TravelhackRR

Day five.

This was the day we got to sleep in. We earned it after our car complications and the long drive from Valbonne to Barcelona. Oh and I failed to mention that we missed several exits along the way, which certainly added to the stress of getting to Spain. Little did we know that this day had more surprises for us.

Around noon-ish we found our car rental with a smashed window. We were able to unload most of our belongings the night before, but we did lose a few personal items – a GPS, a pair of baby Nikes and a carefully wrapped plastic bag that had Rambi’s disgusting, poopified sneakers. Oh these criminals who did this are in for a treat once they open up that plastic bag.

Rambi had to make a few phone calls. It’s not easy dealing with car rental and insurance when you’re in a different country. We could not find a seven seater car replacement, although Europcar offered us two cars to use for the rest of the road trip. Two cars just wouldn’t be as fun (because I do not want to drive the second car for hours and hours), and it wouldn’t be economical to fuel two cars, so Rambi and I decided to go on MacGyver mode with our poor and abused Renault.

After filing our report with the Catalan Policia, little brother and I went on the hunt for duct tape. And my, it felt like we were searching for gold. I found myself showing internet photos of duct tape to people working at groceries. None of them had it. We drove around looking for hardware stores but it seemed everyone was still enjoying their siesta.

We decided to park in front of a hardware store and waited for them to re-open at three. I cleared the car of shattered glass, and later on we started duct taping our way to freedom from this crummy afternoon.

Soon we were ready to hit the town. First on our list was the awe-inspiring Sagrada Familia. We decided to have early dinner by Avinguda De Gaudi since everyone but our little baby had no proper lunch. We couldn’t have chosen a better way to treat our growling stomachs – tapas, paella, seafood and sangria at Babilonia.

After dinner, we hit the stores in Barcelona’s Avenue of Luxury – Passeig de Gràcia. We saw one of Gaudi’s famous architectural works – Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera.  We also enjoyed some complimentary champagne at the Louis Vuitton boutique. I’m usually uncomfortable inside these luxury stores, but we were attended to by a very handsome and warm young man who I imagine never has any problems getting guests to swipe their credit cards for ridiculously expensive purses.

Later on we were back at Las Ramblas for some exploring and a little souvenir shopping. We had coffee, hot chocolate and churros at a cozy little café called Artisa.

Before heading back to our Airbnb, we went back to Sagardi for a pre midnight snack. Yes, we are piggies and yes, it was that good. If only we could take these tapas with us back to Italy.

The short drive home felt like a tour in itself. It seemed like every building and every street in Barcelona has a story to tell. Barcelona is just a beautiful and charming city, bleeding in culture. I personally felt that people give off a very relaxed and cheery vibe, which was not something I experienced in Italy or France.  This was the night I decided, this is the kind of place where I want to live. I’m in love.

Stay tuned for our last day in Barcelona.