La Ultima Dia

3-Nov-23

We finally had a day with (almost) nothing planned, except pampering ourselves with a last-day-of-vacay massage in the evening. So we slept in late (🙌🏻) & walked down La Rambla, Barça's famous touristy shop/bar-lined boulevard that runs from the heart of the city (Plaça de Catalunya) to the Mediterranean Sea.

Plaça Reial

We rented electric scooters & zoomed up & down the windy Waterfront. The bikes weren't really built for the old cobblestone streets, so I have to admit, as fun as scooters are, I was glad to get off after a couple hours 🫨😄

Columbus Monument (1888), where La Rambla meets the Mediterranean Sea

To end the trip, we squeezed out the last bit of Rick Steves to stroll through Barça's fanciest neighborhood: L'Eixample - built as an expansion to the city at the turn of the century to better manage a booming & prosperous population. With its high-end shops & Michelin restaurants, it's like 5th Ave in New York City. Dazzling Modernisme apartments for the wealthy bourgeoisie merchant class, with gorgeously lush interiors to match their bold & ritzy exteriors!

Fundació Antoni Tàpies - promoting modern & contemporary art in Catalonia

Light fixture in Casa Amatller - home of Barcelona's 'chocolate king' at the turn of the 20th century

Amatller's neighbors included the Batllós & the Milàs down the street

Queviures Múrria, built in 1898 as a coffee roasters, retains its 1920s decor as a modern deli & wine bar

Inside Mercat de la Concepció, we came across giant royals with Gaudi- inspired heads!

And that's all she wrote! It's been five weeks of non-stop hit after hit, "the best of" Portugal, Spain, & Morocco! We'll spend about 20 hours traveling back to LA tomorrow & as brutal as that may be, I can't wait to hug my cats, slow down for a bit, & not live out of a suitcase for the first time since June!! 

Thanks for the Memories 👋🏻 🇵🇹 🇲🇦 🇪🇸 😁