That morning when you leave

The moment you open your eyes in the morning, the thought hits you: that’s it. It’s over. How unfair.

You slowly start to wake up. Resigned to it, you make coffee. One sip, then another, and you begin convincing yourself that we really did have a great time and that we have to go home, if only so we can set off somewhere again.

And then you remember that tomorrow is a workday.
So you finish your coffee, teeth clenched, right to the last sip.

To the airport

Enough complaining, it’s time to pack. Our flight wasn’t until one in the afternoon, which meant a normal morning, a calm check-out from the hotel and an unhurried arrival at the airport.

I had already taken care of the check-in through the app a week earlier, while we were still at home airport.

Since we had been getting around mostly by taxi, I ordered one for the trip to the airport as well. The ride was short and, more importantly, cheaper than using the ride-hailing apps, so I suspect I won’t be relying on those much in the future.

Once you walk through the Departures entrance, the self-pity fades away and a different feeling takes over: we’re going home.
And, truth be told, that’s not such a bad thing after all.

El Prat

The airport is clear and easy to navigate, and it doesn’t take long to figure out where you need to go.

It was fairly crowded, but despite that, everything ran smoothly.

Baggage drop for Vueling is handled through self-service machines, which was new for us. There were, however, plenty of staff nearby in case anything went wrong.

And that’s it. All that’s left now is waiting.

What stayed with us the most

We had plenty of time before our flight, so we started talking about what each of us had enjoyed the most.

Nara was fascinated by the Sagrada Família, Anja by La Pedrera and Sant Pau, Nia by the Big Fun museums, while what stayed with me the most was the view over Barcelona from that bench above Park Güell that we found by chance.

We all agreed, though, that our favourite day overall was the day trip to Tarragona and the walk along the beach in Vilanova i la Geltrú.

It’s probably that sense of spontaneity, and days without too much planning, that’s worth remembering for future trips.

One story ends, another begins

After a short delay, we were taken by bus to the middle of the airport, where our plane was already waiting for us.

Looking back at the flights we’ve taken to Brnik over the past few years, it still surprises me how they are almost always full. That’s actually good news, as it might also mean hope for a few more direct routes from Slovenia.

As the plane begins to climb above the clouds, Barcelona and Catalonia are left somewhere below us. We leave satisfied, carrying plenty of good memories and impressions, and also with a sense of relief that everything turned out well, especially considering the trip began with illness.

We didn’t have any bad experiences. People were friendly, prices reasonable, and public transport reliable. It was particularly reassuring to see how smoothly the transition into 2026 was handled, given that this was our first time celebrating the New Year outside, surrounded by such a large crowd.