Adiós Barcelona

Cam and I left Barcelona this morning after spending about a day and a half enjoying the city while fighting against jet lag. Before coming I had done minimal research about Barcelona. My main goal was to see La Sagrada Familia and Park Güell and to eat tasty food. Luckily we were able to do all three!

Day 1 we arrived to our hotel in the early afternoon - unfortunately it was too early to check in but we were able to drop off our backpacks and spend some time walking around the gothic district. While this might sound lovely, I was far too tired to appreciate much. My favorite moment was when we were walking along the port back towards our hotel and found somewhere breezy to sit under a shady tree. That was lovely.

In the evening after we finally were able to check in, take a brief nap, and shower we were feeling more human. Around 8:30 we made our way to a tapas place that had been recommended to us; there we enjoyed wine and tapas - our favorite was the anchovies with tomatoes. The evening was much more enjoyable than the afternoon. It was still light out because the sun did not set until 9:30 but it had cooled down with a evening breeze. We were able to enjoy this second walk through the gothic district much more. After the first restaurant we went to a second tapas location where we had beer and some more food.

Day 2 was our last day and only full day in the city. Over the course of the day we walked about 20 miles. We began by walking to Park Güell, where along the way we saw the exteriors of Casa Milà and Casa Batlló. Once at the park we walked around Park Güell and appreciated the nature, architecture, and views. From there we began our walk to La Sagrada Familia. On our way we stopped for a short coffee and cheesecake break before continuing. Unfortunately, we were not able to get tickets into La Sagrada Familia but we were able to see the crypt church when we came back in the evening for Mass. Despite not getting to see the interior of the upper church we still enjoyed the beauty of the architecture. And now we have something to still see the next time we are in Barcelona.

For a late lunch we went to Bar Central at Mercado de la Boquaria where we enjoyed multiple seafood dishes - all of which were delicious. This restaurant was picked because both Cam and I are big fans of the show Somebody Feel Phil and Bar Central is one of the restaurants featured in the Barcelona episode.

We have now left Barcelona and soon we will be officially beginning our Camino. We welcome any prayers you offer for us. Please let me know if there are any prayer intentions you would like me to pray for.

Here are some photos from our time in Barcelona:

Barcelona over 1 1/2 days