Barcelona (2007)

My cousin, mother, grandmother and I all made a trip to Barcelona for a week in June, 2007. It was a wonderful trip and was the perfect amount of time. Barcelona as a city has so much to offer, and we were also able to make a few side trips outside of the city.

We rented two small flats for the four of us, which was ideal, although I don't have a lodging recommendation. For more dining and hotel recommendations see my Barcelona 2006 post.

Katie and I out for dinner

Mom and I

The Barcelona beach

Relaxing along the port

See

La Boqueria Market - Come to drool over the fresh regional specialties and definitely pack a picnic!


Buela in the market

Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's premiere work is still under construction, which kind of makes it cooler to see... art in action.



Montjuic - This hillside fort offers gorgeous views of Barcelona and the Mediterranean. It's also fun to hike to the top, although I don't recommend doing this with your 80 year-old grandmother...

Buela survived the torturous climb to the top

View of Barcelona from the fort

Parc Guell - Parc Guell is a gorgeous park and the background for some of Gaudi's more whimsical art. I'll admit, however, that our visit to the park was atypical. My mom's conference had a party there and needless to say, it was amazing. The evening was the highlight of our trip. Party or no party though, you'll enjoy the park. ;)

The main park and party platform

View of the city from the Park

Performers

Catalan human pyramid

Katie and I enjoying the festivities

Buela showcasing some Gaudi highlights in the park

The famous lizard

A flamenco guitar player

Side trips

Sitges - Sitges is a cute beach town a short train ride away from Barca. While Katie and I primarily hung out on the beach, Abuela checked out the ancient church.



Montserrat - If you have more than a few days in Barcelona, I would absolutely recommend a day trip to the monastery at Montserrat. It was breathtakingly beautiful as you'll see in the below pictures.


The shrine in the monastery


Definitely take the funicular to the top!