Barcelona, the city of Spanish flare and tapas.

We didn’t go to Barcelona with the mentality that we need to see everything it has to offer us in a week. Yes, a week is a short amount of time to experience all of Barcelona considering the tasty food, architecture, tours, museums, and beaches. But we still wanted this time away from home to feel relaxing at the same time. We did get to see and try the majority of the things we were looking forward to. Here are some of our favorite things.

Tapas and Paella. I almost want to say the tapas and paella are a good enough reason to visit Spain all by itself. Something we ate everyday. Barcelona’s food is very rich in flavor. We took a cooking class to learn how to make their famous paella (recipe coming soon!) and the instructor gave us some info about the life and food of Spain. One interesting fact about the Barcelona population was thing was that they don’t usually say, “let’s go get some tapas” instead they say “let’s go to a bar”. When people “go to a bar” they already know they will be eating tapas and drinking sangria.

Seafood Croquettes and Patatas Bravas were our favorite tapas of the town.

Croquettes are a divine breadcrumbed and fried roll of seafood or ham, usually bound with bechamel sauce or mashed potatoes. 

Patatas bravas are deep fried diced potatoes smothered in bravas sauce. The bravas sauce is a slightly spicy condiment that gives the potatoes a kick.

Unique Historic Architecture And Rich Cultural Heritage. Streets and alley ways are lined with stone built architectural buildings. Pop-up shops, boutiques, and cafes are all inviting as passing by these alley ways.

It’s no wonder why this region of Spain is known for the art and architecture. The whimsical Sagrada Família church and other landmarks designed by Antoni Gaudí are scattered around the city.

Local Markets. St. Josep La Boqueria is one of the most famous local farm fresh markets in the city! Located right along the busy La Rambla walkway. A place where farmers, fishermen, and bakers open up their shops early in the morning to sell seasonal goods and close right before the evening. A few goods you can find are: fruit smoothies, chocolate churros, spices, jambon and manchego, ready to eat fruit, fresh fish and eggs.

And last, but not least, the Food! It’s pretty phenomenal all around. I know I’ve mentioned the tapas and paella already but the rest of the restaurant food is what I’m talking about. The espresso, jambon, chocolate churros, seafood dishes, gelato, etc.

All the restaurants know how to serve up a great shot of espresso/espresso beverage. You definitely won’t be in for a mediocre cup of coffee. The seafood dishes at some of these restaurants are also out of this world! One of my favorite restaurants was Les Quinze Nits which served Catalonian food (08002, Plaça Reial, 6, 08002 Barcelona, Spain). I highly recommend the patio seating in the summer time. There will be a wait, but it’s totally worth it. Also, try the seafood restaurants located on the beach boardwalk where they are caught daily. It’s as fresh as it gets!

That about sums up our trip to Barcelona this summer, adiós until next time. 🇪🇸

Have you been to Barcelona? What were some of your favorite things about it? Leave a comment in the comment box below, I would love to hear!