My then-girlfriend and I had a trip to Barcelona all planned out. Life had other plans, though—we broke up shortly before the vacation. With the flights already booked, it seemed like a waste not to go, so I decided to turn it into a solo trip.
Sunday Arrival | 01.12.24
My flight from Berlin was scheduled for 9:00 AM, which meant leaving Dresden at 6:00 AM. When we booked the tickets, that sounded perfectly doable—but when my alarm went off at 5:00 AM, it was just a tiny bit annoying. On the bright side, I arrived in Barcelona around noon, ready to fill the day with my first impressions of the city. And what better way to get a feel for a place than a Hop-On Hop-Off tour? I booked a 24-hour ticket with Barcelona City Tour, which offers two routes. I started with the one leading through the eastern part of Barcelona, along the beach, passing the Sagrada Família, and winding up at Park Güell.
In the evening, I finally checked into my hostel—right in the heart of the city center, next to Las Ramblas (arguably the touristy hot spot, I’d say). I ended the day with a bit of Japanese food—not exactly the most typical choice for the city of tapas, but oh well it’s just the first day.
Exploring the Olympic City & Making New Connections | 02.12.24
I decided to continue my Hop-On Hop-Off tour and take the western route. I spontaneously hopped off halfway at mount Montjuïc, realizing the slope was pretty steep, and figured I might as well take advantage of being here to explore a bit. I wandered around and grabbed a quick lunch by the former Olympic swimming pool. The Olympic Games were held in Barcelona in 1992, and you can still see remnants of the structures built for the event.
I finished my Hop-On Hop-Off ride and went back to my hostel for a quick nap. Later, I headed to the Moco Museum, where I was meeting Catharina, someone I’d connected with through Jodel. The museum was meant to showcase contemporary art, featuring works from artists like Banksy and other big names. But honestly, there weren’t many pieces I really resonated with. I did think it was funny, though, that they also had what could be considered memes on display.
Catharina lives in Düsseldorf and, as it turns out, had visited Barcelona a few times before—because it’s so affordable to fly from Düsseldorf. We went to a bar afterward where she took the responsibility of ordering some really interesting snacks, things I wouldn’t have thought to try. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised. I also learned from her that Barcelona has quite a reputation for its art scene.
On my way back to the hostel, I met Adarsh, an Indian guy who was sitting alone at a chess table. After beating him mercilessly (of course), we started chatting and swapped travel goals. We realized we had similar places on our lists, though we weren’t sure yet when or if we’d do anything together. We exchanged numbers, not yet knowing we’d randomly bump into each other in the coming days.
Some History & the First Sunset View | 03.12.24
After sleeping in, I wanted to indulge in some history, so I headed to the Catalan History Museum. To be honest, I didn’t take away as much knowledge from it as I had hoped. The museum was well-structured and followed a clear chronological order, but for some reason, I just wasn’t absorbing much information.
Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a region with its own language and cultural identity. Once fully independent, it was incorporated into Spain in 1714. Today, many ethnic Catalans live here, and protests for independence are still common.
After the museum, the sun was already beginning to set. I had originally planned to visit mount Tibidabo, but after quickly checking in on Adarsh, he mentioned he was heading to the bunker, so I decided to follow his lead. With just enough time to spare, I made a quick stop to check out Las Arenas de Barcelona, which I had passed earlier on the Hop-On Hop-Off tour.
Fun Fact
Formerly known as Plaza de Toros de las Arenas, it was originally built in 1900 as a bullring. Initially used for boxing matches, it was later repurposed to host bullfights. The last bullfight took place in 1977, and with the rise of the anti-bullfighting movement, the arena eventually ceased to be used for its original purpose. Starting in 2009, the historic building underwent major renovations, during which the entire structure was raised by an additional floor supported by steel beams, while preserving its iconic façade. Today, it stands as a shopping center called Arenas de Barcelona, offering a free 360° panoramic view from the top. You can take the elevator outside for 1.5€, or if you use the escalator inside, it’s free of charge.”
After a quick look and some photos, I headed straight to the bunker, just in time to catch the sunset. And it wasn’t just us with the brilliant idea—apparently, a lot of people, including locals, seem to visit this spot to hang out and watch the sun set over the flat city of Barcelona. But just before the sun fully disappeared, a few police officers showed up and politely asked everyone to leave. Probably because the descending would be a bit dangerous in the dark.
