A week in Barcelona

La Pedrera / Casa Milá

For some odd reason, Barcelona had never really been on my radar as a travel destination, even when

American Airlines added this Spanish city to its list of destinations several years ago. But earlier in the year, while thinking about what European city might make a good candidate for a week-long trip, Barcelona suddenly popped up, and it didn't take long to decide on a visit.

Montjuïc Castle

My original plans had been for a somewhat shorter visit than what I ended up with because of bike races that sandwiched the vacation. But when I suddenly was cut from the crew of one of the Texas USAC races for cost reasons I had an extra few days of time—and thanks to a strike in London's Heathrow airport American re-accommodated me at no cost on a flight to Madrid and then onward to BCN several days before my original travel date. With my Airbnb already booked I was able to apply a soon-to-expire hotel certificate as well as some IHG points to the two extra nights for a $300 saving. 

Thank you for the upgrade, AA

Is this London? No, it's the Glòries Tower in Barcelona!

Madrid's Barajas airport

Let me say this upfront: Barcelona is an extremely attractive city! Despite its size it is somewhat intimate with its various neighborhoods that have distinct characters. There is ample to see in a week, and I didn't even set foot into any of the dozens of large museums. Getting around the city is easy as it is quite walkable and laid out in an easy-to-navigate grid pattern. The weather this time of the year is very pleasant, with daytime temperatures in the low 70s, ample sunshine, and negligible winds; the evenings are cool, but dining outside is still a distinct possibility with just a light jacket needed to keep off the chill.

For what would have been the original portion of the trip I was joined by my friend Birgit, who lives close to my hometown of Schleiden in Germany and who many years ago had been engaged to my brother. Last year, after several decades, we had taken up contact again, and with some major turbulence in her life and a needed break we had decided that a few days together in a new city for either one of us would be just right. She had left most of the day-to-day planning to me, and visiting the major attractions of the city together definitely was more fun than doing so alone.

The tower in front of the Airbnb

Montjuïc Castle

View of part of the city from Montjuïc

View of the Mediterranean from the castle

During my first two days in the city I went on two long walks that took me up to the Montjuïc castle, through the bustling port district, and through the La Rambla neighborhood. Walking Barcelona's wide sidewalks, looking at the stunning house facades, and simply flowing along with the typically European pedestrian traffic is simply pleasurable. The fact that on Good Friday somebody stole my cell phone while we were sitting in one of the many excellent brewpubs put a damper on these positive vibes, but stuff happens—and unfortunately Barcelona is known to be home to some of the best street thieves and con artists around. 

Casa Batllío at night

The Customs House

La Boqueria, an old market hall converted to a hip food paradise

Our visit coincided with the busy Easter weekend, and I had feared massive crowds, long lines at must-see tourist attractions, and store and restaurant closures, but none of that materialized. If anything, the restaurants were busy with the locals, small supermarkets stayed open 24 hours a day, and buying tickets online ahead of time meant that we didn't have any wait time to enter the sites with their sights as long as we showed up at the appointed hour.

For those of you considering a trip to Barcelona, my advice is to come up with a rudimentary plan of what you want to see and then buy the tickets ahead of time, online. You will find the best prices on the official website for places such as Parque Guëll, Sagrada Familia, or La Pedrera / Casa Milá. With an assigned entry time you will not waste time standing in line to purchase tickets and, worse, be disappointed when all of them are sold out. Prices vary from €10 for the park entry to almost $50 for a night-time visit of Casa Batllío that included a fancy virtual reality visual / audio guide as well as a rooftop glass of cava. Some of the places we visited offered a Senior discount of up to €6, while others didn't. Including our guided half-day tour to the monastery of Montserrat we spent about €205 for entry tickets. There are various "Barcelona Cards" that offer different types of free entry, transportation, and discounts, but after studying the various options I had decided to limit our "tourist time" to a manageable amount.

Photos from the Palau de la Musica

Barcelona is a city that has been strongly influenced by the architect Antonio Gaudí. Actually, that's probably an understatement: His influence on the modern (since the late 19th century) Barcelona is immeasurable. Before the trip I had heard of Gaudí, but I really had no idea of his genius! Be it designing what we'd nowadays call a gated community (Parque Guëll), gutting and totally refurbishing four-story homes in the heart of the city in the most avantgarde and unheard-of ways (Casa Milá or Casa Batllío as prime examples), or being hired at age 31 as the lead architect for the brand-new and impossible Sagrada Familia cathedral (which may finally be finished within my lifetime thanks to construction methods that Gaudí had invented but that were technically still sci-fi during his lifetime), this man and his work are simply mind boggling. 

