After our first long travel day (18 hours to be exact) we made it to Barcelona! We wasted no time getting into the travel groove and navigating the Barcelona public transportation system to get us to our hostel. It had been 6+ years since the last time either of us had stayed in a hostel, but since we’re on a budget, we figured it was ideal for putting us in the money-saving mindset. We got a private room at the Gràcia City Hostel and it worked out great.
All Packed & Ready to Go
A friend of Chris’s from college, Mike, lives in Barcelona and though they hadn’t seen each other in years, he reached out after seeing our itinerary on Facebook and we were able to meet up with him on our first night in town for a delicious tapas dinner. Feeling adventurous during the meal, Chris tried eating octopus for the first time which he thoroughly enjoyed!
Catedral de Barcelona
Arc de Triomf
Throughout the next few days we walked – A LOT. There’s so much to see in this beautiful city: the impressive Gothic Quarter, La Boqueria market, the Arc de Triomf, and so many parks and quaint side streets. There are also two UNESCO World Heritage sites in Barcelona – the Palau de la Música Catalana and the works of Antoni Gaudí.
La Boqueria
More Deliciousness at La Boqueria
The Palau is a stunning theater. Built in 1908, it was declared a World Heritage site in 1997 because of its symbolic, artistic and historical value as a public concert hall. We bought tickets to a flamenco show and witnessed a very impressive performance.
Outside of Palau de la Música Catalana
The Beautiful Interior of the Palau de la Música Catalana
The Gaudí architecture, including La Sagrada Familia and Park Güell, were so incredible, that we want to dedicate a separate post to showcase some of the photos we took at each of the sites.
We really loved the food in Barcelona. From the tapas, to the churros and chocolate, and even the pizza we had one night, everything was delicious! We never had a bad meal and were pleasantly surprised that the meals were much more affordable than we were expecting. So far, so good on our budget!
Tapas at Tosca Tapas y Vino
Churros and Chocolate
Beginning on August 15th, we got to enjoy the Festival de Gràcia. This is an annual, week-long street fair in the Gràcia neighborhood where each street and square gets transformed based on different themes. Apparently, each neighborhood in Barcelona has a similar festival coinciding with different holidays throughout the year, but the general consensus we heard was that the Gràcia fair is the best. Unfortunately, the first night of the fair, it rained, but we weathered the storm with Mike and his friends and headed out to explore. Luckily, the rain was short lived and it seemed to keep the crowds away, so it worked out perfectly. We also got a chance to test out our new rain jackets!
6-Story Human Tower to celebrate the Festa Major de Gràcia
Festa Major de Gràcia
This was an amazing start to our journey. We loved Barcelona – the laid-back vibe, the truly friendly people, the great food, and the overall great weather. It was also super easy to communicate since almost everyone we talked to spoke English. We were sad to leave, but excited to get to our next destination – the south of France!
-The Morts
LOVE the update and pics!!! You know me and pics… Very glad the hostel was a pleasant surprise. Let’s hope the rest are as well. I am impressed with your memory for details, names, places, etc. I am so bad at that…don’t think it’s because I am old. 🙂 I think my mind just moves too quickly (like the rest of me) and the memory doesn’t stick. I need to work on that.
Enjoy each day to the fullest. Love you!! xxoo
Mmm. The churros and hot chocolate look delish. I was looking for Christina to be the cherry on top of that tower – did you climb on up there? Hehe. It looks like the trip is off to a beautiful start!