Força Barça (Catalan: "Go Barcelona")

Mark's cousin, David, and his partner, Kathy, made their first visit to Europe since the pandemic.  After spending just over a week in London, they wanted to meet up with us, so we chose Barcelona because it is a great city and one that neither of us had been to for many years.

We stayed in a fantastic AirBNB in the Gothic Quarter, the "old town" of Barcelona.  Our goal for this four-day trip was to see some of Barcelona's major sites and to eat some excellent Spanish food.  We began our sightseeing with a tuk tuk tour, which gave us a quick overview of the city.  We drove by a number of Barcelona's sites, and even went up to Montjuïc, a hill that overlooks the city and that was the main site of the 1992 Summer Olympics.  

A view from the tuk tuk

Sagrada Familia

After our tuk tuk tour, we decided to visit the most popular sightseeing spot in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia.  The church was designed by Antoni Gaudí, who took over the project at just 31 years of age; construction began in 1882.  Gaudí was one of the most sought-after architects of his day, and we planned to visit several of his Barcelona works on this trip.  At the time of his death in 1926, the Sagrada Familia was less than one-quarter finished.  Construction on the church continues today, and it is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world.  Construction is (very tentatively) scheduled to be completed in 2026.

Palau Güell

Near La Rambla, the popular pedestrian boulevard of Barcelona, is a mansion designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí for the industrial tycoon Eusebi Güell, which was built between 1886 and 1888.  There are several lavish rooms and a rooftop which could only have been designed by Gaudí.

​Casa Batlló

This unique house is in the center of Barcelona.  Antoni Gaudí redesigned this previously built house in 1904, and it is considered one of his masterpieces.  After the original redesign, it has been refurbished several times, making it into more of a tourist attraction (video room included) than an historic dwelling.

Casa Vicens

Built between 1883 and 1885 as a summer house for the Vicens family, this house is considered to be the first major masterpiece of Antoni Gaudí.  The work was widely discussed when it was built and caused a great sensation among the general public at the time. 

Museu Picasso

Barcelona art is not just about ​Gaudí.  The Museu Picasso was the first museum dedicated to the great artist's work and the only one created during his lifetime.  Picasso and his family moved to Barcelona in 1895, when he was almost fourteen years of age, and where he would live until 1904.  The museum houses over 4,000 of his works.

The Foods of Barcelona

​On our trip, we were able to sample a wide range of wonderful food in Barcelona restaurants.  We had Catalonian tasting menus, Spanish-Asian fusion, and lots and lots of tapas.  

The wide range of available foods was on display at La Boqueria, a large public market in the old town of Barcelona and one of the city's foremost tourist landmarks.  Its main entrance is off La Rambla, only about a five-minute walk from our AirBNB.  La Boqueria had a wide selection of Spanish delicacies, including meats, cheeses, sweets, and spices.

​We loved the food of Barcelona!

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We had a great time in Barcelona, and we look forward to meeting up with David and Kathy both in California (soon) and on their next European trip.