I did not plan to ever return to Barcelona. Sure, it's a cosmopolitan city with great art, food, and vibe - but I spent a week here in 2016 and saw all I needed to see. Well, insert my futbol loving son who decided years ago this was his futbol club. La Liga, really? I blame us purchasing a counterfeit Messi jersey for him in 2016 as his only souvenir when we returned from our first trip to Spain.
As we ended his first EU trip in 2023, Jordan made a rule he would not return to Europe for more than a week without our daughter. The idea of bringing our daughter across the pond intimated even me. However, I had promised my son for over a year that he could see Mbappe. Mbappe was now under contract to Real Madrid futbol club in Spain, which did align with my goal of art seeing at the Prado. After some research, I realized we could see the Barcelona and Real Madrid futbol clubs in a single trip during school holidays in November. So all this and one cheap flight later is how we ended up in Spain for 10 days with ourselves, our two children, and my mother.
We took an overnight flight to Madrid from CLT. We were all nervous for our daughter's first overnight flight and my mother's first in decades. However, our luck stayed so we got two front row seats and an entire half row for my daughter and Jordan. Her excitement ran out and she crashed asleep for the entire flight after one hour. We landed in Madrid, and after the world's longest walk to Customs, we were able to get an Uber to Madrid's interesting train station.
After a three hour train ride, we were in Barcelona. The first class experience on Spain's train line was good, but pales in comparison to the rest of the EU. However, we did enjoy the train station club which is a nice touch. My least favorite thing traveling with children is how Western European hotel rooms require a suite for parties of more than 2 or 3. So due to this and traveling with my mother, we checked into the luxurious Le Meriden located on La Rambla. The hotel was very nice and the location was perfect.
We had to hustle, as we had reservations at Hard Rock and more importantly the Picasso Museum. After lunch, I toured my mother and son around the historical portion of Barcelona. I made sure they understood the significance of standing where Columbus left to find the Americas. My second time around, I enjoyed the Picasso museum much more. My appreciation for his vast range of art forms has grown. We then had McDonalds, as I literally had not had cheeseburger from McDonalds in eight years! (Thank you EU for "sin gluten"!)
The next day, I wanted to recreate my favorite photo from 2016 with my children. It was not supposed to rain this day, but we got caught in the worst rain that had hit the city in ten years. Jordan had not packed our rain coats, so three of us were soaked. However, even in the rain, we re-created the photo at the Olympic site. Even in the rain, the city's main square was more beautiful then ever.
We then split-up - which will become a common theme this trip - so I could go see more art. The only thing I did not do in Barcelona was go see the MNAC, the city's main art museum. My mother and I saw Romanesque art, coins, modern Spanish art and other items. The kids went to dry off and then took a bus with Jordan to stick their feet in the Mediterranean sea, and get french fries and gelato.
The big part of the day was to see the Barcelona futbol club. By 3pm, we were back up the city square stairs and hiking to the stadium. It was amazing to see this club up close, as their stadium is being renovated and they currently play in the 1926 Olympic stadium. Barcelona won, but I only watched half of the game, as I could not take my eyes off my son being so happy to cheer this team on in person. (And yes, my daughter is wearing that same Messi jersey from 2016 in this picture below.)
The next day, I was determined to show my family why Gaudi lives up to the hype. I had coveted reservations for Park Guell. We took another route to the Park and literally climbed up hilly, old city stairs for over half a mile and half an hour. And by the time we checked into the park, hurricane level rains hit the city. As we were at the top of the city, regardless of the rain gear, we were soaked and could not see five feet in front of us. At this point, no one can appreciate the tile work and the city views. We waited out the worst of the rain and marched down the big hill to the bus stop. We crammed ourselves on a bus back to the hotel in the ripping rain.
We tried to reset, but only a few of us made it to the second stop of the day at Sagrada Familia. It still is quite impressive and I was able to notice a lot of updates in the nine years. Luckily across the street was the temporary place for the Barcelona futbol club trophy, which we stopped to see. We then paid for a taxi to go see the main shopping street of Passeig de Gracia. Here, in the sunshine, I was able to show off a few houses designed by Gaudi, in between some shopping.
At this point, we were all exhausted and looked forward to our next city of Madrid. I was a bit scared to take my entire family to a city I have not been before, but we all know that never would stop me....
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