The last one of my Spain series! Ngl, I waited until I had the chance to have a more legit visit of the city and I was lucky to do so! Though, I have to tag myself in this as Hamid, love the city, but not the hours I've gone there... or the pigeons. Again, the photo there is mine and all these places have been personally visited by me! None of this is made up.
I also dedicate this last part to @missameliep who commented once she wanted to visit Barcelona. I hope these photos help you have a better view of the city, and that one day you experience it yourself! Love you 💕
Summary: As her holiday is still hot on her heels,a certain Prince tells her how bad he wants to visit the iconic city of Barcelona and she cannot resist an adventure like that in such a light–hearted city with such a cultured man
Word Count: 2.6k
Category: Fluff
Pairing: Prince Hamid & D&D MC
Book: Desire and Decorum (modern au)
It was eight in the morning, and Hamid and Celestine had been on the road for two hours. Celestine observed how they left the big city of Madrid, deepening into the meadows with cows, horses and other kinds of animals, often seeing black bulls made of cardboard, which Hamid found interesting. He blasted some music, though Celestine was a tad sleepy, and soon surrendered to the lulling of the car and the music.
They only woke up to find themselves in a small village within the road in Soria, a nearby community to Barcelona. The place in question was a few miles away from the mountains, and the restaurant had a fountain that hardly worked… and several cats, which Hamid was quick to pet and give treats. Celestine smiled and snapped some photos, and he even picked them as if they were babies. She knew he missed his feisty and aloof cat, Leia, but she was with his sisters as they spoke, probably trying to tear them apart.
They came into the restaurant and he was delighted to see that the menus were indeed very Spanish, with sweets and treats behind them, and more food in the counters. Celestine asked for coffee and Hamid made his own order, polishing his own Spanish. The owners didn’t mind his accent, though some people stared. She gave them a ‘what are you looking at? Mind your business’ look and it was enough for them to resume what they were doing. They soon picked their sandwiches and bought Oreos and Ruffles too for the rest of the drive and sat down to eat. Hamid ravished the food he ordered: pincho de tortilla. He moaned in delight as he drank his coffee “I will never get tired of tortilla or patatas bravas. I’d take with me this food if I could.”
Celestine sipped her coffee and ate one croquette “The recipe’s not so difficult to make. You just need practice.”
They talked some more as they observed the fountain, empty during the summer –which baffled Hamid, who was sweating despite the early hour—and Celestine merely giggled, telling him he had been in England for too long. He laughed “I have, haven’t I?”
“Pretty much,” she laughed.
After finishing their second breakfast and going back to the road, Hamid sang with all of him the song ‘Habibi’ by Ricky Rich and Dardan as Celestine took the wheel. Hamid declared the Spanish roads ‘far more tranquil’ than the Turkish ones. Celestine teased “Everything in the north is far more tranquil than the whole Turkiye.”
He laughed out loud as the song ‘Hijo de la Luna’ started playing and he sang it with a heavy accent, making Celestine laugh.
They stopped two more times to stretch their legs and go to the bathroom. The second and last stop before Salou, a neighbouring city to Barcelona, that was now loaded with tourists and everything there being expensive, he could smell the sea as the big, red building came before them, towering over the trees and many people stopped to look at him as he spoke in Turkish to his sisters, and Celestine was not far behind, enjoying her sandwich of bacon and melted cheese. Her glare was enough to fend off the possible racists and they came inside for one more coffee, though Celestine opted for some cocoa. The place was a huge buffet with all kinds of food, and it expanded far, far away. Celestine excused herself and went to the restroom, which was surprisingly clean for a famous stop for travellers.
They left and finally arrived at Salou. The first thing they did was take a look at the beach, but since it had a yellow flag –Celestine explained that the tide wasn’t very safe, but could technically go inside, but not too far. She even told him to not get inside for the sake of it with a smack of the chest included, and the diplomat had to concede. Hamid snapped a few photos of Celestine in the rocks that were there and the beautiful statue of a siren and some scammers tried to get to Hamid, but Celestine fended them off.
Finally, it was time to get inside the town, and took the car again to get further into the city, and Hamid was appalled to see that many pigeons had been run over or dropped dead. They parked in front of an old train station that was still in use and Hamid fed the pigeons. After that, they came into the plaza, where many, many pubs and shops decorated the street, all covered with parasols. Hamid marvelled at the colours and they turned a few corners before coming into the establishments. All arrangements had been made online, and after a small chat, they handed over the keys and Celestine thanked them and wished them a good day in Catalan. Hamid smiled “You speak Catalan?”
“A little bit. I learned it mostly through a series called Merlí. You should watch it, it’s really good.”
“What is it about?”
“A philosophy professor in his forties in a high school in Catalonia that behaves a little bit like his students, having a jovial personality, too jovial for the system.”
Hamid smiled “I’ll be glad to watch it!”
Celestine smiled and they took a few looks at the shops in the main street, a few steps away from the beach, and Celestine bought a simple black dress for walking, and Hamid bought a small postcard for his mother and sisters, and had a laugh when he saw postcards of a male butt, and Celestine joined too. “Allah, I love Spanish humour.”
“You should see La Que Se Avecina and Aqui No Hay Quien Viva. One of the best shows in Spanish history.”
“Celestine, if you recommend me one more Spanish TV show…”
“Just like you got me addicted to Turkish dizis!” She retaliated, and Hamid laughed so loudly, he scared a few pigeons. That made Celestine laugh as well.
They drove to the hotel, that was in front of the beach, and had a pool and Wi-Fi, and comfortable lodgings. The apartment was small, but cosy. Celestine quickly put her stuff in the bathroom as Hamid observed that the main beds had wooden doors that moved to close them completely, a simple TV, a sofa that could turn into bed, and a small terrace with a desk and two chairs. Cosy enough for two people. It also had views to a neighbouring hotel, supermarket, the local donner kebab and the beach itself. Celestine joked that at night, he’d see the university drunks on that street.
