Should we retire in Barcelona? We are thinking yes!

Barcelona was full of gorgeous architecture, vibrant colors, exciting culture, and delicious food – we enjoyed everything the city had to offer!

Our first evening there, we went on a food, drink, and history tour that turned out to be an excellent way to kick off our stay – we sipped cava and sangria while tasting local traditional food including patatas bravas (crispy yet soft potato wedges topped with a garlic aioli and spicy tomato based sauce), pan con tomate (bread rubbed with tomato, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with flaky salt), and xistorra (a special type of chorizo served with mustard). We’re drooling just thinking about the food again! We also got to see some stunning old Roman architecture in the Gothic Quarter as well as a few Gegants, or Giants, roaming the streets as we walked from restaurant to restaurant. Our tour guide was a retired VP from California who moved to Barcelona after he wrapped up his professional career to embrace the Spanish lifestyle of taking it easy and enjoying downtime with friends and family. We think he has it figured out!

We wandered around the Mercado de La Boqueria where we saw some gnarly sea creatures and tried a couple items from vendors, but the street food wasn’t nearly as good as this tiny hole-in-the-wall place just outside the market where we had baguettes with cheese and jamon with an ice cold beverage for less than five euro. We spent some time at the beach, awed at the La Sagrada Familia, and sampled Spain’s national dish, paella.

Oh, and we saw a Flamenco show which was awesome! The speed at which the dancers’ feet move is jaw dropping, and they stomp perfectly to the beat of the fast-tempo songs played by talented guitarists.