A Chance Encounter with... delicious donuts!
As a little girl, I dreamed of strutting through the Barcelona streets just like the Cheetah Girls did in the Cheetah Girls 2. Instead, I arrived exhausted with a large backpack at nearly midnight. Not quite as glamorous, but it was equally as exciting.
We woke up the next morning, excited, and ready to go. We set out towards the ramblas where we knew we would find something to eat. We came to a window displaying beautiful donuts and knew that was our breakfast for the day. Choc had donuts and other pastries decorated in fun colors and over the top designs. If they tasted half as wonderful as they looked, we were set. (They did!) Needless to say, it seemed like a grand way to start out two days in Barcelona. From there, we walked through the Ramblas.
La Rambla is a bustling street. The area in town is full of little kiosks selling cheap souvenirs and restaurants selling tapas. The Ramblas led us to the harbor district where we soaked up some of the summer sun. There were countless sailboats in the harbor, making it one of my favorite spots in the city. We walked along the harbor towards the Gothic Quarter.
The beautiful architecture of this area was charming and beautiful and is interspersed with colorful buildings and balconies overflowing with greenery, flowers, and of course laundry hanging to dry. We walked towards the Arc de Triomf, grabbed a quick (delicious!!) bite to eat at Taco Alto, and then went on a Gaudi hunt!
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Gaudi is an architect known for his outrageous designs. We started on the Passeig de Gracia. The street is full of beautiful luxury shops, but many people flock towards it for Gaudi’s Casa Batlo and Casa Ameletller. Casa Ameletller is one of his more tame designs, but Casa Batlo is just as out there as I expected.
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From there, we went to see his most famous creation, La Sagrada Familia. This massive church has been under construction for 131 years now and is expected to finally be finished in 2026. Each element of the basilica is perfectly representing various characters and stories of the New Testament. It’s beautiful and extravagant just as to be expected from Gaudi.
From here, we made the hike up to Park Guell. This is the last of the major sights designed by Gaudi. This park hosts incredible tile mosaics, beautiful views of the city, and stone columns and archways. We of course took this opportunity to take loads of pictures.
The city is absolutely stunning, and this was a spot that showed off all the city had to offer. After we took in the sights, we rushed to the Boqueria market so we could see it before it closed.
The market is full of bright colorful fruits, candies, nuts, meats, and so much more. It was a sensory overload that was full of life and personality. We picked up small appetizers here before eating a late dinner that night.
The next day, we started out with more pastries (surprise!). From there, we went back towards the arc de triomf to enjoy a nearby park for the morning before we needed to catch our flight. We stayed there for a short time before going back to the Boqueria to grab some more of the beautiful food before we went towards the airport for our next destination: Rome!
Spain was a beautiful country that I would gladly visit again. I’d love to see Madrid and Seville (and the finished Sagrada Familia!) so I am sure I will be back!
Lots of Love,
Shelly
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