Barcelona Travel Diary | Day Two

Welcome to Day Two of my Barcelona Travel Diary. 

The Struggle is Real

Did I detail how exhausted we were in the last blog post? CUZ WE WERE WRECKO. Early morning flights and city breaks are just not a good combo. We woke up still smashed and fell back to sleep until about 10 or 11. We knew the day ahead of us was worth it, so with the utmost struggle, we rolled out of bed and into the day.

That café I mentioned previously, was a godsend, we ended up going there every morning! An americano and a cappuccino for €2.85 was a steal, and the perfect pick-me-up for our
(mid)morning musings.

Barceloneta & Cable Cars 

We made our way to Barceloneta and walked along the port to get to the Télerific - Cable Car Tower - walking up by the beach. It was a cold and windy day by the beach, and the 'sea spray' that would usually cool off the sunbathers made for a blustery stroll by the rough waters. 'Fresh'.

The cable cars didn't seem very busy, and we went straight to the top of the queue and alighted our lift to the top. If you follow me on Snapchat or Instagram you will have seen the video clip of a frightened Sam and an excited Nicole! The views were incredible, even in the rain! 

Mount Monjuic

The cable car took us over the World Trade Centre and over the sea, allowing us to see the spread of the city in all of its glory. The cable car went all the way to Mount Montjuic where we wandered the gardens of the mountain. As you can imagine mountains can be, this one was very hilly and steep. We wandered a lot and found ourselves travelling in the direction of the castle instead of the art museum, meaning we were walking up this mountain for nothing! We instantly made our way down every staircase we could find.
 Our poor, tired bodies couldn't hack the slopes.

MNAC (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya) & Palau Nacional 

We made our way to the MNAC, the beautiful National Palace simply because we wanted to see the building, not what was inside it. By the time we made it over, we were freezing and even more tired that we could have imagined. Our solution? Bailey's cappuccinos! 
Sorted us right out!

Olympic Stadium

As we wandered around the area of the MNAC we found ourselves at multiple staircases and eventually, at the Olympic Stadium. This place was massive. It was such a hugely expansive space that was dead quiet. We practically had the place to ourselves to explore. But soon the Bailey's cappuccinos hit our bladders and the sound of the fountains were too much and a pee panic insinuated. I don't think I have ever been so panicked about a bodily function in my life. We speed-walked to the Palau Nacional - dying.
  TMI? Holiers man. It's not all fun and games. 

Copasetic

Exhausted from pee panic, we decided it was time for some grub. We hopped on a metro after taking some more pictures of the palace from afar and arrived at a gorgeous restaurant called Copasetic. We found a recommendation online for this place for gluten-free veggie options and we were not disappointed. The interiors were so quirky and cute. It was an extremely relaxed atmosphere and the waiter frequently left the restaurant to run errands, a very trusting chap. 

I got a beautiful red bean burger and when I asked if they had chips he politely denied with a smile. This place was too good for a chip! I got some salad and a beautifully buttered baked potato with black atlantic salt to season. Sam got a gluten-free crepe that seemed way too good to be true! But the waiter assured us it was 100% gluten free and told us about its ingredients, reassuring us wholeheartedly. 

Patisseria Jansana Sense Gluten 

As much as we were looking forward to going to Pedrera, a building that features Gaudi's architecture when we realised we would have to buy tickets and that the only real feature was the roof, we were more excited by the entirely gluten-free bakery Jansana. This place was SO gluten-free that there were signs prohibiting the consumption of any glutenous foods.

We sat down with some cake and Sam was able to order her first ever gluten-free donut and croissant to go! Revolutionary experience if you ask me. GF donuts are so hard to come by, never mind a whole bakery of GF produce. It baffles us that Ireland has the highest population of coeliacs, yet we have never encountered an entirely gluten-free restaurant in Dublin, or anywhere else. Whats going on Ireland? Barcelona has coeliacs covered!

Parc del Clot

Right on our doorstep was a small, local park that was pretty scenic. We returned from our day of discovery to take a stroll around the park and take in the views. There was an aquaduct running along one side of the park that you could get up close and personal with, atop a staircase. There was also a squash court and basketball/soccer area too. It was a cool place to take a few minutes for ourselves. 

After our mid-night stroll we showered and bundled up in bed for some personal relaxation time, which is what yer holiers is all about, before nodding off for another night.

Have you ever visited Barcelona? Where did you go?

Join me on my next blog post for more!

Thanks for reading

Lots of love

xoxo