“I can understand a person’s work outliving them. But there’s something alien about a project that might be finished long after a person’s mortal departure.” – Old Sean
Lodging Bartering
After spending a day in Valencia, I caught a bus to Barcelona. My first task was simple: check into my hostel.
Unfortunately, the hostel I booked didn’t accept my company’s initial reservation.
As such, I had to scrounge around for another place, ending up in the far north of the city at a hostel called Mellow. I was tapped out in terms of money, so I had to get creative regarding my arrangements.
While Mellow wasn’t a great hostel, the staff was accommodating. They allowed me to do some work (cleaning) in exchange for a couple of meals. I ended up paying my dues and began exploring Barcelona the following morning.
Impressions While Visiting Barcelona
Barcelona is grand and notoriously popular, making descriptions and familiarity easy to come by.
The city has tons of foreigners and tourists staying in the region, making most streets appear active and upbeat.
Many of the buildings are traditionally Spanish, though the styles of famed architect Antoni Gaudí pepper the city. Gaudí’s buildings are distinct with a rounded-abstract style, often with mosaic-like features pressed into surfaces vaguely reminiscent of sea shells.
It’s what I imagine most undersea palaces aspire towards.
Aside from the architecture, Barcelona is filled with dozens of musicians and buskers throughout the city. Sizeable groups can be found in public areas where people gather in small droves.
Overall, Barcelona is a vibrant and bustling place. Where many Spanish towns hunker down during the heat in the middle of the day, Barcelona continues to celebrate, work and wander.
A Tour of Barcelona
I began walking around Barcelona early in the morning, eager to miss the full heat of afternoon. My hostel was well-placed to explore the outskirts of town, gradually working my way towards the shoreline.
I began by climbing a hill to visit the Bunkers del Carmel, a series of graffitied ruins with impressive views staring all the way into the sea.
The old abandoned Bunkers del Carmel were crowded, even during the early morning, with people taking sunrise selfies overlooking every angle of the city.
I eventually wandered slightly downhill to Park Güell, which is a creative, spiraling green space, filled with homages to Antoni Gaudí’s work. The park was apparently named for Eusebi Güell, one of Gaudí’s most prominent patrons and supporters.
Park Güell is filled with hefty arches that angle backwards in slightly bizarre leans. The shady space below is filled with guitarists and a couple of Hang players (that instrument that looks a bit like a turtle shell, also called a handpan or Caribbean steelpan instrument).
After spending some time wandering around the park, I made a beeline for the most prominent landmark and superstructure of Barcelona. Gaudí’s renowned, unfinished church, La Sagrada Familia.
La Sagrada Familia is an astonishing architectural wonder which seems to shift under the gaze of the viewer. It looks almost like a combination between a coral tower and a drizzle-sand castle. The interior is far more alien. Looking up grants sliding views that appear almost organic.
As always, the massive structure was under construction. La Sagrada Familia was never finished during Gaudí’s lifetime and without his genius, construction has been painstakingly controversial and slow. The structure, which has been continuously refined, constructed and expanded since 1882, continues to this day. The scaffolding and construction cranes are steady hallmarks in any photo.
Gaudí Walking Tour
One of the most entertaining things to do while visiting Barcelona is view the various structures Gaudí created or inspired. I did a swift loop through the downtown area, stopping to see Casa de las Punxes, Casa Mila, Casa Thomas, Casa Batllo and Casa Lleo Morera in all their unique, architectural glory.
For the next few hours, I spent time looking at art and baubles hidden down narrow, winding streets.
Afterwards, I made a point of visiting Plaça de Catalunya. It was a nice area to kick back and take a break.
At this point, I’ve been traveling through Europe for a couple of months. In that time, I’ve grown somewhat tired of churches, cathedrals and fountains. All of them are glorious, beautiful creations, but I confess they’ve started to blur together.
That being said, I still found the fountains in Plaça de Catalunya to be nice enough. However, these fountains proved to be quaint water features in comparison to other parts of Barcelona. I eventually walked further through town, reaching the extremely photogenic Font Magica de Montjuic (Magic Fountain).
