Mothers & Daughters

On our last morning together, we enjoyed the hotel breakfast. One more roasted tomato. One more omelette, Spanish or normal. One more cup of fresh squeezed orange juice. It won’t be the same with all of us again.

We checked out of our hotel and our SunTransfers pickup came on time. Our drive to the airport was just a little under 30 minutes as we passed the cruise ships and busy port. Luckily all of us were flying out of the same terminal, with my mom, Mary Ann, and I flying to New York and Tresa and Anna returning to Germany.

We said our goodbyes right before passport control as we wanted to stay together as long as possible. Our flights actually boarded at similar times as our international flight was scheduled to leave just an hour after.

What a week of mother and daughter time which was full of laughs, eating, and reflection. I’m so happy we had come up with this idea and made it happen as it was fun to travel as 2 families and getting to know each other a little better. We traveled well together as everyone is so considerate and thoughtful.

It was also fun to spend time with Tresa and Anna again. My mom quickly noticed how happy Anna looks when the sisters are jabbering away. There’s nothing like spending time with family.

It may have seemed like an improbable pairing - folks asked us several times how we knew each other or didn’t presume we were traveling together like when I would hail down a cab and then Mary Ann would be behind me as I circled back to get the others. It’s also one of the reasons why we think we were pulled over at Andorra customs. But it was compatible and similar in many ways with open minds and appreciation for quality time and travel.

Anyone who knows me knows my mom is my best friend and we constantly tease each other and keep each other humble. Mary Ann and Tresa said they’d look for some childhood photos of themselves with their mother, but apparently the humidity in India makes it difficult to maintain. My father, like my grandfather, was an avid photographer, so here’s a few to enjoy….

Our return flight was uneventful. I had actually asked one flight attendant if he was on the flight to Lisbon last week and he informed me he has a twin brother and he was the one working that flight. I thought he was kidding, but he wasn’t and told me I should play the lottery when I land. My mom was surprised how I could notice or remember such a thing. At the airport, my brother picked us up and we had comforting Korean food in Queens as part of our usual routine and as we enjoyed family time talking about such a wonderful trip with a wonderful family!

Paradiso Vibes

We decided to try Dosa Nova for breakfast down the street from our hotel - as we had East Asian flavors last night, we thought we’d have Indian today. I think these were better than the ramen place, but both weren’t obviously the same as home. Mama Kim, however, enjoyed these relatively new flavors and we all had coffees while waiting for the restaurant to be ready. A collage below:



Then we flagged down a minivan taxi and drove north to Parc Guell, designed by Gaudi. It sits on top of a hill and in a park. Mama Kim was able to wrangle a wheelchair for Anna and Mary Ann had to turn over her drivers license as collateral - I joked, it’s the first time it was useful!

On a beautiful day, we were able to enjoy Gaudi’s playful vision and views of Barcelona including the Sagrada Familia. I’ve been here every time I’ve come to Barcelona, so this was my mom’s 2nd time. She said seeing it again, you can take in more details and it was fun to see the others experience it for the 1st time:













Then I made everyone model different parts of the tiled benches and I was challenged to make a collage - challenge accepted:



We then descended down and enjoyed the ceilings:





And then down the famous steps:









After walking down the hill, we jumped into a minivan taxi and napped on our way to Barceloneta beach where we lunched on pizza and a burger, while enjoying some drinks:





Upon returning to the hotel, we split up as Mama Kim wanted to stop into Zara for some shopping. Afterwards, we swung through the Mercado for a midafternoon snack to try some uni and oysters that were a bit salty, but certainly very fresh!



