5 Days in Barcelona

In celebration of my 30th birthday, I decided to take a trip to Barcelona, Spain, a place that had been on my bucket list since I was a teenager. I booked a flight, did some light research, and hopped on a plane in search of my first international solo adventure. One long overnight flight later I found myself in the land of endless sangria and paella. My first day there started off with quite the frenzy due to a terrorist attack in one of Barcelona’s most popular tourist areas: Las Ramblas. Shops closed up early and people scurried indoors to seek shelter from any potential further attacks. I followed suit, checking into my Airbnb, and settling in to rest up for a full day of exploration and adventure.

Day 2 of my Barcelona adventure entailed hailing a taxi ( for the first time) to a local bike shop to meet up for a tour I had booked. The tour was described as a winery tour…which turned out to be a glorified pub crawl on bikes. From there I made a pit stop for some gelato before setting out on foot to do some wandering and exploring around the neighborhood. The day ended with a visit to the Baltic House, a personal pan paella and sangria from a local restaurant.

I met day 3 feeling feverish and chilled and decided to forgo any exploring in order to rest up for the remainder of my trip. After spending the majority of the day in bed, I revived myself around dinner time to make the walk to another experience I had booked: a paella making class. The amiable chef taught us how to make the most delicious chicken paella, creme brulee, and sangria.

On day 4 I took a bus up to the top of the city to Bunkers El Carmel. The view from the top was so stunning and worth the little hike to get all the way to the top. After making my way back down and having dome lunch, I decided it was time to visit the Mediterranean Sea. I hopped on a bus, beach bag in tow. I realized a little too late that I hopped on the wrong bus and was actually heading away from the city into a sketchy part of town. Two and half hours later, I finally made it back to the Gothic Quarter where I was staying and shelved my beach dreams for a different day.

Day 5 in Barcelona found me finally visiting La Sagrada Familia and finally making it to the beach. I walked along the beach for several hours, chatting with Europeans on holiday and collecting sea glass.