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Eighteen months feels like such a long time to go without traveling. I had forgotten what it feels like to be on a plane during takeoff and landing—much more nerve-wracking than I remember. Maybe I was just used to it from flying twice a year regularly for the last 10 years.
Some friendly advice: with the current climate and the ridiculous amount of paperwork, keep it simple. We opted for a multi-city trip, which turned out to be a lot more complicated than I ever imagined. Spain doesn’t require a COVID test if you are fully vaccinated (or didn’t at the time I wrote this), but Portugal does. So, even with a 2-hour layover, we had to get a test, even though our final destination didn’t require it.
Don’t get me started on passenger locator forms. You have to fill them out for every place, even when you’re just transferring at the airport.
Twelve hours later, we were at our hotel in Barcelona. The city is so beautiful that it took all of 10 minutes to forget about all the hurdles we had to jump through.
I’ve been meaning to visit Barcelona for years—still not sure why it took 10 years to get around to it. Let’s talk about Gaudí’s masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia. This marvel will move you in some way, even if you aren’t artistically inclined. It’s one of the main reasons I’ve wanted to visit (and the food). I get emotional thinking about how this piece of art is still under construction to this day. Gaudí managed to bring together so many artisans, even from beyond the grave, creating a project that grows larger than life as the years go by. If you haven’t seen it, I can’t urge you enough to buy a ticket right now and just go.
Now, about some of the food. There are amazing brunch places; Alsur Café and Cremat 11 were a couple of the cafés we tried. These spots are tourist hotspots, so they are quite busy. Try the banana pancakes or the toasted egg and salmon bagel from Alsur.
If you are looking for a typical European breakfast (and to save some cash), try a coffee and a brioche or croissant from La Masala Café. I went with the home-brewed Masala Chai, which was pleasantly unsweetened!
For lunch on the move (and you will walk a lot, so bring comfortable shoes), I highly recommend the porcini pizza from Les Dues Sicilies.
Next stop on this journey: Lisbon. Once again, it was compulsory to take a COVID test before traveling to Portugal, which made me think we picked the wrong route. The test in Barcelona was seriously invasive; everyone was coming out of the center with tears running down their faces. It felt like I was violated!
Lisbon was far sunnier and hotter than Barcelona. It was also much easier to get to the hotel from the airport, only setting us back €3.
Because of the heat, we only managed to hit 20,000 steps a day in Lisbon. That extra 6 degrees of heat really takes a toll on you. Guess what? We rode the no. 28 tram line, which is essentially overrun with tourists, making it useless for locals. It’s definitely a beautiful ride, though. I wonder if it might feel like this on a San Francisco tram as well.
If you decide to get the Lisboa Card (great if you’re interested in museums and galleries), you have to stop by MAAT, the Museum of Art and Architecture. The building itself is a must-see, even if you don’t go inside. The bridge takes you onto the roof of the building!
Now, a little bit about food. I know that pastel de nata is a must, but hear me out: the chocolate cake at Landeau Chocolate cannot be missed! Make sure to try it! I seriously wanted to buy the 3kg cake they were selling but had to settle for a slice.
We had to take one more COVID test before heading back. This test made the one in Barcelona feel like a walk in the park. I actually cried and sneezed at the same time, and I’m pretty sure I was smelling blood for a good few minutes afterward. On the plus side, it was free! It feels like the tests in the UK are extortionate in comparison to Spain and Portugal. We should not be paying £40 for a travel antigen test.