A Familiar Place...

Barcelona, Spain

November 5, 2007
N41°23.190
E002°10.480

As we strolled through Parc de la Ciutadella we noticed the trees shedding the last of their leaves, the shadows from the sun were soft and Marc commented how much he likes the light this time of year. Fall was in the air as we sat on a bench and enjoyed the perfect weather. Children played in the park, running, falling, crying before picking themselves up to do it all over again.

We admired the city of Barcelona blending in with the locals in the parks, on the beaches and in tapas bars where we picked at the pinxtos and sipped on the local Spanish wine. In fact, we seemed to blend in so well we were frequently asked for directions, of course all in Spanish; ultimately leading to a polite, “Yo no se, lo siento.”

Barcelona is the most we have felt at home since we started traveling nine months ago. The city is a lot like San Francisco. The locals have a very relaxed, bohemian vibe about them, no one seems to be in a hurry; although everyone seems to be hip, no one seems too concerned about what you may, or may not, be wearing. BCN isn’t as picturesque as San Francisco; it doesn’t have the beautiful landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars. However, what it lacks in beauty it more than makes up for in entertainment, quality of life and intrigue, mainly due to the abundance of great tapas bars and architectural styles of Gaudi.

We’ve enjoyed getting lost in the neighborhoods, wandering through the alleyways and exploring as much of the city as possible. I feel we now know Barcelona. Of course not like if we lived here, but I am confident I could move here tomorrow.

Tomorrow is our last full day in the beautiful city and we are going to spend it lounging in a beach front cafe, checking on the progress of Ana’s spa and enjoying a final round of tapas and drinks with Ana and Kyler—seeing my college friend again has made Barcelona even more special to me.

I know one thing for certain… when we leave on Wednesday, we’ll definitely say hasta luego to Barcelona—see you soon! I definitely won’t wait another ten years to come back; the city still holds a firm number two spot (after San Francisco) on my all-time favorite cities list.