Hello world. Hope you all had a great weekend.

In August, I travelled to Barcelona, Spain for the first time. Barcelona is a very rich city in many aspects. There’s something for everyone, for sports lovers the Camp Nou, for art lovers amazing museums, for budget travelers lots of free things all year round. It’s impossible not to enjoy Barcelona. 

HISTORY

Barcelona was founded by Phoenicians and Carthaginians. The original name of the city was Barcino, probably named after the Carthaginian ruler Hamilcar Barca. The city itself was founded by the Romans who set up a colony called Barcino at the end of the 1st century BC. The colony had some thousand inhabitants and was bounded by a defensive wall, the remains of which can still be seen in the old town.
For over 200 years, Barcelona was under Muslim rule, and, following the Christian reconquest, it became a county of the Carolingian Empire and one of the main residences of the court of the Crown of Aragon. The fruitful medieval period established Barcelona’s position as the economic and political centre of the Western Mediterranean. 
The 20th century ushered in widespread urban renewal throughout Barcelona city, culminating in its landmark Eixample district, which showcases some of Barcelona’s most distinctive Catalan art-nouveau, or modernista, buildings. 

BEFORE TRAVELING TO SPAIN

Visa: Spain is a party to the Schengen Agreement. Passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your stay. U.S Citizens and other Europeans countries may enter Spain for up to 90 days for tourist or business purposes without a visa.

Siesta:The siesta is one of the most famous aspects of Spanish life – that dead period in late afternoon when everything shuts down in Spain, in theory so people can go to sleep. Across the country — in big cities and remote towns — small shops will close from roughly 2pm to 5pm during what would traditionally be siesta time. Instead of napping, though, workers are probably going for a long leisurely lunch.

Lunch and dinner are served late: Perhaps you’ve heard: Spain’s meal schedule is skewed on the very late side. That means lunch at around 2pm and dinner around 9pm or often later. As such, don’t expect restaurant kitchens to be open before 1:30pm and 9pm respectively — though tourist-area establishments tend to have earlier, if not all-day serving hours.

I flew in from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN)

I stayed at a beautiful artist’s Airbnb in Gracia area. 

 Since I didn’t do much research prior to my arrival. I decided to explore the city and taste some local food

One of the most famous landmarks in Barcelona is Park Güell. 

I had dinner with two amazing women I met during the flight to Barcelona

I went back to Park Güell the next day because I realized the best time to visit Park Güell is between 7am-8am. It’s free, less crowd, see the sunrise and get the most beautiful photos. I know it early but it will be well worth the visit around this time. 

 

When you walk around the beach by the famous W Hotel, be prepare to see lots of nudity. Many beach goers opt for zero clothing to get the perfect tan. 

The Sagrada Familia is one of the most famous landmarks in Barcelona. The church is such a huge size, so they often referred it as “cathedral”, but without having a bishop’s seat. Pope Benedict XVI. inaugurates the Sagrada Familia on November 7, 2010. The church building is raised to a basilica.

I took the train to Monserrat. About 1 hour from Barcelona

After such long day of exploring. I had dinner at one of the most beautifully decorated Middle Eastern inspire restaurant. The food, and service was simply perfect. I highly recommend this restaurant when in Barcelona. 

I went to Barcelona without much expectation but instantly fell in love with this city. I hope this post help inspires you all to visit Barcelona.

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