Marvellous Feels: TRAVEL: When in Barcelona...

View from el Parc Güell

Hello guys ! I know it has been a little while since my last post (ok, more than a little) but I've been terribly busy taking my A Levels. It has literally taken my time away from me, I thought it would never end. But it diiiid, and guesss what ? It's SUMMER TIME ! I'm so freaking excited. I'm currently in Morocco and I have so much planned for holidays. I'll tell you all about it in my next posts! Travels are such a big part of my life, I love traveling so much. I feel like the world is such a huge and beautiful place, there's so much to see and I just want to see it all !
About traveling.. Last spring, I travelled to BCN, an amazing city I always wanted to discover, before heading to Morocco for prom. I got to see my friends and family, expose to the sun, relax and recharge, it felt amazing and was such an amazing break from school and life in Paris.

So, that was for the catch up. Now.. I HAVE to tell you guys about my little trip to Barcelona. What. a. city ! I mean, seriously, I was stunned in every single way. I had never been in Barcelona before. When I was little, I used to travel to Spain a lot. I saw many cities from Séville, to Marbella or Cadiz but I've never been to the two "major" cities of Spain : Barcelona and Madrid (makes no sense, I know). Anyway, I decided to finally book a plane ticket and head to this gorgeous city. I took my mom with me for some quality mother/daughter time and BCN, here we are !

- FIVE DAYS IN BARCELONA -

View from the top, at Parc Guell

DAY 1 - We've arrived on Monday and stayed until the evening on Saturday. I think I fell in love with Barcelona at first sight. I had had a crappy morning but when I led my eyes on this city, it felt a whole lot better. From the airport, we went straight to Plaça Catalunya, a really nice place in the center of BCN where we can find lots of stores to go shopping and nice places to sit and eat. We decided to eat before doing some shopping. Topshop, Urban Outfitters, Zara, Oysho.. Gosh, it felt like heaven to me. we bought a few things I'd love to show you later, and then we went to our hotel to get some rest and prep for our busy-visiting week.

El Mercato de Gloriés

Gloriés, by night.

Barcelonian subway

DAY 2 - We got a closer look to what makes Barcelona, Barcelona. Today was all about Antoni Gaudí. What a genius ! I was so impressed by his work. We walked across el Passeig de Gracía and got to see la Casa Mila (la Pedrera) a modern building designed by Gaudí. Then, we visited the Casa Batlló. The side wall made me want to go inside. There are so many colors, different forms and the whole thing is so impressive! After our visit, we went for lunch. We wanted to try local food so we chose tapas and paella, so yummy, I love food in Spain (ok, maybe I love food everywhere, I'm quite the food addict but still, it's so good). Last stop was the very famous Parc Güell. It's such a nice place, if you go to Barcelona, you can't miss it ! And after that, partaaayyy!!! Yeah no just kidding. I actually broke my arm in the morning so I spent the night in a hospital, from 8pm to 3am, not the best part of my trip, I have to admit.

Side wall at la Casa Battló

_______________________________________________________________________________Side wall at la Casa Battló

Inside the Casa Battló

Lights at the Casa Battló

In the balcony at the Casa Battló

Tapas at Taller Tapas

View at the Parc Guell

Salamandra at the Parc Guell

DAY 3 - we visited a lot of things. We went to the Picasso Museum, there was an exhibition comparing Picasso's and Dali's work. It was so interesting to look at the similarities between the two artists. A band was playing on the front, it was so fun, I love the energy in this city. Then we saw the most impressing monument of BCN : La Sagrada Família. Wow, just wow. I love to visit churches because we can always see incredible constructions but clearly I had never seen anything like this before. This church is so different, there are so many colors and we can clearly recognize the work of Gaudí. It was so big and impressive, I was so stunned. Then we kept visiting and shopping. We saw the Barcelonian Arc of Triumph and spent the rest of the day shopping.

Inside the Picasso Museum

La Sagrada Familia

Inside La Sagrada Familia

Arc de Triumph

DAY 4 - Another great morning in Barcelona. You get so used to this great city. Everyone is lovely and positive vibes are around every corner, so refreshing ! That day, we visited a place that freaking blew my mind. El Palacio de la music catalana. Breathtaking. I'll just let you see for yourself cause there's no way I could possibly describe this beauty. If you go to BCN, don't just walk past it, the inside is so impressive and it's a must see. After that, we got to enjoy the Gothic Quarter, we walked past lovely small streets. For lunch, we decided to go to the port. Great sea food! It was San Jordi's Day and everyone was so happy. Women were receiving roses and men got books. It's such a nice little tradition here. Our final stop was el Mercato de La Boqueria. I wanted to go there cause my friend Aurelia talked to me about it. I absolutely didn't regret it. Fruuuits everywhere ! I'm such a fruits lover, this was heaven to me. It's a cool little market, you can find fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, meet, cheese, pretty much anything actually, and it's so not expensive, I loved it.

El Palacio de la musica Catalana

El Palacio de la musica Catalana

Church at the Gothic Quarter

Little patio at the Gothic Quarter

The port

El Mercato de la Boqueria

DAY 5 - Last day of our trip. We went to Montjuic where we got a closer look at the Foundation Juan Miro. I love what he did here. It's a great place for every artist. He wanted to have that one place where every artist could express himself through art. There are many exhibitions where different young artists get to show us their work. We also got to see his work. It's funny how knowing what was happening at the time helps you actually get the meaning of the art work. Try to read what's written on the walls when you go to the museum, it helps you understand what you see and also makes you notice the impact of history on the work of the artist. We went back to the hotel to get some rest before our last night in Bcn. We went to the Font Magica in La Plaça Espanya. There's a free show every night from 9pm, there's music, many lights and super nice water jets. After that, we went to our much expected show : Flamenco at el Tableo de Carmen ! I read a lot of positive reviews on trip advisor, and we got a super discount on the net. Always check before you book something, I simply wrote "Tableo de Carmen discount" after I picked the place and there it was, our 50% discount that very same night! Before the show, there was a great dinner. It was a buffet and the food was amazing (and so were the desserts, omg, I'll definitely remember those) There was so many choice and it was soooo good. Then, we went to another room to watch the show. We were very close and it really was amazing. I definitely recommend this place.

We were leaving the next day so on the last day all we did was shopping and enjoy our last Barcelonian lunch in Las Ramblas. I also got a mani/pedi cause I was headed to prom in Morocco, this last day wasn't really about exploring. I was so sad to leave. I'll definitely come back very soon. BCN is a great city, the energy here is amazing. I love how life is in Spain, it's so nice and simple. Spanish people are so positive and you never feel like you're being judged in the streets (couldn't say that about Paris..). Anyway, great trip, lots of fun. I can't wait to go back there.

I hope this little city guide was helpful. There is so much to see in Barcelona, this is what I got to see. Take the weekly card for the subway/bus, you'll use it a lot. But also, walking in the little cities is very pleasant. Take some time to simply lose yourself in this city, you'll get to see places you didn't plan to see and you'll get to feel the amazing energy in this city.

How about you guys, what are your plans for summers ? Are you traveling ? If yes, where to ? Have you ever been to Barcelona ? I'll see you guys very soon with a new post. I hope you're enjoying you're holidays, isn't summer the very best part of the year ? Much love, see you very soon - Maria.

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