24 Hours in Barcelona

I knew this place wouldn't disappoint, couldn't disappoint. There really is something about this city.

I know a lot of people think it's a waste to go back to the same places over and over. I am not one of them. I don't go to all-inclusive resorts where every visit is the same, and this isn't about "seeing the sights". I'm sewing pieces of my soul into the stitching along the sidewalk cracks. I'm becoming infatuated with the sounds and smells. Each city becomes a lover and I leave longing to be back in the arms that I hope miss me as much as I miss them. This isn't about crossing locations off a bucket list. What's on my bucket list? Every damn corner of this planet. This is about fucking living. And the people, the food, the indescribable beauty I breathe in when I'm in this city is so intoxicating, this is the high I want. So I return.

I won't lie, yesterday was fucking exhausting. After one hour of sleep within 24 hours and only one day in the city, it wasn't a perfect combo. I constantly came back to remembering that I have been here twice, and I will be here again. So for the day, as I walk through the streets like an absolute zombie, take the pressure off. And take a fucking nap, girl. "But the Airbnb isn't ready yet!". Fuck napping in the airbnb. You know whats better than crashing at an airbnb after 10 hours of travel? Walking to the beach, taking my gross airport clothes off, and sleeping naked under the Mediterranean sun for two hours. But to each her own, right?

After a dip in the water and a long lounge, I trekked it back to my airbnb, took the most refreshing and most needed shower, and once I was feeling fully human again, headed out for dinner. Now we come back to no pressure, right? I was starving and tired, so I ate outside at a beautiful restaurant in my favorite neighborhood, El Born, at roughly 5pm. I relaxed, drank wine, had duck fois-gras covered in white chocolate (weirdly incredible), then walked to the vegan ice cream shop and sat under the cathedral as the sun went down. Before it had even fully crested below the horizon, I was back in my apartment, fully in self care mode. Sure, I could've forced myself to keep walking and finding different places to journal and read because I was in Barcelona for the night and "shouldn't I be doing something exciting!". But all I wanted was to lay in bed, cupping my tired legs, pumping my lymph nodes, and drifting off to sleep nice and early. And it was glorious. What was even better was sleeping until 10am this morning. I don't care where I am in the world, unless I'm chasing a sunrise, you'd be hardpressed to ever find me waking up at 7am to "get the most from the day!". This is vacation! So sleep I did.

Today has also been a day of mostly eating. Are we getting the idea of what I do when I travel? Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

I say that but honestly the other blog posts on here very much support the contrary. I love meeting people, I love a wild adventure down the road of "I don't know what the hell is going to happen next". But this trip I'm just really craving some R&R.

After waking up slowly and getting my things together, I headed out in search of food. I sat at a cafe bathed in the Barcelona sun for breakfast while I ate a sandwich and drank a cup of hot tea. Then headed off to find a different spot for coffee and a croissant to kill time before my departure train.

As I write this, I am aboard a high speed train, crossing the border and heading to a tiny town on the very Southern Coast of France. It's time to slow this whole thing down a beat. Now I realize, all I did on my fleeting day in Barcelona was take a two hour nap on the beach, eat, drink, and sleep in. But I was still in the middle of a city. Trust me, I love the energy of Barcelona. It is a big ass city with a relaxed, no stress, vibe to it. And still, there are taxis and cars and bicycles and people everywhere. And I'm craving a little "dolce niente" to call on my Italian roots. I'm looking to walk 20 feet to the beach, not 20 minutes. I'll have my final "for now" goodbye with Barcelona in five days when I return. For now, I'm going to meet a new potential lover: Collioure, France.

Sarah