Travel journal series: Barcelona 2017

This travel journal series is an effort to archive trips taken before this blog was created. Rather than trying to recall them years later, I’m transcribing, word for word, what I wrote by hand in my small travel journal at the time.

April 19, 2017

We arrived in Sitges, Spain greeted by cool, sunny, windy weather. Our hotel in Sitges is lovely with a gorgeous view. We spent the first night exploring the small fishing town with narrow alleyways that were built hundred of years ago. We couldn’t get in the water, the temperature hovered around 60 degrees. I enjoyed walking through the streets. We discovered European gelato in Sitges. The girls and I had seconds. I can never enjoy American gelato again.

April 20, 2017

I had the most amazing cooking class experience. It was a cooking class with a cook who changed her career from marketing to culinary arts at the age of 37. She had an energy about her that drew you in. She was such an intriguing person. I’ve never met someone as passionate about cooking as she was. She was extremely patient. It was wonderful learning to make paella, sangria, Catalonian tortillas and tomato bread with the girls. We had a good time. We also ate the food we made with other tourists sitting at a large table together. It felt like a family meal with friends.

April 21, 2017

Barcelona is a party city. Long lines for tourist sites wore us out so we spent our time in Barcelona with no real timetable. Our cooking experience and a bike tour were the only things on the agenda. We stayed at a five star hotel with beautiful views of the ocean. We could’ve stayed solely at our hotel and could’ve been entertained. It was that beautiful. The only downside is that it felt like a perpetual club. It was also annoying to be asked at every turn if we had a room at the hotel as if we couldn’t afford the hotel (the only racism I experienced here so far).

April 22, 2017

I spent my last night in Barcelona at a lovely hotel which had the best sangria in town called Lolea. The only downside is the service was awful. That’s one noticeable thing about France and Spain, people are rude and not very accommodating. While it was annoying to be discounted and brushed aside while being serviced it was a good lesson in the sense that you have to be okay with people who aren’t like you. The rudeness built a bit of character in us these last few days.