It Rains in Spain

I have officially been in Spain for two weeks! Cannot believe it! Today we switched our hotel from the Melia Barcelona Sky as Nakia's friend Sophia was coming from London. We switched to Arai Apartment Hotels which is in the center of the city in the Barrio Gothic.  

It was a bit of an adventure getting to our hotel. First off, it was raining. Then there was a protest in Plaza Jaume so we couldn't get to our hotel.  Our taxi driver didn't give us very good directions and therefore we wandered in circles, with our luggage, and in the rain. And then a guy tried to sell us pot. Don't worry, we didn't buy any, but it was definitely an aggravating adventure. 

We finally found our hotel and we have a cute suite, balcony, and kitchenette. As our room wasn't ready, we went next door to Palosanto where I had poached eggs with bacon and a glass of their house red. Nakia had a Spanish omelette, croquettes, and bread with tomato. We then shared a chocolate ganache with salt and olive oil that was super tasty and polished it all off with cappuccinos. 

After settling in, the rain had stopped so I decided to try again to see Parc Güell while Nakia rested in the hotel. 

At this point, it was super sunny, so I took the metro to see the Parc. It was easy to get to as we were on the same line and had already been there before. I purchased my entry ticket and walked around in the free area of the park. First I went to the "Monument" which has a view of the city:

Then I walked over to the Aqueducts:

As I still had an hour before my entry, I visited the Museum which is where Gaudí lived with furniture that he had designed. A photo collage below:

In Barcelona, there are 16 Gaudí designed buildings, fountains, lampposts, and etc:

Then my time had come to go into the Monumental Zone of the park. Here are some classic touristy photos:

And then it began to thunder and downpour again! I headed back to the metro and back to the hotel. Nakia and I ventured out to Cal Pep which was recommended by her friend and my guidebook. The reservations were all booked, but we waited an hour for a seat at the bar. The food was so good! Bread with tomato, Spanish omelette, tuna tartare, clams, calamari, and monkfish! Here are a few photos:

This is now Nakia's Facebook profile picture which is a selfie at the bar:

We then met Sophia, Nakia's former colleague who came from London. We spent hours enjoying wine and sangria across the street from our hotel. Despite having just met her, we had amazing conversations before we finally went to bed! I mean, the bar had to tell us to leave because they were closing!