4 Nights in Barcelona
Antoni Gaudí, Country-wide Blackout, and an Unforgettable Ham Sandwich
Not quite magical. But definitely memorable.
I didn’t know what to expect with Barcelona. I heard bits and pieces from fellow travellers I met in Madrid and Seville. I’ve learned to not let other people’s opinions negatively influence my own experience. So much of traveling is uniquely personal and situational. You could have rain all day, everyday. You could have a multi-country blackout that limits your ability to do anything or find decent food. Moral of the story: enjoy your trip, and form your own opinion.
SATURDAY: The Architect and the Anthem
I was surprisingly prepared considering I scheduled everything the night before as I was leaving Seville. The first item on the agenda was Parc Güell - Gaudí’s surrealist sandbox turned public park. What started as a failed housing project became one of the most iconic spaces in Spain. Mosaics everywhere. Good views. “Failed” project, depending how you look at it. A reminder that even brilliant ideas don’t always scale.
Afterwards, I wandered the Gothic Quarter, toward Plaça de Catalunya and then Cathedral of Barcelona, where I sat on a bench while a busker sang Hallelujah. I didn’t have anything smaller than €20, so I dropped it in. It felt right. The memory was worth it. That song still gives me goosebumps. Finally, I drifted through La Boqueria for an empanada just before closing.
I continued wandering, and then found some ramen for dinner. I watched the Barcelona v. Madrid match - #1 vs #2. I felt like I experienced enough of the local excitement and needed to catch up on sleep, so I left at halftime. It ended up being an incredibly exciting 3-2 finish for Barcelona. Maybe I should’ve stayed. Oops.
SUNDAY: La Pedrera, Rooftops, and Sagrada Familia
Gaudí again — this time at Casa Milà (La Pedrera), a curving, rippling apartment building built in 1906. Thirteen-room flats. Indoor stables. Attic-level laundry operations. Wealthy businessmen used to run entire companies out of their living rooms. There are even a few tenants still living there today! Now, there’s a coffee shop on the first floor where I edited some of my favorite photos for an hour with a chocolate croissant.
From there: La Fábrica empanadas, Moritz Brewery, and eventually a rooftop at Alaire. Barcelona looks better from above. More coherent. Like you’re zoomed out just enough to appreciate the sprawl.
The crown jewel of Barcelona is Basílica de la Sagrada Família, or simply Sagrada Familia. This is Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece, still under construction to this day. He took inspiration from nature and constructed an impressive basilica that mimics a forest. The 56 columns branch out at the top providing great structural integrity while allowing an incredible amount of light through the many stained glass windows. You can't not be impressed when you walk into this place. Definitely book this in advance. I paid ~$130 for a last-minute tour, but if you plan well you can spend far less.
Random note: Ubers here are in a turf war with taxis as of May 2025. But you can actually order a taxi through the Uber app. They are more prevalent and still reasonably priced.
MONDAY: Blackout Barcelona
I wrote more about the blackout here, but picture this: no Wi-Fi, no power, no credit card payments, no communications. Just confused tourists, tech bros chain-smoking while they couldn't work, and old ladies reminiscing about World War II. I saw one woman — easily in her 80s — finish her glass of wine, walk over to our table, and introduce herself “in case the world ends.” Then she ordered a Baileys.
Supermarkets were chaos. ATMs were offline. There was a line at the bank. Restaurants couldn't use any appliances to make food. I managed to get the last ham and cheese sandwich at the restaurant I found. Back at the hotel, after finding some snacks to get me through, they were serving a simple salad and... you guessed it: ham & cheese sandwiches!
Everything came back around 3:45 AM. And by 9 AM, everyone was acting like nothing had happened. I guess we’re good at adapting.
TUESDAY: Tapas and Last Looks
The lights were on, and I was back to work and making travel plans. I met a new travel friend for dinner — wagyu, croquettes, beef cannelloni, orange wine. We watched Arsenal play while I got a Guinness at a London-style pub. I was just getting myself ready to be in London!
Final Thoughts
And as the plane lifted off, I asked myself: would I come back?
Maybe. But I’m not rushing it. If I do, it’d be for work or with others.
Barcelona gave me Gaudí. That was the main takeaway for me. It gave me a multi-country power blackout, and one really unforgettable sandwich. I’m glad I visited. But my next trip back to Spain will likely be a new city.
