Teşekkür ederim, Barcelona.

You have two full days in beautiful Barcelona while you figure out your next move. You've just spent the last four months in Central Europe and Turkey. So what do you do?

You catch the incredibly convenient Aerobus from the airport to the hostel. You check in and then go for tapas.

not at Cuidad Condal though

way too pricey

You wander the Gothic district at night.

you get lost a few times

The next morning as you eat your self-sponsored muesli, you wonder where you last stayed that didn't offer free breakfast in one way or another. (Ah, yes. Bucharest. November 11th.)

You catch the gloriously uncomplicated metro to Parc del Laberint d'Horta.

you wander

You catch another metro, you grab lunch fixings at a market, and you head up the hill to Park Güell.

you enjoy the view

you enjoy the Gaudi

You weave through side streets to Sagrada Família. You skip the admission fee and just circle the building, wondering at what point in his life Gaudi actually lost his mind.

you decide that this building is a

project manager's worst nightmare

You meander through the streets, looking upward and letting the skyline choose your next direction.

you admire the pre-crazy genius

You stop by La Boqueria and the supermarket (and YOU FIND PEANUT BUTTER) and make dinner back at the hostel.

The next morning after breakfast you go to the within-walking-distance train station to buy tickets to your next destination, then walk down to Olympic Parc.

you enjoy the street art

you enjoy the parrots

you enjoy the happy little dog

You hear something on the loudspeaker. Not a prayer call, not the local news - just someone announcing something. You suddenly miss the Mediterranean Turkey and Nemcicky villages.

You walk the scenic route to the metro and head to the Arc de Triomf.

you take the obligatory tourist photo

You skip admission to the chocolate museum (after you finally find it), you eat a disappointing but necessary lunch at La Porta Ferrissa, you wander through little Asia, and you take care of some gear-related business. You head back to the hostel for dinner and monthiversary 3.50 euro wine.

you look at your ridiculous photo ops

you admire your new gear

you enjoy the wine

Food notes: you buy tapas at one of the many cafes in the Gothic district, fruit from the Market, pastries from one of the many small shops, gelato on La Rambla, and inexpensive Spanish cheese and wine from the local markets. That's really all you need.

Lodging notes: you stay at Sleep Green Hostel because its conveniently located and eco-friendly. The staff are super nice (and have GREAT taste in music!) and it's very clean, but you kind of regret it because the kitchen is tiny, there is no common room, and your dorm room (#2) is right next to the street so you're awake at 4am with the traffic every day. And then they make you check in via Facebook in order to use their wifi which is just lame.

In the morning you hit La Boqueria for train snacks, pack up, and say goodbye. After four months in Central Europe and Turkey, you have appreciated this lovely, friendly, comfortable, easy city. You see why so many people visit, why so many want to move here. But you miss the challenge and so you move on.

No, actually, you say "fins després". Because you know you will be back here again someday.