BARCELONA, SPAIN — Lauren Mossberg

Tues Nov 21

We flew from London to Barcelona, landed early, and grabbed a taxi to our Airbnb. Almost immediately after dropping our bags, we cabbed over to La Sagrada Familia. I didn’t have too many options when purchasing the timed tickets. Lucky us, though, we walked into the chapel right at golden hour. It was absolutely stunning. We joined the queue for the passion-side towers, which due to construction, wasn’t as beautiful as the chapel itself.

Afterwards, we went home to shower and change before walking towards the Gothic quarter for dinner. We had made a reservation at Gourmet Sensi a long time ago, as it was highly recommended to us. The food was amazing. We ordered a handful of various tapas including jamon iberico, croquettes, octopus, and steak with chimichurri.

Wed Nov 22

It was an early morning. We had Park Güell tickets for 9:30am. I had read online that the earlier the better, to beat the crowds and tour groups. We took the train then walked up a couple steep hills. Park Guell was beautiful. All of the colorful tile work and views of the city extended throughout the whole park. We took photos and took walked around until we felt fulfilled.

We left the park and walked towards our paella class (Secret Garden Paella Class via Airbnb Experiences). Sara, our host, was wonderful. We cooked outdoors right beside her childhood home while she gave us some lessons on where paella originated and how it’s traditionally made. We made two paellas, seafood and meat, and shared them with the other eight folks there. It was such a fun experience and the wine was certainly flowing.

Our homemade paella at Secret Garden Paella Class via Airbnb Experiences

After a quick post-paella nap, we walked through Placa de Catalunya. We poked our heads into L'Ovella Negra Rambles but the vibe was a little you g for us. We continued through Plaça dels Àngels, where a bunch of young people were skateboarding and kicking around soccer balls. We wanted to grab a drink at Two Schmucks, but it was super crowded. We weren’t hungry enough for a sit down dinner, so we grabbed a couple doner kebabs and continued walking through the streets of Barcelona. Eventually our sweet tooth’s creeped in and we stopped at Chök for kronuts.

Thurs Nov 23

We took our time in the morning, grabbed coffee, and walked towards Mercat de la Boqueria. Browsing the various stalls was exciting. There was a vendor for everything: meat and cheese, raw whole fish, ceviche, empanadas, candy, and fruit juice. I ate so much, but swear I only spent 25 EU.

After eating arguably too much, we headed towards the beach. There’s a giant manmade pier, Rambla de Mar, that we walked before veering towards Barceloneta Beach. We parked up at a beach bar with some aperol spritzes. What a way to spend Thanksgiving! About 65 degree weather beachside with a cocktail.

This evening was the first night that the lights around Barcelona were lit. We skipped the concert (or whatever was on the stage), but we did walk through the streets to see all of the lights.

We went to Dr. Stravinsky for a pre-dinner cocktail. The cocktail menu is based on cosmos like sweet or spicy. It was such a unique experience. And the cocktails were great!

Then we went to our reservation at Tapeo. It’s a relatively small restaurant that was packed. We shared pan con tomate, ceviche, asparagus, stuffed scallops, braised leeks, iberico pork ribs, squid, and steak. I think this was my favorite meal in Barcelona. The ceviche and pork ribs were insane.

Asparagus tempura, sea bass ceviche, and stuffed scallop at Tapeo

After dinner, we walked to Mariposa Negra for a couple cocktails. It’s such a cool spot. They serve all of their cocktails in handmade ceramic mugs that they also have for sale in the space next door. My cocktail even came with a decorative piece of chocolate on top!

Fri Nov 24

It was another relaxed morning. We booked an audio tour at Casa Batlló a little after 11:00. As a sucker for cool architecture, I loved this museum! The tour guides you through Gaudi’s whimsical and nautical design. Our audio players had a minute or two of narration in each room. And the tour ended with an immersive experience.

After leaving Batlló, we walked up the street to see La Pedrera-Casa Milà, another Gaudi design, from the outside. Then we sat down to eat at Brunch & Cake. By this time I was very hungry, so the avocado toast I ordered really hit the spot. We spent the afternoon doing a bit of shopping. We all made purchases at Adolfo Dominguez, a Spanish designer. After showering and doing a little packing, we went to El Nacional for wine and oysters. They were rather expensive for oysters, but it was cool to try Mediterranean oysters rather than Atlantic ones.

We walked to our last Barcelona dinner at L'Antic Bocoi del Gòtic. The atmosphere was very old world, almost cave-like. The food, again, was amazing. We tried mini chorizo sausages, steak carpaccio with shaved foie gras, fondue. We walked back home, grabbed gelato on the way, finished packing, and went to sleep!