Antonio Gaudí

Photos from Casa Milá / La Pedrera

Gaudí's influence is all apparent. Walk the streets, and it won't be long before you see a facade, a row of balconies, some other architectural feature that reminds you of his organic, nature-inspired style. I tell you, it was a joy walking the streets and looking up and seeing something that screamed I am Gaudí! Throughout my entire visit I had a really difficult time wrapping my head around this incredible mind, this architect extraordinaire, this visionary—and also a man who tragically died when he was hit by a streetcar in the 1920s! Well, that should teach us a lesson, and it might have avoided my cell phone fiasco. Stay grounded, at all times.

Photos from Casa Batllío

Quite likely the most impressive site that we visited was the aforementioned Sagrada Familia cathedral, that is in its final stages of full construction. For me, it is not possible to use the appropriate words to give it its proper due. There's so much history (even if condensed only into about 130 years since the first stones were laid) and so much other detail that one could write a book or two. Other people have done that, and you may just use good old Mr. Google if you are interested in learning more about this truly unique,  cathedral. I promise, you have never seen anything like it or even imagined that anything like it could exist. Of course, like so many places in Barcelona and the world it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but this one is just so mind-bending that you simply have to see it. 

Photos from Sagrada Familia

As I am on the way to the Panama while I am writing this, and time is at a premium after only a 48-hour layover in Lubbock that didn't allow idle computer work to start, much less finish, a blogpost, I will spare you the nitty-gritty details of this short vacation. I won't go into the ideally situated Airbnb on the Plaça de Vila de Gracia that I had secured, the one overlooking the square with its bell tower and the old town hall on the south end; I can't devote enough time on the scrumptious tapas that Birgit and I shared at end of long days of sightseeing; and I'll refrain from commenting too much on the thriving beer culture of Barcelona. All this is a bit of shame since a year or two hence I won't remember all the details, as is my faiblesse. 

OK, all that said I should mention two things.

Number One, tapas in Catalunya, the extremely independent and often separatist province of Spain in which Barcelona is located, differ from tapas in other regions of Spain. They are more of a meal, similar to the porciones and raciones that I had encountered on last year's trip to the Rioja and Burgos, more expensive and just not as much of a stand-at-the-counter-in-the-bar kind of thing than more of a sit-down affair.

Number Two: The brewpubs and micro-breweries that I / we visited were of extremely high quality, much better than I had expected. Spain does produce its own strains of hops, as I found out, but at the end the local brewers know how to use the staples of the world market to produce fine foam! On our last evening, just 200 meters from the Airbnb, we visited Barcelona's oldest brewpub, Cervesera Artesana, truly a nano-brewery. As someone who had grown up with German pilsner, Birgit had been wondering about where my passion for IPAs, their flavors and their stories, was coming from. So, when I struck up a conversation with the brewer and he offered to give us a tour of the two-barrel operation, I jumped at it, only to convert one more person doesn't have to be factory swill. Birgit had never smelled fresh hops, and she is now a convert.

Two days after the cellphone disaster we went for a full-day excursion by train to the small city of Sitges, about an hour south of Barcelona and situated directly on the water. I had read somewhere that this visit is an insider tip, but it seems that half the world consists of insiders. The narrow streets were crowded with national and international visitors, and the long beach promenade was pretty much a madhouse. Still, it was our one time right on the water, and we had an extensive lunch stop right by the harbor. As for the entire trip, the weather totally cooperated, and we enjoyed this excursion just as much as our cultural visits in the big city.

On our last full day in Catalunya we went on a half-day semi-private trip by bus to the monastery at Montserrat, about 45 kilometers to the north of the city. Together with another six guests we were treated to not only a super-scenic drive to the 3,000-foot tall massif that towers over the plain that stretches toward the Mediterranean but also to expert commentary by our guide, Theo.  Since this was an afternoon tour we had the place almost completely to ourselves, a totally unexpected bonus since usually it is teeming with selfie-consumed turistas. From way up on top of the mountain we had an incredible view toward the Pyrenees in the north and the verdant valleys stretching that way, belying the current state of drought in much of Spain as of right now. What a great way to finish this trip.

Photos from Montserrat

As I said, I'm on the way to a race in Panama, finishing the words of this blogpost in the Terminal D American Airlines lounge in Dallas before continuing for an overnight hotel stay in Miami tonight, where I hope to add the photos. Don't make the mistake I made and wait for 67 years to go to Barcelona. Just do it. Do it during a time that may have fewer tourists than the high season in summer. Do it regardless of the relatively high cost. Do it despite the warning of pickpockets and other thugs. All that doesn't matter. Go see Barcelona!

Jürgen