Elle’s in Europe 2025 - Day 6-8 - Dadda and Elle Take Barcelona
Over the next three days, Jenn was at work from the time the alarm went off at 8 AM each morning to usually 10-11 PM each night. That meant that Elle and I were on our own to explore and enjoy new areas of the city.
Day 6 (June 24, 2025)
After Jenn left for work this morning, I tried to let Elle sleep in longer, but she was wide awake and ready for her morning bottle. She drank it with ease and played a bit while I straightened up our hotel room and got us both ready for the day. I’ll never forget that while I was getting changed, I put her on the bed and within 30 seconds, I found her fast asleep. She’s not one who usually falls asleep randomly on her own, but I think the stress of the past few days finally caught up with her.
She woke up on her own a few minutes later, and we left to go for a morning stroll. One of the difficult aspects of not having Jenn around was meal time. Elle does great eating her food and chilling in her high chair, but nothing is fast in Europe, and so it can test her patience. Instead, I decided to look for more casual cafes where we could come and go as we please. We found one near the beach. Elle had a croissant, and I had a cappuccino and a sandwich. She did great, watching the people and birds pass by, and waving at anyone who gave her more than a second look.
We walked back to the hotel and let her take her first nap, which she was more than ready to do. I watched a movie (Anora) while she slept for almost two hours. When she woke up, we got ready for the afternoon and headed to the L’Aquàrium de Barcelona. We walked from our hotel the 30 minutes to the Aquarium. After getting slightly lost, we finally arrived. It’s a beautiful facility with a nice layout, and it wasn’t overly busy even though it was a Spanish holiday. Elle loves aquariums and was mesmerized by every single spot. By far the highlight of the aquarium was the shark tanks, where you’d go on a people mover through these tunnels that run through the shark tank. It moves super slow, and it allows you to take in 360-degree views of the tank. She loved it and was kicking her legs the entire time. I had to hold her in my arms (forgetting the carrier), but she didn’t seem to mind.
I almost got food at the cafe within the aquarium, but my better judgment took over, and we left the $20 hot dog behind and walked across the street to the Time Out Market. I’d been to the one in DUMBO in New York and was very happy to grab a chicken quesadilla (that they make like a taco) and a beer. Elle and I shared the taco (not the beer) and enjoyed the people watching before walking back to the hotel. We closed out the night with a walk along the beach and some of the worst room service I’ve ever had. I didn’t realize a hamburger could be that bad. Oh well, Elle liked the fries.
Day 7 (June 25, 2025)
Jenn got back pretty late yesterday evening, after having a team dinner at the hotel. Fortunately, Elle was still awake, and we were both able to help her sleep. But this morning, she was on the company’s bus at 8:30 AM to the office before Elle woke up. After having breakfast and coffee at Fika Coffee Market right next to the hotel, and Elle having her first nap, we were off.
The big plan for today was to go to the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA). We left a little before 3 PM (after an exceptionally long nap) and walked a little over a mile to the museum. I typically love a modern art museum, and there were a couple of exhibits at MACBA that were interesting. But much of the museum was empty, entire sections had no exhibits, and very few had any art. Most were displays with video and displays. Elle loved the sculptures and was laughing and giggling at them. But even she was more muted than at most art museums. Fortunately, it was a beautiful venue and wasn’t overly crowded, so I was able to walk around leisurely without bothering anyone.
We walked back to our hotel on a beautiful and warm afternoon. After seeing Jenn for a few minutes before her team dinner, I ordered delivery after last night’s room service disaster. I got highly rated Mexican food from Gonazalez & Co which turned out to be a much better decision. Elle loved her quesadilla, and I had a nice burrito with chips and guacamole. After we ate, we went for another walk on the beach before retiring for the night.
Day 8 (June 26, 2025)
And somehow we’ve reached the last full day in Barcelona. After a week here in the beautiful coastal town, our time is coming to an end. Jenn left for work at 8 AM this morning, and we were up a little after 9 AM. We continued our tradition of walking along the beach and ending at Fika Coffee for breakfast. Elle had another croissant, and I had a sandwich with a cappuccino. Elle took a short nap right after (only an hour), and then we were off.
Originally, I had on our itinerary to do nothing today and enjoy a park or just lie around the room. But after the somewhat disappointing art museum yesterday, I wanted to try one more. While she was sleeping, I decided we would go to Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. It’s over 3 miles away, so we chose to take a taxi instead of our normal walk. After a fifteen-minute drive in which Elle was a complete angel, we came to the stunning museum set atop the hill. Although everything I read said that this was a very stroller-friendly location, it turned out to be less so. After hiking up the stroller a few different sets of stairs with Elle in her baby carrier, we made it into the museum.
We loved our time here. This was a much better museum and both Elle and I enjoyed it far more than yesterday, right from the beginning. From the beautiful cathedral murals and paintings to the vast Renaissance works, we spent a lot of time touring a few of the various sections within the museum. We’d stop at a piece of art, and I’d describe it to Elle, and she’d kick her feet or start babbling and pointing at the ones she liked. Other times, she’d not react, and we’d move on. We stayed at the museum almost two hours before I walked us both back the three miles to our hotel.
Jenn arrived at the hotel not too long after we did. She finished up some work downstairs while Elle napped, and we met up to walk to dinner. Given our early flight tomorrow, I suggested we go to the Time Out Market again for a quick dinner. Jenn went back to the Mexican stand that I had for lunch yesterday, got Elle a quesadilla, and some fish and carnitas tacos. I found a pizza stand and got a meat pizza with a beer. Both were excellent and were quick and easy. We finished up the night with gelato and a crepe before going back to the W Barcelona one more time and packing up.
