Although Barcelona is breathtakingly beautiful all year long, the Spring in this city is especially striking. Every year before the summer heat arrives, the days get longer and longer, colors start to pop and tourists begin to crowd the streets. The city is filled with a new energy, one that we have not been able to deny.
Although we spend much of our time living here gallivanting around the globe, we also truly love time in our own amazing city! Some of the times that we feel the most affection for our city is when we get to share it with those we love. This year we have had many visitors for varying amounts of time, and we will highlight some of our times with them here.
In April, Rachel's lifelong friend Hillary came for a few days. This coincided with a weekend that Devin was out of town, which resulted in a very fun girl's weekend! Hillary and I have known one another since I was in 7th grade. We lived only a few blocks from each other in Iowa City, went to the same high school and even both left our beloved Iowa homes to go to APU! Spending time with her in Barcelona was indescribably wonderful. Hillary has a way of bringing positive energy to everyone around her! She isn't afraid to express her positive thoughts and impressions and when hosting someone, it is so satisfying to hear them enjoying their experiences and witness them falling in love with my city (like we have)! We packed our days very full with amazing food, bike rides, hikes, and hours upon hours of meaningful conversation and laughter. I have to say, I was exhausted when she left, but in the best possible way!
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| We hiked up Montjuic on a sunny Sunday and had amazing views! |
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| This trail beside the castle and overlooking the port is one of our favorites to walk. |
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| These are my favorite tiles in Barcelona, and our feet passed over many of them. |
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| I always feel a little guilty when the weather isn't perfect for visitors. So when Hillary and I walked to the beach to sit on the sand before dinner, and it started raining as soon as we set foot there, I was a bit disappointed. However, Hillary just said, "Awesome! I get to see Barcelona in the rain! What a unique experience!" She is so right. Barcelona is dreamy in the sun, but it's also gorgeous in the rain. |
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| Hiding from the rain |
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| What's a better dinner for girl talk than red wine, cheese and bread? |
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| Devin got home just in time to join us for a meal in Hillary's last night in town. |
Only a couple of days after Hillary left Barcelona, Rachel's cousin Kyler arrived. This was Kyler's first time out of the country, making it a unique opportunity for us as hosts. We loved showing him the "ropes", and introducing him to some of our favorite aspects of European life. After a couple of days in Barcelona, we rented a car and drove to a couple of our favorite towns on the Costa Brava to show him a glimpse of Spanish life outside of the city. After four days together, we sent him on with lots of love as he backpacked through Europe for the following five weeks. He had many more adventures ahead of him, and we were happy to have been his first stop!
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| We went to a wine festival nearby, where we tried a variety of Catalan wines. |
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| The ever so beautiful Tossa de Mar |
In May, Devin's best friend Andrew and his fiance, Sarah visited us from Los Angeles. It was also their first time in Europe. We met them for a weekend in Germany (more on that later!), and then flew to Barcelona for a week. We had a blast showing them the best of the city, and then also rented a car and went to the coast for their last weekend. We stayed in an incredible old fortress converted into a hotel. We lounged in the yard, hopped from beach to beach, picnicked in the sunshine, and strolled through the small villages.
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| We started the weekend at one of our favorite coves (calas), Sa Tuna. We enjoyed the remaining sunshine and skipped rocks. |
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| A quick walk along the rocky coast line. |
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| We went to Begur for dinner and introduced Sarah and Andrew to our favorite bottled beer here while sitting in a plaza, watching the small-town street life. |
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| We weren't perfectly equipped for the amount of sun we were receiving during our picnic, so we had to improvise... |
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| Our paradise. This place was seriously unreal. |
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| The hammock made it impossible to want to leave. |
We are so thankful for those who have visited us and given us the opportunity to share our favorite features of our city and the surrounding area! And since we are done hosting for the year, we now look ahead and hope that we feel as much pride and endless devotion for the next place that we call home. Until then,
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