Barcelona, Spain

This year, I ran away from home for my 26th Birthday. Or put less-dramatically I decided to treat myself to a solo-trip to someplace warm, foreign, and affordable. I have to give my mama, and sister credit for placing this idea into my head..."only old ladies spend their birthday's at home Melissa", were the crediting words MamaDoll told me via video-chat.

After a 5 minute search on skyscanner.de I stumbled upon Barcelona, and seeing as I hadn't yet been to Spain it was a no-brainer. With a liberating sense of spontaneity I booked my flight and hostel in one sitting without hesitation...although, this feeling was accompanied with some doubt.

One of the many upsides to living in Europe is how quickly (and not too mention affordable) travel within European countries can be. Left work on a Wednesday, hopped on a 2-hour flight and voila, I arrive in Barcelona to spend 3.5 days exploring, eating, drinking, meeting locals and foreigners alike.

Not only was this my first birthday spent alone without family, friends, or partners - this was also my first birthday in a foreign land. It was a mixed platter, of excitement, panic, loneliness, and euphoria...growing pain of sorts ;) But if not to have this sort of travel experience at age 26, then when?

February 7th, 2019: Plaça Reial. My love for palm-trees stems (ha! get ready for puns) from Mama-Doll, the woman who gave me the possibility of even having a birthday to celebrate.

My birthday was also my first day in Barcelona - without any plan or sense of direction (accept a flimsy hostel map) I set out onto the unknown streets of Barcelona only to eventually stumble upon the OCEAN and an array of palm-treeeess!

I certainly felt some Californian vibes here...

Walking along the boardwalk you will across many a tapa bars. The options are slightly overwhelming with one being just as tastefully appealing as the next.

Ah yes, they also have a very long and sandy beach in Barcelona.

One of many sinfully affordable bakery's. I must have eaten at least two pastries a day...I mean it's apart of experiencing the culture, right?

Another bakery plus another alleyway makes for a happy Melissa.

My birthday lunch, at an "Insta-dream" restaurant called Brunch & Cake. I called this one the "vegan man-o-rrito" due to its sheer volume. Along with it, some sort of refreshing Spanish vermouth cocktail. If I weren't my parents daughter there is no way I would have finished eating it all.

Because sangria is holy in Spain.

Ground level of metro-station, Jaume I at the brink of rush-hour...

...and me posing amongst that chaos whilst stuffing my face with yet another [birthday] pastry. Also, the first photo of me as a 26 year old.

Mercado de La Boqueria - much food, much drink. But for my beloved plant-based/vegans, it's a nightmare.

Tapa's don't have to cost a small fortune - this place was 10euros for four tapas, a drink (obviously I had wine), and dessert. I met a married American couple and went with them, after our free-working tour for lunch. Side note: the right is a giant slice of eggplant NOT meat ;) These affordable lunch, tapa-bars were somewhere in the Gothic quarter (wonder why I'm not a tour-guide?).

After lunch I wondered around aimlessly (perhaps the wine talking) throughout the alleyways in the Gothic quarter.

On this particular day after going for lunch with Americans, I randomly met three Serbian's and climbed a short yet steep mountain (that might be an oxymoron) in Park Güell with them. An interesting encounter that was. The view over Barcelona was nothing short of breathtaking (no really, that mountain had an inclination too intense for my little lungs).