Eurotrip: Barcelona, Spain

Our first stop in Spain was Barcelona. I had visited the South of Spain before, but hadn't made it up to Barcelona yet. We had gotten mixed reviews about Barcelona, but we absolutely loved it! We stayed in a funky little apartment in the Barrio Gotico -- I would highly recommend trying to stay in this area.

On our first day, we walked to Barceloneta beach and explored along the water. On the walk along the water to the beach we passed lots of booths with food and drinks, a wine tasting festival, and an art installation. It seems like (especially in the Summer) there are a number of events going on there, so if you travel to Barca you should look into that. Even though Barceloneta can be pretty crowded and is not all that removed from the city, we really enjoyed it. It's a fun place to lay out, enjoy the sun and do some people watching. After the beach we walked around the Barrio Gotico, found some tapas, and did some more night time exploring.

On our second day we did the Gaudí tour of Barcelona. We started with la Sagrada Familia, which is insanely beautiful. Taylor and I both want to go back to see it when it is done being built! Then, we went to Parc Guell which is a big, whimsical park that was also designed by Gaudí. We walked around and enjoyed the music of buskers scattered throughout the park and a beautiful view. After dinner we went to see a Flamenco show. Flamenco is not typically found in Northern Spain, so most of the performances found in Barcelona are pretty touristy, but I really wanted Taylor to see some Flamenco (his face lit up like a child on Christmas morning when the music started!). I asked a friend who had studied in Barcelona for a recommendation, and he told us about a place that puts on a couple of short shows a night. The show was great! On our last day we went to the Picasso Museum, which was amazing.

TO DO AND SEE: Take a walk to the beach, do a little people watching and sun bathing. Walk around the Barrio Gotico and take a look in the Cathedral. Rest your feet in Parque Ciutadella. Definitely check out all of the Gaudí sights -- Casa Batllo is one my friend recommended that we didn't get to. If you're into museums check out the Picasso Museum - there was a bit of a wait but it was so worth it. For a bit of Flamenco go to Los Tarantos. Take a quick stroll down Las Ramblas, but there's no need to spend much time there (also, don't take any valuables and watch your pockets--it's crowded and Barcelona is known for having lots of pick pockets).

TO EAT AND DRINK: Unfortunately we forgot to take down the names of all of the places we ate, so instead I'm going to give some recommendations from my friend who studied abroad in Barcelona (some we went to, others we didn't have time to check out). There are good tapas places everywhere, but my friend recommends Nou Candanchu.  Just stay away from restaurants along La Rambla and you should be all set. For coffee/desert check out Pudding. For clubbing go to Apolo (apparently this is where locals go, and Monday night is the best). There are cool bars and hole-in-the-wall restaurants in the Gracia quarter. Oh, and we can't forget churros y chocolate.  Taylor and I went to a little place right across from our apartment called Churrería Granja Ruz. Mmmmm.

Who else has been to Barcelona? What did you think? I would love to go back to Spain and explore more. Check back in the next couple of weeks for the short video we made about our time in Spain!