My Barcelona adventure

It was the mussels. They were perfect. I just love the feeling of sitting in a restaurant, being hungry, seeing the waiter arrive with the food, trying it – and then – feeling immediately that it is one of the best things you ever tasted. If this is accompanied with a delicious Rioja, I can be considered the happiest woman on earth for a moment. The restaurant was Rossini on Plaça Reial close to La Rambla in Barcelona.

My top favorite - Plaça Reial - even beautiful in the evening rain — My top favorite – Plaça Reial – even beautiful in the evening rain

Barcelona for me was good food and wine, Flamenco, Gaudi (his work blew me away) and my lovely travel companion – my mom. Finally we got to go to Barcelona together, which we have been talking about for so long. Carpe Diem!

There are a few practical things one should know before visiting Barcelona for the first time, here are a few tips:

Tip #1: You simply cannot visit Barcelona without seeing the Park Güell and Sagrada Familia (the famous cathedral). But you should know, it is not that easy getting in, especially to the Sagrada Familia. I went there on a saturday and didn`t get tickets until the following monday. Be smarter, buy tickets online before you go to Barcelona – that way you make sure to get in when you want to. You can buy the tickets here.

Tip #2: when visiting the Park Güell, do not only see the part of the park that you need to pay to get in to. Take your time, stroll around the free part of the park, sit down and listen to the various musicians playing in the park and just enjoy. For me, this park was as close to meditation I will ever be – just wonderful.

Listening to a wonderful musician in Park Güell

Tip #3: leave the Rambla! In the side streets, there are wonderful hidden gems and stores to discover. I liked the street called Calle Girona – lots of outlets and nice little stores to get lost in.

Tip #4: see the flamenco show at Tarantos (Plaça Reial)! The show cost only 10 € and last 30 minutes, with wonderful musicians and dancers (it is a small club with a small stage, but the show gave me absolute goose bumps). The shows on La Rambla are grand, but they will cost you over 40 € and the cozy atmosphere at Tarantos really appealed more to me then the grand feeling. Pure emotions!

Flamenco in Tarantos - pure emotions — Flamenco in Tarantos – pure emotions

Tip #5: it was very touristy, but to take the Bus Tourístic is a wonderful experience if you want to see a lot in a short amount of time (and especially without walking a lot). I must say, I enjoyed it!