Spain 2017: Barcelona

Spain 2017: Barcelona  | Organized MessSpain 2017: Barcelona  | Organized MessSpain 2017: Barcelona  | Organized MessSpain 2017: Barcelona  | Organized MessSpain 2017: Barcelona  | Organized MessIn August I took a week and a half trip to Spain with a few of my close friends. It was the most beautiful, magical and breath-taking trip I have ever been on. Each day was so exciting and we saw and did so much in such a short amount of time. It was exhilarating and I still feel like it was all a dream. Our trip consisted of 3 different cities: Barcelona, Mallorca and Madrid. Barcelona was our first stop and such a fun way to kick off the trip!
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We stayed in the charming Gothic Quarter. The winding, narrow streets looked like they were straight out of a movie. I loved looking up and seeing everyone's balcony filled with cacti, beautiful flowers and interesting plants. The streets were filled with delicious smelling cafes and unique shops. After settling in on our first afternoon, we headed down towards the water for our first meal. We ate at Bestial and indulged in so many incredible things and we officially had our first paella of the trip! The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze and it felt so surreal to smell the sea and to hear everyone speaking in Spanish around us. After our late lunch we wandered around, stopping for coffee at Cafe del Born and indulging in flavorful espresso. I forgot how delicious the espresso (and everything else) is in Europe!
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We started off our trip strong with the most fulfilling dinner at Bar Tropezon Tapas (after our already amazing lunch!). We ordered nearly everything on the menu from baby octopus, to prawns, croquettes, bread and a few potato dishes. We followed dinner with gelato and then beers with lemon fanta (my new favorite thing) at The Box. The next day we continued our food-focused trip around Barcelona and indulged in ham, mini burgers with guacamole, a fresh salad with smoked salmon and various cheeses in a massive garden at El Jardi. And of course we had a refreshing pitcher of cava.
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We walked around, looking at different street art and stopping for coffee and drinks whenever we pleased throughout the day. We also stopped for dessert at Chok where we tried various kronuts - yum! That night we continued our trend of making various pit stops at different bars for beer. The most perfect thing to happen on our last night in a new city? We laughed so hard we cried that night at Bar Pastis while listening to Edith Piaf and French accordion music. It was the kind of laughter that physically hurts (and burned because of my mascara!) but it was so incredibly soul cleansing.
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Our last day in Barcelona was filled with the touristy things we hadn't done yet. Our first stop was the Boqueria Market on the Ramblas. The market was huge and had almost everything you could think of, including cones filled with meat and cheese! (I promise it seemed more delicious than what it sounds like). I had the freshest coconut mango juice for a Euro and a half. And then we made our way to the Sagrada Familia. It was breathtaking to see (even among all of the construction). We also walked by the Arco de Triunfo as well. Our last stop was at a beautiful restaurant, SantAgustina, for more beer with lemon fanta.

Barcelona was such a beautiful, tiny city! Despite it's size there is SO much to do and see. It was a great way to start off our Spanish trip before heading to the island of Mallorca.