Before
we headed home for the summer (now about 4 months ago!), Todd and I spent a week in Barcelona,
Spain. It was a new stamp in both our
passports and the country did not disappoint.
Here are my top 5 for Barcelona (although it’s so hard to narrow it down
to 5!).
**Side
note: I need to tell you about GuidePal if you haven’t already heard about
it. It’s a pretty amazing travel guide app
with tons of recommendations and maps.
You can file away restaurants, hotels, sights, etc on “My Trip” which
will be put onto a map. Best part is
that you can download the guide and use the map OFFLINE as you are walking
around the city. It even locates you as
you walk without using the internet!
It’s a pretty amazing app and I suggest you get it before your next
trip. We’ve used it for both Turkey and
Spain and are big fans.
1.
Beach
OK,
I love going to the beach so naturally this would make my top five. The Barcelona beach was unlike any I’ve ever
been to though. The water was just OK, the sand was a bit rocky and the women
were often topless. OK, so now let me tell you the things I DID like about the
beach. The weather was perfect! Todd and I rented chairs and an umbrella one
day and sat right by the water reading our books an entire day. On this day, we grabbed lunch at a nearby
grocery store for super cheap. The other
day, we sat at a little place right on the beach for some yummy tapas and
sangria.
2.
Restaurant: Magnolia
We
ate at Magnolia based on a recommendation from GuidePal and it was by far our
favorite place we ate. Because of the Lumineers concert later that night (which
was AWESOME, made me want slap my knee and buy a banjo!), we had to eat an
“early” dinner. The restaurant was
pretty empty but the food was amazing!
Our
best eats: Patatas Bravas (with yummy sauce to dip them in), Pan con Tomate
(tomoato bread that is served everywhere), Tapita de queso brie rebozado
(basically brie with a marmalade on top that you eat on crackers), and
complimentary Rose Cava (sparkling wine)
 |
| We love tapas! |
3.
Montserrat
Wow. If you love breathtaking views, then you
should definitely visit Montserrat. We
took a train to this nearby little mountain town to find beautiful scenery and
a neat story behind the monastery that is nestled high in the mountain (read about it here). We spent
a day hiking to different caves and churches, marveling at the mountains around
us that looked like a painting.
 |
| The Monastery at Monserrat |
4.
Wine Tour
We
spent a day in the Penedes region of Spain, an area known for making wine. After some research, we decided to book the
tour with a company instead of find the wineries on our own. We toured three wineries: Jean Leon Winery
(Jean Leon opened a restaurant in U.S. with James Dean!), Torres Winery
(largest winery in the area), and Freixenet (actually makes cava, or sparkling
wine). Beautiful weather and delicious wines made for a perfect day with the hubs!
 |
| Jean Leon Winery |
5.
Palau Guell
Barcelona
is known for its architecture, especially by Antoni Gaudi. He was somewhat of a genius and left his mark
all over the city. One of the places we
went into was Palau Guell, a palace built for wealthy businessman, Eusebi Guell,
(OK, wealthy is an understatement….guy had 7 billion Euros…) and his
family. Guell’s house was built in the
city so it isn’t big square footage wise, but it is many floors high and each
room is a unique design by Gaudi. My
favorite room was the main hall where the family entertained guests. With tall ceilings, an organ (or a few) and a
place for an orchestra to play, the hall even contained a “chapel” with doors
that could be opened for religious get-togethers. Overall, it is a really cool
house.
 |
| Rooftop chimneys at Palau Guell |
I
loved our trip to Spain. It was a perfect mix of sightseeing and relaxing. Who
wouldn’t love 10 pm sunset dinners on the roof with a $5 bottle of wine or
getting dressed up to see a show at the Opera House? How about the random parade that marched in front
of our hotel or having a drink where Pablo Picasso used to hang out?
Dear Spain, we will be back.
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