Marseilles and Les Calanques

Marseilles was gorgeous and the National Park, Les Calanques, outside of it was even more breathtaking. The park was a heck of a hike with some minor rock climbing involved to get to the lagoons (that were ice cold) but it was totally worth it. The cliffs and lagoons were only reachable by foot which made it even more special and worth the effort. It must keep some of the foot traffic down which was nice after being around cities with so many people.

We stayed at Airbnbs throughout our whole trip, all of which were great experiences. Our nicest host was in Marseille. He was an artist in his twenties with his girlfriend and their Husky pup in their adorable apartment. His girlfriend wasn't around much and his English was limited but Erin and I hung out with him both nights we were there and we all had some great convos and laughs together. We were in Marseille for two days, one spent in the city and the other in Les Calanques. It was just the right amount of time.

Barcelona

Ah, Barcelona. My hopes were high for you given how fun and beautiful I heard you were from so many different people. However, I gotta say you were a let down. From the food to the people. Maybe it's just a Catalonian thing? Are all the Catalonians unfriendly and rude as you are or is it an overall Spanish/Mediterranean thing? Valencia treated me well. It was pretty and nice, but that's about all I can say. Maybe 4.5 days in Barcelona was too long in Barcelona. Too many tourists in the streets, too many panhandlers on the beach yelling "sangria, mojitoooo" in a rhythmic pattern that you end up chanting yourself throughout the day subconsciously. Even right now, a month later, I am chanting it. Never the less, I am glad I finally went. Erin and I enjoyed winding through the endless alleyways window shopping, people watching and browsing the endless amounts of quirky boutiques and quaint cafes.