#3052 a train ride and family time: first night in Barcelona

 

Welcome to BCN, Pope Leo (and Thompson family!)

I love the city of Barcelona, so I'm likely going to write a separate post for each day we spent there. Every day was full of cool stuff, so four posts are warranted, in my opinion.

We left Granada around 11:00 am on June 3 and traveled by train from Granada to Madrid. We decided to travel by train because even though it is a longer travel day, the hassle factor of riding the train is much less than flying. It is also less expensive and much more comfortable. Plus, even at 170 mph, you get to see the countryside, so it's more scenic, too. We liked it!

MT really liked the train ride

we did too!

The first stretch took us from Granada to Madrid, it takes about three and a half hours. As luck would have it, my cousin Sonia and her daughter were in Madrid to see the Bad Bunny concert there that night. They arrived from Barcelona about half an hour before we did, so they hung out and waited for us so we could say hi! FUN!!

MT, T, Sonia, me, and Nicole in Madrid train station

Nicole's girlfriend Julia was there, (she took the photo) so it was nice to meet her, too. A bonus for us was that Sonia bought us calamari sandwiches to take on the next leg of the trip. I really appreciated it, and the sandwiches were delicious!

We had another three or four hours to ride the train to BCN. We took a taxi from the train station to the Gothic Quarter where we were staying at the Gran Hotel Barcino. We checked into our rooms, then met Mama and Lizzie, who were staying at a sister hotel a couple minutes walk away. 

We decided to have some tapas for dinner, so we walked to a couple of places before we found one with space for the five of us. I don't remember what it was called. The tapas were fine, but the best part for me was being in my favorite city with my favorite people!

Lizzie, me, MT, T, and Mama (ussie by Lizzie)

After eating, the menfolk went back to the hotel. Mama, Lizzie, and I wanted to walk around a bit and chat. Mama and Lizzie had just come from Stockholm that day, and I was eager to hear about their visit with Mia and meeting the family there in Sweden. We decided to go to a rooftop bar at a hotel near the Cathedral. It was pretty breezy up there, but the view was beautiful and the cava was delicious.

Mama, me, and Lizzie with the Cathedral 

Cathedral of Barcelona

In the next post, I will talk about our tour of the Sagrada Familia, having tapas at a place Picasso used to frequent, and enjoying family time in the Gothic Quarter.

xo