Coming Soon: Paris & Barcelona!
Photos by my good friend and world traveler, Kristin Luna of Camels and Chocolate
You guys, I’m in desperate need of a true vacation.
Last year I didn’t take a vacation AT ALL. In fact, just recently I realized that I only took four days off of work in 2014. 4 days! And none of them was for a vacation– just a day here and there to spend time with my kiddo or to work on home projects. And while I’m really fortunate that I at least get to travel to some fun cities for work, it’s still that– work!
As you know, earlier this year we got to go to Disney World as a family (hooray!), but again, that wasn’t all pleasure– I was there for a conference. And even if the conference wasn’t a part of our trip, you can’t really call a trip to Disney World relaxing…
The last time I had 3 continuous, leisurely days alone with my husband was when we went to Asheville, NC in 2013 to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. For over a year we’d been saying that we were going to plan a trip to Paris & Barcelona, but we never nailed down a date or even started researching very much. Then one day in late May, my husband got an alert from Kayak that flights to Paris had dropped drastically, so we bit the bullet, picked dates for July and booked our flights!
So, now here we are. We’re leaving for Paris in 10 days! For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been reading blogs, Rick Steves travel guides and asking for advice from friends that have visited these two cities before. I’m finally feeling like the Paris leg of the trip is shaping up, but I still have some work to do on our Barcelona plan. Of course, we have a rooftop pool at our hotel in Barcelona so that may end up being a good chunk of my itinerary ;-)
If any of you out there have been to either of these cities, I’d love to hear all about your favorite sites, adventures, and places to eat, so please do spill!
Paris! I could go there a million times and never not yearn to go again.
I would try the Oh Happy Day’s macaron trial.
http://ohhappyday.com/2011/10/happy-things-in-paris-macaron-research/
Recommend Angelina by the Louve. Very popular but worth a visit and a rest for your feet from the Louve.
Musee d’Orsay was my favorite museum by far.
Paris Flea Market is worth a visit.
Versailles. Its a day trip but you can’t miss it.
Check out this blog:
http://www.aspiringkennedy.com/paris/
Musee d ‘Orsay is actually on my agenda for the day we arrive- it’s a must! I didn’t even know about the Flea Market, so I’m going to do more research on it and plug it into the itinerary as well.
Thanks for all of these great tips!!!
Les Papiles in Paris. No menu. Just served a multi course meal. Absolutely fabulous. Reservations a must
Tantarantana in Barcelona for tapas. In the Born neighborhood. Sit outside
Thanks Estie!
Montserrat is a beautiful mountaintop pilgrimage site outside of Barcelona. You can get there on public transportation. Nice day trip. Not sure the food is anything special- consider taking a picnic.
Obviously Sagrada Familia is amazing.
Read David Lebovitz food blog- it’s addictive. He also has an app with restaurant suggestions in Paris.. He’s on Instagram too… I’ve never been to Paris but I live vicariously through his blog… Happy travels !!
We were in Barcelona a coup,e years ago, fabulous city. A few things we did, and enjoyed:
A food and wine tour, a must do activity http://www.taste-barcelona.com
We also went on a bike tour of the city, you can google one if interested
Take a tour of Familia Sangrada but buy tickets online before you arrive so you don’t need to wait in line. Early in the day is better as there are less people inside and you can actually get photos without people.
There are lots of buildings designed by Gaudi, we found that one of them had a jazz concert on the rooftop patio one night, so fun! Another had an opera singer, it was alright, enjoyed the Jazz much more
If the beach is your thing, catch the subway and go out of town a few stops to a quieter locations, so beautiful.
Find a small store that serves churros and hot chocolate, make sure to share an order, it’s more like dipping donuts into warm chocolate pudding….soooo good!
Those include some of our highlights. It’s an amazing place with lots to do, enjoy!
Beth,
If you have time take the trip to Montserratt:
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/tour/montserrat-spain.html
Or Head down to Sitges:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitges
Jim Sulcer
Thanks Jim. I was on the fence about Montserratt, but I think we’re going to have time, so I’m putting it on our itinerary!
We were in Barcelona last spring. We spent the first 3 days on the island of Mallorca which was absolutely beautiful. The next 7 days were spent taking in all of Barcelona. So many great restaurants it was hard to keep track. However, the stand out dining experience of the trip was at Cinc Sentits. Absolutely amazing 6 course tasting menu and we chose to have wine paired with each course. I liked to call it the French Laundry of Barcelona. There is also a fantastic little place in old town with amazing tapas and they make their own cava El Xampanyet…so much fun!
We took a couple of day trips. One to Montserrat definitely a must see… amazing views and . Another day we took the train to the beach town of Sitges. Great little beach town if you have the time and want to enjoy the sand and sea for a day.
This is awesome info. Thanks so much Randi!
Be sure to go to the cook’s Mecca Dehillerin!
Find a copy of Patricia Wells’ Food Lover’s Guide to Paris
Bon Voyage!
I downloaded Patricia Wells’ Paris Food Lover’s app!
I am so excited for your trip, I feel like I’m going myself! Good luck on breaking your wine fast ;-)
Do not miss Versailles. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before or will see again.
Have a good look at the Louvre. Make a contact with Mona Lisa!
Are there health protocols in Paris this month?