Mar 13

I Want to ‘Go with Oh’ to Barcelona!

Posted in Barcelona| Food| Wine

Normally I write about a place I fell in love with and want to recommend, or about a place that I am about to visit for the first time. But for today’s post, I’m going to focus on a city that I’ve never been to and one that I don’t have an immediate plan to visit … unless I win this ‘Go with Oh’ blog contest!

While I’ve had the chance to visit Madrid, Spain, I’ve always had a desire to get out to the coast to experience Barcelona. Most of what I know of Barcelona came from a college friend who did a year’s study abroad stint there. She came back and could not stop talking about this amazing city (sometimes she talked about it a little too much). She also met the man of her dreams there and fell head over heels in love with everything related to the city. So between her stories and the glimpses I’ve seen in movies like L’Auberge Espagnole, All About my Mother, and my personal favorite Vicky, Christina, Barcelona I know that this city is bound to be a “There’s So Much To See” favorite.

It goes without saying that when I finally get to Barcelona, I’ll spend hours at many of the well known monuments of the city (La Sagrada Familia, the Picasso Museum and Parc Güell), but I also like to do some other things that truly fit my personality and travel style. So if this dream trip comes true thanks to Go with Oh, these are the Top 5 Experiences I hope have in Barcelona.

1. Sit in a sunny café, glass of white wine in hand and when someone asks me what I do for a living, I’ll utter my favorite line from Vicky, Christina, Barcelona: “I am…at liberty”. Haha! That’s so much better than saying I’m unemployed! But with less than two weeks left at my current job and no intentions of going back, this is the ultimate level of freedom for me and I think that living that freedom in Barcelona would be superb!

2. Spend an evening with a glass of red wine, listening to a gorgeous Spanish gentleman (let’s call him Javier if we’re being specific) playing live acoustic flamenco guitar. I can’t think of anything more romantic or more Spanish.

3. One of my favorite activities in any city is to wander until I get lost in the back streets and winding alleyways. Then, just when I’m getting a little tired and peckish, I find myself in a little known part of the big city where I can relax in a locally owned restaurant serving delicious local foods….and a glass of wine, of course (see a theme here?)

4. Go cheer at a Barça game at Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe. I admit that I don’t regularly follow football/soccer at home, but when I’m anywhere else in the world, I love checking out the local games. The passion of the fans is just contagious and you can’t help but have a good time. Even if the home team loses, I still feel like I have really bonded with a city when I get to see a match.

5. Find a local photographer and invite them to visit Montjuïc and Poblenou Cemeteries with me. I have a thing for old cemeteries and I try to visit them whenever I’m in a new city. I find cemeteries to be a peaceful alternative to crowded museums. If you pay attention, you can learn just as much about the art, culture and history of a city in its cemeteries as you can in its museums. Also, there’s usually no entry fee and the photo opportunities are unbeatable.

Photo Credit: Ari Signes

So, readers, if you have been to Barcelona and have any slightly off the beaten path suggestions for things to make my experience complete, please leave me a comment below. And since I believe in Karma, I’m going to pass along a chance for you to win one of four prizes from Go with Oh at www.GowithOh.com. Check out their Facebook contest and if you enter you can win an iPad, a set of Samsonite luggage , a Panasonic Camera or 500 Euros towards holiday accommodations. Good luck…and please wish me luck as well!

4 comments… add one

April D. Thompson March 13, 2012, 3:25 pm

Barcelona is a twin city to Rio, so you would definitely love it. Good luck!!! I literally spent my entire trip in Spain super sick, but still had a good time getting lost around the city. I crashed at a friend’s on the beach in Barceloneta, took the cable car up to Montjuïc, and ate enough ham to last the rest of the year!

- Nailah March 13, 2012, 5:19 pm
  
  Thanks, April! Fingers crossed this contest will get me to Barcelona, but if not, you know me…I’ll just do it myself! 🙂 I haven’t eaten ham since 1992, but I’m starting go relax my rules, so I think I’ll have to give it a try when I get there.
  
Annette | Bucket List Journey March 14, 2012, 2:47 am

After reading this, I am even more excited to be going to Barcelona next month 🙂
I hope you get there soon!

- Nailah March 14, 2012, 2:30 pm
  
  I hear so many good things about Barcelona, Annette! I’m sure you’ll have a great time. I’ll keep an eye on your blog to see what you have to say!

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