By Lauren LeBrun, on January 18, 2017

The LeBrun Instagram Diaries: Basking in Barcelona

Barcelona is one of the most vibrant capitals in Europe. This bustling city in Spain is home to artistic architecture, mouthwatering food, and lots of places to explore. In May 2016, my husband and I embarked on a year-long backpacking trip across the globe. We began our trip in Indonesia, flew to France, popped over to Poland, then made our way to Spain. Here’s a peak at our week in Barcelona for the fourth episode of The LeBrun Instagram Diaries.

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On our first day in Barcelona, we were antsy to see Antoni Gaudí’s famous architecture. We went to the Casa Batlló, which Gaudí designed in 1904 as a apartment complex. When you step inside the front doors, you feel like you took a submarine under the sea. Blue hues bathe the house’s interior and there isn’t a straight line in the entire structure. Everything is cool and fluid, like the ocean. Also, Gaudí took inspiration from sea creatures when we designed the interior’s details.  The windows on the first floor look like sea turtle shells, the vents on the walls were inspired by fish gills, and the banisters on the staircases resemble sea dragon spines. After visiting the Casa Batlló, we were instantly hooked on Antoni Gaudí’s work and we were craving more.

http://www.instagram.com/p/BM64fuohGV4/?taken-by=lebrunsontherun

On our second day, we paid a visit to Antoni Gaudí’s most famous masterpiece: the Sagrada Família. This famous church was high on our bucket list, because we had heard so many wonderful things about it from our friends and family. When we walked inside, our jaws almost hit the floor. The ceiling towered high above us with a decadent canopy of abstract, gold leaves. Also, large geometric columns stretched toward the sky and enormous stained glass windows lined the walls. The church’s beauty exceeded all of our expectations. It was worth the 29 euro ticket price!

http://www.instagram.com/p/BM-PntOBvCL/?taken-by=lebrunsontherun

In addition to falling in love with the architecture, we also had a love affair with Barcelona’s food. Restaurants, tapas bars, and small eateries are plentiful in the city. It’s impossible to go hungry! We were committed to enjoying Spanish food and drinks all week long, so we gorged on paella, tapas, empanadas, sangria, and vermouth. Two of our favorite restaurants were Blavis for tapas and La Empanaderia de Gràcia for empanadas in the Gràcia district. The food was incredible and I am sure we will have dreams about it for years after.

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At the end of our time in Barcelona, we looked back on a packed week. We walked through the narrow cobblestone streets in the Gothic Quarter, strolled down the busy shopping district of Las Ramblas, tried local Spanish food at the market stalls in Boqueria Market, put our toes in the sand at Barceloneta Beach, and ate more tapas than we could count. Even though we had a week in Barcelona, it didn’t feel like enough time! We want to go back someday to experience the sites we didn’t see. It’s always good to leave a few stones unturned, right?

Which sites do you want to see in Barcelona?