We weren’t lost exactly. We had no specific destination and no place to be—and didn’t really care.
We arrived in Barcelona by train after spending a week in Valencia, and a short taxi ride carried us into the heart of the city. Our hotel, Seventy Barcelona, made a great base of operations by putting us nearly equidistant from the oldest parts of the city, the famous Sagrada Família cathedral, and the hilltop Park Güell overlooking it all—20 to 30 minutes’ walking to about anywhere, and steps away from Passeig de Gràcia, a wide boulevard suitable for a promenade through the city’s business and shopping zone. The Barcelona version of Fifth Avenue. Forget the high season, I say; we came in December and it was perfect. Pack a jacket and your walking shoes….