One of the reasons for my trip to Barcelona was to decide whether the city could be a great place to retire. There are so many options in Europe!
One of the neighbourhoods I love most is Gràcia. It’s just outside of the city centre and has a bit more of a local feeling. It has amazing markets, shops, cafes and restaurants.
After I grabbing a flat white and a pastry at Syra Coffee, I started walking towards the neighbourhood and saw this owl on top of a building. I definately looked like Drake’s OVO logo. Felt like I was on the right track.
My first stop was the really cute Mercat de l’Abaceria for a snack. Lots of fresh produce, fish, cheese, and of course ham. I grabbed some fresh cut fruit and watched some of the action. Everything really does taste better in Spain.
From there I walked around to check out some of the shops and a few of the squares, including Plaça del Sol and Plaça del Diamant. A highlight is definately Casa Vicens, another Gaudí modernist building. One thing that you really notice here is the prevelance of Catalan, the official language of Catalunya.
All of that walking around got my hungry – and thirsty. I stopped in at Tapeo Gràcia for a great lunch of burrata, glazed beef cheeks and the best pan con tomate I had in the whole trip.
While I really enjoyed the day in Gràcia, it felt really busy and noisy still. So while I loved visiting, it’s probably out of the running for retirement.
