Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain

The view from the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.

This post has been a long time coming, especially since it's been over a month since I returned home from Spain. Finding the words to describe a place like Barcelona is a challenge. There's so much to say about every aspect of this city–the architecture, the way people dress, the cobblestone streets, the FOOD–it's never ending. I've never been good with words and no matter how many travel writing articles I pin to my bookmarks tab, it will always remain a challenge for me.

Photography is where I do my communicating. 

So today, i'm taking you back to Barcelona through my camera lens, the view from which I spent almost all of my time getting to know the city. The other amount of time was spent catching back up to the group.

A little back story on the reason for the spur trip. My brother Andrew had been studying architecture in Barcelona for the Spring semester (he's back home now). Myself, my boyfriend Joe, and my mom all thought it best to visit sooooo we did. My wallet would have appreciated a few extra months of planning, but why pass up the opportunity to go abroad when you can, ya know?

Shop this print!

Rooftop View

Shop Now →

Montjuïc & Jardí Botànic de Barcelona

We spent our first day meandering around Montjuic, a hillside overlooking the southwestern part of the ocean. Over in this corner of the city lies Olympic Park, the botanical gardens–Jardí Botànic de Barcelona, and a whole lot of fantastic sites like the one below. 

The yellow brick road at Olympic Park.

The Cotton House Hotel

The Cotton House Hotel, once the site of a former cotton textile foundation, Fundación Textil Algodonera, is a designers dream. In 2015, it was refurbished into a hotel, keeping in mind all of its beautiful cotton house details–marble staircase, cotton textiles, embellished floors, ceilings, and walls. I was totally obsessed with this place.

The funny thing is, I didn't even stay here. My mom did. Frankly, my hotel isn't worth the time to describe (on a budget you know), but The Cotton House deserved a little piece of this post. See how beautiful below....

A delicious European breakfast was served every morning–Iberian ham, croissants, oatmeal, fruit, etc. It really rivaled my basic cubicle granola bar + two cups of coffee with a splash of milk breakfast.

Every room had a row of floral drawings lining the walls, acting as headboards.

I got so many decorating ideas from this hotel like these hanging plant baskets. I've also already planned my future beirgarten and tiled patio. So..just need the house.

Cool Architcture & Design Details

Never have I ever been to city where so much time was spent looking up. Up at the flower-filled balconies, saturated buildings, and most of all, the intricate designs of Antoni Guadí's Catalan Modernism architecture. Drawn from his passion of religion and nature, Gaudí's influence can be seen all over this city. 

I love the contrast of these two building's balconies.

Casa Batlló

One of Guadí's masterpieces, Casa Batlló was at the top of my list of things to see. The colorful façade made out of, trencadís, the art of using broken ceramic tile shards, caught my eye a long time ago. The crowd to see this building was overflowing onto the street, and now I can understand why. It is a remarkably beautiful building. Known as the House of Bones because of its skeletal, organic quality, Casa Batlló has so much detail. Another cool feature, the roof is arched like that of a dragon or dinosaur, lending to its bone-like structure. A truly impressive sight.

Lots of little pockets of graffiti and art lined the streets. Not always the kindest of words,  but I still thought it was kind of cool and worth noting.

Where we ate

As always, there is no shortage of food while traveling. We ate at some amazing places. See below.

Paella was on my to-do list. As was Sangria. As was fresh seafood. 

Barraca was a great restaurant overlooking the ocean. Request a seat on the second floor next to the window and definitely order the chicken croquettes and cod fritters. We also the ordered steamed mussels, Iberian Ham plate, the whole rockfish piece (and I mean whole), and, of course, the seafood paella. We were hungry. Can you blame us?

Another must go, Can Majo. Can Majo’s food presentation was exquisite and there was so much of it. We obviously ordered the paella again among other things like the lobster stew (a famous dish there), the cod croquettes, and the fried artichokes. 

If you like craft beer, then head to the BlackLab Brewery, walking distance from Can Majo. We loved the Claudia. I also loved their logo. So cute. 

Little details from Barraca that I loved.

The seafood paella from Barraca.

Barcelona surpassed all of my expectations and I still have so much to share with you like Park Güell. Until then, check out my trip to Majorca. 

A special thank you to Colby Buchanan, our travel advisor, for helping us plan such a great trip.

---

Related Reading