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August 1
I can’t believe it’s August. In the month of August, I will have been in three countries… France, Spain, and America. I will have started school, and I will have started auditions for this year’s musical.
August: the longest month. Lol.
Anyway, today was our last day in France. We checked out of our hotel and drove to Perpignan, where we returned our rental car. Bye-bye, VW T-Roc — you served us well!
We dropped off our bags at a luggage storage service and headed off to explore Perpignan.
Perpignan is a cute little town with a walled medieval center, although much of the wall has been taken down now. After visiting the suggested sites, though, we were done pretty early. Part of that was because we went to a food hall for lunch that had been recommended — and it was great — but our schedule had factored in a much longer lunch. To fill the time, we hopped on a touristy tram tour that takes you around the downtown area. It had audio in English, so we could actually learn about the places we’d just walked past. It was kind of fun — and really nice to be off our feet in the heat!
On our way back to the train station, we got a little sidetracked. There’s a small canal that runs through the center of town, and in one section, there’s a floating stage built right over the water. We happened to walk by just as they were rehearsing for a show, and we got to see two lovely ballet dancer duos performing in the open air — right on that floating stage, surrounded by flowers. We would have stayed longer, but we had a train to catch!
We boarded our train to Barcelona on the AVE, Spain’s high-speed rail system. Our train was slightly delayed, so we didn’t arrive at the hotel until around 8:30 PM.
Our last hotel of the trip is another Marriott property — thanks again, Blake! One cool thing about this hotel is that they actually have connecting rooms, so ours connects to the kids’. Yay!
After dropping off our bags and getting a little settled, we headed to the mall across the street. We stopped by the grocery store to grab some snacks and treats for our final few days, then picked up a quick fast food dinner. We ended up going to Kentucky Fried Chicken — mostly because it sounded good and easy and quick — and discovered it had free drink refills! The first we’ve seen in over a month.
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August 2
Today we explored Barcelona.
Barcelona is an interesting city. It definitely feels the most modern — and the most like an American city — of anywhere we’ve been. And it’s hot and humid. It’s funny: we went from hot Rome, to cool Salzburg, to cool Paris (we were lucky with the weather there), and now we’re warm again, making our full loop around the Mediterranean!
Transportation, food, and grocery store prices are all inexpensive here in Barcelona. But the tourist sites? Ridiculously expensive. It’s wild to think that they charge €32 per person just to go inside a cathedral! Yes, I know it’s an insanely cool cathedral designed by Gaudí, and there’s truly nothing else like it in the world… but €120 for a family of four? That’s a bit much.
As it turns out, you had to book tickets in advance anyway — and they were sold out. I dropped the ball on that one, but honestly, I don’t know if we would have paid it even if tickets had been available. So it was kind of a relief not to have to struggle with that decision.
We figured we still had to see something Gaudí while in Barcelona, but the top sites — like the Sagrada Família and his famous houses — were all just so expensive. We opted to visit Park Güell, partly because I love parks, and it was €18 per person — the cheapest of the Gaudí options. Still… it was a little hard to wrap my head around spending €72 to go into a park to see a few architectural elements. I’m not sure what’s going on with the high prices, but I know Barcelona has been dealing with some tourism challenges. Maybe this is their way of controlling crowds?
Park Güell sits at the top of a hill, and the hike up there in the heat was no joke.
The views, however, were spectacular — you could see the grid of the city, the distant silhouette of the Sagrada Família, and the castle on the hillside. Musicians were scattered throughout the park, so as you turned corners, you’d suddenly hear the soft notes of a saxophone or the strumming of a guitar. It gave the whole place a magical, charming feel.
Our map had us enter at the very top of the park, which turned out to be a great move — it meant most of our exploration was downhill. But it also meant we started out far from the major landmarks. We began at the summit, where the three crosses stand, and took in incredible panoramic views of Barcelona. We could even spot the cruise ship Allure of the Seas, which we’ve been on!
Next, we made our way down to the Plaça de la Natura, a large open-air terrace surrounded by a serpentine bench. The bench curves around the plaza like a snake, with colorful mosaic tiles decorating each section. It’s also ergonomically designed, which makes it surprisingly comfortable to sit on. Despite the heat, a nice breeze drifted across the plaza.
Fun fact: Gaudí originally designed Park Güell with Eusebi Güell as a planned luxury residential community. The project failed commercially, and in the year of Gaudí’s death, the city purchased the land and turned it into a public park. The Plaça de la Natura was intended to serve as a central gathering space for events and performances.
Next, we went underneath to the Hypostyle Room, which Gaudí had envisioned as a marketplace. It’s a forest-like space made up of 86 massive columns, some slightly tilted, creating the illusion of walking through a grove of trees. The ceiling is made of small domes, some decorated with colorful mosaic medallions that look like bursts of sky peeking through clouds. It was beautifully cool down there, and we spent a little time relaxing in the shade.
The acoustics in the space are fantastic. At one point, a group of Canadian tourists — maybe 20 young adults — formed a circle and sang a cappella. Their harmonies were beautiful and completely unexpected.
We strolled through the Vienna Gardens and explored the various viaducts and shaded walkways. We sat under one viaduct and listened to a guitarist playing Beatles songs — timeless. As we looped back around, we saw the Viaduct of the Washerwoman, where one of the supporting pillars is sculpted to look like a woman carrying laundry on her head.
We exited the park where most people enter — at the Grand Staircase, which leads up to the park’s most iconic symbol: the lizard fountain, covered in vibrant mosaic tiles. It’s one of the most photographed spots in Barcelona, and understandably so.
After Park Güell, we found a small bar/restaurant for lunch. The food was good, the restaurant was air-conditioned, and the service was quick — so we were happy!
Next up: Barceloneta Beach. Easily the busiest, most crowded beach I’ve ever seen. Walking between the towels and umbrellas to get to the water was honestly challenging — it was hard to find a path that didn’t involve tripping or accidentally kicking sand on someone. Also, the lifeguards were on strike, as announced by sheets hanging from the lifeguard stands.
We spent about an hour and a half there. Geoffrey didn’t swim but enjoyed sitting on the beach listening to his music, while Grant, Katelyn, and I played in the warm, 80°F water. I can now officially say I’ve swum in the Mediterranean!
After the beach, we walked to… wait for it… Taco Bell. Yes, the kids were beyond excited when they heard there was one nearby, and they definitely wanted to go. So we got them dinner (no, Grant and I did not eat there), and we ate while drying off.
After dinner, we hopped on the metro and headed back to our hotel. Geoffrey ran to the grocery store to grab breakfast for the next day, while the rest of us went back to shower and relax. The kids had some downtime at the hotel while Grant and I headed out to a really amazing dinner.
We had sushi and ham tartare, tomato bread, croquettes, and a steak that was probably the best steak we’ve ever had — no gristle at all. We also shared shredded pork tacos served in a hot stone bowl, mixed with avocado, tomatoes, and pickled onions, with tortillas on the side so you could assemble your own.
For dessert: a rich chocolate cake with apricot ice cream, and a tropical passionfruit ice cream with coconut cream. The whole meal was incredible — and only €110 total. Great service, great atmosphere — highly recommend. Casa Varela 1986
Our dinner reservation was at 10:30 PM, so we’re officially blending in with Spanish culture now. They stay up late here. Spain is definitely on the wrong time zone. Lol.
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