As is our custom, our vacations often are a mix of outdoor and physical activity, coupled with a bit of “culture” – exploration of cities or other areas of interest outside of our New England region. This trip was no different, only that we did the cultural part BEFORE the outdoor/hiking activities.

Jeanne had registered and spent a week in Begur, Spain in the Costa Brava region of Spain. That seemed like a great opportunity (or excuse?) to visit the region. Barcelona was less than a 2hr drive, and her retreat included travel service to/from Barcelona – so that made it an easy choice for the cultural component of our vacation. Since we gravitate toward mountain adventures, Andorra offered some great opportunities – you can read about that separately.

Finding sites to visit in Barcelona was easy – there’s no end of top-10 lists, travel blogs, etc with information (and often, something to sell!). Because of the wide variety, it was difficult to choose, though we finally settled on three “attractions”: 1) the Sagrada Familia, 2) some of Antoni Gaudi’s great works, and 3) Montserrat – outside of Barcelona proper. More on each these below.

We’d chosen to stay, courtesy of AirBnB in the Gothic quarter, making access to sites and the many restaurants and car-less streets ideal for walking – and highly recommended. Barcelona, like other major European cities is dense, with its own traffic patterns (some might call annoyances) – though also well-served by buses and a subway system. We preferred walking – the Gothic quarter location was ideal.

What’s to say about the Sagrada which hasn’t already been said – tons of images, fascination with its incomplete/work-in-progress, and just the sheer genius of Gaudi’s vision. It is an amazing creation of human genius, and absolutely a must-see, even if you’re not a fan of (Catalan) modernism.

We’d also recommend signing up for a tour – here it was, early October, and access into the Sagrada was sold out. Of course, 80degree weather and cloudless skies helped there!

I imagine there’s books written about the Sagrada, its various facades with their rich symbolism, and even the contribution of the other architects beyond Gaudi’s initial vision and creation.

Later that same day, we’d chosen to visit another of Gaudi’s great works – the Casa Battlo. It too, is another amazing example of Catalan modernism, with seemingly not a single straight line in the building. Coming from our stick-built New England homes, it was quite the example of what’s possible when pushing the boundaries (or removing barriers).

By itself, Barcelona’s gothic quarter could easily be a whole-day activity. Many, many shopping opportunities, as well as eateries – tapas is everywhere. Some hidden gems, such as “The world begins with every kiss” mural

We stumbled on a small, local restaurant – El Chigre – in the heart of the barrio. A wonderful little place with some great Catalan tapas options. A treat we discovered is local vermouth – not your average Martini & Rossi we’re familiar with – but a rich oaky flavor, sippable straight-up with a twist of orange.

On the recommendation from a friend, we also chose to explore a nearby Monestary as part of our time in Barcelona. More formally, the Santa Maria de Montserrat abbey was founded in the 11th century and rebuilt between the 19th and 20th centuries, and still functions today with over 70 monks. Besides it’s unique location in the Montserrat (seratted) mountains, the monestary is also home of the Virgin of Montserrat – believed to have mystical powers dating back to the late 12th century.

While not part of Barcelona proper, the monestary has a long history, so it plays an important role in the overall Catalan culture. AND, the fun part was that we combined that tour with a visit to a local vineyard for lunch and some wine tasting.

We’d had nearly perfect weather – evidenced by some of the outdoor photos – making this part of our Spain adventure very enjoyable. But quickly enough, we had to say goodbye to Barcelona, but not before taking a slight detour south to the coastal town of Sitges – with a vibrant LGBTQ+ community. Provincetown, anyone?

Sitges made for a nice stop-over and transition from bustling Barcelona to the more quiet surrounds of Andorra.