Barcelona 3.0, part 1

What did I/we do on the third visit to Barcelona? Well, the husband and I became tourist guides to our traveling buddies, showing them the sights that we love, sharing with them the food whose memory kept our mouths watering and the overall charm and vibe of the city.

It was fun sharing my love of the city with someone who is seeing the city for the first time. I was like a kid waiting for her mom’s approval or disapproval, you know. I would show her/them a sight and if she went crazy for it, I was in heaven; on the flipside, if the reception was lukewarm, I was down-hearted. Funny but that’s how it was with my emotional state when showing my friend the city I love the most outside of my City By the Bay.

As I mentioned previously, our hotel we stayed was centrally located in busy, touristy, happening Las Ramblas so we were able to see the sights around this area on foot. If we wanted to go outside of this area, the metro/subway station is just outside of our hotel, very accessible.

Among the places we visited on this short stay (we were there for a cruise) were the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell, among others, and outside of the city we went to Montserrat and Girona.

When we visited the Sagrada Familia, we purposely skipped taking the transfer metro to get to the church. Instead, we decided to walk to the church from the metro station, which was at least a 20-minute walk. What a beautiful morning it was for a walk when the city was still asleep. We were able to enjoy the quietness of this vibrant city, away from all the noise of the tourists. Everyone got a thrill out of this experience of seeing the city where actual residents live and not transients like us. The 20-minute walk stretched out longer because there was always a beautiful building or a house that was selfie-worthy. It was a pleasant leisurely and satisfying stroll.