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Known for soccer, modernist architecture, and staunch cultural autonomy, Barcelona is an amazing city in northeast Spain. We only had one day to explore it, which is not nearly enough. We started our day on Sunday at the Museu Picasso. Housed in a beautiful old building, the museum traces the artist’s development from his earliest drawings and paintings as a small child to works within a year of his death, almost 70 years of artistry. It was well worth the visit.

As we walked around Barcelona, we noted lots of cool architecture. Home to modernist Gaudí, the city embraced curvy lines and modern designs; around almost every corner is either a weird-looking building or a modern art piece installed in a square. It was fun to explore just a few parts of downtown and point out these curiosities to each other.

One must-see street in Barcelona is La Rambla, a wide pedestrian area filled with vendors, clowns, performing artists, and food shops; the street runs from Plaza Catalunya, a major square downtown, all the way to the harbor. It was really fun to amble down the cobbled path and watch people and look at knick-knacks and street performers.

We spent several hours today exploring the wharf and harbor area. When it hosted the 1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona underwent a major renovation and renewal. One area where we noticed this was along the waterfront: lots of sculpture, modern architecture, floating pedestrian bridges, and wide pathways with benches everywhere to sit and enjoy the view.

On one wharf we came across a BMW exhibition, and stopped in to see what was going on. They had the full line of current vehicles on display, as well as a Formula 1 Racing track and car show. We arrived just in time to see their F1 driver speed out of the garage, do a bunch of spins, burn rubber, and then pose for photos…It was loud, but fun to see.

We enjoyed the Mediterranean custom of siesta and took nice long naps back at the hotel in the afternoon. Today was my birthday, so wandered along the wharf to a section of town called Barceloneta. We dined on seafood and sangría, and walked along the beach looking at the city lights before heading to bed sometime after midnight.

It was a wonderful day! Barcelona is amazing. We both decided we would like to come back and spend more time exploring this wonderful city.