Surprise, Surprise...

Being the amazing boyfriend that he is, Ben arranged a surprise trip to Barcelona last week as a little treat for completing my degree ♥. I cannot believe that he arranged it all and managed to keep it a surprise, he's normally really bad at keeping secrets! I've wanted to visit Barcelona for a little while now as I've heard that it's such a beautiful city. Having now been there, I can safely say that the city does not disappoint!! We were there for three days, arriving on the Monday morning and flying home Wednesday night. It was the perfect length for a city break as it gave us enough time to explore what we wanted but also the opportunity to go back in the future and still have more to see. 

Parc de Ciutadella

 On Monday, we spent the afternoon wandering around the city getting our bearings as well as taking in the beautiful sights. The city is famous for all it's Gaudi architecture  but the place in general is so picturesque. We spent the evening on the top floor of the hotel in their restaurant admiring the amazing panoramic views. 

At the bottom of the MNAC Museum

On the second day we decided to visit the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, the olympic stadium and botanical gardens as they were a short metro ride form our hotel. The whole morning was filled with lots of walking, stunning scenery and breathtaking views. The city is incredible and has a very relaxed feel to it - it was nice just to meander along and take in the Spanish culture. We also got the cable car up to the castle in Montjuic before spending some much needed time in the hotel spa.

You can't go to Spain and not have tapas!

On the final day we decided to hire bikes and visit the remaining touristy places we wanted to see before having to head back to the airport. I'd definitely recommend cycling around the city, it only cost us 10 euros each to hire a bike for the whole day and the city is very cycle friendly. There are plenty of cycle lanes and the man in the bike hire shop drew the best routes for us to take onto a map. We cycled for about an hour to get to Parc Guell, a beautiful park designed by Gaudi. I wouldn't say I'm particularly interested in architecture but there is just something about Gaudi's work that draws me in. The somewhat unusual shapes, the colours and the intricate details are just incredible!

Some of Gaudi's work in Parc Guell

We then cycled off to see the famous Sagrada Familia. Wow, what a building! It's incredible to think that construction started in the 1800s and it is still years away from completion. The sheer size of the church is unbelievable and adds to how impressive the architecture is!

Outside the Sagrada Familia with my hired bike

Overall, the city is one of the best places I have been fortunate enough to visit. The general chilled feel of the place was the perfect antidote to all the stress I've been feeling over the last few months. I'd definitely recommend visiting Barcelona, it's the perfect mixture of culture and sun.