There's so much to write about - as usual, life happens faster than we can ever record. I am endlessly thankful for many things. Again, fate and the man up there in the clouds have blessed me with so much luck and goodwill that I am beginning to feel like I don't deserve it. One of the luckiest things that happened in 2020 (aka the "cursed" year of COVID-19) is that I got to travel really extensively in the first two months before flying becomes just an idea now. I was overseas right to the moment before I had to be quarantined for 14 days if I came back any later. I was taking an extended eat-pray-love trip from Xiamen, also, that's a story for another day that I may not ever write.

Of course, I didn't know better that COVID-19 was going to hit us like a freight train. Sending everyone and everything scattering. Life as we know it has ended, gently, and cruelly.

Not every tragedy happens loudly. And the worst of the lot happens silently. 

There is no one to share the grief or unhappiness with, we're all jailed in our homes, our minds, and we're expected to be strong. We are strong. We are still here after all.

Everyone has their own coping mechanisms, some do it "better" than others. For me, I cope by counting my blessings. I know there's a lot in life that could be better, could have gone in ways that would place me in positions that'll make me tons happier, but what's the point of focusing on 'have beens'? I count my blessings. What's your coping mechanism?

I digress, as usual. This post is about my trip with my Mom to Barcelona, Spain in February 2020. It felt incredulous to be there then, and now, for different reasons. I really enjoyed Barcelona's vibes - it's artsy, a good spangled mix of bustling and calm in some pockets of the city.

Mom and I stayed at an Airbnb in Plaza Real, which is located on La Ramblas itself. Even after the trip, I do think it's still the best location to stay in Barcelona itself, being close to the beautiful Gothic Quarters winding lanes, main Barcelona attractions, subway station, amenities, restaurants.

The only drawback is that it gets noisy in the Gothic Quarters at night even till 2 or 3 in the morning because there are bars in the back lanes. This is a common problem in European cities' apartments that I stayed in before where their walls and doors tend to be fairly thin. Every sound reverberates throughout the apartment.

We didn't do all the attractions in the same day because we arrived in the afternoon, so we just walked around to see Plaza Catalunya, La Rambla, Plaza Real, Cathedral of Barcelona, Gothic Quarters, Arc de Triomf, Cascada Monumental and went off for a dinner at Viana.

Great weather to be in Barcelona in February - it was a cool 18 degrees, slightly warmer than Nice where we flew from.

This epic fountain in Parc de la Ciutadella is designed by Gaudí (whom we quickly found out designed many corners of the city).

The gardens were really relaxing and beautiful to be in. Even though there were quite a lot of tourists, it still felt spacious enough to run about. There were some people selling space cupcakes (as we suspect) because they certainly weren't selling to kids. Cannabis is considered legal in Barcelona for personal consumption, so it is not unusual to see that.