Morning Departure

Six hours of sleep last night — a record for this trip. We purchased quite a bit here (especially chocolate), so weighing our bags before departure was essential. Only had to shift a couple of things around to make it work.

Somehow, we ended up hailing three taxis this morning. The first misunderstood a wave, the second was summoned by the FreeNow app, and the third was also summoned by the same app (still not sure how). We knew the second was ours from the license plate, but number three showed up with my name and photo too.

We made it to the airport at 10:15 a.m. for our 12:40 flight. I almost forgot how different the airport process is in Spain, but a few minutes in brought back Madrid flashbacks. Thankfully, I found a monitor that directed us to our check-in line. Here, check-in counters and gates are fluid — close to 100 different lines, all updated in real-time. Bag check didn’t open until exactly two hours before the flight, and our gate wasn’t announced until 15 minutes before boarding. I can’t decide if that’s genius or chaos, but it works for them.

We grabbed coffees and food. Still bread-based. Okay, I did have the option for a poke salad, but the Iberian ham and cheese sandwich looked too good. Plus it was on real bread — not the ultra-processed soft stuff void of fiber.

Falling for Spain

In the past several months, I’ve been talking to Matt about retiring in Spain. This trip was my second time in Spain and Matt’s first. I chose to come here last year because my sister and I wanted to travel together, and we picked Spain because it was not on Matt’s bucket list. But then I unexpectedly fell in love. Spain is so underrated.

Matt wasn’t fully on board with the idea but was willing to hear me out. He was actually most excited about Paris before coming here. Now, he doesn’t want to leave Barcelona and is eager to start learning Spanish with me. He gave me the sad puppy eyes and everything. All that, and he still hasn’t even seen Madrid, or Seville (my favorite).

Diversity & People

From my limited view (mostly tourist areas in Barcelona), Spain’s diversity looks a little different than France or Germany. The range of backgrounds and skin tones isn’t as broad as what I noticed elsewhere, but the influences here seem to come largely from Mediterranean countries and South Asia.

With the exception of yesterday’s unpredictable waitress, everyone has been kind and welcoming. Even the bracelet scammer was polite. We managed to avoid scams and pickpockets altogether, thanks to repeated warnings from locals.

Airport Adventures

Our flight ended up leaving 20 minutes late. During boarding, a man pulled his carry-on from the overhead and dropped it on Matt’s head and another passenger’s shoulder. The flight attendant immediately brought ice and kept checking on him.

We’re flying Norwegian Airlines. Seat comfort and entertainment are about on par with Frontier or Spirit back home — let’s just say functional, not fancy.

The pilot explained that the inbound delay was due to a shortage of air traffic controllers in France. Matt and I exchanged looks: me thinking, Oh no, not France too, and him thinking, Maybe you should apply to work there. From what I’ve read, their working conditions aren’t bad compared to ours.

Onward to Copenhagen

We don’t know quite what to expect in Copenhagen, other than rain. Our original plan was a nine-day driving tour around Denmark, but a very animated coworker insisted we’d be bored out of our minds. I told her we’re naturally boring people, so we’d fit right in — but she stood firm. That’s how Paris and Barcelona got added to the mix.

As we say farewell to Spain, I can honestly say it exceeded expectations. From Gaudí’s masterpieces to Montserrat’s mountaintop views, to endless tapas and chocolate, it’s a place I could imagine returning to again and again. And maybe, one day, a place to call home.