BARCELONA

La Pedrera

I've been back from vacation for close to a month now and feel like I should be posting some of Brandon and my "Best of Spain" pics. So here it is - first up: BARCELONA

I first went to Barcelona in 2003 when I was 20 years old and it mostly consisted of party hostels, hitchhiking and Maoz Falafel. This time around I really wanted to sleep off the jet lag by the pool, eat good food and be the traditional tourist.

Rooftop pool at Hotel Soho

I know a lot of people want to "live like a local" when they go to Barcelona and rent an apartment for a month, but the reality is we were only there for two days, we didn't know anybody living there and it's a beautiful city, even the tourist attractions. So we did what any tourist would do: we woke up really early and explored the Sagrada Familia. Here's a pic that Brandon took of people taking pics of a model of the Sagrada Familia inside the Sagrada Familia:

Sagrada Familia

Afterwards we headed to the Gracia neighborhood. We had gotten up at 7:30 am so naturally at noon we were hungry and ready for lunch. Unfortunately, that doesn't fly in Spain. When I asked the waiter for the lunch menu, he told me that we were there before breakfast so we drank some wine and it sufficed.

Gracia

Getting ready for fiesta in Gracia

Later that evening we met up with my friend Aaron who coincidently was also visiting Barcelona from NYC. Aaron was doing the Air BnB thing and happened to be rooming with someone who used to be a Barcelona tour guide. She was able to give him recommendations on good paella, more obscure Gaudi buildings and a bar where Gaudi and Picasso used to hang out - what a treat! But first we went to the Erotica Museum.

Aaron & I at the Erotica Museum

To tell you the truth, the museum was a little underwhelming, but by the end of the night we were so full on paella, mojitos and whiskey that it was great way to wrap up two days in Barcelona.