Later in the evening, I grabbed some food at the Mercat de la Boqueria. One of the things I ordered was a burrito, where the seller bargained with me over the price and even had his thumb in my food before heating it up. Looking back, I always wonder if this is the place where the tragedy of the next couple of days began, but when I think about it, the tragedy actually happened the day after the next, so the timeline is a bit too wide.
Sagrada Família & Sunset: Part Two | 04.12.24
The Sagrada Família is one of the must-sees in Barcelona. Knowing that, I wisely booked my ticket weeks in advance—though I just made the small mistake of booking the tour in Spanish Luckily, the information plates and audio guide still provided plenty of interesting facts, so I don’t think I missed anything crucial.
Fun Fact
The Sagrada Família was designed by Antoni Gaudí and construction began in 1882. Gaudí was one of Barcelona’s most influential architects, and this basilica was his final and lifelong project.
🔹 Gaudi considered nature as his “true master” — the tall interior columns resemble tree trunks, spreading out like branches, creating a forest-like effect.
🔹 There are 18 towers in total. The tallest one, dedicated to Jesus Christ, is surrounded by four towers representing the Four Evangelists. There is also a tower for the Virgin Mary and another for the 12 Apostles.
🔹 Gaudí designed the tallest tower to be slightly shorter than Montjuïc Hill, the highest natural point in Barcelona, as no building should be taller than the work of god. While there’s no official law, modern architecture respects his wish, keeping the Sagrada Família the city’s tallest structure.
🔹 Gaudí knew he wouldn’t live to see it completed, but he was deeply invested until his death in 1926, when he was hit by a tram.
🔹 Construction has been ongoing for over 140 years and is expected to be completed in 2026 marking 100 years since Gaudí’s death.
I finished my visit at noon and had Park Güell next on my to-do list. But when I arrived, the entrance staff told me I needed an online reservation and that no slots were available. Funny enough, when I checked myself, there were still tickets left for the day. At this point, I had already been moving around a lot, and my legs were definitely feeling the strain of the trip. I took a quick look into the park—it did seem fascinating, but also more commercial and artificial than I had hoped. So, I decided to skip it altogether, take my time, and eventually meet up with my Indian friend at Tibidabo.
The ascent to the mountain peak, guided by Google Maps, was a bit wild—at some point, I wasn’t even sure if I was still on an official route. But once I reached the top, the view was on “another level”—literally. Compared to the bunker, this spot was much higher and farther from the city, offering a direct top-down view. Aside from the view, there’s a small (but currently paused) theme park and a church at the peak, which as the only tall structure on top, almost resembles a princess castle. Unlike the bunker, this place felt cozier and had fewer people, though it was noticeably windier. From up here, you could see the entire city stretching from north to south—on one end, the sun had already set, while on the other, there was still a faint glow of daylight.
After the sun fully set, we headed back to our hostel, where my Indian friend recommended a trusted döner place to grab some food. And from here… well, things started going downhill. I must have gotten food poisoning or something similar because the following 24h spiralled downhill very fast.
Hiking Montserrat with difficulties & the Final Sunset | 05.12.24
Exhausted from the previous walking tours and with some tummy issues bothering me, I woke up at 9 AM. I thought, Nope, that’s not it, and closed my eyes again. An hour later, I woke up once more and suddenly remembered—I had discussed going to Montserrat with Adarsh. I still didn’t feel like moving, so I texted him, he should go on ahead and we would meet up at the top, and went right back to sleep. By noon, I finally dragged myself out of bed, still considering whether to go today or postpone it to tomorrow. I checked the train schedule and found one leaving just soon enough that I wouldn’t have to rush but would still make it in time. Reluctantly, I put on my clothes, grabbed a leftover snack from yesterday’s breakfast, and headed out.
