09/04/2026
Barcelona 🍃🦜🥭🌴
I had no thought coming into this trip other than I was excited to see my girlfriends for a bachelorette trip. I’d been to Barcelona in 2013 for semester at sea - but I was 20, with 3 days to explore, no TikTok for recs, just living my the seam of my pants. My takeaway was the men were beautiful, Gaudi was kinda odd, and the food was bland. Lots of tomato and bread. This is why it’s so important to travel AGAIN in your 30’s - the brain you have then is so much more ready to take in the world and make better assessments….
THIS TRIP! Sometimes it’s good to go in with no expectations so you can be this blown away. I’d been tipped off the restaurant scene here was top knotch… but when I tell you day after day, meal after meal I was blown away and savoring every second. Regrettably - I don’t feel that way in France. Maybe I haven’t found what I’m meant to find there yet - but I found quickly in Barcalona. Croquetas, ensaimada, churros, endless tapas bars each better than the next, corner pastry cafes, honest greens®, mini sandwiches of all varieties, AND endless options if you want healthy + protein rich foods NUDES ™️
Besides the food scene (I’m a very food centered person so this was really a main takeaway) the architecture & facade colors are mesmerizing. All I want to do is walk and explore for hours. The city was intentionally designed with pedestrians, happiness, and light in mind which is very evident as you walk around. And yes - I’ve changed my tune on Gaudi and am now absolutely obsessed. His use of color, shape, texture - all of it leaves me so inspired. He has influenced so much of today’s modern design and I can’t help but see Gaudi everywhere back in LA. Don’t get me started on Parc de la Ciutadella.
I know I always say I want to live in LA - but this experience made me almost anxious to get back to Barcelona as soon as I can - even this trip if at all possible.
It felt like a full embrace and I didn’t expect to feel that way about a place the way I felt about Paris. But now I find myself unfairly comparing the two.
It’s wild when you can imagine yourself living so many different lives in different worlds.