Barcelona

“Traveling is like flirting with life. It’s like saying, ‘I would stay and love you, but I have to go; this is my station.’”


They say New York is the city that never sleeps, but I think that title more aptly belongs to Barcelona. It is the most vivacious city I've ever been in. When I arrived at one in the morning, many people were just starting their night with dinner, and on the weekends, people stay out all night...and morning.

There is lots to do there, and not just at night. We went to the La Pedrera a house which was built by the famous architect Gaudi. It had breathtaking views of the city & incredible architecture. His buildings are all over the city & we saw many of them, but only went inside this one. We also went to Parc Guell, his old property, which is covered in gorgeous mosaics. Even though it was raining, we didn't want to leave because it was so beautiful! He is very celebrated all over Spain, and most especially in Barcelona. We also went to la Sagrada Familia & the Barcelona Catherdral, both old churches with lots of history and local landmarks. We also wandered along the pier and saw all the ships in the setting sun.



A trip wouldn't be complete without local food of course & there are two things worth mentioning about Barcelona: the Paella, which was fresh & delcious & Las Ramblas, this gigantic fruit market where you can literally buy any fresh fruit you would ever want incredibly cheaply. As I LOVE fruit, you can bet I was in heaven!

The best thing that happened in Barcelona though, was something we stumbled upon quite by accident: a local Spanish band was playing in a courtyard for Valentine's day & a crowd was gathering. Then, all of these older Spanish people started a traditional Spanish dance to the music. One by one, everyone started dropping their coats & purses in the middle of the circle - older couples remembering better times, younger people learning the old traditions to keep the alive for another generation, little kids trying to imitate the older people...it was fantastic, and personifies exactly how much energy the city has. Of course, we had to join in, even though we had no idea what we were doing. It was easy enough to pick up, & I'm so glad we got to be a part of it.

Of course, Barcelona is known for it's nightlife, and we did have lots of fun going out. We went to a club & listened to this great Brazilian band play for Carnaval & danced the night away. When we left in the very early morning, there were still tons of people there, and I'm sure the party carried on until at least 7 am!

Barcelona was great! It's a big city, but it definitely has a traditional Spanish flair.