Barcelona Tips and Tricks

Planning a trip to Barcelona? Robert and I put together a little list to make it the best adventure possible! Want to know where to stay, where to eat and what to do?? Read below and enjoy!

Where to Stay:

So far we have had really great experiences with Airbnb. We used their website to find an apartment in Barcelona and it worked out really well for us. Want something low key? In the best and most lively neighborhood (El Born!)? Want to feel like a local? Then we would recommend this apartment! Our hostess was great, the apartment was small and nothing fancy, but perfect for us and for a fun stay in this lively city!

What to Do: 

• Park Guell. This parked is covered with Gaudi's architecture and is definitley worth the trip. It is full of tourists and beautiful vibrant colors. Book your tickets ahead of time here. 

• La Sagrada Familia. This is another Gaudi creation and is pretty incredible. It is unique and different from other churches in Europe. Construction was started 100+ years ago and it is still going on...like I said very unique. Pay a small fee to go inside and get a glimpse inside his mind.
• La Rambla. A bustling street full of little trinkets! Just be sure to watch your pockets. And right off of La Rambla is my favorite...
• La Boqueria. This market is the best...read more below!
• Barceloneta Beach. Going during the summer?? Enjoy an afternoon on the beach! It is a great way to relax those aching feet. Maybe even take a picnic to enhance the experience (that's what we did!).
• The Neighborhoods. One of our favorite things to do was explore neighborhoods while popping in and out of fun shops. Our favorite neighborhood by far was El Born...it is so lively and full of shops, places to eat and beauty!

• Shopping. You have to go to Art Escudellers. This place is full of beautiful pottery in the most vibrant and beautiful colors. This was our chosen Barcelona "souvenir". We bought beautiful bowels that we have already used with dinner...functional and stirs up great memories! They package it where you are able to take it on the plane, which is what we did, or if you want to go crazy and buy lots of pieces, they will ship it all the way to the USA!

Where to Eat:

•  Must Try? Tortilla de Patata (Spanish Omlette), churros con chocolate and a favorite of mine, Magdalena, a Spanish muffin.

• La Fabrica- for incredible empanadas! The ham and cheese is the best, as well as everything else on the menu, you can't go wrong. It is in my favorite neighborhood, El Born, and is the perfect afternoon pick me up. 

•  La Boqueria- probably the best market in Europe. It is full of fresh fruit, juices, pastries, seafood, meats and everything else you can imagine. It is such a fun and delicious experience. Either go for a meal or snack, either way you will leave full and very happy.

•  A picnic at the beach! It was a little too windy (ok way too windy) the day we went, but if you have a beautiful sunny day? Grab food at local shops and enjoy a relaxing afternoon.

•  Milk. Robert and I love brunch, like love love brunch. This place is the perfect stop. Our favorite? The fruit and granola, soo good and so fresh.

•  Le Cure Gourmande. Delicious cookies and the perfect souvenir for all those loved ones back home.

• Travel and Cakes. An even more perfect brunch stop. Probably the best banana bread you have ever had and french toast donuts... need I say more? No, but I will! They also had plenty of savory options that looked incredible as well.

• Bo De B. A fun and unique stop, especially among students. A sandwich is the most popular option, it is heavy and good and definitely worth a stop!

• Eyescream and Friends. Yummy ice creams, plenty of toppings to choose from (hello caramel and oreos) and a really cool presentation. We enjoyed this place so much, we stopped twice!

• Euskal Etxea. Pinchos...a yummy bite of food presented on a toothpick. Choose from an assortment, how ever much you want, enjoy a drink alongside and at the end pay per toothpick. It is a very fun experience, but beware it is not super filling and adds up quickly. 

• Quimet and Quimet. We were not able to stop here but heard it is the best for Tapas. It is in El born neighborhood and when we passed it, it was packed full and looked like such a fun atmosphere!

Enjoy your adventure!

The Silence is Broken...A Barcelona Adventure!

