Barcelona, Spain //

Oh hey hi there hello. It's Amy, remember me? Yeah, I used to blog here back in the old days. That was, hmm, two months ago? Only 2015 kids remember. So, just to get warmed up again. I'm going to re-introduce y'all to my blog with a quick post about my recent(ish) trip to Barcelona, Spain. I can almost feel your excitement flooding through my screen. Almost, not quite, but we're getting there.

Not too long ago, it was my Dad's birthday.  Our last holiday had been in August, with only little trips to Wales and the south of England to keep the wanderlust at bay - and wanderlust had hit both my mother and I pretty bad. So, as a "birthday present" to my father (although mainly for my mum and I because he prefers colder climates) we booked a weekend away in Barcelona. Hopefully, by now you all know the story about my parents meeting in Tenerife, a small Spanish island, and my near miss at being an official-born Spaniard, and if you don't, well frankly you should pay more attention. Gosh. 

When I went away to Barcelona, I decided to take notes on a small notebook that I carried around with me, so that when I got home I could organise them into something I could comprehend. However, guess who didn't do that until everything had been forgotten? I'm  currently left with notes saying, I quote, "security, vodka, battle (flaus), windows less time than No Tears, 20 mins?!" So let's see how much I can distinguish out of those.









So, we all awoke early on Friday, took a taxi down to Gatwick Airport (driven by my uncle, v convenient), where we waited for our plane to get ready. During our wait, I managed to run over one guy's foot with my suitcase and nearly trip up over someone else's myself, so that was a brilliant start. We soon boarded, and after only a mere few hours (almost half than it would take for me to take a coach to Swansea) we were in the West of Europe, excited and anticipating my first time in mainland Spain.

The first thing I noticed about Barcelona was the vast amount of street art visible on almost every shutter we passed. In fact, one of my favourite things about just roaming the side streets was seeing modern graffiti on doors made in probably the 1920s, as it clashed really artistically. Our hotel apartment was situated in a little corner off Las Ramblas, which is a very tourist-esque 'outside mall' with a boqueria at one end and the gothic quarters at the other, and we were at the centre of street performers and native Spaniards alike. We had a small balcony which gave us a cute view of the buzzing atmosphere below, which was complete with a water fountain that seemed to be a meeting place for the locals. Breakfast was served each morning in the basement of the hotel - a dark, wide room with towering ceilings, which although would have been a perfect set for a horror movie, also turned into a bar in the evening.

Our first evening in Barcelona was spent with us just trying to get a hold of where we were in this famous city. We ate at a small restaurant in the square below where we met some people from Ohio and California who were inclined to be as enthusiastic as possible about my dreams to travel to Oregon, asking about football teams and other things I have no support for, whilst I gorged on some definitely-not-lactose-free churros and dip. 

One of the main reasons that my family and I wanted to visit Barcelona in particular was so that we could see Gaudi's work in real life. For those of you who don't know, Antoni Gaudi was a Catalan architect who designed the most beautiful gothic buildings in Barcelona, and had all these great, incredibly intricate ideas for towers and spirals that he never got to see finished. So, when we walked down to a few of his most famous creations, we were definitely disappointed. Although the work was fantastic, all the crates and scaffoldings that were being used to complete the work completely obstructed the view. Of course, this was to be expected as certain buildings like the Sagrada Familia are too complicated to finish in a mere few years, but we had thought that to some degree we would be able to appreciate all the blood, sweat and tears put into the flawlessly designed architecture. Saying that, what we did see was fantastic, with every little detail expertly crafted into beautiful little projects of their own, and if any of you guys get a chance to visit Barcelona, you can't miss Gaudi.

As some of you might know, Spanish is probably my favourite language in the world (including variants like Italian and Mexican), because I love the way that the words roll off your tongue. I've been studying Castilian, my most favourite dialect, and like to think that I'm half way to becoming fluent. So, when one evening whilst out at dinner, I asked for the bill once we'd finished, only to call it "la cincuenta" instead of "la cuenta", meaning that I'd actually asked for "a fifty". The waiter stared at me whilst my family and the people we'd been chatting to, just laughed. It wasn't my best showcase of the language.

