My Favorite Places in Barcelona

I have been spending quite a bit of time in Barcelona as of late. I feel like I’ve really come to learn the city. I know where things like the grocery stores and Laundromats are and I have favorite hot spots and restaurants. I really feel like I know if better than I know Baltimore or DC which Iived 30/45 minutes outside of for almost 10 years!

I can list off the best tourist sites and the slightly hidden gems. I know the best fresh juice stand at La Boqueria (open air market of La Rambla) and which one over charges you. I can get around the metro like its my job (it kind of is haha) and I just feel comfortable. I can understand super basic catalan signs and speak well enough Spanish to make dinner reservations and coordinate with bus drivers and soccer team facility managers. I have picked up tickets for concerts, tours and soccer games in various locations around the city. I know which streets are a bit dodgy at night and which sections aren’t so bad. It’s a really cool feeling to have a city so far from home that I feel so comfortable in.

Some of my absolute must see spots are:

La Sagrada Familia – The massive church a little ways outside the city designed by Gaudi (Who tragically died when he was hit by a tram on one of his daily walks. They thought he was a homeless person for a few days before he was identified as the city’s greatest artist). It’s beautiful beyond all belief and MASSIVE. It’s still under construction and won’t be finished for another ten years or so.

FC Barcelona’s Stadium Camp Nou – I love this stadium. I love this team. Let’s go Barca! So much passion and history behind this awesome place. Definitely a must see museum/tour. And holy gift shop! Three floors!

Park Guell – Another Gaudi influence. This park is so pretty with tons of trails that you can hike for free. You can enter the main sector for a small fee and the view is breathtaking! Though the line can be long so buy tickets ahead of time!

La Boqueria – This is the open air market off La Rambla (often referred to as Las Ramblas by the locals). It is so neat! There are tons of fresh fruits, juices and candies. It’s also right next to La Rambla which has some neat shops, street vendors and of course Crepes! The Crepes on La Rambla are probably my favorite crepes I’ve ever had.

There’s so many sights worth seeing but those are probably my top 4!

Spanish Food

The longer I’ve stayed in Spain the more I’m learning that my dislike of all seafood can be quite bothersome in this country. They throw tuna in everything! Order a garden salad? TUNA. (No mention of the pesky fish on the menu of course. Just lettuce, tomato etc.)

What about potatoe salad with breadsticks (what.) TUNA. Why? Or at least notify me of the tuna –ness. As it is I’m lucky I’m not allergic and just am not a fan. It pops up in the most unlikely places!

Same with Paella. Even if it says chicken Paella, you can bet they will likely throw in some sort of seafood… often with no warning.

They are also rather fond of calamari, though I have less issue with that particular dish because it is typically rather well marked.

Enough with the negatives – I have discovered the beauty that is a croquette. SO GOOD. Think mozzarella stick, but more bread than cheese, usually with some chicken, ham or (sigh) tuna thrown in. They are delicious! My one complain (completely on me, not Spain) is that if you order a sampler plate you never know which is which so there is always the lurking possibility that I could accidentally bite into a tuna croquette!

Also, it would be remiss to not mention Haribo. Yes, like the gummy bear. I swear they are so much better in Europe. Haribo is native to Germany and I guess because Spain/England/Ireland are so much closer to Germany than the US that the quality here is vastly improved. They are so so good. I’m not a huge gummy bear person at home, I mean I enjoy one every now and then, but I’m not drawn to them. Here I’m all about them! I’ve tried the variety sampler packs, the strawberries, the sour packs and of course plenty of the classic gummy bears too.

Overall I have had a wonderful time abroad and I’ve done rather well eating wise. I’ve made a point to sample the local cuisine but I could definitely go for a Mountain Dew and some Doritos right about now!

The Beautiful Game - Live!

Over the course of my trip I have been lucky enough to see 5 live matches including seeing FC Barcelona 3 times, Manchester City twice and Real Madrid twice! I even got to watch El Clasico live! SO COOL.

I think some of my favorite things are the songs and the craziness of the crowds. There is one section devoted to the super fans and they have so much fun throughout the match. There is usually a leader who calls out the cheers and he usually spends majority of the match with his back to the pitch! Apparently his priority is directing his “choir” haha!

Some of my favorites include what appears to be wordless chanting to the tune of the theme song from Pippi Longstocking, I kid you not. It is so entertaining! That and at the English match when the opposing team section (who is blocked off separately – more on this later) left early the  whole stadium started singing “IS THERE A FIRE DRILL?” It was such an experience!!

As mentioned previously, the away team fan section is completely separate from the rest of the stadium. And when I say completely separate, I mean completely separate. They are sometimes put in what actually looks like a cage! In every instance they are put in a specific block and surrounded by neon security guards! They even have to stay seated until all the home team fans have left the stadium.

El Clasico was far and away the coolest match I got to witness – Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona at Camp Nou (FC Barcelona’s home stadium). Prior to the game I got to witness my first riot of sorts. It looked sort of controlled but there were definitely flares and chanting and loud bangs which I can only hope were more fireworks rather than gun shots. But oh the spirit! I love Europe and their enthusiasm for the beautiful game! In the US, even if the National Team were to win the World Cup I don’t think you would see such passion.

At several games I saw full grown men jump up and down and hug and kiss each other after a goal was scored. One fellow was so invested in the match that when the opposing team was awarded a PK he actually left the section. He couldn’t stand to witness an opposing goal. He literally was openly crying when Barca won.

In another instance I got to witness a man and his son have the absolute time of their lives. If it hadn’t been for their appearances it would be hard to distinguish adult from child just by their mannerisms. Both yelled and sang and cheered with unabashed passion.

