Barcelona Day 1: L’Eixample
Commuting from the airport + eSim card
Though we landed at 9:45am on schedule, we didn’t get to our hotel in Barcelona until 11am. Both parents and teens used Holafly’s eSim card and communicated via WhatsApp. The eSim card was a great deal at 2.92 euros per day (about $3) but was really difficult to download via BCN airport’s spotty WiFi. I felt like I was sweating bullets going through security while trying to get my rideshare app to work. I inadvertently triggered my international Verizon rate of $10/day trying to get access.
Rideshare wise, I found the app Cabify a touch cheaper than FreeNow but only operational in Barcelona, not the other cities I visited, which mostly used FreeNow. Our ride from airport to town was only 26 euros! The other stressor with these apps are finding the meeting point. On more than one occasion, we had a hard time finding the driver, another major travel stressor. Even though the map followed our movements, sometimes it was unclear which floor level was indicated.
Do not do currency exchange and withdraw large amounts of cash. Though the currency exchange at the airport claimed to have zero commission costs, they convinced me to take out $700 in cash considering my 15 day journey. This was not necessary at all. I only used $200 in cash for all of Europe. They take Visa pretty much anywhere. Just as long as your Visa card doesn’t charge a foreign currency exchange fee, it’s like taking it directly out of an ATM without a middleman. My Amazon Visa is such a card. Just don’t lose that card!
Day One Itinerary
- Acclimate to timezone difference
- Explore L’Eixample: eating and shopping
- Tour: Sagrada Familia and Passion Tower (one of two towers)
Getting enough rest
Details about crashing in bed above, I was the more determined shopper of the two. My child, unfortunately doesn’t sleep well on planes. I happened to fully equip myself with inflatable neck pillow, complements of ZipAir, 3D eye mask, which was a game changer, and ear plugs. Since she forgot her neck pillow, I lent her this one, got her an eye mask, which somehow disappeared during our travels, and ditto for ear plugs.
Previewing shops to streamline actual visits
What’s been great shopping in 2024 is how much you can preview recommended apparel brands online. I tend to trust Lonely Planet for recommendations on trending designers and shops. I knew that Passeig de Gracia as “high-end” was well above my means. Just as Omotesando in Tokyo is. I’m not looking for the latest Gucci bag. No, I’ve lived in “up and coming” neighborhoods and had a middling to modest income for most of my working life. So I’m not about wearing status symbols in working class neighborhoods, getting my car broken into or a gorgeous purse stolen. I’ve dressed more like a boy in my youth to be left alone in NYC as a young, broke, single girl.
Shopping in L’Eixample
Apparently, Barcelona is one of the best cities to do some bargain shopping. Prices are more affordable than other European cities we toured, Paris, London, and Rome/Florence. I do like sales and design at affordable prices regardless of label. So some Spanish clothing brands got my attention: Dr Bloom, Ailanto, and Bimba Y Lola. Masscob and TCN received my online search. Espadrilles or espardenyes, are also regional; therefore, Calcats Valencia.
Two big shopping streets, Rambla de Catalunya and Passeig de Gracia, are just around the corner from Mihlton. Casa Mila, or La Pedrera, is on Passeig de Gracia just one block and Casa Battlo, four blocks south! Rambla de Catalunya is like one continuous pedestrian walkway, and becomes the iconic La Ramblas, a major thorough fare in the Old Town area south of Placa de Catalunya. So unwittingly, I had chosen both a major shopping and Gaudi hub, which made this aspect of the trip really accessible. On a limited time and budget, I filtered it down to Bimba Y Lola, Zara HQ, Mango, the latter which I had liked in my youth, so I considered it for my daughter. I decided against espadrilles, a local product, due to my bunions and extensive walking during this vacation, which I wasn’t sure would help hold up the curious rope soles.
I also included in some Old Town vintage shops in my Google pins above for Day One, which we barely managed to do on Day Three due to time constraints and the timed entry to Palau de la Musica (I felt I couldn’t pass up getting a peek at the theatre’s interior) and our tapas & flamenco reservation.
