Barcelona, Spain
On August 12, 2023, Simone entered a new decade and turned 30. To celebrate, we had pre-dinner drinks with friends at a rooftop overlooking the Capitol in DC, and dinner to follow one of our favorite Italian restaurants in Georgetown, Filomena Ristorante. Italian and Indian cuisine are our favorites, so this was a treat.
The following week, we traveled to Spain to continue celebrating. The original itinerary consisted of a one-hour layover in Lisbon, Portugal on the way there and a 22 layover in Lisbon, Portugal on the way back. Before this trip, we had never been to Portugal but always desired to visit, so we booked a hotel for the return layover and planned to explore Lisbon during that time.
One thing you can always count on concerning travel is plans changing unexpectedly. Expecting the unexpected, we have learned, is the only constant regarding travel, and having an optimistic spirit during these times helps weather them much more comfortably. Fortunately for us, we have become very familiar with delays, and cancellations and have become increasingly adaptable with every trip we take. And thank God for our adaptability, because on this recent trip to Spain, the original 1-hour layover turned out to be a 13-hour, due to a delay in departure which caused us to miss our connecting flight to Barcelona from Lisbon. Of note, this was our first of 3 delays in departures during this trip, more on that later and how the delay turned out to be a Blessing in disguise that we could benefit from later.
One of the things we have learned as a result of previous cancellations is to always have toiletries, a change of underwear, and a T-shirt in our personal bag. This preparation allows us flexibility in case of a missed connecting flight turned into a long layover, to freshen up and change attire in the interim. We have also learned to look up Priority Pass lounge access at every airport we are flying into, to map out locations to freshen up, check emails and eat, during unforeseeable delays and in between connecting flights.
With that being said, the unplanned layover in Lisbon on the way to Barcelona turned out to be our first unexpected Blessing of this trip, because it allowed us more time in a city that we have now fallen in love with. During the 13-hour layover, we visited a quaint coffee shop for breakfast and explored the famous Pink Street and the surrounding area in downtown Lisbon. An area that we visited again, on our planned 22-hour layover, on the way back from Barcelona.
Moving forward, and on later than expected arrival to Barcelona (due to the extended layover in Lisbon), our host hotel Nobu Barcelona was gracious enough to upgrade our room to a suite for our travel inconveniences free of charge.
The second unexpected, Blessing of this trip.
Instead of being upset about the prolonged layover, we were thankful for being allowed more time to explore Lisbon. And instead of being upset about arriving to Barcelona at 2 am instead of 2 pm the previous day, we were grateful to be upgraded without cost.
Perspective is everything, and will truly transform your travel experiences because as previously mentioned, the unexpected is more likely to occur than not.
On our first full day in Barcelona, we were able to see the famous Sagrada Familia on a guided tour scheduled through Viator. Viator, TripAdvisor, and Airbnb are my go-to vendors for booking travel excursions. Afterward, we went exploring the city on foot, and visited Arc D Triomphe, La Rambla as well as Casa Batllo and Casa Mila.
Our most memorable full day of the trip was a day trip booked through Viator, to Girona and Costa Brava. This was a guided tour to one of Spain’s most quaint coastal cities and our first time going to a partially nude beach. Costa Brava is one of the coasts’ wealthiest small towns, boasting a romantic energy and hallmark card-adjacent aesthetic. The entire town looks exactly like a postcard.
Traveling from Barcelona to Costa Brava was reminiscent of traveling from Rome to the Amalfi Coast, but the route was much less steep /mountainous and it was much more populated. This was most likely because we went to Spain in the summer(peak season) and Amalfi in the winter (off-season). Another noticeable difference, as previously mentioned, was everyone on the beach at the beach in Positano, Amalfi coast, had their clothes lol since the beach was not topless.
During travel to new countries, we always try to discover unique aspects of that respective culture. Something we discovered about Spanish culture was their calm nature and commitment to respecting one another. For example, it’s noticeably quiet in Spain, and when inquiring with one of our Uber drivers about the silent nature of the city, he explained that it’s frowned upon to honk at other drives when commuting. He further explained that everyone is expected to obey the rules of the road and allow others to merge/ navigate as they wish, without encountering haste or honking from drivers. This is a concept that I wish we followed more at home because it often seems that everyone in America (especially East Coast cities) is in a rush, even when they’re not. This false sense of urgency greatly contributes to undue stress in commuting and often carries over into the work days.
Highlights of the trip include the Paella we ate at Martinez (highly recommend), the Chucho we ate, at Patisseria in Girona, and visiting Soho House Barcelona with new friends we met in Spain. Of note, since traveling to Barcelona and experiencing native Paella, we have not had any stateside for fear that it will be incomparable in quality. We are doing ourselves a favor, avoiding disappointment while also giving ourselves something to look forward to on our next trip to Spain:)
Another highlight was exploring Barcelonas Gayborhood. Something we also try to do during travel is seek out LGBTQIA-affirming establishments, bars, lounges, or clubs. Barcelona undeniably has one of the largest and most expansive Gayborghoods we have ever visited, spanning approximately 8-10 city blocks. What makes the Gayborhood so expansive is that it is not limited to gay clubs and lounges, but includes hotels, beauty salons, short-term lodging, restaurants, barber shops, etc. In many ways, it made us a little envious of the Spanish, on realizing that have a designated space where community members can access all wants and needs from affirming service providers. It is truly a privilege that also promotes safety and security while also facilitating support within the community.
Less memorable moments include the first extended layover in Lisbon and the many flight departure delays by TAPS Airlines. We experienced 3 departure delays on this trip, the most we have ever had on any vacation, but upon reporting the inconveniences to TAPS airline in detail, they graciously gifted us 2 free round trip vouchers. This was undeniably the third and biggest Blessing of this trip, which I will be discussing in detail in another article soon, because those vouchers covered the next trip we will be taking to Morocc Feb 2024.
Happy Traveling Friends, until our next adventure!
Recommended Food
Paella for Dinner, at Martinez (Reservation Recommended)
HOME – Martinez · Arroces y Brasas (martinezbarcelona.com)
Drinks with Friends, at SOHO House Barcelona (Membership Required)
Soho House Barcelona | Members’ Club & Hotel in Barcelona
Chucho at Pastisseria, in Girona
Recommended Excursion & Link
Girona and Costa Brava Small-Group Tour with Hotel Pickup from Barcelona
https://www.viator.com/search/9866P29?mcid=64243
Recommended Hotel
Nobu Barcelona
Nobu Hotel Barcelona | Luxury Hotel in Barcelona | Book Now (nobuhotels.com)
Recommended Photographer
The SIMS IRL 
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