snapshots from barcelona
(part two)
Alright, where we were?
Oh right. Passeig de Gràcia. The grand boulevard upon which I walked up and down, back and forth everyday. Pretty soon (really quickly, actually) I was able to know exactly how much farther it was to the hotel based on the shops around me, and orient myself from landmark to landmark without even peeking at Google Maps.
I mean, there are worse places to have to walk through on a daily “commute” to touristy itineraries.
one of the few places that can pull off high fashion + fast fashion coexisting seamlessly
Don’t worry, we did do other things besides drool over architecture. We also ventured beyond Passeig de Gràcia… all the way to the water.
another day, another park
Nothing like a stroll through the park during golden hour. A great way to kill some time before that dinner reservation you made at 9pm trying to fit in w the locals by eating way later than your California appetite desires.
it’s the climb, or rather, the ride
Note to self: why bother going up when you can barely see 10 feet in front of you?
Answer: for the cable ride, apparently.
Another note to self: go back to Montjuïc on a sunny day, it looks like it could be magical.
market days
When we weren’t walking around Gràcia, we were probably wandering in loops around the Gothic Quarter. But no trip to Barcelona is complete without a dip into La Boqueria.
It was a little quiet in the morning, a lot of stalls were just getting started up. But (esp when in Europe) I’m a sucker for some pretty produce so I happily curated a breakfast of fruit and empanadas.
PS: probably the most amusing thing from this trip was finding out that fruit salads are called macedonia in Catalan.
gothic quarter strolls
Barcelona, you’re pretty cute.
Gothic usually isn’t my thing. Sure I can get behind a medieval cathedral or three, but it gets tired, and it’s just a little too dramatic for my taste (although, hmu with some baroque and I’m all eyes).
But the Gothic quarter is fun to walk around, filled with teeny alleys in turn filled with teenier shops.
(left) I mean, look. how. cute.
(below) stumbled upon this behemoth of a structure. had to google to figure out where we were and what it was. after further investigation, still not quite sure. But I appreciate the architecture.
spent a solid hour in the picasso museum following a woman who could not for the life of her understand that she had to turn off the flash on her phone, or how to do so.
2 rules:
1. always make time for snacks
2. don’t be too ambitious when ordering tapas
I mean, can we just appreciate this light?
let’s go the beach
Sometimes though, you just have to get out of the middle of it all. And sometimes, you don’t have to go far to feel far away. On our last day in Barcelona, we went to El Poblenou. Granted, it was a brisk day, so the beaches were not exactly populated. But even though it’s a stone’s throw away from tourist central, it felt like for a moment we were the only tourists there, among lots of locals.
until next time, barca.
[ Last Edited: May 2020 | Last Visited: May 2019 ]
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