Barcelona

March 23-27

Accommodation: The Black Swan Hostel– great location, walking distance to most attractions, and close to the metro. We stayed in a 10 person female dorm and we met some cool people at the pub crawl run by the hostel on our first night! It was nice and clean – nothing amazing but no complaints!

Day 1

We did the Sandeman Walking Tour again (same company as Amsterdam & Dublin) and got to get a feel for the city with our tour guide, Leon. He was from London but had been living in Barcelona for 14 years, and he was great. We learned about some interesting history and legends of Spain, saw the Barcelona Cathedral, and the Jewish quarter. We got some delicious Spanish omelette and sangria for lunch. After the tour, we headed towards the beach do more exploring. We found Parc de la Ciutadella on our way – it’s a huge park with lots of people lying on the grassy areas in the sun and many buildings, fountains, and statues to check out around the park.

Barcelona Cathedral

We went to the beach first, where it was a bit chilly but nice to walk on the boardwalk. We stopped for some fresh seafood paella at a place called ‘Chiringuto Las Sardintas,’ which my friend had recommended to me – I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone going (the BEST paella).

Then we headed back to the Parc de la Ciutadella to sit in the sun, when we all fell asleep lying on the grass for a bit. We found a gorgeous fountain in the middle, and some really beautiful buildings, and walked by the Arc de Trimopf.

Arc de Triomf

Parc de la Ciutadella

   

At night, we decided last minute to join our hostel’s pub crawl – for just 1 euro, we got 2 free shots, and free entrance into a club called Opium. The bars were a lot of fun, and we met some cool people staying at our hostel from all over the world – from as close as Toronto (Yonge & Lawerence), to as far as Chile, Brazil, and Australia.  The bars were small but fun, with cheap drinks. The club was really touristy, with many international people there – but it was like something from out of a movie. Half was inside, and the other half was outside with fire heaters, leather couches and palm trees.

Day 2

We had a nice but long brunch in the morning – we are slowly realizing that part of the Spanish lifestyle is that meals are an event, and sitting down for a quick meal is not an option. We walked around La Rambla, the main shopping street, in the morning, but a lot of shops were closed for Good Friday.

In the afternoon, we toured the Sagrada Familia, the church designed by Gaudi, which has been under construction since 1882, and is expected to be completed by 2026.  The inside of the church was unlike anything I had ever seen before – couldn't even capture it in photos.

              

After a short rest, we headed to meet our group for the Tapas Tour also with Sandeman’s – we really like this tour company because the prices are great and the demographic is young travellers like us. For just 15 euros, we got a tour to 3 different Tapas restaurants, with a good amount of food and drinks included. We met a group of 8 friends from Singapore, all on exchange in different places around Europe and travelling together for their Easter break. They were really nice and a lot of fun, and we enjoyed sharing stories of what it’s like living in Canada versus Singapore.

At the first stop, we learned about the Basque people who live in certain areas of Spain and speak a different language. Their version of tapas is called ‘pinchos,’ and it is served on a piece of baguette. We also got to try their premium, all natural cider and learn about how it’s made, and take turns practicing the special pouring technique.

The second stop was Segons Mercat, a Michelin star restaurant located in a fisherman’s village by the beach. We were given a glass of wine, and 4 tapas to try – pan con tomate (bread with tomato), croquettes with ham and cheese, chorizo sausage, and patatas bravas (potatoes with garlic aoli) – all were delicious!!

The last stop was Restaurante Pasa Tapas, where we all entered the bar area at the back. We were given some seafood paella, and we got to try Porron Wine, which is served in a traditional wine pitcher with a spout to pour into your mouth. Its purpose is to allow a group of people to share the same pitcher without touching it to their mouth. After sharing some sangria, we headed home to sleep!

Porron Wine Pitcher & Paella

Day 3

In the morning, we went to Park Guell, where we were disappointed to discover that they had implemented a ticket system since both Monica and I had been there, and they were sold out for the day. We couldn’t enter the monumental zone, but we still got to walk around the area and see some of the monuments from outside.

Park Guell

After that, we headed to Passeig de Gracia to see 2 famous Gaudi houses, Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. Then we spent the afternoon shopping on La Rambla and went for lunch in the Boqueria, a market right on the main street. I had fresh fruit juice for 1 euro, an empanada, and some chocolate covered strawberries. It was a busy but beautiful market with tons of fresh fruit, juices, and smoothies.

Casa Batllo

Casa Mila

First (of many) Juices

We went to the Magic Fountains, which come up often as a top tourist attraction but were kind of underwhelming. Then we got a late dinner at Taller than Tapas, where Katherine and I shared 4 tapas dishes – fried cod, nachos with guacamole, chicken wings, and patatas bravas… and some sangria, of course.

The Magic Fountains

Day 4

We spent the morning packing and checking out, and then we went for a delicious brunch at a place called Firefly. We caught our bus to Valencia at 2:30 pm, and had a beautiful 4-hour drive along the Spanish coast.