August 23/24, 2024
We are on our way back to Europe (after a work trip took us to Poland in May) this weekend for a cruise in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. We had booked this cruise a while back, and have been looking forward to it ever since! It will be our first time in the Mediterranean proper. (We’ve been to Italy, but not really on the coast).
We find the most comfort in arriving a few days before so we can relax knowing that both you and your luggage have made it. This is a trip with many firsts for us – four new countries (we will visit Andorra after the cruise) – and the first time cruising with Jon and Yvonne!
Our flight with Lufthansa was rather uneventful, and we made it safely along with our luggage. We connected in Munich, which is a really easy airport to navigate through. We had enough time to get a coffee before boarding our flight to Barcelona. It would only be a 2 hour flight and then we would be in Spain!
Once we landed – we gathered our luggage and made our way to our hotel. I’m sure there’s many different areas that are great to stay in Barcelona, but I had wanted to prioritize staying near Sagrada Familia.
I found the Radisson Blu 1882 Sagrada Familia Hotel, which was a short (5 minutes) walk to the church. Protestors have taken the streets of Barcelona in recent months to denounce tourism. It sounds like a lot of it has to do with Airbnbs taking up a considerable portion of the housing market, which has increased the price of rent by over 18%! Not to mention, Spain was the second most visited country in the world last year. The hotel was about 35 minute drive from the airport – we got checked in and freshened up.
I get the hype. It’s an incredible building that has been in progress over the last 142 years. When the building is complete, it will be the tallest church in the world! It stands out in the Barcelona skyline – and will take your breath away. This is only one of the buildings that Antoni Gaudi had his hand in! You’ll see more on that tomorrow!
We found a tapas bar nearby, and had quick bite to eat. We then met up with Jon and Yvonne who had made it to the hotel and gotten settled in.
It was already around 7:00 pm, so we made our way over to get a peek at Sagrada Familia.
Up Next:
– Park Güell
– Casa Batlló
– Palau Güell
Scribbles and Snapshots 