We arrived at the Barcelona train station on Friday, 6/23 at 11:30 am for the weekend. Our airbnb was some 2 miles away, so we decided to get some more exercise and walk the streets. The architecture is a mix of old and new, the new is called Catalan Modernism.

Little did we know that 6/23 is the Festival of Sant Joan which is the same as our 4th of July celebration. It’s their celebration of the summer solstice with loud booms, fireworks and louder booms late into the evening. Lucky for us, we had an incredible view from our balcony.

We decided to tour the city by bus to give our feets a rest. We took the Barcelona hop on and off bus tour with the open roof and got to see all the major sights.

The fun treat was our special guests for dinner. Cameron and Rachael joined us for some fiesta. Our evening began with a very lovely dinner and sangria. Someone said they were drinking sangria like water. It’s tasty and very inexpensive. We strolled down Las Ramblas Blvd, a tourist area with a huge pedestrian walkway through the heart of the city center. Basically, lots of tourists!

The highlight of the evening was a Flamenco show, up close and personal. Emotional, mesmerizing, and raw. We all loved it.

If you’re trying to decide on Madrid or Barcelona, the winner for us is Madrid.