Una cuidad en la playa y su isla 💃🏻

This vibrant city of Barcelona had long been on my dream list of places to visit. Not only was I intrigued by the fact that many compared it to California, but I also wanted to use my Spanish. I was so excited when I was finally able to visit on our Spring Break!

Barcelona, España

Day One: We were so happy to escape from the chilly and rainy weather in Paris to this much warmer paradise. Barcelona is said to be one of the best cities for brunch in the world, so naturally, we started off the day with some brunch at a restaurant called Trópico. After our yummy start, we decided to just wander around Barcelona without a destination. We first came across Plaza Real which is a popular place for locals to come together and enjoy a beautiful day outside. Continuing down La Rambla (major street through the city), we arrived to the edge of the water and walked along the port which was filled with vendors selling all kind of items but especially espadrilles. We continued to walk along the port during the last hours of sunlight and eventually made our way over to el Arco de Triunfo. By coincidence, there happened to be a concert in the park so we gladly enjoyed some music while we watched the sun go down. For dinner, we stumbled upon a restaurant right by our Airbnb for some traditional Spanish food: tapas & sangria!

Day Two: The next day, we started the day in the same fashion as the previous, with some Barcelona brunch! We ate at the popular Surf house restaurant in Barceloneta, a seaside neighborhood where everyone comes to visit the beach. The restaurant definitely lived up to the hype and I would recommend it to anyone visiting, not only because of its food but also because of its beachside location! Next, we set off to one of Barcelona’s famous parks, Parc de la Ciutadella. It was a dazzling place filled with lakes, museums, and fountains where people come together to take advantage of a beautiful day. At night, we were craving Mexican food and decided on going to Rosa Negra for dinner. The food was amazing and the tequila was even better!

Day Three: On our last day, we started the day (yet again with food) by visiting La Boqueria. It’s a large public food market in the heart of Barcelona where vendors sell all kinds of food from jamón serrano to dragonfruit! After the market, we head off to the tourist attraction we were most excited for, Park Güell! It’s a park that sits at the top of the city’s hill and overlooks all of Barcelona. It was created by the mind of Barcelona’s own architect, Antoni Gaudí. His modernist style is exemplified in this magnificent park by the architecture and colors he chose. His own home, which now has been converted into a museum, is also within this large park. While we waited for it to be our turn to visit the famous terrace (you have to buy a ticket and wait your turn to view it), we bought cartons of sangria and chips and wandered throughout the park like true locals. Once it was our turn to visit the terrace, the sun was setting and Barcelona was lit with the most beautiful dusk light. It was the perfect ending and goodbye to this magical city of Barcelona that I never wanted to leave…. but we were headed to island time!

*With more time, I would’ve loved to hike up to Montserrat and have a proper tour of La Sagrada Familia*

Recommendations:

Restaurants: Trópico, Surf House, Rosa Negra

Tourist Sites: Plaza Real, La Rambla, Arco de Triunfo, La Sagrada Familia, La Barceloneta, Casa Amatller, Parc de la Ciutadella, y La Boqueria

Palma de Mallorca, España

We jumped on a super quick 25-minute flight that transported us to an island paradise, Mallorca. It was truly like nothing I had ever seen before ( I know I say that often but it’s true!). The water was so clear and blue that it reminded me of the beaches in Cancun but with rocks. We spent every day lounging at the beach taking advantage of the sunshine we wouldn’t see back in Paris. Every morning we left our quaint beachside Airbnb and picked up a bottle of wine and headed straight for the beach! One day we decided to venture out from our usual beach spot and head to the other side of the island where there was a beautiful beach in a cove. We spent all day relaxing and enjoying the sun with some Coronas, it was truly bliss.

Just when the trip seemed like it couldn’t get any better or exciting, it did.… The next day was Easter so we decided to go to Mass at the Palma Cathedral that was built during the times of Moor rule. When we arrived we noticed it was extremely packed, we thought it was just because it was a holiday. Little did we know, till a kind old lady whispered in my ear in Spanish that the King of Spain was coming. Not long after the whole church was cheering for the King and the Royal Family who sat at the very front of the cathedral throughout the Mass. What a great way to start our last day in Mallorca we thought, and to keep that trend going we decided to go to the restaurant, Molinar, for some seafood paella. It was undeniably the best paella, if not one of the best meals, I have ever had, even better than my dad’s paella that I grew up loving (sorry Luis!!!). We ended our time in Mallorca on a complete high from the amazing time we spent there.

To this day, visiting Spain has been not only one of my favorite trips but one of my fondest memories..