Traveling Truly

Solo Thanksgiving Break in Barcelona, Spain

As a native of the Sunshine State, I am having my very first taste of true winter here in Kosovo, mild as it may be compared to some other places. As I type this post, I keep finding myself distracted by the whimsical snowflakes dancing outside my window. This is the first snowfall I have watched in probably around fifteen YEARS!

Last week, however, I was able to find myself recharging on serotonin and sitting on the sandy beaches of Barcelona for fall break. A quite literal one, since I feel like I just took an entire break from fall for a week. It was truly medicine for my heart and soul to soak in a bit of warmth and vitamin D and take a break from the cold winter pollution in Prishtina.

Was my week perfect? …er, no. Am I VERY excited for the day that I get to go back to Spain and finish exploring this gorgeous country? ABSOLUTELY.

Day 1

Flying out of Pristina can tend to be more expensive, so I kicked off my trip in Skopje, because I can get there easily by bus and tickets are generally much cheaper. I returned to a previous hostel where I had stayed on my way back from Greece, and found it just as charming as the last time. If you ever find yourself traveling through Skopje (which you absolutely will if you ever travel the Balkans) check out my friends at Lighthouse Hostel for a super clean, friendly place to stay! I will continue to book there anytime I return to Skopje!

On my way to the airport, I made a very sweet friend who ended up being bound for Barcelona as well- a tiny, 61-year-old Fillipina woman who has been traveling around Europe by herself for a few months! We stayed together until parting ways after customs in Barcelona, and headed to our respective hostels. I stayed at Casa Kessler Barcelona, which was beautiful, very clean and spacious, and very chill.

Day 2

This was my first full day in Barcelona, and I kicked it off with a great start. My brother and sister-in-law had gone to Madrid and swore by James Blick’s EPIC Madrid Food Tour for all of their dining decisions in Madrid, so I of course had to check his recommendations for Barcelona. Breakfast for day one was at Granja Dulcinea, where I ordered Catalan Cream and melindros, because it all sounded very local and delicious. For those of you like me who are unfamiliar with Catalan Cream, it’s basically creme brulee, but it’s acceptable to order it for breakfast and dunk your fresh, fluffy melindros in it. James Blick definitely recommended the hot chocolate and cream there, so I wish I had been able to try them both! My breakfast was SUPER delicious, though!

After breakfast I just walked around and took in the views, stopped in a beautiful church, and made my way to the water. After I sat by the harbor for a bit I decided to spend some time relaxing in Parc de la Ciutadella. It was beautiful and green, and all the palm trees were making my little homesick, Floridian heart happy.

I was at peace and soaking in sunshine when a guy about my age approached me and started asking me small-talk questions about if I am from here, do I like Barcelona, etc. As soon as he got up and left, I realized my purse was gone as well. I was by myself. In Spain. With ZERO money left, no internet, and no idea where to go or what to do. Thankfully my passport was in my hostel and my phone was in my hand, so after a bit (okay a lot) of crying, flagging down a police car, and spending the rest of the day taking care of business, everything was okay. I blocked my cards, filed a police report, and my mom sent me money through Western Union. I decided to put the incident behind me and move on to enjoy the rest of my vacation, which I did! Much thanks to the very kind lady staying at my hostel who fed me, gave me hot chocolate, and talked me through everything I needed to do to take care of things- she was really a godsend!

Day 3

The receptionist at the hostel when I was checking in told me that if I got to Parc Guell before 8am, I could get into the Gaudi area for free! So I decided to get up early and take off up the hill to start off the rest of my vacation strong. Parc Guell is RIDICULOUS. Gaudi was from another planet, I swear. Absolutely gorgeous and so unique. It was a bit difficult to get pictures with the sun so strong just over the horizon, but the ones that came out look absolutely magical! And getting there early worked perfectly- I arrived at the park at literally 7:53 am, followed the signs to the Gaudi area, and walked straight up to the iconic photo spot that you see on every post about Barcelona. Don’t miss the rest of the park too, though, it’s all incredible!

By the time I had gotten my fill of the park, I was starving and went off in search of another James Blick recommendation- Pattiserie Hoffmann. I got three different croissants and ate them throughout the morning because I just could not choose. Or rather, wouldn’t choose. I mean, why limit yourself on vacation, right?

After breakfast, it was beach time!! I couldn’t resist any longer. I was in no way dressed for the beach as I was sporting jeans and ankle boots, but that didn’t stop me. I sat in the sand and stared at the sea for hours, even putting my toes in the water a few times! Bliss.

I went back to my hostel and took a nap before heading back out to see La Sagrada Familia! I am not going to spend much time talking about it because no words can prepare you for this place. You HAVE to go see it for yourself if you are in Barcelona. It is insanely intricate and majestic and it just made me think about the absolute grandeur of the One to whom it is dedicated.

If you don’t know anything about La Sagrada Familia, it has been in construction for nearly 100 years, and is set to finish in 2026! I will most definitely be returning to see the finished product in the future!

You can’t do Spain without tapas, of course, so I hit up James Blick’s recommendation for the best patatas bravas in the city and was NOT disappointed. The food was delicious and beautiful- as simple as that.

Day 4

I “took my time” getting up and going this day before heading down for chocolat con churros and then, of course, the beach again! I spent another few hours just staring at the waves, missing Florida but overwhelmingly grateful to be sitting on a beach in Spain for my first Thanksgiving completely away from family.

For lunch, I headed into the Gothic Quarter to the food market recommended by none other than James Blick, of course, and grabbed some absolutely delicious cured meats, some fresh fruit, and an empanada! I sat outside on a bench and ate my little picnic before crashing in -dare I admit it- Starbucks for some sugary coffee, wifi, and good old-fashioned familiarity. Sometimes, you just need to take refuge in a place that is known and comfortable and familiar (and that has toffee-nut lattes that you haven’t had since you moved to Kosovo five months ago).

After some time chilling on my phone and nearly falling asleep in the comfy chairs, I took some time to explore the incredible architecture of the Gothic Quarter. As an American who is still quite not used to being in the presence of buildings that are five hundred plus years old, places like this always leave me in absolute awe. I took a chance on the Museum of the History of the City of Barcelona, having no idea what was inside, and this turned out to be one of the most well-spent 7 euros I dished out the entire trip. I LOVED this museum. The entire bottom level was remains from the 2,000 year-old Roman settlement in Barcelona, and you actually walk through the room as if you are walking through the streets of the Roman town. There are foundations left from the buildings of different types of businesses from the city as well as parts of the floors and walls of a typical Roman house. I felt like I was walking back in time. The rest of the museum was small yet beautiful, as the entire thing is located in a former palace in the Gothic Quarter.

Thanksgiving night, I ended up back with my Filipina friend who invited me to her hostel to cook me dinner and hang out. She cooked some traditional Filipino food and, while it was far from my typical Thanksgiving dinner, it was absolutely delicious and a wonderful evening nonetheless.

At her much more social and eventful hostel, I found myself accepting an invitation to go salsa dancing before I even had time to process the fact that I was far too tired to be making such plans. Nevertheless, I kept my word and found myself having the BEST time of my entire trip and finally getting to improve my salsa skills beyond the bounds of the free salsa classes offered on every Carnival cruise. Was I good at it? Debatable. Was I having the time of my life? Absolutely.

The next day I spent simply walking around, hitting my favorite food spots from the week, sitting on the beach again, and heading back to La Sagrada Familia just to spend a bit more time sitting under its looming grandeur before I headed back to my hostel to collect my things. It was time to say goodbye to Barcelona and its gorgeous buildings, sunshine, and incredible food.

Hasta Luega, Spain!