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Earlier this year I visited Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. Join me in reliving the trip, recapping the very best parts, and the things I'd do differently if I ever visit again. This post, Barcelona {The Sights}, is the second in a series of four. Get started with the Barcelona {Overview} and don't miss Barcelona {via Gaudi}, and finish your reading with Barcelona {The Food}. I hope this will serve as a mini getaway for you and a useful guide if you'll soon be visiting Barcelona. Barcelona had been a mysterious place to me. It was a destination where college kids who could afford to study abroad all gathered and never let anyone forget it! Was I bitter? Yes. Did I fall in love with quirky, historic, lovely Barcelona regardless? Also yes. The sights from our visit to Barcelona include:
 You won't miss the yellow ribbons all over Barcelona I didn't forget about Sagrada Familia or all other things Gaudi! Barcelona {Via Gaudi} will be another post all of its own. The first three sights aren't location specific, but little things you'll see all over the city. Flor de BarcelonaFlor de Barcelona is the most popular variety of tile, called panot, that you'll see underfoot all over the city. They are my favorite little part of Barcelona. I snapped a photo of Bryce on our very first day and adventure in Barcelona. He's staring into his phone and standing among hundreds of flor de Barcelona. Flor de Barcelona are so charming and they are truly everywhere: on the ground, in logos, made into food items and jewelry. I tried to convince my sister in law to get tiny little tattoos of them while we were visiting but it didn't happen.  Morning #1 in Barcelona, Bryce tries to navigate while I snap pictures of the "cool tiles" which turn out to be Flor de Barcelona, one of my favorite parts of the city  Flor de Barcelona will hypnotize you into falling in love with Barcelona  I took dozens of photos of these little Flor de Barcelona babes  You'll see Flor de Barcelona in everything: jewelry, logos, and CHOCOLATE! Yellow RibbonsHere in the USA we use yellow ribbons to show support for our military, typically those who are deployed. When we arrived in Barcelona we noticed yellow ribbons everywhere. As we learned, yellow ribbons in Barcelona are a symbol of support Catalan's independence from Spain. More recently they've transformed into support of Catalan leaders who've been jailed or gone into hiding for political reasons. Yikes. Pooping StatuesWe were just a few hours into our adventures in Barcelona when we first noticed the pooping statues in so many store windows. These little guys are called el caganer which translates to the crapper or the shitter! The original is a peasant wearing a red cap with his trousers down and it has something to do with folklore, baby Jesus, and the manger scene! Now you can find any and everyone, from cartoon characters to political leaders, doing their business in these stores and the statues come in all sizes.  That's right, all sizes of little pooping statues. If you look closely you'll even see yellow ribbons pooping!  EVERYONE is included, from Trump to Einstein  This store had the biggest statue on display outside, plus the largest selection of statues! The Gothic Quarter is the heart of the "old city" of Barcelona. Our favorite parts of the Gothic Quarter are up next. The Bishop's BridgeThe Bishop’s Bridge, also called El Pont del Bisbe, is my favorite little finding in Barcelona. This architectural gem hovers proudly above the street nestled deep within historic Barcelona. We stumbled upon and walked under the Bishop's Bridge often throughout our visit and I was delighted to see it each and every time. The longer you look at it the more detail you'll notice. It's one of those things I'll never forget about Barcelona and something you'd never see from the inside of a tour bus. I always wait a few days to see what places or things speak to me the most before I start shopping on a trip. Once I fall in love, I buy myself souvenirs from my favorite spots. Among the three pieces I bought in Barcelona is a really cool recreation of the Bishop's Bridge.  The charming Bishop's Bridge in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter  It's just me in my favorite spot, at the Bishop's Bridge  Standing under the Bishop's Bridge, looking up. SUCH detail! Everyone is looking back at ya'  My souvenirs from Barcelona include these three little photos of my favorite spots, including the Bishop's Bridge Roman ColumnsThe expression "all roads lead to Rome" is forever true, at least in Europe. Once upon a time Barcelona was a Roman city called Barcino. If you look closely enough you'll find remnants of the old Roman town that have been preserved while the "new world" of Barcelona was built up all around them. We saw a few crumbled walls of the Roman city but the Roman Columns were by far the most interesting and intact of the ruins. You follow some discreet signs down a windy street then wiggle through the other tourists to find a tiny, and I mean TINY, little area to view some huge columns. The space is so small you can hardly get the ancient columns into your very modern iPhone photo. This is the kind of stuff that reminds me just how NEW our country is!  The small signs leading you to the Roman Columns are tucked right into plain sight in modern Barcelona  The Roman Columns in Barcelona are so large, and tucked into such a small space, that getting a photo is a challenge! Saint Eulalia's 13 GeeseSaint Eulalia is the Patron Saint of Barcelona. She was brutally murdered at age 13. There is a big and majestic cathedral dedicated to her in Barcelona. While we didn't visit the interior of the church we did visit the cloister and courtyard onsite, popping in and out of the chapels and gift shop. That's where you'll see the 13 geese that commemorate the 13 years of Saint Eulalia's life. This free and historic courtyard, and its geese, are a must see for anyone who knows anything about Catholicism. It's calming and peaceful in the midst of the bustling city.  Often called Barcelona Cathedral, this is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia  The courtyard of the cathedral is amazing to walk through, a peaceful respite from the outside and modern world  The 13 geese who represent Saint Eulalia can't be missed, there are so many stories around them Hash and Marijuana MuseumThe Hash and Marijuana Museum of Barcelona certainly caught my attention. We live in very marijuana-friendly Seattle but I've never heard of a museum dedicated to ol' Mary Jane. The Hash and Marijuana Museum was so interesting and everything was on theme from the stained glass windows all the way down to the carpeting. I learned a ton about the plant, it's usage throughout history, and different levels of acceptance and legalization around the world. My favorite fact has to be that Betsy Ross made the first American flag out of hemp! The museum is downtown, open late, and totally worth a visit!  