveling to the city at the same time for her birthday. In general it is a rare occasion for us to be in the same city, as she lives in California and I in Florida, so the fact that we were halfway across the world at the same time was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will cherish forever.
The last and final day of the trip was probably one of my favorites. A day where no tours were scheduled, no expectations, just fun was on the agenda. We took to the city by foot and walked about 5 miles down to the beach where the vibe completely changed. Beautiful beaches, intricate sandcastles, bistro-lit bars sprinkled along the boardwalk, street performers with food and drink options for days. The day ended with cocktails on our hotels rooftop deck, overlooking the beautiful city at night. The four of us reflected on the trip, in awe of how completely incredible it was and how unbelievably quickly it all flew by.
Coming back to reality had to be the hardest part of the entire trip but ultimately the memories and experiences I was able to take away were well worth the Monday morning blues I felt hard upon my return.
Well, I hope you enjoyed exploring Europe with me. Be sure to write in and share which part of the trip was your favorite as I will forever be undecided.
