La Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia is probably the most iconic Antonio Gaudi creation in Barcelona and it is definitely one of the the most unique buildings in the world. This Roman Catholic Church has been under construction since 1882 and it is anticipated to be completed in 2026 for the centennial of Gaudi's death. Like other Gaudi architectural creations around Barcelona, like Park Guell, the church's design included inspiration from nature including, sand, trees, sea shells, and so much more. It is impossible to do this church justice with pictures. It's scale is indescribable, but every small detail has a story.

If this isn't on your Barcelona bucket list, you should reevaluate why you're visiting Barcelona, because this is truly one of the most exceptional structures I have ever laid eyes on.

Barcelona Day Two

We woke up to blue skies our first morning in Barcelona, which made for a perfect view of Tibiano Mountain. I did NOT want to get out of our plush king-size bed, but I successfully rolled out just in time to share some freshly pressed coffee with James on our terrace. Even though I could have spent our entire first day just lounging in our room, leisurely napping with the french doors open and sipping wine on the terrace, we had some serious sightseeing to do.

First task at hand: Breakfast. Must find food. 

We passed quickly by the La Boqueria yesterday, so we knew that was going to be our first stop of the day. We took the scenic route to get to the La Ramblas. From our flat in Poble Sec, we passed through the Ravel district to get there and along the way, we admired the authentic lifestyle of the people of Barcelona.

On our way we stumbled upon a hidden gem of a courtyard which turned out to be the Old Hospital de la Santa Crue, a building which dates back to 1401. It used to be a hospital and hospice facility, but now it's part of a local university and a peaceful hangout spot for an eclectic group of people looking to get some fresh air or eat lunch.

Once we arrived at La Boqueria, we took care of our hanger pains with fresh fruits, juices, and James sampled some of the special ham varieties that Spain is so well known for. That. Place. Is. Amazing. Fresh EVERYTHING! Meat, fish, fruit, veg, spices, cheese, bread... I want to live there. Actually in the market. Like permanently. 

We spent an hour or so at the market before we set out to wander around the Gothic District. Soon after we came to the Barcelona Cathedral which was attracting many tourists and visitors.

Like most in Europe, the Cathedral is set in a massive courtyard which fills daily with locals and tourists. We were lucky to have a warm sunny day, so there was no shortage of people watching. There were even a couple of men playing Spanish guitar. James had told me the guitars were one of his favorite memories from his summer in Spain during college-- now I see why.

We eventually made our way over to La Sagrada Familia. Since we missed our scheduled entry time the day before, we were worried that we wouldn't be able to use our £35 tickets... but to our relief, and thanks to James' finesse, the lady at the box office let us in without any hassle. What a relief! I had read plenty of reviews on the cathedral and most people said that they don't reschedule if you miss you allotted time, so we lucked out!

CLICK HERE >> For pictures from La Sagrada Familia

CLICK HERE >> For pictures from Inside La Sagrada Familia

CLICK HERE >> For pictures from the Tower at La Sagrada Familia

The cathedral was amazing and beautiful. Even though I did plenty of research about it in the build-up to our trip, you don't get the full effect until you've seen it in person and gone inside. Wow. Seriously Wow. 

We relaxed in a park outside of the Cathedral and got a game plan together. Getting off our feet made us want to take it easy for a while, so we headed back towards the apartment to get some more tapas at Lolitas. Then we took a short rest at the apartment before freshening up for dinner.

At 10:00 PM, we showed up at Can Culleretes for our dinner reservation--it's one of the oldest restaurants in Barcelona and it is as authentic as it comes. I struggled with the menu since I am finicky about seafood, so I ended up just getting garlic chili shrimp while James went all out and chose the paella.

Our second day in Barcelona came to an end shortly after dinner. We grabbed some gelato and made our way back to the flat. We were exhausted from sightseeing and we knew we had a big day and an early wake up the following morning.

Check out:

Barcelona Day One.

Diaries of an Unslept Woman | Things Irritating Me Now

#1: The eternal backlog of pictures. I wish I had a better process, but I don't. I am so freaking backlogged with pictures it's not even funny. Blogging about Barcelona? Just thinking about it gives me hives. Not only do I have pictures on the camera, I have just as many on my iPhone. Can I just delete them? HELL NO! That's like blasphemy. They ALL must be dealt with accordingly. Oh and don't even get me started on iPhone pictures from London pre DSLR... Yeah, I spent two hours at Tate Modern a couple of months ago, but there's a good chance you'll never get any proof of it.

#2: Overthinkers and people who take themselves too seriously. Y'all. Come on. It. is. not. that. serious. Seriously.

#3: People on Instagram who direct you to their blog when you're just asking a simple question. I. HAAAAATE. THIS. Like seriously, dude. I don't care about your miserable blog, I just want to know where you got your skirt from. Be a decent human being and just tell me without scrounging for blog traffic. Delete. Delete. Unfollow.

#4: Seeing the same damn interior design trends over and over and over and over, etc. Does it irritate anyone else that every single person out there is decorating their home the exact same way? It's nearly impossible to create a unique living space without someone stealing your idea from Pinterest or Instagram. Okay, Okay. Let me give it a go. Youuu can'ttt liveee withouttt-- a funky Navajo, Persian, or cow hide rug, vintage bar cart (stocked with only the finest liquors), white walls, brass/gold accents, and fresh flowers, excuse me, peonies and/or succulents, EVERYWHERE! Wow, I never would have guessed! *just to be clear, these are all trends I enjoy as well! but still, it is irritating.

#5: Not sleeping. I started writing this post at.. eh.. 4:00 AM. Then I stopped to leave and take pictures of the sunrise around Islington and now I am back at 6:30 AM finishing up this post. sigh. I've been up all night. I would crush some ambien right now.

first picture of the day. vintage bug right outside my door.

#6: Cheating on my diet a day early. Sooooooo not worth it. Turns out sharing a bottle of wine with a friend on an empty stomach after nine days of being dry, means that you will wake up at 1:30 AM to a raging hangover and not be able to fall back asleep. Now I am eating cereal and blowing my diet to smithereens.

unhappy friday.