Jan 3, 20224 min read

Barcelona December 2021

There was a lot of apprehension building up to this trip…COVID omicron numbers were soaring, lockdowns were going back into effect worldwide, and people were cancelling holiday plans left and right. But…the Normans flew in from Utah and we flew in from Dublin and it all worked out!! The pure joy on the kids faces when we all first met up made every worry drop away and all the aforementioned stresses worth it. We stayed at Hotel Barcelona 1882, about 2 blocks from Sagrada Familia and named for the year its construction was begun. It had a gorgeous rooftop garden/pool (where we enjoyed many an evening) and a friendly, modern lobby.

Barcelona is such an interesting city with its varied and imaginative architecture, distinct neighborhoods, and beautiful location nestled between the sparkling Mediterranean and snow-capped mountains. You can find winding narrow streets in the old/Gothic quarter, palm trees and yachts by the water, Gaudí-designed apartment buildings and other Modernisme facades, sky-scrapers, cathedrals (Baroque vs. Sagrada Familia), and everywhere the more “traditional” Spanish-style balconies with draped plants. I do wonder if you moved here how long it would take to stop being fascinated by this visual treat.

The food was incredible, we truly did not suffer a single gustatory disappointment and every server was smart, friendly, and hospitable. The funniest meal was an Italian restaurant (yes in Barcelona) pumping with American country music. When asked “why?” they said, “the owner likes it!” The most delicious meal (though it’s difficult to choose) was the night we got a sitter for the kids and just the grownups went for tapas to 2254 Barcelona. The piece de la resistance of the meal was a caccio y pepe made table-side by lighting a cheese round on fire then stirring the pasta inside it and shaving black truffle over top. My favorite lunch was at Story, a little book-filled cafe on a tiny dark street near the Picasso museum. The kids looked through the books and took turns creating Picasso-style drawings while we drank Albariño and ate well. I also think the carnivores among us ate approximately their body weight in acorn-fed Iberian ham (no worries, we walked it all off) while we were here.

We definitely made the most of Barcelona, hitting all the big sites and some nice side trips as well. We checked out:

Parc Güell and Sagrada Familia on Monday. A day filled with Gaudí. What a brain and eye that man had. Ended the day with an amazing dinner at Casa Amalia.

On Tuesday we took the train, then a cable car, then a funicular up to Montserat. This mountain-toptown boasts numerous rocks on which the kids climbed, gorgeous views of the sparkling Mediterranean, and an 11th century Benedictine monastery.

On Wednesday we took it easy in the morning, with Sue and I taking the kids (at their frequent request) to the beach in Barcelonata, followed by a weird (but delicious) lunch at an Arabian nightclub situated right on the water. Then we all met up on Mont Juïc to take in the Joan Miró museum (very cool but very weird) and to explore the adjacent 1929 World Expo area and Greek-style gardens.

Thursday we started at the Barcelona cathedral then wandered the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter, strolled down Las Ramblas, checked out the Christopher Columbus statue, and did the Picasso Museum - all before lunch! I remembered Las Ramblas as a tourist trap filled with cheap shit and pickpockets (still true!) and the Gothic Quarter as charming as can be (also still true!). We followed up with lunch at The Story, as mentioned above. After lunch Sue and I took the girls to the Barcelona History Museum, which contains the ruins of the Roman city underground from over 2000 years ago. We all had a blast and learned a lot. Thursday night a sitter watched the kids (well, she sat in the room with them, they are pretty self-sufficient) so the grownups could have a night out.

Friday was our final day so we took it relatively easy. We went to the Catalan Art Museum, which is massive with a great mix of art. Furthermore, it is a gorgeous building with quite a view. After the museum we checked out a super cool playground over by the Torre Glòries and the Design Museum. Interestingly, there was also a makeshift outdoor gym adjacent which was a little bit of a weird juxtaposition (picture enormous dudes lifting weights made out of cinder blocks). We drank some cava to celebrate new year’s eve but were in bed long before midnight.

The Norman family left on Saturday morning very early so after the Hansell-Grenagers stopped crying we had a quiet day. I started the New Year with a run up to Parc del Tres Turons and was rewarded with a spectacular view of the city to the southeast and snow-capped mountains to the northwest. Sally and I then braved the frigid rooftop pool, David and I got our exit COVID tests, and we wandered up Avenida de Gaudí and found a good outdoor lunch spot with yet another killer view of Sagrada Familia. We then stumbled upon yet another UNESCO world heritage site (Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau) which was a hospital until only about 15 years ago. The afternoon was spent at not one, not two, but THREE different local neighborhood playgrounds and wrapped up with a quiet dinner across the street from the hotel.

A truly perfect trip, I am filled with gratitude.