On Friday, May 26th, my boyfriend, Dan, and I left for an amazing weekend trip to Barcelona! With only a few weeks left of living in Europe, we have been trying to make the most of it. We did not have school on Monday, May 29th, so this was the perfect weekend to getaway. After we finished school, we made our way to the Budapest airport. Our flight that evening left at 5:50 pm.
We arrived in Barcelona a little after 8pm and took public transportation to Badalona which is the area that our AirBnB was located in. We decided to book our AirBnB here because it was a bit outside of the city which meant it was A LOT cheaper. Although we had to take public transportation into and out of the city center, it was only 45 minutes- 1 hour which we find is very reasonable. After checking in and dropping our backpacks off, we took the metro into the city center of Barcelona. We walked around and eventually got some tapas and a pitcher of sangria at a restaurant. We sat there until it closed at 1:30 am and then made our way back to our AirBnB.
The next morning, we woke up ready for a full day of fun in Barcelona! Our stay in Badalona was a 5 minute walk to the Mediterranean Sea so we put our suits on and walked over. Although the water was a little cold, we both jumped in which helped to wake us up and get us excited for the day!
After hanging out at the beach for a while, we walked back to our AirBnB to shower and get ready for the day. Next, we made our way back into the city. We had reserved visits earlier that week at La Sagrada Familia for 1:30 pm. La Sagrada Familia was at the top of our list of attractions we wanted to see while in Barcelona. It is the largest, unfinished church in the world. It is one of Antoni Gaudí's most famous buildings. If you plan to visit Barcelona and visit La Sagrada Familia, make sure you book your tickets in advance as they sell out fast! Also, keep in mind that there is a dress code. For example, you cannot wear open toe shoes. You can find more information on their website. We arrived with just enough time to grab a couple empanadas beforehand. We were blown away by the beauty of La Sagrada Familia. It truly feels like no where I've been before. Gaudi's park right outside is a great viewing point if you would like to see a full view of the church.
After visiting the church, we went to grab lunch at a chain called "Honest Greens". Dan's student who is from Barcelona highly recommended it and we were excited to try it! It was absolutely delicious. It reminded me a little of Panera with lots of lunch options and everything was very green and healthy.
After lunch we made our way to the Arco de Triunfo and Ciutadella Park. The park was bigger than I thought so we spent a lot of time walking around and lounging. There's a zoo inside the park which we didn't even get to. There's also a beautiful fountain (shown below).
Afterwards, we met up with our friends, Vino and De, who are from South Africa and teach at the same company as us in Budapest! They just so happened to be in Barcelona the very same weekend. We bought tickets to a Taranto's show which was at a Flamenco theater in Barcelona. Flamenco is a traditional style of Spanish music which combines the guitar, singing, and dancing. It was an hour long show and we are so happy that we decided to go!
Afterwards, the four of us got dinner and then explored the nightlife of Barcelona. The clubs didn't even open until midnight so we had a late night! Later on, we stumbled upon a street party with a DJ and spent a lot of time dancing and singing there. It was an amazing night!
We slept in until around 10am the next morning (Sunday, May 28th) and took our time getting ready and packing our things. We had to bring our packs with us for the day since we were leaving from the airport later that night. Once we were ready, we headed into the city one final time. Our first stop was Barcaloneta Beach where we met Vino and De for some lunch and beach time.
Next, we walked over to the gothic quarter of Barcelona where we did spent a little time on Saturday but wanted to see more of it. I highly suggest visiting the cathedral and gothic quarter if you are ever in Barcelona.
Our final stop in Barcelona was Park Güell which was also at the top of our list of places to see. Park Güell is a private park filled with gardens and a beautiful view of the city. It is another work of Guadi's so it's very unique! We spent a couple of hours here exploring. If you plan to visit, make sure to get your tickets in advance as they sell out fast!
After the park, we took the train to the airport! Overall, it was an amazing weekend in Barcelona that flew by. Dan and I had such a great trip and were so excited for the opportunity to practice our Spanish. We both loved it and want to go back and see more of Spain someday. I'm so grateful for this wonderful opportunity!
Comments