Talley Your Adventure – The Blog

Traveling around the world can be thrilling and, in a lot of cases, a ‘once-in-a-lifetime-experience’, but that doesn’t mean that traveling does not come with respect for other cultures, lifestyles, and customs. Clinton and I visited Barcelona, Spain, in December 2023 – definitely the off season for the country! I’m sure many of you who are considering visiting popular Eastern European countries might be a little nervous to travel after reading what is currently going on in many countries as a reaction to over-tourism. Talley Your Adventure is here to help you navigate this, even if you do want to travel during peak season! Typically, Europeans celebrate their ‘holiday’ season (not to be confused with the US holiday season, which is usually Thanksgiving/Christmas) between July – September to enjoy their own country or neighboring areas.

We had decided to visit friends and family in Germany for Christmas, and took the week before to add a new country to my list- Spain! Barcelona was chosen because we wanted an ‘artistic’ experience. And boy, did Barcelona deliver! We stayed at the InterContinental Barcelona, which was absolutely fabulous! It had the InterContinental lounge, which was the main reason we booked it, and it was so nice to be able to relax at their spa! The spa was out of this world and completely European – steam shower, scent room, hot/dry sauna, and a circuit pool with blue lights for true relaxation. We were able to get a massage as well as luxury hotel amenities for skin care. They had a Michelin Star Chef on site, the youngest in Spain, who treated us to a 12 course dinner – heads up, if you get the wine flight it is 6-8 GLASSES! Because the restaurant was in the hotel, Clinton just had to walk to me upstairs! 😉

Barcelona was host to the Summer Olympics 1992 and while visiting, we were able to see many of the sites where the various trials took place as well as the football stadium for the FC Barcelona. You are able to walk into a viewing area to see the historic stadium even when there is no ongoing game!

The InterContinental Hotel was also great because the lounge access we had, because we are Diamond Elite members, allowed us the opportunity to talk directly with their concierge service. They helped us book a tour the next day to see the art museums and cultural sites in the city! Our guide not only brough us to the stadium, but also to the Sagrada Familia, which is still under construction! It is slated to be completed in 2026. The church is a wonderful display of culture meeting architecture and is breathtaking to view. We highly recommend taking time to visit the Sagrada Familia, even if it is still under construction. For starters, being part of the creation of historical places and artifacts is in itself pretty cool, but we also don’t want anyone thinking they should delay travel for any reason! Like we stated before – visit Barcelona, just visit during the off-season and be respectful of the locals! This is this home all year round.

It is really hard to put into words how majestic it is to be in the city of Barcelona, even for just a week. It is such an amazingly cultural and artistic city. Murals plaster the walls and buildings as you walk from art museum to art museum, and their appreciation for expression in many different forms – written, spoken, drawn – is refreshing. We were able to visit MACBA Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona and the European Museum of Modern Art. Between the contemporary art of Banksy to the modern art of Picasso, I felt inspired with each new piece of art or room. Picasso is one of my favorite artists, and seeing his early work – the blue era – and other pieces that defined the artist he would eventually be known as for the majority of the world, was absolutely fantastic. It was also nice to be able to see other artists that I love – Guillermo, (Banksy), and Dali – in one gorgeous location. The museums continue to celebrate local artists and new art, with many different exhibits and displays peppered through the museums for you to view. We both had a great time spending a day visiting museums!

Strolling along La Rambla was part of the experience when visiting Barcelona and be sure to take half a day for the visit! We were able to explore the entire street, from sampling restaurants and taking in the sights, truly being part of Barcelona. Our hotel was not on the street, but if you considered a stay along the street, it would not be a bad idea. The best part of Barcelona was the food. Tapas is a real thing here – pretty much an origin story! – and it does not disappoint at all! It was a bit of an adjustment for us as early risers as most of the city does not start until later in the day. Dinner is usually around 9 or 10 p.m, which is pretty late for us! They do ‘celebrate’ siesta time between 2-5ish, so many places close down. We had to move our schedule back a few hours, but well worth it! Walking around the vibrant city vs. a quieter morning is such a difference! Smaller portions, tapas, is very nice to have with this walkable city. You can really try and sample many different types of food without needing to consume an entire meal. It is highly encouraged to think outside the box and try something different – trust your waiter! You really can’t go wrong with the majority of choices in Spain for tapas.

While we were in Barcelona, we did a day trip to France. I’ll write about that more in a later blog post! If you are considering a trip to Spain and want advice, make sure to contact us at talleyouradventure@gmail.com!