For travellers and tourists alike, Barcelona is a city not to be missed, and here's why...
1. Parc Guëll
Commissioned by Guëll and designed by Antoni Gaudí, this park is situated overlooking the city with incredible architecture. This park truly feels like CandyLand or something out of a fairytale with its intricate and brightly colored mosaics and palm trees swaying in the breeze. My best friend and I were lucky enough to visit the city of Barcelona together, and even more lucky to spend four days there with beautiful weather. We recommend that you buy your ticket for the entrance to the mosaic collection (or the part of the park created by Gaudí) right when you arrive because there is usually at least an hour wait. Not to worry; your hour or so can be spent soaking in the sun along the rocks above the mosaic entrances or hiking the hills beyond. The exotic birds flitting from palm to palm increase the tropical vibes of this Spanish city, and one can’t help but enjoy the free access to people watching, too. Barcelona has about 1.5 million inhabitants and about 9 million tourists visiting annually, a staggering amount that has triggered negative responses from locals who are becoming displaced due to rent increases from new sites such as Airbnb. In fact, there is such uproar over the Airbnb phenomenon that residents are fighting to ban the practice completely in the city. This could be detrimental for tourists, but the rent fluctuations are pushing the middle-class citizens who have lived and worked in the city for generations out. As always, there are many negative and positive effects to tourism, but with a city as creative and international as Barcelona, the problems are amounting to losses of cultural identity.
2. Basílica de la Sagrada Família
Another work of Antoni Gaudí, this Basilica is still under renovations that will not be completed until 2026. The visionary of this Basilica also passed away before construction could be completed, and so he left his plans in the hands of the great architects who would come after him to fulfill his dream of creating a grand cathedral with natural influences. The renovation projects have been in a continuous flow of action for quite some time now because it is extremely difficult to raise the necessary funds to keep restoration work moving at a steady rate, and there is a high flow of people shuffling in and out of the cathedral all day long. I highly recommend purchasing your tickets online ahead of time, as there are certain days and times where all tickets are half price. This deal was spectacular because we got to visit the Basílica, have an audio tour, and climb the Passion Tower for fifteen euro rather than 30.
3. Picasso Museum
This museum is stunning inside and out. We paid for tickets ahead of time, but I learned afterwards that students can present their student IDs for free entrance. Either way, the museum showcases Picasso’s works in a beautifully renovated palace with a gorgeous courtyard and balcony. I have no pictures to show from the exhibits because the museum does not allow phones or pictures. I can say that my favorite paintings on display were from Picasso’s time in the South of France, where he spent time painting pigeons and the view from his balcony during a break from working on the techniques he studied in Madrid’s Prado Museum. I found the way he painted ugly pigeons amusing, and to me, they resembled the characters from the Angry Birds app. More of Picasso’s works can be found throughout Spain, including La Guernica, which is on display in Madrid’s prestigious Reina Sofia Art Museum.
4. The Beach
Luckily, we had amazing spring weather and blue skies when my friend and I visited, but after talking with other travelers to Barcelona, it seems this city is always under the presence of warm weather. We took time at the end of the day to make our way to the coast and dip our feet in the Mediterranean Sea, which, to our disappointment, was chilly. After putting our feet in the water, we made our way to the strip of rocks jutting out into the sea to sit and watch the sunset, but we were soon approached by vendors selling young coconut meat in a very unsanitary looking bucket. We refused his offers, knowing full well if we happened to take a piece there would be a price attached. The rocks were mostly empty with the exception of some trendy Spanish teenagers conducting a photo shoot (they enthusiastically took a picture of my friend and I, too) and a small group of Americans who were carrying five bottles of wine. We soon saw a booze cruise pull up that unloaded a large group of drunk American students who proceeded to pee on the palm trees lining the beach to the dismay of many other beach-goers. With so many people at the beach, most of whom are drinking or purchasing items from street vendors, it is a pick pocketer’s paradise. At our tour the following day, we were chatting with another visiting American who had her phone stolen out of her shoe at the beach. I have heard about many other unfortunate incidents like this, and I think my friend and I managed to avoid a similar event at the beach by sitting far out on the rocks. Besides the presence of pick-pocketers, the beach is beautiful and you can see the mountains out past the city and have a drink at one of the stylish bars lining the strip.
