Weekend Trip with Friends #2: Conquering Barcelona in only 2 days

February 19^th and 20^th

Barcelona is unlike any city I have ever seen and simply massive – conquering Barcelona in two days was quite the challenge, but I think we conquered it, and more importantly, we had a lot of fun exploring this city together! It has a vibrant, city-like atmosphere, as well as the peacefulness of both the sea and the mountains.

Barcelona from Toledo is quite the trek. Thursday night, we left from Madrid at 11:30 p.m. on an overnight bus and arrived in Barcelona at 7:30 a.m. Friday morning and started our adventure from there!

The first thing we did when we got to Barcelona was find the place we were staying. We stayed in an Airbnb which means that you basically stay in someone’s apartment for the weekend. It was in the Gracia neighborhood of Barcelona and the area was a little less touristy and very peaceful. When we arrived, our host was there to greet us – she was so nice! She gave us a map and told us the “must-sees” in Barcelona. She also made us coffee which was much needed after spending the night on a bus! Then, we were off!

The most peculiar thing about Barcelona is the Gaudi architecture. We were walking in the city and then there would be the Gaudi architecture that kind of just caught you off guard. Here are two of Gaudi’s masterpieces in the city that we saw, Casa Mila and Casa Batlló:

Next stop was the Cathedral. We went inside and also climbed the tower and saw a view of the city.

Then we went to the famous street called La Rambla. It is a long street with shops on each side. This street just felt like Barcelona to me. It was city-like, but also had a peaceful atmosphere.

We went to the market to buy some bread and fruit for lunch!

Later in the afternoon, we headed to La Sagrada Familia. Wow was it massive and stunning. This church was worked on by Guadi in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a way of putting art at service of Christian faith. At his death, the project was continued, but it is still unfinished to this day!

The outside is breathtaking because of the amount of detail. This is one side of the building, and the figures represent different events including the wedding of Mary and Joseph, the birth of Jesus, Jesus preaching in the temple, and many more.

The inside of the Sagrada Familia was also breathtaking and massive. My favorite part was the stained glass windows.

The last adventure of the day was Parque Güell. Since we got there after the normal hours, we walked right in without paying – score! We first saw the main part of the park – more cool architecture. Then we wanted to catch the view of the city while the sun was setting, so we hiked up the woodsy part of the park and made it to the top where we had a full view of the city!

Friday was a very full day! We went to a restaurant for dinner and then went back to the apartment and crashed.

First thing Saturday morning, we went to a cute café for breakfast and had coffee, chocolate caliente, and melindros. Yummy!!

We decided to go back to Parque Güell to see it during the day time – It was pretty during the night, but in the sun the park was even more stunning! We climbed to the side of the park where there are three crosses on a rock, we were so high up and had an even better view of the city than the night before!

We spent a while enjoying the sun at the park, and then headed to Barcelonita.

First stop was a 3 course meal – I got sausages and potatoes, cod and cooked veggies and for dessert I tried the “mal y mató.” The two main courses were so delicious, and the dessert tasted better than it looks, but it still was not very good haha!

Next stop, the beach! It was the middle of February and the beach was still packed, I can’t imagine how busy the beach would be during the summer!

After the beach, we walked the Picasso Museum. The museum was really cool and the area around it was also really pretty. It was a good, relaxing way to end our time in Barcelona!

That night we headed to the bus station and took another overnight bus back to Madrid and I got back to Toledo at about 9 a.m. Sunday morning. We packed a lot into two days, but I feel like I got a good taste of Barcelona from only two days and I am so grateful that I was able to visit this city in Spain!

Lessons I have learned from traveling:

It is better to go in with no expectations of the place or for yourself while you are in the place. It is important to remember that everyone has their own experience.

Don’t compare trips or try and compare the place to somewhere back home because chances are there are no adequate comparisons. Every place is truly unique.

Just relax and have fun! There is no pressure to do absolutely everything, just enjoy what you are doing and don’t keep thinking what is next on your list.