The silence has ended! Man, it has been almost two (?!) months since I have been around here, aka way too long. For good reason though! Our summer has been very busy, very fun and full of lots of change. A complete and total update is coming soon,  since I finally (I think) have a new rhythm down and have adjusted to this new schedule. BUT, first I want to recap our European Adventure that happened back in May! To remind you, Robert's basketball season ended in Poland at the end of April, so the beginning of May we were off to explore. Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona were in the books and it was such a wonderful trip...I mean it is traveling, my happy place for sure.

First let's recap the vibrant, the fun...Barcelona!
(stay tuned...tomorrow I will share the nitty gritty, all the details you need to know if you are planning a trip to Barcelona)

We arrived in Barcelona very late one night, so crashed as soon as we arrived at our Apartment in the El born neighborhood- our favorite by far! The next morning we slept in a tiny bit and then were off for a packed day. We started our morning off with brunch, plenty of walking through quaint neighborhood streets and then off to Park Guell.

The Park is pretty and very interesting. I would not say it was our favorite stop- but it was worth. The colors were beautiful and it was neat to get a look into Gaudi's mind and style- very unique.

Of course, we enjoyed plenty of delicious food. It was great to stop for lunch, rest our feet and leisurely enjoy our meal in the shining sun while chatting about our day so far and what was ahead.

I think the best way to describe Barcelona is to say it is lively. The Spanish culture fully embraces the siesta in the afternoon and enjoys the city late into the night. They sure know how to enjoy life to the fullest. It is lively,vibrant and very fun.

Day two we made sure to walk down La Rambla, a very fun street, and then headed to the main attraction, the La Boqueria Market! This place is incredible. Fresh fruit, juices and tons of other fresh, local food...it is very fun and quite the experience. We really loved it here.

Then after plenty of walking,  it was off to the beach to enjoy a picnic! We stopped at some local shops to grab our grub, and then made camp on the beach. We enjoyed our picnic in the very windy and very cold weather...we had good intentions, but sadly it was a bust. But hey at least we tried!

After we finished our food and couldn't take the cold any longer, we decided to fully embrace the culture and take a little siesta ourselves:) After a nice, little nap we got ready and headed out for the night.

Good food, strolling through a beautiful city and this handome hunk...it doesn't get much better.

On our last day, we made sure to enjoy the beautiful neighborhoods and their fun shopping and check out La Sagrada Familia. We did not go in (but have heard it is incredible), but instead just walked all around the outside. The building of this church began hundreds of years ago and is still being built and they say it will not be completed for a very long time. So it was pretty neat to see and admire it's unique beauty.

Barcelona was a great first stop on our European Adventure! It was so nice to get a little taste of Spain, explore a new city with my husband (my favorite), try new and delicious foods and soak in the beauty of an incredible culture. Robert and I are so grateful for this trip. Traveling together is one of our favorite things and we are so thankful to have the opportunity to do so...and I am so thankful to all of you for reading my blog and posts...means the world!

Planning a trip to Barcelona sometime soon? Or want to go one day? Come back tomorrow for the ins and outs... Robert and my tips and tricks for this fun city!

Linking up with Bonnie.

Five on Friday / Easter and Travel

Friday is here! Let's get right to it...

O N E Robert and I had a very low key and very nice Easter, just the two of us! We slept in way too late, cooked a fabulous brunch and celebrated our Risen Savior! We relaxed the rest of the day and ended with a night at the movies! It was such a sweet day with the husband, one filled with the utmost gratefulness for our God.

 Check out blueberry muffin recipe here!

T W O Let's talk about traveling...my absolute favorite hobby, especially when it is with the husband. After the season is over, we are taking our end of the year trip! And we cannot wait. This year we are traveling to Barcelona, Paris and Amsterdam!! Have you visited one of these destinations?? Please give us all your tips and tricks! Especially for Barcelona and Amsterdam.We need suggestions on places to eat, what to see, etc...please help!

via Paris trip in January

T H R E E Speaking of traveling...recently I have recapped my travel adventures including our Paris/ London Girl's Trip and my quick trip to Seattle! Visit my travel page here to see all our adventures, including tips and tricks for certain European cities!

