Barcelona, Spain
After an emotional goodbye to my family I headed off to start my backpacking trip across Europe. Spain was the first country on my trip, and I decided what better place to start than Barcelona! This beautiful historical city was an amazing place to explore, from the alleyways of the Gothic District to the bustling streets of downtown there was so much to see and do. I felt like in the time I had a I did a lot in the city, but I know I missed a bunch too! Definitely won’t be my last visit. Barcelona is unique because of its location in what is now known as Catalonia; an autonomous community of northeastern Spain. I didn’t know much about Catalonia or the Catalonian movement, but my first full day in Spain I found myself right in the middle of Sant Jordi, a romantic Catalonian holiday involving the sharing of roses and books to loved ones from admirers. This unique holiday is a mixture of traditions dating back to the 15th century and was really cool to experience!
While in Barcelona I stayed at Mediterranean Youth Hostel, a small but really cool hostel hidden away in the neighborhood of Girona; a local neighborhood filled with cafes, tapas, and local businesses. The best part of this hostel was by far the staff! They were super friendly and knew all the best spots in town no matter what I wanted to do. They also hosted bar crawls nightly and were more than welcome to show me around town during the day too! I believe the best part of traveling is the local experience, and this place nailed that. If you’re looking for a party hostel this is definitely not the place, but that’s ok! I’ll be staying in plenty of those as I make my way across Europe.
The most popular area in Barcelona has to be the Gothic District; a historical neighborhood home to a variety of shops, art galleries, bars, and historic landmarks. There are more commercialized parts of this neighborhood, but the closer you get the coast the more local shops you’ll start to see. I spent hours wondering through these narrow streets admiring the architecture and indulging myself on local delicacies. The heart of the district has to be the Barcelona Cathedral; a beautiful gothic cathedral overlooking the city. In front of the church was a bustling square filled with street performers and tourists. Although I didn’t take a tour of this cathedral I did tour the Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi; another historical landmark in the gothic district and way cheaper than the main cathedral in town! You can also climb to the top of the basilica and get the most amazing view of the city!
Another beautiful landmark I toured was the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau; a historic hospital with incredible architecture. This property now sits behind the new modern hospital and is a cool place to wonder around and take some awesome photos! If you take a tour here you have to get some local vermouth from a bar right down the road called El Plato Rico. I’ve never had a drink like this before, and it was absolutely delicious!
Although there are a lot of museums in the city I chose to explore Museu Frederic Marés right around the corner from the cathedral. This museum housed some of the most beautiful art pieces I’ve ever seen outside of a textbook. Their collection spanned from the early 14-15th century all the way to the early 1900’s providing multiple floors to wonder. I was so excited I got the chance to see these beautiful works of art up close, most of which weren’t even behind glass, making it even more breathtaking!
Barcelona is known for its vibrant nightlife and bar scene, however, I was pretty tired from my travels and really didn’t check out the club scene as much as I would’ve liked to. That being said I did go to a few spots with some delicious food and drinks! The first tapas I’ve ever had came from La Trobada just a few blocks away from my hostel. The food was so fresh and delicious, especially paired with a huge glass of sangria! It was a good amount of food and is meant to be shared, but considering it was the only meal I had that day it hit the spot just right! There are so many tapas places to choose from and a lot of them have specials; just be sure to read the menus because prices vary wildly around town.
As I mentioned earlier there are so many bars to choose from, and honestly my favorites I stumbled upon completely by accident. One of these bars is Bobby’s Free; an exclusive cocktail bar and secret speakeasy. You need to know the code to enter, or lose your hair! Fortunately I was able to guess the password and keep my beard I love so much. Inside was a crazy scene of bartenders flipping cocktails and the coolest speakeasy vibe I’ve ever experienced. I was also very impressed with their old fashion, which I chose to be made with Sazerac to fit the vibe. Another really cool place I found was Síncopa in the Gothic District. This bar had an awesome alternative rock playlist and was a cool place to hang out and drink some Estrella; a very popular beer in Barcelona and so good!
Overall Barcelona was an awesome city to start my trip around Europe. I discovered a lot while I was there and meant some awesome people, but I know there’s so much I missed as well! I plan on continuing my blogging throughout Europe and will continue to share my experiences with everyone as much as I can with my iPad and a couple cameras. It feels great to be traveling again, and fortunately this is just the beginning!