I *heart* BCN!

Travel back in time with me to the beginning of June, when I visited the wonderful city of Barcelona for the first time. When I was in Spain last summer, one of my biggest regrets was that I didn't get a chance to visit Barcelona, so I vowed that this year, I would not go home without achieving that goal. Of course, all the other people that I'm living with wanted to go as well, so we planned a weekend trip, and off we went!

This is going to be cliché, but one of my favorite things about Barcelona was the architecture. Here's one of the first buildings I saw when we arrived:



No, this building doesn't house some important ministry of the government. Instead, it's a department store! When I think back to the department stores in the town where I live, they definitely don't look like this.

After dropping off our bags at the hostel (Barcelona Dream- I know, interesting name), we went to explore Las Ramblas, one of the main streets in Barcelona. It was full of tourists, but also lined with stalls where they sold everything from tacky tourist souvenirs to little birdies.



Then we found La Boquería, a food market located just off Las Ramblas. All of the food looked incredible. You could buy individual items, like fresh fish, or whole meals from little kiosks with different genres of food (chinese, japansese, etc...). However, the most mouth-watering item of all was this amazing crêpe that I bought. It was the special of the day, and the owner of the stand told us that he had had a dream about it the night before, and then decided to experiment with the ingredients the next day. The result was a melt-in-your-mouth, make-you-groan-a-little-bit, absolutely delish crêpe filled with milk chocolate, coconut, and white chocolate. We went back to his stand the next day, we were so enamored!

these are not veggies or apples, it's candy, yum!

entrance to la boquería

the crêpe man

Now comes the Gaudí section. I would absolutely love to live in one of Gaudí's houses- his aesthetic is so whimsical, fantastical, and colorful. The best parts, I think, are the balconies. We also went to see the iconic cathedral in Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia. It was so fascinating to learn the history of its construction and to see the different styles melded into each other. My favorite detail on the Gaudí façade were the birds flying up, up, and away. Last but not least Gaudí spot we visited was Parc Güell, with its famous lizard statue and incredible views of the city.

Casa Batló

la Sagrada Familia, Gaudí syle

Sagrada Familia

view from parc güell

el lagartijo

Just one more little tidbit- I really love looking at stained glass in cathedrals and museums, and Barcelona did not disappoint! Here's one of my faves:



Other highlights in Barcelona: Barcelona Party Nights, walking through the city at night, stumbling into an antique market. ¡Hasta pronto, Barcelona!