What an incredible, whirlwind of a Halloween weekend. I have a bit of blogging catch-up to do... but I have been trying to focus on writing in my physical journal more this trip. There is something about having my ticket stubs, instant thoughts, pictures and scribbles from my time abroad in my hands that makes it all the more special. Regardless, I know that when I put in the work digitally it’s what will last and be shared.
Anyway, where was I?
Barcelona. What an incredible 5 days. It was an adventure, a reunion, a necessary break and a bender all in one. To keep it short and succinct, and to be sure I touch on things I want to always remember, I am going to give my very favorites; my "musts" and spots to come back to.
Let’s start with brunch. Sounds logical right?
Top Barcelona Brunch Spots:
Brunch & Cake Stating the obvious, I know! Some would say this trendy boutique eatery overrated and pretentious, but we all disagreed! The food is as 100% delicious as it is beautiful.
Flax & Kale My favorite we ate at, and the boys favorite to make fun of us of for the name. It’s vegan and absolutely delicious, and the major perks go to the fact that it finally held our first non-watery smoothie of Europe! Woo! It has a huge, spacious downstairs as well as an upstairs rooftop garden with seating so we found it great for our big groups. So good we went back twice.
Restaurants:
El Cercle A nicer restaurant but worth it for splurging; looking back on our trip it was probably the best sangria and paella we had. Look up "The Circle," it will say it's a sushi restaurant but when we went outside for lunch to the rooftop terrace it was tapas and sangria.
Restaurante Rosa Negra Bar/ restaurant with just what we were looking for to please our Mexican food cravings. All the margs, tacos and guac you could ask for, in a fun party setting perfect for before a night out.
We started off with chips and fresh guacamole, mango, guava and passion fruit margaritas, and then all shared the house burrito and the taco sampler plate with chicken, veggie, white fish and carnitas tacos. By the time we were finished the place had turned into a packed bar with kids our age meeting up for pregame drinks.
Poke Maoli Little, delish, do-it-your-way poke bowl joint at the beach. Pick your rice, veggie, protein and toppings.
Beach Bars: All along the beach front is bars and restaurants playing music, housing live performers and even selling drinks to go for the sand.
La Guingueta and Pura Vida were the only two we tried, but the drinks and prices were good and the vibes were even better. My question is why don't we do more bars and beach shacks on the sand in the U.S.?
Top Adventure Spots
The Bunkers Abandoned ruins at the top outskirts of the Barcelona hills make the perfect sunset spot. Everyone brought their own drinks and picnicked with wine and an incredible view overlooking the whole city.
Playa de Barceloneta This is the main beach, and it was so warm that we swam even in late October. Vendors walk the length of the beach giving henna tattoos, selling souvenirs and even making you mixed drinks from their own vodka, tequila and mixers. Very Cabo-esque but you gotta love it.
Mercado de la Boqueria My favorite market in Barcelona; stalls and stalls filled with exotic fruits, smoothies, cheeses, to-go dishes, tapas and veggies to try. And... SO cheap.
Parc de la Ciutadella Walk the entire thing, even though it is full of tourists and street vendors it's beautiful and well worth your time.
Parc Guell & La Sagrada Familia Obviously these two are a must do. If you had to pick one of the two I would say do Parc Guell but buy tickets online! We didn't so we didn't go inside the gates but the entire park is beautiful.
Clubs:
Probably what you were waiting for me to get to? Our friends studying in Barcelona showed us the ropes of where to go out, bars and clubs wise. Here are the best spots we hit in our 5 days in the “party capital of Spain”.
Pregame/Bars: Chupitos, Dow Jones, George Payne, The Room
Clubs: Razzmatazz, Pacha, Opium
"Grathias," Barcelona for a crazy, beautiful 5 days!