My favorite thing to do in a new city is wander around and just see what we find. We haven’t ventured far from our local neighborhood in Barcelona, but it feels like there is something new around every corner. I’ve already said the phrase “Wow, look at that building” more times than I can count. Here are some of the things we’ve discovered over the last couple days.
Arc de Triomf and Casa Calvet
Yesterday we walked to a nutrition store so Dave could buy some protein powder. On our way, we walked through a small portion of the Ciutadella Park, which is only a couple minutes from our condo. It’s a beautiful park and I imagine we will spend a lot of time there. As we exited the park there was a beautiful arch in front of us. I quickly looked up on my phone what it was. This is the Arc de Triomf, which is an archway that was built in 1888 as the main access point for the Barcelona World Fair.
When we arrived at the nutrition store, I noticed a tuk-tuk tour stopped at a building across the street, so I again looked up what it was. This is the Casa Calvet, which is one of Antoni Gaudí’s early works in Barcelona. Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926) was a Spanish architect from Catalonia and he is widely considered one of the most original and visionary architects in history. We plan to see several of his famous pieces of architecture while we are here.
Shopping, Cathedral of Barcelona, and the Gothic Quarters
Alexis and I went shopping just the two of us yesterday. We enjoyed looking in all the little shops and then decided to just walk around. We ended up in the Gothic Quarters, which is the oldest neighborhood in Barcelona. The neighborhood actually sits on top of the ancient Roman city of Barcino, founded around 10 BC. You can still see original Roman walls and columns scattered throughout. We took a picture by the Barcino sign and the wall behind us is said to date back to 4th Century AD.
This is right next to the Cathedral of Barcelona, which is absolutely stunning! We plan to go back here as a family and go inside. Hopefully on a day that is slightly less busy!
Ciutadella Park
Today, the kids and I spent a long time walking around Ciutadella Park. The park is huge and a beautiful place for walking. There is a boating lake, colorful gardens, playgrounds, a fountain, and various walking trails. There was a huge mammoth statue that the kids thought was cool. The mascot at Braxton’s elementary school back in Colorado is a mammoth, so we took a picture by it!
This fountain in the middle of the park was gorgeous! Alexis especially liked the statue at the top and quoted one of her favorite lines from The Outsiders – “Stay gold, Ponyboy”.
This park is full of so much life! In one area there was salsa music playing and couples dancing which was fun to watch. There were people scattered all over the grassy areas reading, having picnics, and just relaxing. After walking through the park, we decided to continue our walk and saw the most amazing street art. Such talent!
We’ve all had the opportunity to use a little bit of Spanish since we’ve been here. There have been some successful interactions and some “deer in the headlights” situations that we have laughed about. Speaking in a different language is intimidating and hard, but we’re trying!
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Is this your favorite place?
It’s probably too early to tell, but I don’t think it will be my favorite. In the top three probably, but Japan still holds the number one spot for me.
So much to see and take in! I would feel overwhelmed at prioritizing all the different sights. Love that there’s so much activity and life there, though.
Yes, it’s very overwhelming! I’ve felt that feeling a lot this year with all the things there are to see. The world is a big place! I just remind myself that whatever we see will be enough!