Excited for our little field trip to the Hash and Marijuana Museum in Barcelona  The first American flag was made from hemp cloth, who knew?  The little leafy details are everywhere Our grandest adventures took us all around Barcelona, up mountains and into cable cars and bicycle taxis. An Urban Hike to the Bunkers del CarmelThe Bunkers del Carmel served as a lookout point during the Spanish Civil War. They're perched high above Barcelona with views of the entire city. (Park Guell is nearby. If you're visiting both while in Barcelona, do them on the same day.) You can drive or take a taxi most of the way up the hill before another 20 - 30 minutes walking. Once you reach the top you look down on Barcelona in awe. It's a view of the city that puts things in a totally different perspective. The most surprising part of the view was the opposite view. Only then did I realize how huge Barcelona is! The view from this hike is amazing. You're pretty far from the city and you'll see some "go away tourist" graffiti along the way. If that seems frightening to you, don't go.  Atop Barcelona at the Bunkers del Carmel - realizing that the city is huge and wearing a sweater was a terrible idea!  The Bunkers del Carmel are pretty far from the "beaten path" and worth a visit for adventurous travelers, despite a few discouraging messages Bike Taxi on Barceloneta BeachIf you read the Barcelona {Overview} you know that our relatives stayed at the high end Hotel Arts and that we stayed nearby, walking just 10 minutes to reach one another. That walk was conveniently and happily along Barceloneta Beach! We visited in late February/early March so we didn't see any beach weather but we did walk the boardwalk often. The area is alive with brave folks near the water and bikers, runners, and walkers buzzing up and down the lanes for traffic. My sister in law Renee and I eventually gave in to the persistent bike taxi drivers and accepted a ride. We LOVED the relief on our tired feet and giggled all the way back to her cozy hotel. This is one of the little things but something I'll never forget, riding carefree down the beach in a little buggy behind a bike. I did the same thing solo in Austin, Texas and also loved the few minutes of hilarity there.  Barcelona's Barceloneta Beach, notice everyone's clothing because it's far from beach weather in February/March  Take a bike taxi along the beach for a hilarious and unforgettable experience The Journey to Montjuïc CastleSometimes on a trip we forgo modern conveniences for the sake of adventure. Our journey to Montjuïc Castle was one of those times. My brother in law, Brandon, was looking for some excitement so rather than taking a taxi to hilltop Montjuïc area, we had an adventure along the way! First, we took the Port Cable Car across the sky. You take an elevator up to the platform, then squeeze into a large gondola with about 20 other people before taking off for a mid-air journey over the harbor. I am afraid of heights and I was freaking out from the time got in line for the to the tower until my feet returned to solid ground again. I was rambling uncontrollably and fidgeting with my fingers/lip, which are my nervous habits, as you'll see in the photo. You exit the Cable Car directly into the most beautiful garden called Mossen Costa i Llobera Gardens where there is so much to explore. The Hotel Miramar is nestled just beyond the gardens and you bet I snuck in to look around and use the restroom. If I ever get back to Barcelona I will find a way to spend at least one night in this amazing hotel! From there we continued, on foot up the hill, until we found the Montjuïc Cable Car. This cable car was different from the first. The four of us got our own gondola which we sat in, facing one another. It was much more comfortable and less scary! We cruised up the hill and disembarked near the Montjuïc Castle. When you approach the Montjuïc Castle, there are two routes you can take. Take a left to enter directly into the castle. Take a right for a longgg walk around the castle. We took the long way around. After a double cable car journey up the hill, an unnecessary long walk was not my favorite idea. The silver lining, though, was finding fig trees during the last stretch of journey. I'm always on the hunt for figs in a new destination and seeing the fig trees humbled my complaining sass and made me so happy! Montjuïc Castle is perched so high above Barcelona the views are, naturally, amazing. Once you arrive there and look back at the seemingly tiny cable cars and miniature looking city below, you will feel so proud for conquering it all! We learned about the history of the castle and we enjoyed roaming the grounds together. The castle is worth a visit but was definitely overshadowed by the long and dramatic journey to get there!  Part 1: The Port Cable Car (terrifying!)  Actual footage of my freaking out, see nervous hands/mouth  HAPPY to be on land again and enjoying the gardens  Part 2: Another cable car! This one has smaller cars for groups of 4 - 6 (less scary)  Part 3: A long and unnecessary walk around the castle, but I found FIG TREES  Little baby fig buds and leaves just outside the castle Sights from Montjuïc Castle We didn't LOVE or get to do it all while in Barcelona. Here are a few of the less-magical moments worth mentioning. What We Wouldn't Do Again: Bryce and Brandon were so excited to drive a Lamborghini and a Ferrari via Drive Me Barcelona. The cars were badass, but the route doesn't leave the city. The guys both wished that they'd been able to drive FAST! What We Missed Out On: The Picasso Museum is free on some Sundays and closed on Mondays. We tried to get in on that free Sunday but all of the free tickets were already reserved. Bummer. If you're keeping track, my next visit to Barcelona will include a stay at Hotel Miramar and a visit to the Picasso Museum.  I hope you enjoyed this adventure around Barcelona. I'm excited to revisit {The Food} and Barcelona {via Gaudi} next! Please stay connected with Figs and Flights via Facebook or Instagram for updates. Similar Posts
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What is Figs and Flights?A blog fueled by food and travel, Figs and Flights is a resource for curious travelers, foodies, yogis & book worms
Hello, I'm AngelaI'm a food obsessed blogger and world traveler 
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