BEACHFRONT BIG CITY: Barcelona, Spain

A bustling city plentiful in food and shopping... put comfortable sneakers on for this place because it might as well be New York City.

Barcelona is a huge city in comparison to Sevilla! There were a lot more wide avenues packed with people and a lot less quiet cobblestoned streets. If you’re doing a weekend trip in Barcelona and want to see everything, you need to figure out how the metro system works AHEAD of time. If you’re studying abroad and have an international plan but have limits on your data, you’ll want to understand the general layout of the city before you get there so you aren’t constantly pulling up the maps in your phone and using up all of your Internet.

According to our Health app’s on our iPhones, My friends and I walked almost 30 miles total during the weekend… Our feet were numb by the end of our trip. We didn’t bother with the metro system because we had no idea how it worked and in the end we probably lost a couple pounds because of that, so whether it was for better or worse we don’t know.

We were a little disappointed with the amount of construction going on at some of the major sites we visited like Park Güell and Basilica de La Segrada Familia, but it happens. I personally was frustrated by the fact that the whole city of Barcelona speaks a different dialect of Spanish called “Catalan”, although most people still understand the traditional Spanish it was hard to read a lot of the signs in the streets because of the differences between the dialect that I’m used to speaking. Also, I don’t know if Barcelona is the place to experience true Spanish culture. Most of the shopkeepers spoke English, as did the waiters so it definitely felt more Americanized to me as opposed to Sevilla.

The shopping was akin to that of New York City honestly, there was a huge avenue cutting right through the middle of the city lined with restaurants and beautiful stores! Barcelona aint playin with their shopping scene, I spent a lot of money at my favorite European stores Berksha and Pull and Bear:) The Corte Ingles (huge department stores across Spain) was impressive as ever. For my American people, picture Macy's and Lord & Taylor and all of those major department stores, plus a giant market with fresh foods on the first floor, PACKED TO THE BRIM as if it were Black Friday. That's my best explanation for what a Corte Ingles is like.

We ate at three incredible restaurants throughout the weekend, I’ll start with the Tapas bar that we came across and returned to again because it was so good! It was called “Tosca Palau: Tapas y Vinos”; the vibe was very intimate and rustic, service was polite and fast, and the food was to die for! A true tapas experience with beautifully crafted small plates and delicious sangria. Some of the things we ordered included a platter of meats and cheeses, lasagna with pumpkin, zucchini and walnuts (amazing), provolone cheese baked with chimi-churri and sun dried tomatoes, spring rolls stuffed with asian vegetables and caramelized soy sauce, I could go on and on! I would come back to Barcelona again solely to dine at this restaurant and I'm not kidding...

We also went to a place recommended by a friend called Brunch and Cake, this cute breakfast-lunch place is a must do while in Barcelona! It gives me a very clean-eating California feel and the food was super bright and fresh, and about enticing presentation and modern ingredients and flavors. Perfect for savory or sweet mid-day meals.

Eggs Benedict with Lobster Hollandaise, Spinach and Baby Arugula salad

Chocolate protein pancakes sweetened with dates, granola and fruit (they taste like indulgent brownies don't be fooled by the "protein" part.

The night life in Barcelona is also insane let me just put that right out there… There is a strip of clubs lining the beach and I can see it being absolutely absurd in the summer when the weather is gorgeous. 

OVERALL: Barcelona gets 7/10 stars for me, mainly because the food options were endless and delicious, shopping was amazing, scenery was okay for me but probably better for others who are wanting a big city vibe! Night life was really cool and I can imagine the summer being alive with peeps on Barceloneta beach!