June 19, 2025
Flying from Granada to Barcelona, exploring the Miró Foundation, and savoring an unforgettable paella near La Boqueria Market.
Morning Departure from Granada
We entered the breakfast hall right when it opened at 7:30 a.m.
Although the menu was exactly the same as the previous day, the quality of the Hotel Guadalupe (see on map) buffet remained excellent — fresh juice, flaky croissants, and a solid cheese selection. For 12€ per person, it was well worth it.
After breakfast, we checked out at 9:30 a.m. and took Bus No. 35 toward the city center to catch the airport bus. Near the cathedral, we noticed police vehicles and grass laid out along the road. It turned out to be a local holiday in Granada, and the area was closed to traffic. We had already checked the airport bus stop (see on map) the day before, but the buses couldn’t enter this zone.
Thinking there was still plenty of time before our flight, I suggested to my partner, “We can probably walk past the closed area and catch the bus.” But she was stressed by the unexpected situation and insisted on sticking with our backup plan — taking an Uber.
Google Maps still showed buses entering the closed zone, which likely meant it wasn’t synced with the local transport data.
We called an Uber, and not long after departure, we passed a square (see on map) where travelers were boarding the airport bus. I said, “See? I thought we could’ve caught it there.” My partner glared at me and said, “You always say things after the fact!” She was right — I’d stayed quiet earlier because she seemed anxious and I didn’t want to add to it.
Still, the Uber ride was smooth, and we reached Granada Airport quickly. The fare was 33.99€.
Flight to Barcelona
Granada Airport was small and quiet, with a simple security check and a tiny duty-free area.
According to Priority Pass, members could spend up to 22€ at a restaurant here, but unfortunately, our digital card (from the Rakuten Premium Card) didn’t qualify for that benefit.
We noticed a branch of Casa Ysla — the same café we’d visited downtown two days earlier.
From the airplane window, we caught a glimpse of the Sagrada Família rising above Barcelona.
Soon after, we landed at Barcelona–El Prat International Airport (see on map), an enormous and well-organized hub.
Following the signs for buses, we found the InterCity area and took the A1 bus from the ground floor to Plaça de Catalunya (see on map). Payment was simple — just tapped our credit cards on the driver’s terminal. The fare was 7.45€ per person.
Checking into Our Barcelona Hotel
From the square, it was about a seven-minute walk to our hotel, Violeta Boutique (see on map).
It seemed to have been converted from an office building — no elevator, slow Wi-Fi, and thin walls — but the room was clean, spacious, and pleasant enough.
After settling in, we had coffee and biscuits in the room, then set out for the Miró Foundation (see on map).
Visiting the Miró Foundation
We took Bus No. 55 from near Plaça de Catalunya.
The flat fare in Barcelona was 2.65€, higher than Granada’s 1.6€, though comparable to Paris Metro prices. We got off at Av Miramar – Fundació Joan Miró (see on map), though the previous stop, Av de l’Estadi – Vivers, would have been a slightly shorter walk.
The Miró Foundation was full of whimsical, imaginative works — some even reminded us of the “Hunter language” from Hunter × Hunter. The art was playful, colorful, and full of life.
The café inside the museum was completely empty, and we didn’t find anything irresistible in the museum shop, but the exhibits left us smiling. We thought, “If they had quirky, cute souvenirs that matched Miró’s art, we would’ve bought some.”
Evening Around La Boqueria Market
When we exited the museum, the No. 55 bus happened to arrive right away, so we rode it back toward the city center.
We stopped at La Boqueria Market (see on map), which had been featured on the Japanese TV show Sandwichman & Mana Ashida’s Doctor-chan. The market was clearly tourist-oriented, though lively and colorful.
We tried a fried burrito (5€), which wasn’t bad but not particularly delicious either. Since we arrived around 6 p.m., many stalls were already closing.
Feeling hungry, we searched Google Maps and found a restaurant called Miño (see on map) nearby. We ordered one portion of paella to share, plus another burrito. My partner had a glass of wine, while I chose a non-alcoholic ginger beer.
The paella was absolutely incredible — rich with squid ink and shrimp flavor that soaked into every grain of rice. We ended up racing each other to finish it.
On our way back, we stopped at a convenience store called Condis (see on map) to buy water and yogurt (1.95€) before returning to the hotel.
