The Munce Family: Bonita Barcelona

Next stop, Barcelona!

We loved Barcelona, the neighborhoods were unique in their own way and the way they transitioned into each was subtle but obvious. We had an extra day so were really able to appreciate our surroundings and do some extra things we might not have otherwise had the opportunity to do.

Our travel day to Barcelona was long, about a 6 hour speed train ride across France and some of Spain. A quick memory worth sharing, we were waiting for our (slightly delayed) train so we got a snack and drink from Starbucks at the train station, and when they put out names on the cups, they called Greta, 'Grana' and Piper, 'Paper,' something was slightly lost in translation ;). The train ride itself was lovely, relaxing, and the recharge we needed after being in Paris. We arrived in the evening and took taxis to our Barcelona apartment which was located in the Eixample District, adjacent to the Gothic Quarter. It was bustling with shops, restaurants, and charming streets, one after the next. We settled and went for an immediate dinner as we had some hangry kids/mom. We found a restaurant called La Taperia in El Nacional. We had tapas, everyone tried something new and we left much happier than we came. We were so happy to get into our apartment with air conditioning and black out curtains.

We slowed way down the following day with a trip to the beach. We chose a family friendly beach called Barceloneta. It was busy, a bit rocky, but beautiful. It reminded me of a magazine photo with the backdrop of umbrellas and beach towels. One of the most surprising parts was probably the heavy presence of peddler selling everything from water to vodka, even massages, but the most surprising was, hands down, the amount of topless sunbathers. The kids were shocked initially, and once they got over it, it was no big deal. We had a quick street food happy hour at Bonita Barcelona before taking the underground back to the apartment for a shower and a regroup before we stumbled upon Bella Italia, a fantastic tiny restaurant next to our with a line around the corner who just happened to have spot for us last minute- mega win! The kids were all winners of the clean plate club, a sign of a day well spent.

We had tour plans on Tuesday to see La Familia Sagrada. We walked to the tour along sunny hot streets, capturing charming side streets along the way, just as the kids were running out of steam, we passed a Starbucks and everyone’s mood instantly lifted. We grabbed a pick me up and met our tour guide. Unfortunately the tour didn't rank high on our list, maybe 3/10 overall. The guide spoke fast and sort of mumbled her way through the tour and our tickets to the top of the tower were somehow overlooked, leaving a bad taste all around. In a start contrast, the Cathedral was incredible, one the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. The stained glass windows throughout cast rainbows in every direction. We were there in the morning, so the light coming through were cool blues and purples, as the day progresses, the light catches the warmer tones. It was incredibly beautiful and memorable to experience a modern day Cathedral. If their plans come together as they hope, the construction will be complete in 2026 which coincides with the 100th anniversary of Gauid’s death, the arctiect who designed the Cathedral. Next time we will skip the guided tour and wander independently. We grabbed a quick lunch and Sully and I went to Futbolmania, a recommendation from Sully’s 5th grade teacher who is from Barcelona. Sully was so excited to see all of the jerseys and soccer gear, he bought every single one of his souvenirs in one spot :). We reconnected with Dave and the girls at Las Ramblas where we wandered, shopped the markets, watched the street performers and had a happy hour at the bustling Marcat de la Boqueria. The kids were happy and fed and offered to stay in so Dave and I could sneak out for paella at a nearby restaurant called La Garriga, another great day.

The following morning, after a call with Maggie, I realized the jersey I purchased as a keepsake for Isaac was a women’s jersey, so trekked back, this time skipping the underground. It was a long hot walk on the streets, but it was a really cool way to appreciate how the neighborhoods blend into each other, and the alone time felt good. I made my return and caught up with the others in time for lunch at Luigi Restaurante, a great Italian restaurant with you guessed it, more pizza. The pizza was delicious, the a/c was amazing, and the wine was crips. Win-win all around. We took the underground to the funicular up to Mont Juit which is a fortress upon a hill overlooking Barcelona. We took our time wandering around and then opted to walk down, maybe not our best decision. It was hot and we were rationing or water and everyone was complaining, oh well ;). We did pass by the Olympics site from 1992 which was fun to see as the 2024 summer Olympics were about to take place in France. We connected with Parc du Montjuic, a natural park filled with museums and fountains. We ere thrilled when we got to the bottom and to our snack stop at the top of Las Arenas, which was the location of an old bull fighting ring now turned into a shopping center with rooftop restaurants. We made our way home and opted for take out, the kids had Burger King (any port in a storm) and Dave and I had Thai from a spot down the street, called Tonkotsu Ramen and Asian Streetfood, the potstickers, pad thai, and green curry hit the spot. Everyone was happy- priceless. We watched a movie in that evening and enjoyed an early bedtime.

We spent our final day in Barcelona at Nova Icaria Beach. On the way we stropped for crepes at a nearby spot and all three kids used their Spanish like professionals. The woman behind the counter even praised them for their beautiful accents. Nova Icaria was much more family friendly with rental chairs and umbrellas, and soft sand. We savored the afternoon sun and just how happy the kids were to be in the water. We stayed late, ordering sodas and ice cream cones and white wine. It was a great last day. Our only hiccup was a dysfunctioning washing machine back home that would not release our clothes. The repair man had arrived while we were gone for the day and when our clothes finally came out of the machine, they were all pink tinged and soaking wet. With a 6 hour train ride the following day, we scrambled to get things as dry as possible. We did the best we could, but definitely left a few items behind, so it goes!