After resting, we headed to dinner early to explore the area in the Gothic Quarter. Here’s us posing in front of some trees for Tresa:



I had researched some bars in the area, and one of them was a mixology / speakeasy-type place called Paradiso. They were packed and booked, but offered us seats outside for a more “basic” menu. The menu still included some of their classics, so we enjoyed a variety of their cocktails:



For our last dinner together, I had made reservations at Cal Pep - a classic tapas place I’ve been to on every trip to Barcelona - 2014, 2017, and now 2023. It’s super popular and mostly counter seating, but if you book in advance, there are a few tables in the back. The waiters were lovely, but I don’t recall, the “we don’t have a menu” vibe. So the waiters kind of presumed and tried to pigeon us into some dishes. It was still tasty, even if there was a little confusion. A collage below of some of the tapas: smoked fish, artichoke, peppers, tuna tartare, omelette, seafood, clams, steak, and a puff pastry:



After competing with other groups wanting a minivan taxi on a Saturday night, we finally hailed one down and returned to our hotel. We took one last group selfie on the famous La Rambla!



Per usual, the daughters enjoyed a final bottle of wine that Tresa had bought in Lourdes. Barcelona is one of my favorite cities and this trip cemented the relaxing good vibes and energy. We comfortably went sight-seeing and felt so relaxed for these 3 nights after a week of a lot of maneuvers and logistics. It was amazing to take it all in again and with this wonderful crew!

Barcelona or Bust

When I first write about a city, the blog post is just the name. So when I spend multiple days or return, I always have to think of a different title which can be a struggle. The last time I was here, my dad came up with Goodbye Gaudi and this my 3rd visit to the city. As we arrived after a 3 day road trip, it’s Barcelona or Bust.

I had opted to decline the hotel breakfast, because after a week of standard European hotel buffets, I thought it would be fun to mix it up. But also strategically, I had booked a hotel near the Mercado de la Boqueria, one my favorite places to eat. We walked the few minutes down to the market and took in the sensory overload:





We found in the back Quiosc Modern and ordered a mix of breakfast and tapas to our delight as the food was even more delicious with the fantastic and happy service:



After a quick stop in to the hotel, there was a minivan taxi just outside and we headed to Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. My 3rd time and my mom’s 2nd, it was cool to see how much progress has been made as it’s still undergoing construction and projected to finish in 2032:











Inside we enjoyed the natural elements of the tree columns and rainbow colors:







We had a booking for a view of the towers where you take an elevator up to get a close view of Gaudi’s design and imagination. You have a choice of the Nativity or Passion facade, and as I had done the Nativity in 2013, I opted for the other book end of Jesus’ life - the Passion. Some up-close photos:

The view of Barcelona is also breathtaking:



Here there’s a modern sculpture of Jesus and is a part of the Passion facade:





You could also observe the construction workers and progress:





Coming down was also an experience descending in a narrow stairwell that reminded us of the Initiation Well in Sintra - but we made it down safely.



We peeked into the Crypt which is not open to visitors, but it’s also where Gaudi is buried:





Conveniently, there was a minivan taxi outside and we headed to Plaça Reial for lunch where we enjoyed drinks, burrata salad, shrimp, squid ink spaghetti, and a meat risotto - all quite yummy amongst the palm trees and Gaudi designed lamps:





After lunch and the acrobatics of some street performers, my mom and I wanted to sight-see some more. As I’ve seen most places in 2013 and again in 2017, I suggested a Gaudi house while the others wanted to go shopping.

We chose Casa Milà also known as La Pedrera which means "the stone quarry". It was commissioned by the Milà family and built between 1906 and 1912.



I purchased the “full experience” which include a virtual information session. Conveniently, my mom was able to enjoy in Korean as we pinched and touched images and waved our hands:



We then switched to the included audio guide and walked through a sample apartment and then to the famous roof with views of the Sagrada Familia!







After we descended, we learned more about the 2 different courtyards which encompasses the natural elements of Gaudi’s designs:





We then returned to our hotel by metro and rested before our dinner at Madame Ramen. Tresa had said she wanted to try ramen and they found a restaurant in a different kind of neighborhood as Mama Kim remarked as we walked. The owner explained to us that it was a “working girl” neighborhood, hence the name. We shared octopus with kimchi mayonnaise, wings, gyoza, pork buns, miso ramen, ribs, and yakisoba. A collage below and of us at a ramen place:

We returned to the hotel and popped out for the some ice cream. Here we took a selfie in front of our fancy hotel with our ice cream!

Then the daughters split a bottle of wine while listening to jazz at the bar and relaxed on our 2nd to last night in Barcelona!