Where I Stayed: Air BnB on Carrer de la Reina Amália

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What I Did: Museums, Montserrat Monastery Tour, Beaches, Visited Various Parcs, Churches, Cable Car Ride, Snorkeled

 

On my first day in Barcelona, after dealing with a grueling overnight stay in Istanbul (due to missing my connecting flight), my Air Bnb host was kind enough to pick me up from the Barcelona-El Prat Airport and bring me back to the apartment where I would be staying for the next week. After showing me around, he invited me to come along with him and his friends to a secluded beach an hour north of the city of Barcelona called Cala De Sant Francesc in a small town called Blanes.

 

The beach is settled in a beautiful cove across the hill of St. Juan. Here we relaxed, snorkeled, and rented paddle boats to take out onto the open ocean. After tiring from all the water activities, we visited a restaurant on the beach called Cala Bon Blanes Restaurant. Here we enjoyed Salted Bass, Prawn and Lobster Tail Paella (traditional spanish dish), and a crisp and fragrant Albariño. What an amazing start to my journey!

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"Arriba, Abajo, al Centro, Pa'Dentro!" (Up, Down, Center & Inside- Spanish Toast I learned that will stick with me forever).

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My second day started with the Montserrat Tour provided by the Julia Travel Agency. Once arriving at the meeting point and getting into our air conditioned tour bus, we headed inland, north-west, to Montserrat (the magic mountain of Catalonia) or "sword mountain." At the base of the mountain we jumped into a Cog-Wheel Train that gradually took us up to the Monastery. Here we explored the boutiques, listened to a documentary about the history of Montserrat, toured the Abbey, tasted 4 local liquors and visited the Royal Bascilica, getting the opportunity to view the "Black Madonna".

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*Another highlight of this tour was witnessing my dear friends Alaina and Adan (whom I met in Istanbul when we all missed our connecting flight) get engaged in the Montserrat Abbey with spectacular views of the mountain in the bakdrop. What a way to get engaged!*

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Upon returning, I joined a few friends for dinner at The Good Burger. Here we enjoyed a fantastic Gaucha Burger (with fried egg on top), curly fries and an ice cold Paulaner. Following our gratifying meal, we walked over to the Magic Fountain of Montjuic, located at the head of Avinguda Maria Cristina. We were fascinated by the illuminated fountains, streaming every color of the rainbow, during a musical performance and lighting up the entire city of Barcelona. 

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On the third day I walked to Port Olimpic, ate at a tapas restuarant at Maremágnum, saw the World Trade Center, the Passeig De Colóm, and the Museu D'História De Catalunya. I then continued along Carrer de Barcelonetta, parrallel to the Platja De La Barcelonetta (beach), weaving my way in and out of tourists and various merchants to the Sant Sebastiá Cable Car. Here, I was able to see a breathtaking panoramic view of the entire city of Barcelona. The Sant Sebastiá Cable Car took me from the Moll de Marina to the Parc de Montjuic and Jardins de Miramar. 

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The fourth day was quite relaxing! I walked over to the Parc De La Ciutadella and roamed around the grounds which included sculptures, a small lake (where you can rent row boats), museums and a large fountain designed by Josep Fontserè. After working up an appetite, I headed to La Placa Reial and had lunch at a delightful restaurant called Les Quinze Nits. I spent about 4 hours here working, watching different performances in the square and indulging in food and champagne. The Picasso Museum was about 3 blocks from the plaza and so touring fine works of art from Picasso wrapped up my evening. 

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I took a day trip to Figueres to visit the Salvador Dali Museum and Theatre. It is quite a small town, however, I recommend spending at least 4-5 hours in Figueres in order to truly submerge yourself in Dali's pieces- there is so much to see. There is also a beautiful square down the street from the museum with plenty of places to eat and shop. 

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The rest of the week was spent visiting famous sites, such as the Sagrada Familia, the Gothic Quarter and the Park Güell. I also visited another beach called Nova Icária, near the Barcelonetta Beach, that was less touristy and crowded where you can find many more locals. The beach is lined with many restaurants and cerveceria's. Chiringuito is a seafood-tapas restaurant that served a mean watermelon sangria!

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The Sagrada Familia and the Park Güell are both Gaudi creations. I have fallen head over heels in love with Gaudi's intricate and attention-to-detail architectural style and advise anyone who vacations in Spain to visit all of his wonderful handiwork!

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