At this point during my day, the sun had reached it’s daily, blazing zenith. I was fairly toasted, so I slowed down for the next few hours to appraise Romanesque artwork inside the MNAC.
Continuing Afternoons
After my art viewing visit, I began walking towards the coast. Though the day was cooling off, I sought out shorelines where Mediterranean winds might be refreshing.
I may have overestimated the serenity factor.
While visiting Barcelona beaches, I saw more people on the shores than most football stadiums I’ve been in. Hoards of people lined the sands, playing volleyball, jogging, sunbathing, hawking goods or standing in waist-deep waves.
I felt slightly out-of-place in my usual button downs, chinos and well-worn hiking boots, so I mostly stuck close to the buildings while walking up the coast. The breeze did stir away the heat, so I turned back inland feeling refreshed.
When I finally turned back inland, I got to see some chocolate sculptures at Museu de la Xocolata right before it closed. The museum does fairly august things with chocolate, building intricate details into sculptures of churches, horseback cavalrymen, famous buildings, horse-drawn chariots and cartoon figures.
Park Times
Fortified by an influx of chocolate, I left the museum and wandered into Parc de la Ciutadella.
This is a wonderful, enjoyable park. It has many, many dogs. And this brought me much happiness.
I was so enamored with saying hello to every other dog who walked over to me, tail wagging, I bumbled into the Cascada Monumental, epic fountain for which Gaudí designed.
While normally, this wouldn’t have been much of an issue, the Cascada Monumental was being used by a large group of people performing and practicing the tango. I stayed close to the corners, smoothed over my awkwardness, and went back to exploring the park.
Parc de la Ciutadella had a range of other sculptures scattered around. I browsed them until some young men playing football accidently overshot their goal and bopped me in the head.
I tried to kick the ball back, but only felt rampant shame upon fumbling my return.
Figuring that was enough park time, I started wandering back towards my hostel.
Day’s Last Trek
As I angled for my hostel, I passed the Arc de Triomf. Here there were painters, trick roller skaters, giant bubble wands, and some tap dancers with the biggest smiles I’ve seen since the Joker’s debut in the animated Batman series.
Which is a compliment.
Normally, by this point in my city-explorations, I would return to my hostel using a bus. Sadly, however, my company has still failed to pay me. My remaining funds are earmarked for emergency situations. And whining about my feet being sore doesn’t qualify.
Doggedly, I continued to walk. I stopped twice to fill up my water bottle at a random establishment, munched on cereal I had hoarded from breakfast and demolished that last bit of baguette which had survived my prior-hourly-snacks.
When I finally returned to Mellow, I sorted out my trip for the next few days, read Hummingbird by Jules Angelini and returned to my room.
State of Un-Sleep
As night fell and I tossed and turned on my bunk bed, it became clear that I wouldn’t be able to sleep. My room was stiflingly hot, other hostel guests shifting uncomfortably in their bunks. The AC was out, only occasionally sputtering to life before flickering back off in shame.
Unable to rest and longing for a night breeze, I stole a few pillows from my bed and climbed out onto the roof. Laying out a sheet and stripping off my shirt, I finally fell asleep in a Barcelona breeze.
The following morning, I conducted several interviews and completed a small bundle of paperwork. I also visited the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site, walked down the semi-pedestrian street Avenida de Gaudí back towards La Sagrada Familia and eventually sat down to type this while seated in Parc de l’Estació del Nord.
That accounts for all my time spent visiting Barcelona.
In a hour or so, I’ll be returning to France, visiting the illustrious port city of Marseille. But until then, I’m quite content to enjoy my last few minutes in Spain.
So until the next country,
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written August 11th, 2018
Read more about visiting Barcelona and seeing the world by visiting Leftfade Trails Destination Advice.
Affiliate Disclosure: Leftfade Trails contains affiliate links, so using services or products through these links supports the website, at no extra cost to the user. All links are to tested services and products designed to aid travelers on their journeys. Some links specifically connect to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate this website earns from qualifying purchases.
I picked up my yoga mat three years ago during a trip to Mexico. The Jade Travel Yoga Mat is light enough to roll up and attach it to the outside of my bag. It now doubles as my workout mat and a sleeping mat when I need to rest somewhere odd.
