This Time, Barcelona

This time it was Barcelona, Spain. Keeping with my newfound determination to use my time, energy, and resources to visit the world, I just returned from a marvelous trip with two of my daughters.

What did I think about Barcelona? It was a big, big hit. But, then again, 

• I'm a sucker for charming narrow streets & interconnected alleys lined with unique little shops and quaint cafes.
• I'm a sucker for delicious food presented in eye-catching ways.
• I'm a sucker for lovely music with authentic sound that captures the soul of the region.
• I'm a sucker for the coast. Period.
• I'm a sucker for bold creative art, innovative in its time, which challenges the norm and brings a new perspective.
• I’m a sucker for astounding views and nature at its finest.
• I'm a sucker for vibrant color, and pastel color, and muted color, and color, color, color.
• I'm a sucker for a region, like Catalonia, who has its own language and whose identity is strong as it proudly proclaims, "This is who we are!"

So, yeah. I loved experiencing Barcelona. And I would love to visit again, one of these days.

“We crossed spacious streets, with buildings resembling palaces, in La Rambla promenade; the shops were well illuminated and there was movement and life… I did not decide to go to sleep, even though I wished to, so I could rise early and contemplate, in daylight, this city, unknown to me: Barcelona, capital of Catalonia.” - Hans Christian Andersen, Author.

I'm with ya, Hans. Agree 100%. On our trip we enjoyed way too many experiences to cover them all here, unless you've got all day. Do you? No? Ok, just some highlights.

We stayed in a charming Barcelona Airbnb apartment in the area called Garcia. Very walkable and easy to reach public transportation, but away from the noisy touristy sections of town. But, being tourists, we did go into those touristy sections every day, because there was so much to see and do. Ciutat Vella (Old City), Barre Gotic (Gothic District), El Born, to name a few.

We made sure to inspect the numerous displays of ancient and contemporary art. Architecture like the famed cathedral Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Cathedral, Park Guell, and others. The works of famed masters Antonio Gaudi and Joan Miro. We visited the Pablo Picasso Museum, highlighting the evolution of his career as a painter. We also visited the Banksy Museum with its walls of graffiti messages. It was captivating, sometimes controversial, sometimes poignant—we felt very moved.

We attended a Flamenco show in an old historic landmark palace. They had me at “Hola.” The performance, while professional, felt like a group of friends who broke into dance because they loved it so much. It seemed more spontaneous than choreographed, letting the music take them where it would. Dancers reacted to each other as they danced with passion and purpose. Acoustic Spanish guitar, I could listen to it all day. And then some. Singers had voices that were throaty, sounding like they had lived many years and seen many things. While I enjoy a large-scale production as much as the next guy, I loved the intimate nature of this show, as the performers kicked their heels and swirled with conviction. I wanted to have a glass of sangria and hang out with them afterwards. (note--that didn’t happen--at least the part about hanging out with the performers.)

We took to the sea one evening, as in, “Excuse me while I board this sailboat and cruise around the Mediterranean.” It was pretty chilly, but the waters were calm, and the setting sun was spectacular. All the while I was thinking, "Am I really doing this??!" Captain let me take a turn at the helm, and I didn't capsize the boat or run into anything. Whew!  It was a truly magical excursion.

Speaking of excursions, we travelled inland to the mountains to visit Monserrat, the Benedictine monk mountain retreat. The cable car ride up to the monastery was short but adventurous. We enjoyed walking around the small village, and the views from the mountain were breathtaking. With many school field trips crossing our paths, we opted out of some of the monastery highlights and, instead, chose to walk along paths extending from the village. Had we more time, we might have hiked along some trails further up the mountain, but given our schedule, we were content with our lazy walk-around. Despite the noises of tourists and children, there was a feeling of serenity at Monserrat. We loved our mountain escape.

Our day trip to Costa Brava was even more impressive. The coastal region Costa Brava extends from Barcelona up to France. The views on the coast are stunning. There are quaint villages, rocky coasts, beautiful hues of water. It was an all-day excursion, and one big relaxing sigh. Aaaahhhhh. Hold on. Let me close my eyes a minute to relive the experience. Yes, yes, thaaaat's what I'm talkin' about. Aaaahhhhh........... Ok, I'm back. Sorry for leavin' ya hangin'. Our visits to the towns of Blanes and Tossa de Mar on the coast were outstanding, and I have about a million photos to prove it.

Funny—I am always accused of walking too fast and not paying attention to my footing. True. And true. Which is why my daughters weren’t surprised when I tripped multiple times, and finally fell splat on the concrete path. Here, below, is a picture of me going down. No worries, the scrape wasn’t as bad as it first appeared, and band-aids did the trick. Just keeping it real, folks. Despite the fairy-tale, ethereal, idyllic, surreal atmosphere of our coastal excursion, it was still me and my awkward, clumsiness walking around. But, loving every second of it.

Don't quote me on this, but we found Barcelona to be very affordable. There was no sticker shock. While they do collect an extra 'tourist tax' for lodging, we were pleasantly surprised at the reasonable prices for food and merchandise. We were warned again & again that pickpockets roamed the streets, but we took precautions and had no troubles. Locals were extremely nice. We learned a few Catalan phrases, but we communicated in English the whole time.

I would have to consult a thesarus to find adjectives to fully describe our vacation in Barcelona. But, just for starters, I would use the words magical, marvelous, exciting, superb, magnificent, amazing, delightful, fantastic…. You get the picture. Hit me up if you need a tour guide when you plan your own trip to Barcelona. I’ll have to check my calendar, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be available to tag along, per favor.