As soon as the airplane started to descend I felt a sense of nostalgia and excitement because I was returning to one of my favorite cities in the world, Barcelona, Spain. I do not know what it is about this place — the atmosphere, nightlife, people, siestas, or maybe even the sangria that puts it in a group amongst very few other cities in the world.
Situated on the north-eastern coast of Spain, this city offers respite to destination travelers, connecting tourists, and also some of the world’s cruise ship connoisseurs. It exudes culture like Paris through the likes of the Sagrada Familia and everything Gaudi, gastronomy like it’s neighboring Italy, and the liveliness of an island just off of its coast, Ibiza.
This is why I chose to study abroad in Barcelona during the summer of 2008. I suffered from a grueling schedule which incorporated morning classes and afternoon lectures all the way to midday siestas and the nightly fiestas. It was hard, but someone had to do it, and that summer it was me.
Cut-scene: Barcelona 2014
I got the chance to spend a few days in paradise with two of my princesses (Camila and Kesia — mentioned in the previous post), unfortunately the queen remained in Lisbon for work, but I wasn’t complaining … 😉 Upon our arrival, we checked into the W Barcelona where the adventure truly began.
The W Barcelona is a newly constructed beauty. It had gone up after my time studying there, but it made me always want to go back. It looks like a colossal mirror-like structure situated right next to the water. It truly stands out, and is a must see. Per usual, we met with our W Insider team to plan a memorable trip— restaurants, lounges, events, excursions, you name it. After about 1 hour I was emailed a detailed list of everything worth doing and we were off.
We explored through typical Catalan cuisine through recommended local restaurants and countless tapas. Indulged in dishes like traditional paella, seasoned rice with an assortment of seafood, pan con tomate, bread with a delicious tomato spread, the world renowned, Serrano Ham, and a myriad of bocadillos, or sandwiches.
When we chose to go out on the town we went to some pretty interesting spots ranging from local bars, one named Dow Jones, which attempted to mimic the US stock market for drinks using tickers calculating cocktail prices based on supply and demand, to posh sky-lounges with views of the entire city.
The highlight of our trip to Barcelona was not a conventional one at all. We did something that I have never done before, and never really had the desire to do, but being that I was with two other lady-adventurers we went on a hot air balloon ride around the mountainous region of Mount Serrat. As we ascended through the rocky weather, I was scared like a little girl, but it was well worth it because what we were about to see was something I had never expected.
For a few minutes I felt that I was still dreaming. The nasty weather we had previously witnessed was the staging for something surreal. We were on top of the clouds and when we looked below our little basket in the sky there was nothing else to see other than a pillowy-white snow-like surface that covered the ground. It was incredible.
We felt that we were at the top of the world. And, with that feeling we knew we had to keep the adventure alive. Next stop — Rome.