CWT Journal – August 25, 2026 / Barcelona

Today we headed down to Barcelona's Arc de Triomf and realized—wait, is the Arc de Triomphe a franchise? We started this trip at its much larger cousin in Paris! Barcelona's version was built as the grand entrance to the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition, so unlike Paris's monument to military victories, this one was designed as a welcoming gateway celebrating progress, culture, and the city itself.

From there we walked into Parc de la Ciutadella, where we found the enormous Cascada Monumental. Built for that same 1888 exposition, the elaborate fountain was designed by Josep Fontserè, with a young Antoni Gaudí contributing to the project years before he became Barcelona's most famous architect.

We continued into El Born, which immediately became one of our favorite Barcelona neighborhoods—clean, beautiful, charming, and buzzing with people, restaurants, and nightlife. We eventually landed at Tapeo for an amazing tapas feast: ribs, steak, eggs with ham and patatas fritas, lamb, tiny burgers, and enough shared plates to cover most of the table.

And then came bread pudding.

Europe continues to teach us many important lessons about history, art, architecture, and culture—but perhaps none more consistently than this:

Never skip the bread pudding.