Traveling more is on the top of my 2012 goals. Last year's list included so many farfetched destinations that it was impossible to succeed without going somewhere every weekend. Unfortunately my work schedule does not allow for exotic travel destinations every weekend. This year I revised my goals to plan more trips instead. Plan is the important word here.
It is always best to get started early when planning a trip, but sometimes even a hastily planned trip comes together beautifully. Last week while on the phone with a former colleague I decided it might be fun to go to Spain for the long weekend. I looked up prices on my new favorite website, vueling.com, and they were reasonable. Ryan was into the idea, but not completely sold. At home in front of the computer with a glass of wine we finally booked our tickets. We took a time out to watch an episode or two of The Walking Dead, then tried to find a hotel.
I should mention that we are not hotel people. We are foodie people. That means we don't care about hotel amenities such as jacuzzis, spas and views. We care that it is close to restaurants. After a few glasses of wine we settled on Hotel Avinyo. At 118 euros for two nights the price was right, and the location was perfect. It was down the street from everything but, the room was a lot like a box. We didn't care though. We wanted to see the city. If the room was too comfy we would have trouble getting out of there.
The first order of business was food. The seafood in Barcelona is abundant. We strolled through La Boqueria amazed at the quantity of fresh seafood there. It was my favorite part of the trip.
We spent most of our time walking around exploring the city which is vibrant and full of charm. Ryan loved all of the modern architecture, and when we stumbled into a Mexican restaurant at the end of our first night he laughed out loud at the mariachi band that appeared out of nowhere. As if that wasn't surreal enough, one of the patrons who resembled Julio Iglesias stood up and belted out a magnificent Spanish ballad. His voice bellowed throughout the space without a microphone. His wife beamed at him from their table. We wondered if he did this every Friday night.
The next day was dedicated to shopping. Again the prices did not disappoint. The cost of living in Barcelona is a great deal less than it is in Vicenza. I bought a few basics, but nothing to blog about.
Our next stop was the Sagrada Familia. I could see progress since the last time I saw it in 1999, but it is not scheduled to be completed until It is scheduled 2025. Can't wait to see it when it is finally finished.
We spent a fair portion of the day planning to eat at the Mexican place we were in the night before, but it was not meant to be. They were at capacity. We ended up at a little wine bar with amazing Spanish tapas, guacamole and salsa.
After dinner we walked around looking for a bar for a night cap, but with so many choices it is very hard to decide. Finally just after midnight we decided to call it a night. We had an early flight in the morning. We had a fabulous time in Barcelona and look forward to planning other trips to Spain.
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