I love the beautiful game and I feel so blessed to be a part of it. Women’s World Cup coming this summer. LET’S GO!

I Have a Thing for Bookstores

Everywhere I go I find myself being drawn to bookshops. I can't help myself - if I see a cute shop or I hear of a unique bookstore I have to find it and go in. Here are some of my favorites:

This picture I am literally planning on putting on a canvas to hang in my house. I just absolutely love it. It's rustic and authentic and represents an amazing memory.

This first three pictures in this post are from Aqua Alta Book Store in Venice. It's off the beaten path but someone I met at the hostel  tipped me off about it. It was so totally worth the venture out past the tourist stops in Venice near St. Mark's Basilica.

This is from a library museum in Venice!

I stumbled on this beautiful little shop in the middle of a walking lane. I love little gems like this. 

That tiny bookshop had books that were hundreds of years old. 

There's beauty everywhere you look, you just need to keep your eyes open.

Malena

A Wonderful Life - How to Not Feel Homesick on Prolonged Travel

I love to travel, but even so I still appreciate home. I was feeling just a little homesick tonight (Skyping with your puppy will do that to you) but here are a few tips for prolonged travelers missing home, but loving life:

1) Skype home. Skype is a beautiful thing. You can have real conversations with the ones that mean the most. I try to make a point to talk with people back home as often as I can. The App WhatsApp is a great way for quick messages to keep in touch too!

2) Do something you would do at home. Something bordering mundane. For me I took a walk to the mall next door and ate some pizza and gelato (okay gelato is still quite travel-y but I mean... gelato. I have a strict "Eat Gelato At Every Opportunity" policy, so let's move along) and just walked around the mall. Sure the language will be different, but the people are the same. Teenagers trying to fit in and twenty somethings desperate for the next Lush product. Although please note trying to read Lush labels in another language is quite challenging... especially when you aren't sure if its in Spanish or Catalan haha!

3) Make the hotel like home. For me that means sweats, country music and a bubble bath! Traveling and exploring go hand in hand but every now and then you need to take a day or an evening off and just be a human. Put your feet up and read a book, ya dig?

4) Watch your favorite TV shows that you've missed while traveling - there are tons of apps that help with this! As for me, I use Xfinity. It gives you a sense of normalcy.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change a thing about what I've been doing and where I've been going. I'm just lucky enough to have a wonderful home to miss.

Here's to a quiet evening and much more adventure to come! I'm off to Madrid in the morning.

Malena

Laundromat Adventure - Making New Friends

I had to do laundry in a Spanish laundromat, and boy was it an adventure. There isn't one close to our hotel so I had to take the metro and explore a bit. Then when I found the laundromat they were out of detergent and so was the market next door. I then had to go around the corner and get more but I got horribly confused about what was detergent and what was softener. After a lot of confusion I bought the world's biggest bottle of what I thought was detergent and headed back to the laundromat where I met the friendliest woman on the planet. She helped me get my clothes going but asked where my soap was... oh no. Yup. Sure enough it was in fact softener I had bought. ACK. Luckily they had loaded detergent into the softener dispenser and my new friend knew that so she helped me out and we got my clothes going.

I then had my very first prolonged actual spanish conversation!!! We talked about the weather, how we missed summer and the beach. We talked about food (I pretended to like seafood because I know a lot of sea vocabulary, haha) and it went pretty darn well! There were times I was just nodding along, but for the most part I knew what she was saying and could respond when she asked me a question! I'm pretty darn excited about this and I think my Spanish is really improving. Who knows - in three weeks when I head home maybe I'll be super awesome at Spanish! We shall see.

Sometimes it's the little experiences that stick out and for me this was one of those. It was so cool to just interact and get to know a stranger in a strange place in another language. I hope this is the first of many such experience

Barcelona Baby!

I love this city. Upon arrival we did a lot of recon around the hotel were the team would be staying in Placa Espanya. I'm slightly exhausted from running around so much, but it was great to get to know the area.

Since we've been in Barcelona we have hit all the hot spots: La Rambla, La Sagrada Familia, the Olympic village/ port and I even got to see an FC Barcelona game in person! It was every bit as amazing as I thought it would be. I got to see Messi score three times! It was phenomenal.

Tomorrow we are off to Park Guell (One of my favorite spots) and to tour the FC Barcelona stadium. It should be a good day.

I'm loving this city, but boy am I tired! My knees and legs are slowly giving out. I'm hoping to get some serious sitting time done in the relatively near future so I will be ready to go for Madrid!

Malena

Ireland, Wales and England - Oh my!

I flew into Manchester after a few hectic weeks for quite the European adventure. I landed in Manchester and immediately went into the office to do some work. In the afternoon I got a quick nap and headed off to dinner with the staff. The next day me and a few staff took off for Ireland! I had never been so I was naturally pretty excited.

Once we arrived we found our hotel (eventually) and settled in for the night. We met the team the next day and explored downtown Dublin. It was really neat! I even tried a beer for the sake of my irish ancestry, haha.

The next few days were quite busy as I was getting into the routine of touring again. I went for a lovely run around the outskirts of the city of Loaghaire and found a rainbow! It was pretty awesome.

On our way back to England we made an impromptu stop (the later ferry was cancelled so we left Ireland early) in Wales and explored the seaside for a bit.

Then finally we stopped for an afternoon in Liverpool! I got to see where the Beatles got their start.

We also spent the next day exploring Chester, England. It was a quaint little historical town and I loved exploring the winding streets.

Now I'm in Spain! More to come soon.

Malena