Morgan's Travel Blog

Ohhhh Barcelona, what a ride you were. I had the pleasure of sharing this beautiful city with two of my closest friends, but also with an 103 degree fever. Here is my recap and what I did:

saturday, march 7

The adventure starts on the morning of Saturday, March 7, when the train that I booked departed 30 minutes early and the only notice I received of the change was one nondescript email in Spanish (nothing on the “live updates” section of my app). Several other tourists were subjected to the same sorry fate, shaking their printed tickets at the OUIGO customer service representative. I was forced to book another ticket without a refund and departed shortly after.

After some gentle reflection and deep breathing, I arrived in Barcelona with a refreshed mindset to navigate public transit and enough willpower to get to the shower at our AirBnB. I started my sightseeing at Parc de Montjuïc, a vast park on the outskirts of the city that held host to the 1992 Olympic Games. The views were spectacular and I definitely needed some fresh air. At the end of my walk, I stopped by a rooftop bar called Salts on a recommendation from a friend who studied abroad in Barcelona, and it was definitely worth it. I ordered a glass of Vermouth Rosé, and felt quite cinematic looking over Olympic diving pools and a panorama of the entire city while rain gently fell.

When I got the text that my friends had landed at the airport, I began my journey back towards the AirBnB. We found each other, went grocery shopping, and made an easy dinner before heading to bed.

sunday, march 8

And then…. wam. Here are my Oura sleep and readiness (out of 100) scores for the previous night. Wasn’t pleasant. I had a blast in Madrid but my best guess is that I hit the ground running too hard and was more nervous than I thought, causing my immune system to weaken. I had a 102/103 degree fever and slept on and off until 4pm. My body’s friendly reminder to take conscious breaks or it will force me to take a break.

Didn’t get to explore Barcelona this day, but my kind friends made me homemade soup and mint tea and it was so delicious and healing. I am so lucky!!!

monday, march 9

While I wasn’t in prime shape when I woke up, I felt significantly better than the day before and I was absolutely NOT missing our day trip to Montserrat. DayQuil, a GoMacro bar, and a chunk of baguette had me up and moving in no time.

Montserrat (serrated mountain) is a sacred place to Catholics but even more so to Catalonians. The legend is that the mountain was carved by angels, creating its distinct and instantly recognizable geology. Some compare its forms to giants, and the Romans even left it alone during their conquests because they believed the giants would come alive at night. Similar to the Hajj for Muslims (the journey to Mecca), it is expected of Catalonians to make a walking journey to Montserrat at least once in their lifetime.

Perhaps most famously, the Basilica on Montserrat houses the sacred Black Madonna. The Black Madonna is a symbol of health and fertility in Catholicism, and legend says that if you try to carry it down the mountain it will become so heavy that it is immovable. On top of the mountain there is also a boarding school for 88 boys (based on the number of keys on a piano) who are musically and vocally talented. Attending this boarding school is the highest honor for Catalonian boys and their families.

Following our exploration of the top of Montserrat we went with our tour group to a 1000 year old winery in a castle where we enjoyed tapas and a tasting of 3 wines.

I am so glad I was able to tough it out for this amazing trip. Montserrat is an absolute MUST visit for views, history, and learning about Catalonian culture.

tuesday, march 10

Sienna, Natalie, and I named this day “Gaudí Day” because our main focus was to see several of Catalonian architect Antoni Gaudí‘s classic works. To begin, we climbed the equivalent of 20 flights of stairs to Park Güell just to discover there was no longer a free entry option. Since we could see other works for free, we whisked ourselves away to Flor de Gracia bakery for a break from our urban hike.

First up was Casa Vicens, which is considered to be his first major project and was built between 1883 and 1885. Gaudí drew inspiration from many other architectural styles including Indian, Persian, Japanese, Moorish, and Hispanic Islamic.

Next is Casa Batlló, also called “House of Bones”. This work was commissioned for Josep Batlló in 1904 and finished in 1906. It is considered one of Gaudí’s masterpieces and its avoidance of straight lines makes it instantly recognizable. I absolutely loved the color scheme of this one.

We wrapped our day at Bonsai Matcha, where I got an iced hojicha, and a quick stop at Humana Vintage where I found a cute Flamenco shirt.

wednesday, march 11

Our last full day in Barcelona was so lovely. The weather was 65 and sunny and we started the day with a walk and chatting on Barceloneta Beach. On another recommendation from my friend Eva who studied abroad here we stopped at Honest Greens for lunch. 10/10 better than Sweetgreen…

Once we wrapped up our food and coffee we caught the metro to our main attraction and Antoni Gaudí’s magnum opus: Basílica de la Sagrada Família. I originally wasn’t going to pay to enter this church because I figured I’d see so many on my adventures, but I can now say that I am extremely glad I did and it was well worth the money. Sagrada Familia is unlike any other church I’d seen before and might ever see.

Lastly, we visited the Down Jones Bar on Diagonal, a bar whose drink prices fluctuate with demand. I had seen this place online and being a finance major I needed to at least see it. I got a Framboise beer and the three of us sat and reflected on our trip in the late afternoon.

thursday, march 12

Natalie and Sienna left for the airport at 7am and I checked out of our AirBnB at 10:30am. Then it was off to my next adventure! Hasta luego España!