Happy Friday! Or maybe, Flashback Friday?
Well, in my case, it’s Super Fleshback Friday! How come? Because of a simple fact that my trip to Barcelona took place exactly 2 years ago minus 1 day. Somehow I never got around sharing these pictures with you, and as they say, better late than never!
If you’d like to catch up on my previous adventures in Europe, don’t be shy to check out these posts:
- Trip Recap: Paris Is Always A Good Idea (Part 1)
- Trip Recap: Paris Is Always A Good Idea (Part 2)
- Trip Recap: The City Picasso Was Born In – Malaga, Spain
- Trip Recap: Picturesque Seville & How To Travel On Your Own Safely
- Trip Recap: Granada, Spain – The City of Hidden Gardens
After enjoying Granada, my brother and I took an overnight train to Barcelona. It worked for us because we didn’t need to pay for a hotel and at the same time we didn’t want to sacrifice any day time that we could spend exploring Barcelona instead.
We quickly checked in in our hostel which was not too far from a train station, had a bit of rest and headed to La Rambla, the main boulevard that cuts through the heart of the city. It’s definitely the place where a lot of action takes place, but it can be overwhelming with hundreds of tourists and vendors. Make sure to watch out for pickpockets and scam artists!
In order to try to escape crowds, we wandered a little bit off the boulevard and came across Palau Guell.
It is a truly magnificent building and a World Heritage Sight. It was designed and built by Antoni Gaudi for the Guell family over 3 years between 1886 and 1889. Gaudi used only the finest materials. It is nothing short of impressive.
After a prerecorded guided tour, my brother and I decided to walk around and visit some of other landmarks.
After travelling a bit all over Europe and experiencing changing temperatures, we both got sick. The medication started wearing out at that point of the day, so I just took pictures instead of being in them.
Barcelona is an incredible city. You don’t really need to hunt for beauty, it is literally everywhere. No wonder why some people refer to Barcelona as the city of dreams!
This is me jumping next to Casa Battlo, one of the famous modernist buildings created by Antoni Gaudi. I guess no cold can take away the excitement of seeing beautiful and unique architecture like this.
Gaudi was truly a genius. One of his most well-known works of art is undeniably the unfinished church La Sagrada Familia.
Did you know that ‘…the outside is still being built and was at 65% completion in 2013. Only 8 towers of the 18 spires are finished. The plan is to complete the Sagrada familia church in 2026 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death in 1926. When it is finished it will be 144 years since construction began…‘, according to this article.
Here is how it is expected to look like when it’s finished:
The only word that comes to my mind is VISIONARY.
Check in with me next Friday to travel back in time to Barcelona for Part 2!
Have you ever been to Barcelona or Spain in general? What did you think of Gaudi’s creations?
Missed some of my most recent posts that created great discussions among my fellow bloggers? Here is your chance to catch up:
- Running Wisdom: be kind, be YOU, your health journey is what YOU make of it.
- Should You Run With Or Without Music? Chime in the ongoing conversation!
- 5 Running Must Haves: What are your running necessities?
- 5 Pieces of Advice You Need for Your First Half Marathon from Coach Suz: Do you have any advice to share with new runners?
- How Yoga Has Helped My Running Game: Any other runner-yogis out there?
- Running With a Dog: From bare basics to a training plan for your four-legged friend to spring into action.
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xoxo
Olena
candies & crunches 
Great pictures, looks like such a fun trip! I have not been to Spain yet, on my travel wish list. 🙂 And the creations are gorgeous!
Thank you! There’s so much in the world to see!
What beautiful pictures! I will have to check out all of your Europe trip posts! Thanks 🙂
Too bad my hubby couldn’t be there with me. Europe is truly magical!
I totally remember those recaps. Let’s run off to Europe and then come back and visit each other’s cities!
I would do it in a heartbeat!
I have been to Spain twice. I loved Barcelona and Madrid! So much history and beautiful architecture.
Haven’t had a chance to visit Madrid, but hopefully one day!
This brings back great memories! We were in Barcelona last summer which was our 3rd time and I still feel like there’s so much more I missed. A beautiful city for sure, although La Segrada is very heavily under construction now. So hard to see and enjoy.
I totally understand! It’s a bittersweet feeling when something you’d like to see is under construction: You want to make sure that it’s preserved for future generations, but at the same time you want to see its beauty too, especially that you’ve come such a long way.
Wow! Beautiful pictures! I have always wanted to go to Barcelona! What a fun pic of you jumping. How many takes did you have to do to get that good one?
Oh gosh, there were so many people passing by that it was probably around 5-10 haha!
Since I just started following your blog I’m glad you posted these pictures late. And thanks for posting the links to your previous posts. I’m planning a trip to Europe next year so this is perfect timing for me. Barcelona looks absolutely amazing!!! ~Amy
That’s fantastic! Where are you planning on traveling?
We don’t even know yet! We will start planning this summer but I’d really like to go to Spain, France, and Italy.
Nice! I’ve been to all three. My heart is definitely in Rome though!
Barcelona was one of my favorite cities to visit! All of the Gaudi stuff was so cool wasn’t it?
Yeah, I wonder where he took his inspiration?!
Beautiful photos – glad you shared them…eventually!
Haha! Thank you!
Great pictures! I’ve never been anywhere out of the country minus Canada and Mexico!! Looks like a great trip!
Thank you, Michelle! One day! There’s so much to see in the world!
I agree!!!