Bimba Y Lola met my expectations with a sale going on and adventurous, fun, colorful designs at the right price point. I managed to get a raincoat for 100 euros that the sales woman at the register claimed didn’t function as a raincoat. What with the material and style I couldn’t help scratching my head at this claim. Days later when it did rain at the Vatican, the raincoat showed its true functional colors (though it’s a very neutral light gray in color). I know these examples aren’t very colorful but I also shop with my native locale in mind. I also felt tempted to buy another mignon black bag and a hat. But again had to think about context and how these styles wouldn’t fly in the Bay Area. They may just label me as a target for purse snatching. Similar thoughts had run in my head for those mom hats in Tokyo that resemble bonnets in the U.S. Label: Asian mom or Little House on the Prairie. (Sometimes I do embrace my Asian mom-ness though, especially when I’m with another Asian mom going on a good neighborhood conversational walk; )
I managed to spot Casa Mila along the way:
Sagrada Familia
Our tour at Sagrada Familia was scheduled for 5pm. My Danish friend, who travels to Europe every summer, including Copenhagen, told me I should book all of the tours to major sites at least 2 months in advance. This also made sense budget-wise to pay for things over a broader span of time to afford all of the tickets and stays. I purchased tickets directly from Sagrada Familia’s website so I wouldn’t have pay vendor middle man fees. There’s also an additional charge to go up the elevator and see either the Passion Tower or Nativity Tower. I chose the Passion Tower since it’s taller and as you can see from the photos, the views were spectacular. (I did use Viator, Get Your Guide, and Headout for other site tickets in Europe, I found there were middleman fees plus they made it impossible to change your time and were hard to get a hold of.)
I also chose 5pm looking at foot traffic patterns at Sagrada Familia to try to go off peak. Though it was crowded, when we arrived, it felt like a manageable, comfortable flow of Gaudi enthusiasts. We got there via metro, which was very comprehensive, using the 3-Day Hola Barcelona pass. Even though we weren’t sure how often we’d use it each day to make it less than purchasing individual tickets, the convenience of going directly through the turnstiles instead of fidgeting with rates per destination at the ticket machines, made it worth it.
The tour was only an hour with complimentary earbuds that you got to keep, with the tour guide using a mic. She was very thorough and gave us a biography of Gaudi and Sagrada Familia, explaining the narratives on facades of the building and design of the interior spaces. Some key takeaways I got about Sagrada Familia and Gaudi:
- Gaudi drew inspiration from nature. I remember seeing in the museum below a sketch of his star fruit, how he abstracted it into geometric, star-shaped form in line drawings. Passion Tower had fruits topping its spires. Grapes and bananas/corn (?) graced it tips.
- Gaudi had for Sagrada Familia a vision of international inclusivity and designed for the next generations of artisans to come after him. Growing up Catholic, I never associated Americans with sainthood, even going to church within the U.S. But the stained glass windows even had the names of American saints. The guide told us of a Japanese architect who did the green iron work of textured foliage by the entrance doors decided to include Asian faces amongst the local commoners who modeled for Mary, Josephs and the apostles.
Once you’re finished with the tour, you are free to stick around as along as you like. Therefore, if you do get a tower ticket, the hour and a half later timing works out really well. There’s also a coin locker to put your belongings in before going up the elevator for the towers. Be aware that you do have to go down on foot so for all of the elevation, the spiral staircase down is a long journey. Do you see how you can see infinitely down the center?
Dinner at ZED
Afterwards, we dined at ZED, a nearby highly-rated Spanish and Catalan restaurant focusing on local, seasonal ingredients made by a French chef. I had originally made a reservation but canceled it being unsure of how safe it would be in the surrounding area. It was totally fine and walkable. Again, Barcelona doesn’t get dark until 9:30pm this time of year, so it was light out.
Between the two of us and with several courses, it just came to 60 euros.
It was a nice relaxing end to a rigorous day of travel stresses! That evening we took some melatonin before going to bed.
