Barcelona

It was so nice to see my parents last week! Hi Mom and Dad, this one’s for you for all you do for me and because we just had a blast in Spain. I couldn’t ask for better or more supportive parents and I’m so happy we have the relationship that we do. It made this trip and the past many years so much better than they would have been otherwise.

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It was strange when they showed me the Airbnb we were staying in in Barcelona and I saw that it costs over 200 a night compared to the 20 us college kids are used to spending. Kids and adults clearly travel quite differently -- going from eight people on two beds and a couch to three people on four beds and two couches is quite nice. It made the trip a lot more relaxing than trips before; I was even able to sleep in and take a siesta or two.

We saw almost all the sights too. The Sagrada Familia left me speechless, its size and vibrant colors transformed the inside into a forest out of a fairy tale. Later we headed to los bunqueros, a place I had recently heard of which was supposed to be a great spot to see the sunset. When we last minute decided to go, we really had to book it in order to make it to the top in time. I thought rushing up the steep slopes of those hills was going to kill my parents, but the view was so worth it. 360 panorama of all of Barcelona – mountains rolling into the Mediterranean in the background.

While Madrid is pretty, Barcelona definitely has it beat. The Palacio Real rivals the Sagrada Familia for now, but once it’s finished the Sagrada Familia will be far superior. They got gorgeous beaches, sea ports, and the Mediterranean and we got plazas and the Madrid Rio. And palm trees are much more elegant than any of the trees we have here in Madrid. That being said, I like Madrid more. This may not be true all over Barcelona, but everywhere we went it seemed very touristy, as if it’d be hard to find a true native Barcelonan. In Madrid, except maybe around Gran Via, everyone is Spanish – and they speak Spanish too, not Catalan. And there is so much to do and so much good food in Madrid (there is in Barcelona too, but I’m biased). I’m glad we got to visit Madrid too!

Anyways, this was such a fun trip! I really hope we can add Trev to the mix and travel again as a family sometime. Maybe we can go to Norway? We’ll see. Thanks for visiting! See you in June!