Whilst out for dinner one night, we met a really nice Ukranian woman, who actually works in the travel industry (which is the dream - to travel and get paid for it). She told us some truly heart-wrenching stories about the fright she feels every time someone knocks on her front door, due to the current ongoing war, as she fears there will be an official standing there calling her husband out to fight. It was so interesting talking to her and finding out more about her story, and at the end of the conversation I gave her one of my business cards so that we can stay in touch.











Barcelona is commonly known as the 'city of art', and a much more relaxed version of its sister, Madrid. Due to this hazy, creative atmosphere that constantly surrounded us, we visited every museum and gallery and Gaudi building that we could. A lot of the simple architecture reminded me of that in other cities like Cardiff and even some parts of London, with the wooden beams and incredible, underrated detail in the frames, and they all seemed to share a very vintage-esque, grunge aesthetic. This meant that I had three times more photos of bricks and cement that I had meant to. We went into, I think, two cathedrals, with both having that classic look about them that you would expect of a Spanish 'misa'. The detail in the stained glass windows and roof were absolutely beautiful, a perfect staple of this little city. 

As you all know, Spanish is famous for its flamenco, a style of music played with guitars, with dancers twirling and clapping, and, as the classic tourists that my family and I are, we went to watch the local dances one evening. The good thing about the flamenco that we saw was that it wasn't holidaymaker-orientated, meaning that it was performed as a true portrayal of Spanish culture, not with plastic dresses and over-played Enrique Iglesias songs. The main dancer was a true professional and danced absolutely flawlessly, whilst the band behind her rolled their r's and hit the high notes against their guitars. I could have watched the show over and over again.

In downtown Barcelona, there is a small chocolate shop called 'Be Chocolat', where truffles and bars are made in front of you (which is always a nice touch), and I can't recommend it enough. Despite the fact that I'm lactose intolerant, I had great fun gouging on the mounds of chocolate truffles that we had bought. There are also lots of small, dainty shops filled with brightly coloured pots and handmade souvenirs, that really differ from your average tourist-in-mind businesses. I tasted some (slightly awful) tea in a little tea shop, and took some photos with the vibrant and bold person-sized-people-models, and it was a good day. We passed many, many street performers, many advertising their CDs and websites, giving Barcelona its over personal background music.

On our final evening, after having dinner at Las Ramblas, we went down to Barcelona marina as the sun was setting. I absolutely adore boats and anything ocean-related, and it was nice having a stroll down by the water as a warm breeze ruffled our hair and hugged our bodies like sleeves. It could have been improved by some candle-lit cafes overlooking the water, but all in all it was a cute little place to journey to, which I could imagine walking down to quite often just to admire the beauty of sunset-filled waves.










We left early enough to catch the Barcelona sunrise as we boarded the coach back to the aeroplane, which was truly stunning, as it lit up the beautiful architecture and palm trees around us. The pinkish haze of the busy city was a truly great vision to end the trip on.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time in Barcelona, and I would definitely go back there, even if only to check out places like Park Guell. I plan on getting back into regular blogging, so you should be seeing that from now on, and I'm sorry for having left for centuries. So, again, as always,

Have a great day, y'all!
Amy~~

Also, a sidenote - the layout of these photos is awful, I know, but sh, if we don't pay attention to it then maybe it'll just go away

78 comments:

  1. It sounds like you had a wonderful trip! I love your photos, I would love to go to Barcelona ♥
    Amy xx

    Little Moon Dragon

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    1. It was pretty good, thank you! Maybe one day you can go too, and I bet you'll fall in love too, just like I did!

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  2. Sounds like so much fun! Lovely pictures, by the way. And, no, I do not mind the layout. I think it's pretty cool and creative too.

