Barcelona
16 June 2026
We went to Madrid for Bad Bunny, we stayed for the ham.
Día 1
- Museo del Prado
- Plaza Mayor
- Flamenco > Bad Bunny
Indi and I walked to a nearby bus stop to get to the train station, but the bus never came. We called an Uber and got picked up right at the bus stop. We were a little early for our train but boarded the Renfe bullet train to Barcelona shortly after. Indi slept most of the 2.5 hour trip. I slept maybe 20 minutes.
Our Airbnb guesthouse is right next to a train station. After some confusion, we took a train from the station we arrived at to the end of the line and walked 100 meters to our Airbnb. We had a little time before our tour at 12:30, but we were supposed to be there 15 minutes early and I was paranoid we’d miss it, so we left early.
We rented Bolt e-bikes and rode toward the basilica. There was some initial confusion about the bike lane, but we figured it out, and it was a fun ride. We could see the basilica from a distance. So impressive. Up close, it looked just as impressive, if not more. We parked our bikes and got some food. I got a ham and cheese sandwich I didn’t love, and Indi got an empanada and a smoothie. Anytime I’d slow down, I’d begin feeling like a zombie.
Basilica de La Sagrada Familia
Eventually, we found our tour guide and group in a souvenir shop (Viator). I had to use the bathroom before departure, and the toilet in the shop didn’t have a seat. Squatting over it wasn’t super fun, but luckily, it was fast.
We walked with the group to the basilica, where our guide introduced herself and got us through security. We got headphones and an audio device so we could hear her better, and she gave us a rundown of the front of the building.
The inside was spectacular, probably the most beautiful interior I’ve ever seen. We entered the prayer section, and I prayed to know God, to live a good life, and to make something more of myself through his grace. In response, I had an impression: “Feed my sheep.”
For lunch we walked 27 minutes to a market. When we arrived, we didn’t love the options and decided to go somewhere else. We walked what felt like a long way, and I had an emergency bathroom break in a McDonald’s. Near misses of this variety have become worringly commonplace on my travels.
We finally found a lunch spot down a side street, picked because we were too tired to walk any further. I was pretty nauseous and ate only a little, some peppers and jamón ibérico, which I enjoyed.
Plaza Mayor
Our Airbnb was very close to the Plaza Mayor, so I had the pleasure of walking through it several times. I have seen Spanish colonial architecture all over South America and the Caribbean. It was cool and familiar to see where it originated.
When we got back to the Airbnb, the girls got ready to go to the Bad Bunny concert. I am cheap and decided not to go because of the price.
So, I laid on the bed, comatose while they busied themselves. Soon after they left, I promptly fell asleep. I woke up three hours later to learn that the girls had been turned away at the stadium doors. It turned out that they’d bought fake tickets through a reselling site. Naturally, they were all devastated.
It took them a while to get back because the venue was not close by. For almost the entire three hours that I was asleep, they were trying to get into the concert or in transit. “You can’t win them all.” – Ignacio Libre
Flamenco
When they got back, Indi bought tickets to a flamenco performance at Tablao Flamenco 1911. It was raining pretty hard, so we jogged most of the way there. We had to wait a bit in the bar area before we were seated. The space was intimate, and the seats were very uncomfortable.
We got tapas to share that were super expensive: jamón ibérico, little baguette-like crackers, cheese, and some kind of salami. I love jamón ibérico, it eneded up being my favorite thing I ate in Spain.
There were two guitarists, a drummer, two singers, and three dancers. I thought one of the dancers was pretty bad, but the other two were good. Overall, I am glad we went despite my lukewarm review. We walked back and got home around midnight.
Día 2
- Royal Palace of Madrid
- Monumento Cervantes
- Temple of Debod
- Santa Maria Cathedral
- Thysen-Bornemisza National Museum
I think the girls went into hibernation to recover from the previous night’s concert fiasco. I got ready for the day, and when no one showed signs of stirring, I left by myself. I walked through the Plaza Mayor and was hit on by a young guy that may or may not have been homeless; it wasn’t 100% clear. I still took it as a win and had a little pep in my step on the way to the palace.
Royal Palace of Madrid
The walk to the Royal Palace of Madrid was cool and pleasant. At 9:00 am, there were surprisingly few people about. I took a few photos walking around the grounds before moving on.
Monumento Cervantes
A short walk away, I found the Monumento Cervantes. I’ve never read Don Quixote in the original Spanish or the English translation, but I’m a poser, so I took photos and hung out at the monument for a while.
Incredibly, my quixotic attempt at cosplaying as a bilingual intellectual worked! A couple approached me as I contemplated the Spanish knight. The man asked if he could take a photo of me. Specifically, my feet. I was wearing the new Nike Vomero Premiums. He told me they looked great, and I said they felt great. For those watching the scoreboard at home, that’s two scores before 10:00 am.
Temple of Debod
The Temple of Debod has a crazy backstory that I won’t attempt to explain here. Go to Wikipedia for the story. The reflecting pool was drained, but it was still pretty cool to see. Very random!
Indi called me to ask if I could meet up with her for breakfast. I told her that I had an appointment with a charming homeless man, but that I could fit her into my schedule a little later. I met up with the girls at a market where we all got different food. Some of what we ordered was juice, paella, morcilla, and fruit.
I love morcilla!
Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena
We walked back to the Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena and went inside. I sat on one of the pews to take it in for a while. The murals on the ceiling were colorful and abstract. I haven’t seen a cathedral like that before. I really enjoyed the artistic vision of the creator(s).
Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum
We got gelato (I got pistachio) and then went to the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. We all took photos of some of our pieces, here were my favorites:
Afterward, Indi and I went to an Argentine restaurant and shared a steak and veggies. I went back to the Airbnb to sleep while the girls watched part of a soccer game at a bar. When I woke up, we went to a restaurant for tapas and shared some food, then went to a place for churros and chocolate.
We said goodbye. Indi’s sisters were going to Paris the next day, and Indi and I to Barcelona.
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