The Bucket Life – Barcelona

Barcelona’s boundless beauty sets the tone for a visit here, but in reality, this place piques all the senses. Local music and regional dance, along with delectable tapas and a legacy of wine and beer production, collide over three-hour dinners that carry late into the night.

In the city center, a footprint from famed architect, Antoni Gaudi, is easy to follow and illustrates the whimsy and romance that touch all aspects of life in Barcelona. But it’s the people of Barcelona who are the real attraction: their way of doing life at a slower speed, hospitality a critical link in their DNA.

It’s not just the speed that is different here – the quality of life is, for many, altogether new. The Catalonian people have a cadence all their own. Shops are usually closed for a brief period in the afternoon while locals rest up for their evening festivities. And while most of Barcelona’s Mediterranean beaches are filled with people by lunch, these white-sand stretches are a great place to siesta.

That said, museums like that of Picasso and churches such as La Sangrada Familia stay open all day. After a century of construction, La Sangrada Familia is incomplete, yet still offers Sunday services to locals and visitors alike. It’s a bit of a time capsule for Barcelona’s history, and also a reminder of their local way of life – that they’ll get there eventually.
Just outside the city, yet still within the Catalan region, are a number of incredible attractions. Mont Serrat is an ages-old church created by monks and financed through sale of their beer production. Mont Serrat sits high on a cliff and is carved literally into the prehistoric rock. As legends go, visitors have seen visions in these rocks from animals to angels, and everything in between.

The area is also home to the Cava wine trail and a number of vineyards that still follow traditional production. Sunsets here are among the best in area, and the vintners often spend time enjoying dusk with their visitors.

While this area sits an hour south of Barcelona, you can also head north from the city and, in the same amount of time, arrive in Girona or Figueres. One is home to a number of popular film sets, while the other is home to popular works from Salvador Dali. These twin cities are equidistant to the Coasta Brava, a lazy beach community that Barcelona natives frequent.

Whether you’re visiting for art, food or a reset from the daily grind, Barcelona has it all. This is, The Bucket Life.