nate's company flew us home to america, so we decided to take advantage of a free (to us) flight and make a few stops on our way. we were literally planning this trip days before we left asia, so everything was super last minute.
our plan was to spend a few days in barcelona, rent a car, drive through the south of france and end up in provence, then head up to paris by train. it sounded so perfect in my head...until nate went to pick up the rental car in spain and the budget employee announced it would be an extra $1,500 to drop off the car in france, not mentioned in our online reservation price of course. way too many hours spent on the phone later, we decided that the south of france would have to wait and we'd spend a few extra days in spain. i was so bummed my plan didn't work out, but we saved a little cash and actually loved the additional time in barcelona.
our plan was to spend a few days in barcelona, rent a car, drive through the south of france and end up in provence, then head up to paris by train. it sounded so perfect in my head...until nate went to pick up the rental car in spain and the budget employee announced it would be an extra $1,500 to drop off the car in france, not mentioned in our online reservation price of course. way too many hours spent on the phone later, we decided that the south of france would have to wait and we'd spend a few extra days in spain. i was so bummed my plan didn't work out, but we saved a little cash and actually loved the additional time in barcelona.
barcelona felt like a beachier, spicier version of france. the food was to die for! we spent a gorgeous afternoon at the picasso museum while sage snoozed in the stroller. i was amazed at the transformation of his artistic style (why had i never seen these early paintings before?!).
our first stop was at la sagrada familia, gaudi's famous life work that is still under construction after 100 years and won't be finished until maybe 2026.
we took our time strolling through the nave, mostly because bach's jesu, joy of man's desiring was being played on the organ and sage kept saying in the cutest voice, "i yike it music."
what a peaceful sanctuary, except for the occasional jack hammering.
one of my favorite things about this city is the abundance of tree-lined, wide open walkways in the middle of busy streets. our hotel was tucked into a mellow neighborhood, and we loved strolling those walkways for the people watching (dog watching if you're sage).
we walked la rambla a lot, and usually stopped to smell the flowers...and eat gelato.
the fruit and vegetable displays were unreal at the market.
baby numba two was there too...
and my least favorite part of pregnancy is wearing compression tights to combat my bad blood flow/crazy veins. it's like someone constantly squeezing your legs in a sauna.
sagie had some pretty riveting stories to keep us entertained
it started pouring rain as we walked straight into the middle of a children's parade. we got handed a flag and a balloon and joined right in.
sage's favorite part of barcelona was riding the big, red tourist bus. it ended up being the most convenient thing to hop on and off the bus, so we rode it for a few days. beside improving our tans, we got a good sense of the city and hit all of the gaudi architecture.
the food! pintxo bars, tapas, and concoctions like this.
pistachio encrusted baked brie on a stick with a stripe of raspberry jam and skinny french fries smothered in some kind of heavenly sauce.
we spent a morning at parc guell with half of barcelona, but the playground was empty.
and walls of these flowers blossomed everywhere.
we made it our mission to find the best churros and chocolate
we fit in a beach day too. the beach was toptional, sunny, and crowded, but i'm glad we went.
we ate seafood right on the wharf for dinner and soaked up that last day in spain.
next up...the city of light.
our first stop was at la sagrada familia, gaudi's famous life work that is still under construction after 100 years and won't be finished until maybe 2026.
we took our time strolling through the nave, mostly because bach's jesu, joy of man's desiring was being played on the organ and sage kept saying in the cutest voice, "i yike it music."
what a peaceful sanctuary, except for the occasional jack hammering.
one of my favorite things about this city is the abundance of tree-lined, wide open walkways in the middle of busy streets. our hotel was tucked into a mellow neighborhood, and we loved strolling those walkways for the people watching (dog watching if you're sage).
we walked la rambla a lot, and usually stopped to smell the flowers...and eat gelato.
the fruit and vegetable displays were unreal at the market.
baby numba two was there too...
and my least favorite part of pregnancy is wearing compression tights to combat my bad blood flow/crazy veins. it's like someone constantly squeezing your legs in a sauna.
sagie had some pretty riveting stories to keep us entertained
it started pouring rain as we walked straight into the middle of a children's parade. we got handed a flag and a balloon and joined right in.
sage's favorite part of barcelona was riding the big, red tourist bus. it ended up being the most convenient thing to hop on and off the bus, so we rode it for a few days. beside improving our tans, we got a good sense of the city and hit all of the gaudi architecture.
the food! pintxo bars, tapas, and concoctions like this.
pistachio encrusted baked brie on a stick with a stripe of raspberry jam and skinny french fries smothered in some kind of heavenly sauce.
we spent a morning at parc guell with half of barcelona, but the playground was empty.
and walls of these flowers blossomed everywhere.
we made it our mission to find the best churros and chocolate
we fit in a beach day too. the beach was toptional, sunny, and crowded, but i'm glad we went.
we ate seafood right on the wharf for dinner and soaked up that last day in spain.
next up...the city of light.
You take such amazing pictures. And I've never really thought about going to Barcelona, but now I obviously need to go immediately.
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