Barcelona 2025: IUGA and more

Nestled between the glittering waves of the Mediterranean Sea and the hills of Catalonia, Barcelona is a city with life, color, and creativity. The Catalan people are intensely dedicated to preserving parts of their heritage, similar to other old world countries like Italy.  In saying this, since it is my 4th journey to Spain, I wanted to describe some of the must-sees but also how to conference and travel at the same time, maximize connections, but also entertain.

Barcelona’s story stretches back over two thousand years. Founded as a Roman colony called Barcino, remnants of its ancient roots still linger in the labyrinthine streets of the Barri Gòtic, or Gothic Quarter. The city embodies the melty-weird architecture of Antoni Gaudi while keeping with medieval and modern influences melted together.

So, let’s start:

Barcelona, through JFK, which has an amazing new lounge for the Delta one lounge. It almost makes the insane amount of money that you have to spend for Delta lounge or Delta one worth it. There is a full-service restaurant which actually gives you points for ordering, several different bars, a quiet room, sleeping area, massage chairs, a mini spa, and showers.

it is a Must see if you have any significant layover. And the selection of food and beverages is much better than your average Lounge. My mother-in-law’s arrival from Pittsburgh was unfortunately delayed, but we managed to have a little bit of food and a beverage before we boarded the plane.

Apps to handle Jet lag have been my best friend lately if anyone wants to give it a try. This perimenopause crap has me hungover after 2 wines and incapable of much in significant time changes. There is no adaptability anymore (thank god I don't do 30 hour shifts anymore). Timeshifter: https://www.timeshifter.com/

Once arriving in Barcelona, it was a very easy process to get through customs which is more the norm in Europe these days. We arrived at the hotel after a quick pre-arranged transfer, and it was absolutely lovely. If you don’t want to do a car, the L9 train leaves from the airport and is easy to connect to all major neighborhoods. The place my conference was at was near the university and the medical school and hospital so not in the main center, but about 3 miles outside.  This can be disadvantaging to guests if you are at the conference, but the L3 train goes straight to Gothic Quarter and waterfront and the L5 goes right to sagrada and surrounding sites.  Taxis are reasonable for the most part but traffic is a nightmare so we mostly avoided anything but metro.  Our hotel was Torre Melina Gran Melia in University Zone which was perfect for conferences and networking, very comfortable. I will include a metro MAP.

https://www.mapametrobarcelona.com/mapas-metro/mapa-metro-barcelona-2025.png 

My mother-in-law has never been to Spain, so naturally a few things were on the must do list as always.

No visit to Barcelona is complete without marveling at the works of Antoni Gaudí, the brilliant architect whose vision has come to define the city’s skyline. Barcelona’s most iconic landmark is breathtaking from inside and out.  I love old cathedrals in spite of my lack of religious dedication, but this is the only church I have gone to several times at different times of day to capture the insane colors that arise as the sun makes it’s way across the sky.  The source of inspiration was a forest, God in nature to be specific.  In the early morning, the first façade shines in purples, blues and greens, in the afternoon it is the golden hour representing fall as the colors go through the leaves.   Its spires—still under construction more than a century after work began—reach towards the clouds, while inside, sunlight streams through stained glass in a kaleidoscope of color. The updated completion date is supposed to be 2032, 100 years from Gaudi’s death.  Since we were told 2019, then 2026, we shall see. The final façade plans are so mystifying, I will go back again.

Parc Güell and Palau Guell are also not to miss amazing sites.  Entry is easy and location in the Gothic Quarter is easy to access. Shopping on las Ramblas yields clothing, souvenirs, shoes, pottery, you name it.   Monjuic, Montserrat round out the ‘please don’t miss’ sites.  The Main Barcelona cathedral and ponte del bisbe are also stunning, and lead to more exporation of old barcelona. Other than this, the possibilities of what to do are very customizable.   Like food? Well hell do they have that, including Disfrutar which has topped the Michelin Guide since 2017.  Like art? Well they have Picasso, Dali, etc.  Like sports?  Club Barcelona is almost as important as religion and has the largest futbol stadium in the world holding >100k.  Like music?  Flamenco, street music, opera abound.

Our visit to Sagrada was during Golden Hour, and we stopped for crispy eggplant tapas drizzled with honey and an Aperol spritz prior to entering.  Do not miss the eggplant tapas (aubergine)…order always as well as the sardines, croquettes, jamon, gildas…hold on I need a snack.  I am including a few pics of the golden hour at Sagrada… but please go, and be respectful and not a crappy self-absorbed tourist.

Also note: If you opt for Tower access to see the heights and sights, be careful who you are taking. There are 400 stairs down and it is questionable for weak knees and fear of heights. Ask me how I know. If you are not in these categories, add the cost on As it is amazing to see the construction from above.

After I forced my mother-in-law into a knee replacement at the tower, That evening  I had a dinner for work at Mirabe, situated in the hills above the city for incredible panoramic views.   Get all of the tapas, as many as you can try like basil oil risotto, jamon en croute, grilled fish, garlicky cheese croquette.  And just stare at the view…chill it out and enjoy. 

Other restaurants not to miss include Contraban (absolutely need advance reservation), Disfrutar (again, months in advance), Bodega Oliva (THE TAPAS ?!) , Arcano Cave, Brugarol. But Wait!

On the way back to barcelona at the end of our journey, we returned our fancy VW t-roc (not fancy, do not recommend that clunky box except it was a convertible) with a harrowing downtown ride. While down there, we explored the gothic quarter, rambla, parks, and waterfront a bit more. But the feature of staying out near the hotel (barcelona hotel airport), was a restaurant in a park called bembo.

We were itching for one last paella before the departure and this place had great reviews and a thumbs up from the hotel staff. On arrival there was some crazy perimenopausal hawaiian pub crawl going on, which would normally be my jam, but it was soooo loud. The staff looked a bit stunned by the chaos. Once we got a table, though, the crazies left and we were left with 8 different rice options, sangria menu, and all of the beauty of this domed restaurant situated at the center of the park. Please just go here...take the time out of the schedule and do it. It was probably my favorite meal of the trip.

Long story short, it is impossible to do everything in Barcelona while at a conference, but dangit you can try!