Betzabroad…My personal recipe for tasting our big, fat, wonderful world

After our long flights overseas, our first stop is Barcelona, Spain. Arriving in early morning, we are trying to stay awake all day so we can reset our circadian rhythms more easily. After finding our wonderfully located hotel, we set off walking to find the nearby Arc de Triomf. Yes, Barcelona has one too! It is much more ornate in architecture than the one in Paris. And the beautiful promenade and park approaching it are spectacular on a sunny day!

Built in 1888 for the Universal Exhibition, it’s friezes depict the competitions occurring during those days. The shields of all of the provinces of Spain flank its arch.

After checking into the hotel, we embark on our prebooked tour of the city highlights. Of course, no tour of Barcelona is complete without a visit to the Gaudi masterpiece, the still unfinished, Sagrada Familia. We are dwarfed by the building and the genius of it’s architect.

And now the rear facade. So different from the front. So many vignettes to see.

Our tour also took us to the Gothic Quarter, Las Ramblas, and El Mercato de la Boqueria, Casa Batillo and other places. We also stopped to enjoy the best churros and hot chocolate I have ever eaten!

Our day ended with a quick dinner at a local eatery in l’exaimples (our hotel neighborhood)