During the last week of May, my sister and I took a trip to Barcelona. We had planned to do this before, but had to cancel, first due to unexpected surgery, then due to corona when it was forbidden to travel.
The weather during our stay was wonderful. Sunny and warm, but not too warm to be comfortable. I always enjoy sunshine and hope for nice weather when we travel.
The flight from Brussels to Barcelona took about 2 hours. We stayed at the Alexandra hotel in the center of town. This hotel belongs to the Hilton group. The Ramblas were just around the corner. By the way, the Rambla wasn't crowded at all and we didn't spot any pickpockets, as we were warned for. I guess it was still a quiet period to visit Barcelona.
As it was our first time to visit this part of Spain (excuse me, Catalonia) we did and saw the obvious sights. Our first visit was to Park Güell, designed by Barcelona's most famous architect Gaudi. You can easily spend a couple of hours walking through the gardens and admiring the architecture. There are also places to sit down and have a drink.
Next we took a tour of the Sagrada Familia cathedral, which is still under construction after all these years. A very special church, and I can recommend climbing (going up there's a lift) one of the towers. From there you can see construction going on and also have a wonderful view over the town.
Another day we made a visit to Casa Mila, one of the famous buildings Gaudi created (along with Casa Batllo). It is possible (which a small entrance fee) to enter the apartment building to see the special architecture and view some rooms as they were years ago. Casa Mila also features a nice cafetaria, where you can sample local sweets, like pancakes with Catalonian creme and fruit.
On another occasion, we took the cable car to the top of Mont Juic, where you can visit the fort. Also worth a visit as it allows for great panorama's. From the fort you can take the cable car halfway down, descend at the half way station, walk some and then take another cable car down to the old harbour of Barcelona. From there it is not far to the beach.
Needless to say we had a great time, and we also enjoyed the local gastronomy. Nearly everywhere you'll find little eateries that offer tapas. The restaurant in our hotel also had a good reputation for its preparation of meat. In the bar, you could taste some of it while having a drink.
Last thing to say, Barcelona is not all that expensive. Spain in general isn't (but that's easy to say, as we in Belgium live in one of the most expensive countries in the world). Suffice it to say the budged for this trip wasn't fully used, so the money can come in handy for future trips.
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