Trip to Barcelona, Spain
I went to Spain for a few months in 2023. During the last week of my travels, my mother flew in to join me and we explored Barcelona.
Castelldefels
To begin our adventure, my mom arrived at the airport in Castelldefels. It is still considered Barcelona, it is just a little outside of all the commotion. This city is where our hotel was located. We believed it was the perfect spot because we could enjoy a less crowded beach while still being a quick car ride away from the inner city.
Sagrada Familia
We decided to spend one day sightseeing inside the famous city. Our first stop was the Sagrada familia. It was more beautiful than what an image can capture. I was very happy to have had the opportunity to see this historical building and brilliant work of art towards the very end of it's construction!
Parc Güell
Next, my mom wanted to visit Parc Güell. We walked uphill for over 30 minutes to reach this park from the Sagrada Familia. We both wanted to see more work of Gaudí there, but the entrance to see those buildings said that tickets had been sold out! We noticed steps that led even farther up a hill, so we decided to go up them so that our time spent walking to the park would not be a waste. It was a tiring journey but it was worth it! When we finally reached the top, we could see the entire city of Barcelona all the way out to the sea!
A taste of America
This next stop was my choice. I had learned of these American-themed shops from a friend, and I just had to go and see what all they had inside. We hiked another 30 minutes back down to the streets of the city so we could stop by. They had lots of classic foods that I didn't even realize were only American! They also had some American merchandise such as Bass Pro Shop hats, T-shirts with the American flag, and other clothing with either political or redneck-sounding patriotic sayings. It was interesting atmosphere to be in.
La Pedrera
This is another popular work of Gaudí that my mom and I just stumbled upon by accident! We definitely stopped to admire the unique architecture. I wish all buildings were this fun to look at!
La Casa Batllo
Another Gaudí building! This area was very crowded with tourists taking photos, so I didn't get the best picture as I would have liked, but it was still really cool to see!
Gothic Quarter
By now, our feet were hurting and our legs were tired from walking all over the city. Barcelona is huge! But, we needed to see the Gothic Quarter before we headed back to our hotel. So, we gritted our teeth and ventured toward the area. It was such a cool atmosphere. Not only were there beautiful old buildings, but there was music playing and people were sitting outside eating ice cream and chatting. I would have spent a whole day there!
Playa de la Barceloneta
Finally, I wanted to stop and see the beach in the downtown area. We also thought the soft sand and cool water would feel nice on our feet. The beach was packed, it was actually hard to move to get down to the water. Once we finally reached the shore, we noticed it was covered with rocks and seashells, and it did not feel nice on our feet at all! We walked back up from the beach pretty quickly. We found a bench in the shade and had piña coladas as the sun started to set before we took a taxi back to our hotel. After spending time at that beach, we were even more glad we picked a hotel closer to a less popular beach!