You guys!  I am SO excited to start writing about our honeymoon!  I’ve been excited to write about it since the second we got home.  So go figure that I can’t think of a suitable intro…  I guess I’ll just jump in!

P.S. This is about to be a long one, so grab a cup of coffee and settle in.

We left for Barcelona the Tuesday after our wedding (giving ourself a few days between wedding and honeymoon ended up being a great idea) and I basically had no idea what to expect!  Joey and I split up honeymoon research and Joey was in charge of our Barcelona leg.  I expected sangria, tapas and lots of cool architecture but other than that, I was going in blind.

But first, let me take a selfie.  Just kidding, I’d never say that…

We got into Spain at 9:30 AM the next day!  I’ll be honest there was minimal sleep on our long flight but we’d heard that the best way to beat jet lag was to stick it out and not go straight to bed…

This is the main drag in Barcelona and it was totally not what either of us expected.  It was busy and touristy.  So while it was a good way to gauge where we were when we were wandering around, it was also a street that we tried to avoid most of the time 🙂

There’s no shortage of breathtaking churches/cathedrals in Barcelona.  That Gothic style architecture is so astounding.  That first picture was of the Barcelona Cathedral which we passed many many times and it never got less shocking.

This bar used to be a Picasso favorite 🙂

We made it through lunch, a few sight-seeing stops and a glass of wine before we both realized we were deliriously tired and there was no avoiding a nap.

We lucked out with a balcony off of our hotel room and you could make out that amazing cathedral again. If you stood out there early or late enough, you could enjoy a quiet moment in what’s normally a pretty busy and crowded city.  Those moments felt pretty magical.

We happened to be there during the Catalan National Day.  And the locals happened to be forming a dance circle in celebration.

Oh hey, look at those post-nap tapa bar hoppers staying out till 2 AM!  It’s all fun and games until you don’t set an alarm and wake up the next day a 2:45 PM!!!!  I didn’t even think that was possible…

The food in Barcelona is great!  They’re big on toast with tomato, bocadillos (aka a baguette sandwich) and potato omelettes.  All of which you seem to be able to order everywhere you go.  Even at a bar you could find a great meal.  If only that was the case in America.  Oh and cafe con leches are everywhere!

This is the top of the Sagrada Familia, which has been being built since 1882!  And isn’t expected to be finished in our lifetime.  That is seriously insane.  But that thing is unbelievable!  I can’t even put it into words.

One of my favorite days there was when we woke up early, ate chocolate croissants for breakfast, walked around the modern El Born neighborhood, visited the Picasso museum, visited a castle at Montjuic (which is on top of a hill), then walked down the hill to the art museum to watch the fountain show before enjoying some paella and sangria for dinner.

This is Parc Guell.  If you Google Barcelona, you’ll probably see pictures of this place.  And believe me, it’s just as cool as it looks in the pictures.

On our last day, we enjoyed Parc Guell before the crowds showed up, then went to an FC Barcelona game.  Joey so badly wanted to see a real futbol game and it was quite the experience!  The crowd enthusiasm alone was worth going if you ask me.  Seeing 100,000 people chanting is so cool.  Plus FC Barcelona won!  We ended our trip in Barcelona with sangria, gelato and a chocolate macaron, naturally!

So, here’s my overall thoughts on Barcelona.  The food, architecture and weather were phenomenal, but it was a lot more touristy than we had expected and it made it hard to get a sense of what was authentic and what was just for tourists’ sake.  My favorite moments were when we’d be wandering around and unexpectedly spill into a quiet little square where you could enjoy a (basically) private lunch or dinner.  Also, by the end of our Barcelona trip, we’d started to realize we couldn’t exactly believe everything Rick Steves said, but more on that later 🙂

From Barcelona, we hopped on a train to Provence!