5. BRUNCH!
We landed on a Friday morning and were able to check into our hostel right away, and our next stop, obviously, was brunch! After four days of carb overload in Italy, we were looking for some healthier options, and Barcelona delivered. Our travel guide in the hostel recommended Flax + Kale, a hip restaurant near Las Ramblas (the touristy area where the open air market, La Boqueria, can be found). I had an amazing roasted avocado and carrot salad with a fresh pressed chai and turmeric juice, and my friend had a veggie burger with a berry smoothie. We also enjoyed some kale chips that had some sort of mustard sauce on top. We shared our table with another couple of American girls who were traveling together for spring break, and informed me, much to my disappointment, that the rowboats we wanted to take out in Parc la Ciutadella were still closed for the season. The following day we brunched at one of Barcelona’s best kept secrets called Brunch and Cake. We sat outside with a blanket and were able to people watch along a semi busy street in a local neighborhood. I had an amazing scrambled egg bagel sandwich and a pink beetroot latte while my friend enjoyed a Mexican style chicken and tortilla dish. On our last morning on Sunday, we took the opportunity to explore another district of Barcelona near the Picasso Museum just off the Metro stop Jaume I. We had discovered Satan's on our walking tour the day before (don't be alarmed by the name), and our tour guide recommended it for truly excellent coffee. We arrived mid morning and took a window seat view of the uber quiet square/courtyard it is located in and reviewed our plan for the day. I got to try bread soldiers for the first time while my friend chose to be quite the plain Jane and had some toast and jam! Don’t miss your opportunity to brunch outside in this beautiful city; you will surely not be disappointed wherever you go (including you Starbucks lovers) because the city has exotic vibes and attracts international travelers that makes the opportunity for style watching perfect.
6. Okay I had to add a sixth secretly because our Tapas Experience tour along with a flamenco show was too good to pass up…
On our last night, Sunday evening, we joined a Tapas Experience and Flamenco tour that involved lots of eating, drinking, and pure fun. We were in a decent sized group of English-speaking travelers and made rounds to four different tapas bars and restaurants. At each stop we were able to enjoy at least one plate of tapas and our choice of red or white wine or a beer. Our favorite tapas place was our third stop at a restaurant quite far away from the tourist areas where we got to enjoy six different tapas and wine. At this point, my friend and I had met other American students from North Dakota and were enjoying our tour with them. At the next place, we were required to drink sangria (not a traditional Spanish drink, our tour guide said because it is made with cheap wine) out of a parone, which was a glass vessel used to drink hygienically with a large group of people. We were allowed to practice with water before we used our napkins as bibs and tried with actual sangria. I felt like I was training for the sangria Olympics and it was most definitely a highlight of our night as we watched some more reserved folks ask for plastic cups to enjoy their drinks. After the fourth restaurant, we stopped at a local bar and took shots before heading to a flamenco performance at a small place in Plaza Real. Flamenco is not actually traditional to the area of Barcelona, but nonetheless, there are flamenco dancers practicing their art in the city, and I insisted my friend had to see a performance. She was in awe of the woman who moved passionately across the stage, and the live music was equally as incredible. Sometimes tours are not worth the money spent, but we felt that we got to try authentic tapas dishes at restaurants located out of the tourist destinations for a reasonable price of 30 euro, which included the flamenco show. We also got to meet people from America, Australia, Turkey, and Ireland. It was a night filled with new friends and experiences, and it was the perfect way to close a wonderful weekend of adventuring in Spain. At the end of the show, we convinced our newfound friends to come back to the area near our hostel, where we knew of an excellent authentic taco and margarita joint that we planned on visiting again. If you are ever in Barcelona, make sure you go to Pikio Tacos for incredible street tacos, loaded nachos, and strong margaritas.
