Barcelona, Spain

Friday

When I arrived in Barcelona, I felt overwhelmed and tired. I was not feeling the whole solo travelling thing for a minute. It wasn't check-in time yet, so I dropped my bag off at the hostel, got some snacks at the grocery store, sat in Passeig de Lluís Companys Park, and relaxed for a while. I saw the Arc de Triomf and watched the people in the lively streets. When I returned to my hostel to check in at 2 p.m., my room was dark, and everyone was napping! I unpacked, rested and then headed out with a group of people from my hostel. 

I stayed at Black Swan Hostel Barcelona in an 8-person dorm room. The hostel itself was quite nice; it had some excellent common areas, and the rooms were nice. They had group activities daily, which I enjoyed as a solo traveller, and they had a free family dinner every night. You could sign up daily, and they would make you a dinner - it wasn't the best, but it was free! 

After settling in, a group of us from the hostel went to the Bunkers, a popular hangout spot with panoramic views of Barcelona from Spanish Civil War bunkers, where they originally installed anti-aircraft guns. Another girl and I shared a bottle of prosecco, and we all just chatted and hung out for a while; it was such a vibe! Back at the hostel, I had a free dinner, visited with some people, journaled and went to bed early. 

Saturday

I got up, grabbed a pastry and some fruit from the store and got a delicious coffee from Syra Coffee. I walked to Plaça Reial - a square in the Gothic Quarter - to meet my walking tour. Sadly, no one was there for the tour. I double-checked everything, but they just didn't show up. I managed to find another lady doing a free Gothic walking tour, so I joined her group. One other family with kids left half an hour into the tour, so I got my own private tour! It was a bit awkward, but the guide was fantastic, and I learned/saw a lot! 


  • Saint George's Day (April 23rd)
  • Hebrew writing on bricks around the city
  • Caganer - Catalan Christmas pooping shepherd in nativity scenes that brings luck
  • Cathedrals are built from the back, starting with the altar
  • They have giants in their parades
  • Many buildings around the city have been moved brick by brick 
  • Santa Eulalia - tortured girl
I wandered around Passeig del Born, which had a cute market, and Placeta de Montcada, which had many tapas and souvenirs. I walked down Carrer dels Banys Nous, a super cute street. I got fries with brava sauce from Las Fritas, the same place Rae and I were obsessed with in Valencia (the Valencia location is still the best). I also got churros and chocolate from Xurreria, which came highly recommended by multiple Spanish people.

I visited Park Güell but accidentally went in a back entrance and not the main one, so I was very confused for a bit! It was a really cool park with lovely views. I love Gaudi's style!

I wandered back to the hostel to cool down and relax for a while. Two girls from my hostel and I went to Tapes la Bona Sort for food. It was a fancier place, and the food was all delicious! We shared a jug of sangria, grilled veggies with goat cheese, ham croquettes, patatas bravas and coca bread (a Spanish Catalan bread that is SO delicious). Some girls and I shared a bottle of cava (Spanish sparkling wine) at the hostel that cost €2.49. We went on the hostel pub crawl, which involved an hour of unlimited alcohol and pre-drinks drinking games at the hotel before going out. We went to Mojito Bar first, which is more of a club than a bar, so it was dead because it was too early. Then we went to Hype Club, which was fun, but the drink prices were insane. Finally, we went to the City Hall Club, which I personally thought was really boring. A few of us decided we weren't in the mood for the club, so we left, got Pringles, chatted, and walked home. 

Sunday 

I went on a big walk this morning. I got fresh OJ from the shop and headed towards Sant Miquel Beach. I dipped my toes in the water, sat in the sun, and people-watched. It was very busy, and a lot of people were topless. I wandered around the port and walked over to La Rambla, a famous, busy street with many shops. I walked past Casa Batlló and Casa Milà. I headed back to the hostel because the hostel had organized a beach day to a beach outside the city. I was so excited because I realized it is hard to go to the beach as a solo traveller. Especially in Barcelona, the pickpockets and thieves are so bad on the beaches. Sadly, they cancelled the outing due to not enough interest. I was super bummed out. 

After moping for a bit (the solo travelling blues hit me hard today), I headed to Paradiso - a speakeasy accessed through a pastrami shop. Currently, I ranked the #1 best bar in the world. I wasn't sure how I felt about going alone, but I decided I wouldn't let being alone stop me from doing what I wanted. I joined the virtual queue and got in relatively quickly. I sat at the bar. The bartenders were awesome! They were so nice, funny, entertaining and welcoming. I ordered the Tesla drink, which is inspired by Tesla coils. It was tasty and so cool; it came on a base with a coil, and when the glass was close, it lit up, and you could touch the glass, and the lights responded to your touch. I chatted with the people around me and watched all of the fun drinks being made and served to others. I got the Paradiso Express for my second drink, inspired by the Industrial Revolution; it was like a different version of an espresso martini. It was served on a train with a coffee-flavoured meringue. It cost €30 for the two cocktails, which was expensive but worth it! 

I felt much happier after. I chatted with Mom for a bit and then went to Mescladís del Pou - a hip/artsy/sustainable/humanitarian restaurant place - for some nachos. Back at the hostel, I got talked into going on the pub crawl again. I met some cool people, which was more fun than the first. We went to a beach bar first, which was pretty chill. Next, we went to another bar (I can't remember the name), and we went to the club Pacha. I'm not a huge clubbing person, but if you're into that, then the nightlife in Barcelona is excellent. The massive club had different rooms, live DJs, and tons of lights - it was wild! It is frustratingly impossible to get a drink; it took forever, and man, they are expensive... it's a good thing I wasn't the one buying! I decided to head back to the hostel with some friends, and on the bus home, I met a guy from Calgary (Country Hills); what are the chances?!

Monday 

I went for a morning walk and got a coffee, then stopped at Pastisseria Hofmann and got a mascarpone croissant - recommended as the best croissant in Barcelona, it was very, very good. Then I walked to Mercado de la Boqueria, Barcelona's primary fresh food market, and it is enormous. I enjoyed wandering around and looking at everything and got some tasty fresh fruit. Afterwards, I visited Casa Batlló. I did an audio tour and really enjoyed wandering around the house. I love Gaudi's style and the way he uses light and nature and feelings in his work. At the end of the tour there was a cool, immersive 360 degree art video thing. I headed back to the hostel for a rest and change. 

I visited the Sagrada Familia, which was absolutely incredible. The detail in that building is insane, and I love that all the depictions that are usually inside a church are on the outside. I loved the light coming in through the stained glass in the late afternoon. It was stunning! I spent a long time inside and watched a bit of mass going on in the crypt through a window. Afterward, I explored the museum and spent more time admiring it from the outside. 


I headed to Bo De Boqueria for dinner after doing some research. I wanted to have a paella dinner while in Spain. Still, I learned it is very difficult as a solo traveller, as paella is typically served for two people. Also, places that do serve it as one portion typically serve it cooked from frozen. The place I went to supposedly made it fresh and for one person. I had a tinto de verano and chicken paella, and it was tasty (though the one I had in Valencia was better). I headed home, repacked my stuff, chatted with some people in my room and relaxed before going to bed early to catch my early morning flight to Portugal. Spain was absolutely amazing and I enjoyed solo travelling for the most part. Still, I was so excited to meet up with Tori by this point!

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