Solo Traveling & 24 hours in Barcelona
There is something so calming and fascinating to me about the airport. That may sound a little odd, but sometimes I just sit there in the organized chaos of it all and think about how everyone is in that space for such different, specific reasons at the same time. It also is the most superior space to people watch, which is my favorite hobby. 99% of the time I am in the airport I am flying by myself.
So, when this family vacation came to fruition & it was decided I would be flying by myself to Barcelona, I was actually very excited & relieved.
I should start this next part by saying: I love my family. Truly, I do. But, they are the most chaotic group of humans on this planet. Sometimes I think about submitting them for a scientific study. Again, I love them all dearly. After years of traveling by myself, I have managed to get into a specific rhythm when it comes to my airport routine & etiquette. Arguably, the most stressful part of any international trip - let alone a family international trip - is the beginning. Making sure everyone has their passports (yes Dad, I specifically added this line because of the London 2022 trip), checking bags, getting through TSA. It’s all quite tedious & mentally exhausting for a group that large because it leaves room for error. So, by traveling to Barcelona by myself, a day later than the rest of the family - I am able to parachute in once all the stress of getting there & jet lag have dissipated.
I was lucky enough to be able to get a window seat for my flight from Newark into Barcelona. This was essential to the sleep I so badly needed to be able to function like a normal human once I landed. The flight itself was so smooth & I had the pasta with mushrooms & peas for dinner, which was surprisingly decent. After that, I fell asleep until around an hour before we landed in Barcelona at 9 am.
Upon landing, it was a rather quick process. We deplaned onto the tarmac where they had busses waiting to take us to the terminal. We went through the customs line and I was able to pick up my luggage afterward. The entire process took around 25 minutes. Soon after getting my luggage, my driver picked me up from the airport & drove me into the city to drop me off at the Park Hotel where my family was staying. Due to them being out for the day, I had to manage to get to them all on my own. So, once I showered & changed, I hit the town.
At first I walked to see if there was any taxis available to pick me up from across the street to take me to my family. Naturally, there were none. So, I just started walking in the general direction of where I needed to be in hopes I would find a taxi; just me, hope, & my subpar Spanish skills. I began to navigate my way through the city & I stopped to take pictures along the way in these little side streets. Once I made it back onto a main road, I found a taxi that was available & had her take me to my family. The walk would’ve been lovely but I would’ve been extremely late for our tour. She dropped me off & I found my family. We immediately had to enter into La Basilica de la Sagrada Familia.
For those of you who don’t know, La Basilica de la Sagrada Familia is a church that has been under construction for over one hundred years. It is truly the most amazing feat of architecture & devotion to the craft. The skill and artistry on display is breathtaking. Truly, the ability to have so many people work on this church & have it continue to be within the same style and level of attention to detail is mind-blowing.
If you know me, you know I love stained glass. The stained glass in this basilica was crafted in such a way to help highlight the architectural skill throughout the interior. When you’re in there you really just continue to find new details and something so masterfully made that you are simply left in awe.
Once we left the Basilica, we made our way to Park Güell. For my girlies, think Strut from Cheetah Girls 2. This park was stunning. A mix of how nature can be integrated into urban architecture. So many fascinating elements & intricate details on display throughout the park. Due to our limited time, we did this park in about an 25 minutes but you could easily spend about an hour in here just taking it all in.
After our tour was over, we went back to the hotel to relax for a while before we headed to dinner. We decided to walk around the neighborhood of our hotel to find something to eat. Nothing too structured. We ended up at this restaurant that had a little bit of everything. My brother got salmon, another got a seafood risotto, my sister ended up with ribs, & I had empanadas. Everything was delicious. I somehow got coaxed into a limoncello shot which was truly just me trying to be delusional enough to act my age. Wrong. Everyone please use this as my notice that I am retiring from shot taking. I’m too old.
And with that, my time in Barcelona came to an end. A quick day but it was extremely worth it & I will be back soon (hey F1 please leave me some paddock tickets)
Next stop, Marseille!
(For more pictures- feel free to take a look at @fangirlformula)