    <3
    apieceofmysky.blogspot.sg

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    1. Thank you c: And awesome, some of them are a bit wonky which sucks, but I'm glad it's not too awful, aha.

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  3. Beautiful pictures

    Love Vikee
    www.slavetofashion9771.blogspot.com

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  4. Beautiful photos. Barcelona is such an amazing city
    http://www.mimosasandme.com

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  5. This sounds like a wonderful trip! I have always wanted to visit Barcelona. :)

    www.annescribblesanddoodles.blogspot.com

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    1. It was a nice trip, maybe you can go soon? You won't regret it!

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  6. Beauty photos and post :)

    *XoXo
    - http://helenaprimeira.blogspot.com
    - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8FHHl3dT3g
    - https://www.facebook.com/PrimeiraPanos?ref=hl

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  7. Amazing photos! I can't wait to travel the world "when I grow up."
    ~Kathryn

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    1. Awh same here! I think it'd be a super awesome experience c:

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  8. Omg, I've always wanted to visit Barcelona! Love your holiday shots & thanks for popping by Luxury Haven. I'm following you now at BlogLovin & Twitter & would love to have you follow me too! xoxo

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    1. Ah why don't you go? It was super awesome, thank you c:

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  9. Haha I love your writing style, "only 2015 kids remember" ^_^ x

    ratherstrangeblog.blogspot.co.uk

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  10. Hi dear, great photographs!
    R: The other language that I'm writing is Portuguese from Portugal. So is natural if you recognized some words because Spanish has a few identical words.
    xoxo
    BLOG // FB PAGE

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    1. Thank you! And ohmygod I've done this with two blogs now! I was like 20% right, right ><

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  11. Some great shots there, madam. Photo 19 and 20 seem to get along well, leaning on one another like that.

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  12. Wonderful post :)
    Have a great week !

    http://www.itsmetijana.blogspot.com/

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  13. Sounds like a lovely trip! I'm always scared of asking for things in another language. Always feel embarrassed. Ha. I'd feel a bit sad seeing old fashioned doors graffitied!

    Glad you're back!

    Corinne x
    www.skinnedcartree.com

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    1. Thank you! And I know right! I'm meant to be good at Castilian as well ><

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  14. Oh my gosh! These photographs are breathtaking! I love it!

    Connie | Sponsored by Coffee | Etsy

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  15. So glad you're back! A trip to Barcelona sounds like a great birthday gift! What a beautiful city, and pictures. I can tell you had fun :)

    Lera's Affordable Fashion Blog

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    1. Aha thank you! And I know right?? Like ignore Christmas, birthday presents are ftw if this is what they're made of!

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  16. You're back!!! I was starting to worry my friend :)

    It looks like you had an awesome time in Spain. It's on my list of places I want to visit too. Can't wait to see more posts soon. welcome back to the blogging world :)

    Xoxo Alexis @ Lexi Swoons

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    1. Aww dude! And it was good, I think I'd definitely go back sometime.

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  17. Wow, you took some cool pics. ^____________^

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  18. Wow love the photos, they're great quality - also the design of your blog is amazing! x
    Bekah
    crisesandgraces.wix.com/lifeblog

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    1. Ah thank you! And you should thank Eclatant!

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  19. Amazing location, it looks lovely and you are so lucky! :D gorgeous blog, I love the name! xx

    elizabeth | ”Ice Cream” whispers Clara | follow for a follow!

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    1. Las Ramblas was definitely the cutest location we could have set up in! And aw, thank you c:

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  20. Welcome back! The sights are quite lovely! Well done. (:

    ♥ | http://www.connect-the-cloths.com | xoxo
    http://blogspotter.co/connect-the-cloths

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    1. It's good to be back! And thanks Carsla c:

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  21. Welcome back doll and great post. Never been to Barcelona! Baci,
    Coco et La vie en rose fashion blog - Valeria Arizzi

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    1. Ah you must go! Gaudi is such a great artist, you wouldn't regret seeing his work c:

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  22. Let me start by saying your photos are beautiful. I've never fully seen Spain, only visited a small town in the North but I'm dying to see Barcelona and go on a Gaudi "tour". Your post is giving me serious wanderlust pangs.