At the station, I texted Adarsh to let him know I was finally on my way. And, who would’ve thought—he had also overslept and was just now heading out too. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the universe brought us back together once again, and we found each other on the same train. On our ride to Montserat, my stomach gave out the first indications, that something is really not sitting right. Out of nowhere, I had my first very painful stomach cramp. Desperately, I walked around looking for a restroom. In the middle of the moving train, packed with passengers, the pain became so intense that I fell to one knee, almost crying out for help. It felt like 20 minutes of agony—though realistically, it was probably just one—before it finally vanished. Without visiting the restroom, I made my way back to my seat next to Adarsh, only to realize that there was a restroom literally right behind us the whole time.
There are three main ways (montserrat-tourist-guide) to reach Montserrat from Barcelona: taking the cable car from Aeri de Montserrat, getting off at Monistrol de Montserrat to either hike up, or taking the funicular. That day, I hadn’t eaten anything at all. And despite my stomach situation, we somehow came up with the brilliant idea – why not making this even harder? So instead of taking the cable car or funicular, we decided to hike up the mountain. Now, the hike to Montserrat isn’t exactly well-documented. We found a guide by earthtrekkers, but at that time neither the guide nor Google Maps gave us much confidence about where to go. Thankfully, we met a friendly old lady who, through a mix of gestures, Google Translate, and an excessive number of nods and “sí”s, managed to give us a rough idea of the route. I later rechecked the earthtrekkers and noticed they’ve since added more pictures and hints on how to find the actual trail starting point from the station. The trail was challenging—at times, it felt more like climbing than hiking. We were also on the south side the whole time, meaning we barely got any sun and were mostly walking in the chill mountain shadow.
Eventually, we spotted Montserrat in the distance. At a fork in the path, we had a choice—head straight to the top or take a 20-minute detour to see the Santa Cova de Montserrat church. Keep in mind, this was a one-way detour, meaning we’d have to walk back the same way before continuing up. After some discussion, for some reason, I, who was already at my limit, conceded and agreed—while we’re here, why the hell not? Looking back, our decision-making that day was… questionable.
Finally, at 4 PM, we made it to the top. My legs were literally shaking—just to find out that almost all services, including the cable car down, were closing at around 5 PM. At this point, still having barely eaten anything, I grabbed some overpriced noodles from a supermarket for (unknowingly) 12 euros. We wanted to catch the sunset, but since the entire city is on the south side of the mountain, we couldn’t fully enjoy the warm rays as we had hoped. The only way to get a proper view would’ve been to take another funicular to the actual peak—but we had missed that by just a few minutes.
Looking back, the trip would have been way more enjoyable if we had started earlier—and if I had been healthier. The panoramic view was still amazing and the hike was both fun, exhausting and eventful. I believe the chill mountain south side makes it for a perfect summer hike.
Completely drained but somehow glad I survived the day, we headed back to our hostel. I was ready for some much-needed sleep… or so I thought.
That night, I accumulated about 1,000 steps just from walking back and forth between my bed and the toilet. Every hour, like clockwork, I woke up to repeat the cycle. At some point, I didn’t even have anything left in me, yet the cramps still pressured me to sit there, just in case. This ist he barcelona incident.
Departure Time | 06./07.12.24
Now, as this trip came to an end, there wasn’t much left to reflect on—mostly because not much else happened. I woke up the next day feeling sweaty. The original plan was to check out a manga convention in Barcelona, but (un)fortunately, I hadn’t bought a ticket yet. When I looked it up online, I saw that it was already sold out—so lucky me, I had no choice but to stay back at the hostel.
That day, I didn’t move around much. For lunch, I grabbed some fried noodles, originally planning to visit the Arc de Triomf, but halfway there, I decided to leave it for next time. I spent the rest of the day lying in bed, resting, and preparing for my early departure the next morning. To be honest, with my constant need for a restroom, I didn’t dare move too far either. Naturally, I was a bit nervous about my flight back home—especially considering the two-hour flight to Berlin and the FlixBus ride from Berlin to Dresden. It was a risky gamble in terms of toilet availability.
Fortunately, nothing happened, and I eventually arrived safely back home.
And thus ends the Barcelona incident. Looking back, it’s both funny and kind of impressive how I managed to hike a two-hour mountain trail without eating anything that day. Back in Germany, my stomach issues stuck around for a while, and I had to stick to easy-to-digest food. In total, I lost 4 kg within five days—a bit of an unintended blitz diet—which I gradually gained back over the next two months.
