Howdy, Gaudi! Four days in Barcelona!
Ped fans, remember back in October when there was a lapse in blog posts? Well, part of the reason was that after shopping for Ped at the European shoe shows, my husband and I met in Barcelona, Spain, to celebrate our anniversary (and my birthday). Although we were only there for four days, we had the most romantic and wonderful time!
Our home base for our stay was the modern Hotel Claris, which is located right in the heart of the city and boasts a fabulous rooftop deck! (It even allows small dogs.)
Relaxing on the Hotel Claris's rooftop deck!
To get ourselves acclimated, we took a Barcelona City Bus Tour the first day. A two-day pass lets you jump on and off wherever you like. For us, that meant visiting places designed by that Catalan visionary of modernism, Antoni Gaudi, with whom I am obsessed!
One of the most spectacular stops was the Sagrada Familia, the elaborate Roman Catholic cathedral that Gaudi began building in 1882 and worked on until his death. (He’s buried in its crypt.) Still under construction, this awe-inspiring church is scheduled to be finished in 2026.
My husband shot this cool photo of the Sagrada Familia (note the ongoing construction) in a motorcycle mirror. The interior resembles a forest!
Other Gaudi destinations included the Casa Batilo and the Park Guell, my favorite, which includes Gaudi’s home (although the line was too long to go inside—if you’re going to go Gaudi sightseeing, go early). We loved it so much we named one of our favorite Vialis boots after the Park Guell!
I'm listening to an audio tour of the Casa Batilo, which has an interior inspired by the sea and an exterior that looks like leaves and bones. On the right is one of the many fantastical mosaic-covered sculptures in the Park Guell.
Everywhere you look in Barcelona, there is something amazing to see!
The guy on the left was performing a show with Beatles marionettes! On the right, I could not resist trying this random beautiful bench!
As Ped fans know, I revel in good food, and Barcelona did not disappoint! We had fabulous seafood at the tiny Bar MUT, delicious tapas at Tapas 24, and wonderful espresso at Il Caffe di Francesco. We also snacked at Mercat de Santa Caterina, a great market for meats and cheeses, and we ate paella on our last day at Cal Pinxo on La Barceloneta, Barcelona’s seafront promenade.
On the left, my husband beams over the best paella EVER on our last day. On the upper right, we enjoy some jamon at the Mercat de Santa Caterina, and on the lower right, the hub smiles over anchovies!
Of course, no trip is complete without doing one of the things I do best: shopping!!! We found all kinds of interesting stores, ranging from the original Vialis boutique to Vincon, which is a modern home store that’s kind of like IKEA but cooler, to Almacen Marabi, a wonderful shop full of felt toys. We also stopped by Nu Subates, my friend Roger’s all-Cydwoq store!
Standing in the doorway of Barcelona's all-Cydwoq store, Nu Sabates.
(Note the men’s Classic Oxford in the Nu Subates’ window—Ped just got this style for women!)
Our four days in Barcelona flew by! We’re sure to go back, though, because we fell head over heels for the food and culture (and, of course, Gaudi)—what a way to celebrate love!
"Buenos Dias!" with a smile from Park Guell!
