Barcelona, the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain and the city of Gaudi. I was so excited to visit!
Day 1:
Another Spanish adventure, this time with my mom. 
Our flight left the US Wednesday at 5:30 am arriving in Barcelona at 8:30 am Thursday. It was a long travel day. After landing in Barcelona, we were greeted with typical Spanish attention to Customs: slow and long lines.
We were originally not supposed to gain access to our Airbnb until 3pm but I reached out to the host and she offered to greet us there at 11! Yay! So we found the bus to the city center, then fumbled our way through the process of finding the right Metro to take the subway to our stop. (And losing my sweater in route). We stopped for a quick cappuccino and made our way to the Airbnb. What a sweet woman and her daughter! They greeted us at the door, showed us around and provided a map with a list of all the things we should see while visiting this Beautiful city!
After dropping off our luggage, we set off on foot to the Gothic Quarter, Barrio Gótic. So beautiful and full of Cathedrals, restaurants, shopping. This is the historic center of the old city of Barcelona. It is a labyrinth with many small streets opening out into squares. Most of the quarter is closed to regular traffic.
After coming back to rest a bit, we headed out to the old bull fighting ring converted to a shopping mall, found a little tapas bar for dinner/tapas and just enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city. 9.5 miles of walking today.
A few observations:
*gas is $6.24 per gallon, sold by the liter
*smoking is still en vogue
*people love their dogs and take them everywhere
*there are tapas bars everywhere!
Day 2:
Today was 14.3 miles of walking! We started out with cappuccinos and then walked to Plaza Catalunya, a central square in the heart of the city. We stopped to admire Antoni Gaudi’s Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. Barcelona is the city of Gaudi… his influences are everywhere. I love how couples walk arm in arm here. And entire families out for a stroll.
Next we made our way to castillo 
montjuic, an old fortress on top of a hill overlooking the city and the harbor. We walked up to the top. It was a loooonnnngggg hike. The views from the top were beautiful!
montjuic, an old fortress on top of a hill overlooking the city and the harbor. We walked up to the top. It was a loooonnnngggg hike. The views from the top were beautiful!We enjoyed a late lunch of gnocchi and then to the apartment for a quick rest. At around sunset we walked to a lookout near the National Art museum of Catalonia. The views were so pretty and there were people just strolling and listening to the street performers. The weather has been perfect, mid 60s and sunny.
We were both tired so went back to the apartment and had bread, cheese and strawberries for dinner.
More observations:
*I love how the Spanish dress. They are very stylish
*There are little water filling stations all over the city to encourage people not to purchase plastic bottles
*Spain just passed a law banning pet stores. They view them as inhumane. Breeders can raise puppies but they must be licensed and monitored… and puppy mills are an absolute no. 
*they have escalators outdoors to help navigate the hills
Day 3:
It is Saturday, the day my sweet international mentor daughter and her brother come to visit from Madrid. Mom and I went out first thing for cappuccinos and a pastry. Then back to the apartment to await their arrival. It was soooo great to greet them!!!
We then set off via the Metro/subway for Park Güell, another masterpiece of Gaudi. An entrepreneur, Eusepi Guell assigned the design of this urbanization project to Gaudi. The park was built from 1900 to 1914 and was officially opened as a public park in 1926. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was beautiful and so unique. It felt like walking through a fairytale storybook.
We then hopped on the metro back to the Gothic quarter where mom and I stopped for gelato (tiramisu for mom and a white chocolate for me) while my student and her brother did a little more exploring. Then off to Barceloneta, a neighborhood and beach on the Balearic Sea. The weather was perfect and the beach was absolutely packed with people out enjoying the perfect day!
We hopped on the city bus back to the apartment to rest a bit. We ended the night with an amazing dinner of tapas and paella! All in all 9.4 miles of walking today.
More observations:
*This is a very bike friendly city. Bike lanes on almost every street, they are well used and there are bikes to ride available everywhere.
*there are two primary languages, Catalan and Spanish. Catalan sounds like a mix of French and Spanish. It is pretty to listen to
*I really enjoy just sitting in the coffee shops and listening to everyone socialize. Spanish is a passionate language and people use passion in their conversation and a lot of hand gestures. I it!!
it!!
Day 4:
It is Sunday and there is free international mass at La Sagrada Familia for the first 500 people that arrive. It is the largest unfinished church in the world. Designed by Gaudi with construction beginning in 1882, it is expected to be finished in 2026 and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s history and story is fascinating -google it. 
. The mass was beautiful and I am so glad we woke early to attend. Mass was provided in Catalán, Spanish, English, Italian and French.
. The mass was beautiful and I am so glad we woke early to attend. Mass was provided in Catalán, Spanish, English, Italian and French.We then went for coffee and took the metro to the National Museum of Art of Catalonia. Art dating back to the 12th century was presented in a beautiful building. The museums are free the first Sunday of the month so we were able to enter at no charge.
Dinner was amazing as usual and afterwards we went back to the apartment to rest. In the evening we wandered out to a tapas bar for tapas (and Gin and water with lemon). Haha. I tried Spanish gin – not as good as English. 
. Another fun day!! Tomorrow we fly to Cadiz, on the southwest coast of Spain and we have to say goodbye to my sweet student and her brother. 
. Another fun day!! Tomorrow we fly to Cadiz, on the southwest coast of Spain and we have to say goodbye to my sweet student and her brother. We had a little time in the apartment in the evening and I taught them to play the card game, 31. This is a favorite of my family. . We have an early flight in the morning, so we made it an early night. Hasta luego, Barcelona!!
. We have an early flight in the morning, so we made it an early night. Hasta luego, Barcelona!!
