Barcelona: 36 hours, a storm delay, and figuring it out anyway
May 5–7, 2025
Getting There
I got to the airport on my own with no major issues, Matthew had walked me through the process beforehand, which helped a lot. Once I arrived, though, I misunderstood the baggage drop instructions and ended up waiting outside security for almost an hour. I wouldn’t have missed my flight, but realizing I could have was stressful and made me feel a little silly.
After finally getting through security, I realized I hadn’t bought water yet and just waited at the gate. Honestly, trail mix carried me through most of my meals at this point. Not ideal, but it worked.
Once we boarded, the pilot announced a 1.5-hour delay due to a storm in Barcelona. That immediately stressed me out. The flight was supposed to leave London Heathrow Airport (LHR) at 5:00 pm and land in Barcelona, Spain, around 9:00 pm at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN), and I still had to figure out how to get to my hostel at night.
Thankfully, I managed it. I took the airport shuttle bus, Aerobús A1, which dropped me about six minutes walk from where I was staying. I purchased my ticket at the terminal.
The Aerobús cost me about €12,85 for a roundtrip to and from the city center. Well worth it for the time of night I arrived. Plus the trip is only 30 minutes to Pl Universitat, the stop that I got off at.
I also stored my luggage at the airport since I was flying out of the same terminal. That turned out to be such a good decision, especially since I was staying in a 16-bed female dorm. Less stuff, less stress.
I stayed at the St Christopher's Inn Barcelona. I booked through Hostelworld, the total for my two night stay was €83.30, which is CA$129.26. There was someone at the front desk basically all night long so that helped me for my very last check in.
It was a key card to enter the room, and I had an upper bunk close to the door, which was noisy. However, it is a hostel. The hostel beds had privacy curtains, which made it feel like a tiny personal room.
The bunk also had a personal light, a small shelf to hold your phone and small valuables while you slept. It had personal outlets.
There are also a locked pull out box under the bunk bed for each person in the bunks. You had to come with your own lock, and I was prepared.
After getting all settled in, I went straight to sleep.
May 6 – Walking, History, and Mojitos
I woke up the next morning and asked Sam which tour she thought I should take. She suggested taking it easy, so I booked the 11:00 am walking tour through Guruwalk over a tour starting at 9:00 am.
Before that, I did the hostel’s all-you-can-eat breakfast, which turned out to be a lifesaver. I hadn’t realized yet that I wouldn’t be able to make my noodles for dinner.
I was able to get orange juice, toast, Swiss cheese, turkey meat, tomato, and pineapple, which was a solid meal to start my day.
Run by Donkey Tours Barcelona, the walking tour focused on the Gothic Quarter, and it was genuinely fascinating. Hearing the history while walking through such old streets made the city feel alive.
Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Barcelona Cathedral)
Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Barcelona Cathedral)
Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Barcelona Cathedral)
We visited the outside of Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Barcelona Cathedral), noting that it would cost us €16.00 to go inside. I was hoping I would get a chance to go back in, but I already had a busy day ahead of me.
Street in Barcelona
Street in Barcelona
Street art - Barcelona, Spain
Walking around the gothic quarter was quite lovely. I took this tour on a Tuesday, so most people were just in weekday mode. I appreciated being able to capture a bit of everyday street life.
Our tour guide showed us a section of the wall of Palau del Lloctinent, where Hebrew was inscribed on one of the bricks. While I can’t remember if we got an exact translation, I remember the tone of the tour guide shifting. This stone was once part of a tombstone taken from a Jewish cemetery after the Jewish Quarter was attacked in 1391.
Many were killed or forced to convert to Christianity, and once there was no one to stop them, the tombstones were cut to fit the parts of the wall needing repair.
Barcelona City Hall
Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya
Also in the gothic quarter, I didn't know there'd be so much to be honest. Was the Barcelona City Hall. The city hall sits on one side of the Plaça Sant Jaume. While directly on the other side is Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya, which is the seat of the Catalan government, since Barcelona is the capital city of Catalonia.
The stone façade is covered in tiny holes that almost look decorative at first, but they’re actually scars from a bombing during the Spanish Civil War on January 30, 1938.
The explosion killed 42 people, many of them children who were hiding in the convent’s basement for safety. What stayed with me most is that the marks were never repaired on purpose.
They were left there as a memorial. A quiet but permanent reminder of what happened and of how devastating war really is.
We passed a market during the tour, so afterward I went back to buy a spice the guide recommended. I also grabbed €1.75 strawberries and watermelon, which I was very grateful for later, because again, no noodles. That and more trail mix got me through the afternoon.
By then I had already hit about 14,000 steps, so I went back to the hostel for a nap.
I didn’t get many souvenirs here, as I thought it was too much to buy for everyone at a place I was only at for a short amount of time, especially so near to the start of my very long trip. But I was still going to get something for myself and my sister, since I had come to Spain for the first time with her in March 2023, when we went to Madrid. While looking around, I saw these cups that were similar to what she had purchased as a souvenir then. It was nice to see, even though I didn’t get one, since I was reminded of my sister and family, and I missed them.
Mojitos, New People, and a Concert
At breakfast that morning, I’d noticed a signup sheet for a free mojito-making class at the hostel. It started at 7:00 pm, which overlapped with the concert doors, but Peach Pit didn’t go on until 9:15, so I decided to go.
I met two guys there: Adrian from Germany and Max from Quebec. We made mojitos together, which was genuinely fun. I asked for their Instagrams, Adrian didn’t have one, and I felt a bit awkward for asking, but honestly… I’ll probably never see them again, and that’s okay.
Dinner was a bag of plantain chips before heading out.
Above are some sites I saw on my way to the concert. I got to Spain’s Arc de Triomf by chance, which was nice. I liked the red colour, made it feel very unique. Also I saw a Banksy Museum, with a little graffiti entrance on the ground for rats. While it was already closed I wished I could've gone into it.
The concert was amazing, and I was really close to the stage. On the walk back, around 10:30–11:00 pm, I called Sam for company. During the walk, I passed a Burger King and had her decide for me if I should get a burger. I grabbed the cheapest sandwich I could find, about $2 CAD. I remember this burger having the most mustard humanly possible, but I still enjoyed it. It was a hot meal, which I undoubtedly missed the past day and a half. Coupled with the rain I walked through in the evening, this was needed.
Heading Out
I left the hostel early that morning to catch my 8:10 flight from Barcelona to Bordeaux, navigating the quiet airport and running on very little sleep. Once through security, I grabbed another $2 sandwich from McDonald’s before boarding and heading out. Having gotten a beef burger the night before, I got the equivalent of a Junior Chicken.
Barcelona felt like a lot in a short amount of time, confusing moments, long walks, small wins, and figuring things out as I went. But I did it on my own, and that mattered.