F O U R During my flights to and from Seattle, I came across a new artist that I absolutely love! I might be way behind here but his name is George Ezra and his music is great...the perfect feel good music and his voice is perfection. My favorite so far is Budapest...definitely check his music out (if you haven't already).

F I V E Back to Easter for a quick sec. Roberto decided to snap this pic of me (with pajamas and bed head mind you) while I was trying to get the perfect "blogger brunch photo". It is a a little ridiculous but man...so fun! I really enjoy this whole blogging thing and all the craziness I do for it.

That's it for today! Now for the weekend, which will consist of plenty of relaxing, reading (obsessed with Liane Moriarty) and fingers crossed, lots of brunch. 

I hope you each have a wonderful weekend, Happy Friday!

Linking up with Oh Hey Friday, Meet at the Barre, Five on Friday, and Jennie.

A Quick Trip / Seattle

At the end of March I was able to make a quick trip to good ole' America! One of my best friends was getting married in Seattle and I was not about to miss it! Even though we will be headed home in a month, and it was only a five day trip, the husband totally agreed that I had to go...I seriously love that man.

After a solo hotel stay, a 2:30am wake-up call and about 24 hours of travel, I finally made it to Seattle and with a second wind! I mean seeing your best friends after way too many months, will wake you up real fast.

I arrived Thursday in the late afternoon, and we just spent that night catching up lots and it was wonderful. Then the next morning, I was up bright and early (the time change is a killer) so a morning walk it was . And oh man, Seattle is just incredibly gorgeous...

 {the big camera was not lugged on this trip, so all photos are with the phone.}

Jocelyn and I had visited Matti (our bride) in Seattle a few years ago, but I ended up getting sick so most of that trip was a blur. But this time, this time, I was fully able to enjoy this city and oh my goodness...it is incredible! It is clean, beautiful and so much fun. I can't wait to bring Roberto back with me!

Later that morning I was able to get my hair highlighted (priorities, right?) and then headed to the rehearsal. Just wait...the venue is gorgeous. After, we were able to do a little lot of shopping and then headed out that night to celebrate our bride-to-be!

Saturday morning started with another walk (the weather was too good) and then the celebrations continued with a Bridal Brunch! We enjoyed brunch at Portage Bay Cafe and all I can say is wow. Find yourself in Seattle?? This is a must as well as there Pancakes and topping bar. So yummy.

We had so much fun eating brunch and celebrating sweet Matti. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and then it was time to head to the Rehearsal dinner at the prettiest restaurant on the water!

Talk about good food, crabbed stuffed shrimp...holy moly, so good. Ok, enough about food...I'm done. It was such a fun night celebrating the future Mr. and Mrs. Gresham!

The next morning it was game time! We woke up and spent the morning getting ready and taking pictures...

I mean, can you say gorgeous???

In the late afternoon, it was finally time. In the sweetest and most beautiful ceremony, our Matti married her man!

We spent the rest of the night, dancing and eating and having the most FUN time. Mr. and Mrs. Gresham, you sure know how to throw a party! Congratulations to the incredible couple, Jesus is going to do great things through this marriage.

Before my flight the next morning, we were able to explore Seattle a little more, enjoy brunch (also eat at The Crumpet Shop, insert heart eyes) and lots of catch-up time. Being with your friends and in a beautiful city? Well, it is just the best.

 Pike Place is amaazing, by the way. Fresh fruit and flowers, samples, chocolate pasta...I could go on and on.

 (Thanks El for these pictures!)

I then made my way to the airport for the journey back to Poland. It was not the best flight experience (can you say turbulence??) but I was so grateful for such a wonderful few days in AMERICA with friends and celebrating our married Greshams!

Linking up with Annie, Natalie, Meagan and Joey