Adventuring in Spain: Here's What My Mom Thought of Barcelona

We found the nude beach!

This is the paid follow-up to 5 Tips for Your Trip to Barcelona, Spain. If you don’t have a paid subscription, don’t worry. The last post was free, and the next one will be too! This post is for the people who help me pay for grad school and adventures with paid subscriptions—and those who have appeared in my blog posts and videos over the years. Thank you!

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When I first told my friends I planned to take my mom to Barcelona, they were surprised. Why would I take my mother to a city I had said a thousand times I did not enjoy living in? Easy. I wanted my mother to form her own opinion about Barcelona and Spain.

I also knew how important it was for her to see my former home so that she could put color to everything I had shared over the phone. In a way, it added color for me too.

It was only 10 days after arriving in Barcelona that Google laid off my team. I spent most of my remaining time there completing the visa process, looking for work, and getting ready for my move to Madrid.

While I still don’t think I would ever live there again, I did enjoy visiting.

Let’s start with what she loved.

La Sagrada Familia

The building had changed a lot since I last saw it. Honestly, I think I prefer how it looked in 2023 before they added the colored pieces. Still, I admire the progress they made. Locals often joke that they will never finish the cathedral, and when you look at the intricate designs, you can start to see why that might be.

If you ever visit Barcelona, this is one of those places I highly recommend seeing in person. Whether you like the architecture or not, there’s no denying how impressive it is.

Our Penthouse Suite