    Sxx
    www.daringcoco.com

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    1. Thank you Sonia! Oooh what was the name of the town you visited? I know someone in Badajoz, was it near there? And yes! That's exactly what I wanted people to get from this post!

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  23. I love Barcelona! I went a few years ago with my boyfriend and was completely hooked, I'd love to go back! I too was disappointed to see scaffolding on the Sagrada Familia, but it's such an amazing building...it's absolutely jaw dropping! You have a beautiful way of describing the city! Hats off to you for speaking the language too, I speak a little French but really struggled in Spain as I don't know any Spanish at all!!

    Kay xx
    Idreamofcoco.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Oooh that's awesome! Despite the scaffolding and work they're doing on it, it's still a beautiful building. It's just such a shame that the current ongoing work takes away from that.
      Also, I speak Castilian, not Catalan as they do in Barcelona, so considering my lack of fluentness in the version I've been studying, Catalan confused the heck out of me.

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  24. I loved your attempt at note taking, that made me laugh! Your photos of Barcelona are great and remind me of my visit there last Autumn.. I was absolutely blown away by how lovely and lively it was there :) How amazing you saw the sunrise there before returning home too - I missed out on that!

    Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice

    x

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    1. Ohmygosh when I was writing I was like yep, this is detailed enough.. *facepalm*. And awh, you missed out on the sunrise, but you got to see Gaudi's Park! I might need to go back just to see that alone.

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  25. I went to Barcelona few years ago. I only've seen few things you got on those photos, but I guess what I remember the most is the Gaudi's park, such special place :)

    xx

    d'stars
    *d'stars*

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    1. Ahh everyone's been to Gaudi's park except me! I need to go there so bad ohmygoodness.

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  26. Oh God the FOOD. And the pretty buildings. AND THE FOOD.

    I'm too jealous right now

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    1. Oh yes, the food was pretty darn good C: But I find it always is when you're somewhere away from home, you know?

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  27. Nice photos!
    Have a nice day :)
    xx

    http://losaway.blogspot.com.es/

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  28. Everything looks beautiful! Would love to visit Barcelona someday!

    www.jeannechristinemarie.blogspot.com

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  29. I always wanted to visit Barcelona! Amazing pictures <3

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    1. Thank you! And it's actually quite interesting to see how much demand Barcelona is in! Must be all that Gaudi c:

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  30. Such a beautiful place! I love it! Nice pictures and awesome post!
    Spain is one of my favorite European countries!
    xx
    cvetybaby.com

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    1. Dude it was literally just so stunning! And thank you c:

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  31. I love this! You completely immersed me in your trip. Barcelona sounds amazing... I stayed there with my parents when I was 6, but of course I don't remember anything :') I missed reading your blog. So glad I came back!

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    1. THAT IS SO AWESOME YES THAT IS WHAT I WANTED! And aw aw yay thank you c:

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  32. I can't believe you went to Barcelona! It's just so beautiful! Ohhh, I can tell why it's called the City of Art! Everything is just amazing and beautiful and incredible and ohhh, you take the most wonderful photos! <3

    xx Bash | Hey Bash | bloglovin'

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    1. The art of Barcelona is so prominent there, literally like every street corner was filled with something creative and beautiful c: And awh, thank you c:

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  33. STUNNING PHOTOS!

    Have a wonderful weekend!
    With love,
    Suzy ♥

    THE KAWAII PLANET

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  34. One of the best places in Europe! I love Spain! Beautiful pictures and nice adventure!
    xx
    cvetybaby.com

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    1. I haven't travelled to much of Europe, but I can actually totally believe that!

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  35. Beautiful pictures

    Love Vikee
    www.slavetofashion9771.nlogspot.com

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  36. Barcelone is one of those destinations that are still on my to visit list. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Ah, it's back on mine too if I'm honest xD

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