First, they’d visit Salou itself, then tomorrow they’d go to see Tarragona, rest a bit and finally, Barcelona.
Today, though, they’d rest and watch the news and silly Mexican telenovelas like Pasión de Gavilanes.
They got up pretty late, and Celestine was out for groceries, Hamid behind her. They bought the necessary ones and headed back, where they both cooked and chatted of what to expect of Salou today. First, they’d hit the beach. They went through it by crossing the path from the pool to a park for children, which door lead directly to the beach. They laid there and put on some sunscreen as they chatted and watched how the children played. Hamid was the first one to test the Catalonian waters, and though a tad cold at first, he quickly adjusted and beckoned Celestine to go with him, which she gladly did. They nearly got eaten by the waves and then proceeded to take a long walk through the beach. Celestine, being small, nearly fell and struggled to keep up with Hamid, who was quick. They eventually made it to a playground for children and went back to their stuff, which they had hidden and no one luckily stole it. They went to the beach and chilled as a local tried to ask Celestine out, but saw her accompanied and moved on another target. The pool was big enough and nice, with the sun directly pointing at them and, after that, Hamid was the first one to take a short, but hot shower and dressed there. Celestine took longer, though not as long as she would. In thirty minutes, she was ready for a night out. They went out and first went to buy something from the merchants, and Celestine gave Hamid a few tips on buying on the streets, especially in front of the beach.
They went to the donner kebab and got a discount as Hamid made friends with the owners and Celestine learned a few new words. She was shamefully behind her Turkish lessons in Duolingo. They ate the ordered food—Celestine a durum and Hamid a big kebab—and talked some more, practising his Spanish. Hamid asked falafel for later and said goodbye to the owner, back to their apartment. They changed into pyjamas and both took their bed, shutting down everything. The next morning, they’d visit Tarragona in the early hours.
At six in the morning, Celestine woke Hamid up, much to his complains, and quickly got dressed for the day. Celestine drove as Hamid tried not to fall asleep on the co-pilot seat, moaning about having to go so early “I mean, if you want to be crushed by a million tourists while you sweat your tits off, be my guest.”
He reclined back on his seat “Never mind.”
Celestine laughed and kept driving. To say that finding a seat to park was difficult was an understatement. And it was just eight in the morning! She teased a sleepy Hamid that he’d have an impossible task in the afternoon. He just moaned out of tiredness. Celestine laughed once again.
They walked a few streets, all with even more pubs than in Salou, and first saw the monument of marble with people holding other people up in a tower of people, a tradition in Catalonia, which Celestine explained to her companion. Crossing the park in the middle of the road, they reached the balcony, filled with decorations and the wide sea, a few feet under them. It was utterly breath-taking and with the perfect colour palette. They took a photo of the another and went towards the Roman ruins, which they first observed from a faraway fence. Coming down the steps filled with all kinds of flowers and gardening, they came into the ruins, and by god, or Allah, it was just as breath-taking. It was wide, palettes of orange and gold far as the eye could see, a beautiful piece. They then went even further, to a building in which you could see from up higher the sea and Tarragona. He could almost see Italy, though Celestine said it was impossible, but a man could dream.
They then went into the city again, for Celestine was hungry. They crossed a park with a spot for feeding pigeons and kept going forward, until they spotted a supermarket with an ancient university that was in the outskirts of the city. They ate apples and drank water as they observed and analysed the university: it was being repaired from some damages, and as they finished, they went back to their car, which was a rather long walk for the poor Turkish diplomat, who was still tired, and it was only twelve in the morning.
At lunch time in Spain, which was two in the afternoon, they ate some delicious spaghetti Celestine cooked and they talked about hitting the beach again and even get out and go to the beach at night. Hamid was eager for the night, which he liked far more than the mornings.
The day they visited Barcelona, Hamid had to get up again early for the travel and slept through it this time. When they arrived, Celestine parked in the outskirts and they decided to walk towards their first destiny: the beautiful palace that used to belong to the Prince of Catalonia, who was then made a royal duke. It was absolutely beautiful, as well as the gardens. You could smell the water, food, perfumes of the tourists and the breeze of the early morning. The first steps took you to four towers in Greek style, perfectly tall and beautiful, and in front of them, in the second set of steps, a beautiful waterfall that revealed the palace in question marvelled the diplomat even more. It was surrounded by steps of stone and decorated richly with trees and flowers. As they got up, vendors from all kind offered them anything, and when they went up, a last, small set of steps was offered. It was full of tourists and invasive pigeons feeding from the crumbs of their food. The statues that decorated them were absolutely gorgeous and the view of the fountain was incredibly breath-taking. They went to one side, coming down small stairs to a secret balcony with more Greek decorations. One could see important buildings, Sagrada Familia included, if you looked hard enough. The city had old and new buildings, most of them built by Gaudí, the most important architect in Spain, and author of the unfinished Sagrada Familia. As they came down, not one but two more fountains decorated the palace and gave view to the city and its mountains.
The street that they crossed was busy and full of reckless drivers, and Celestine took Hamid to the famous mall built in the Mediterranean Sea, with a bridge that opened periodically from time to time, a phenomenon that drove many tourists to be there. She advised him not have any food on sight, or else the seagulls would try to steal it and peck him in the process. He believed her.
But first, they visited one of the most famous stops: the biggest park in the middle of the road, full of vendors and street stores that sold all kinds of things. It led to many other plazas and it was filled with trees and honks from the roads beside them. Celestine itched for Burger King, and though they struggled, they could find one in front of a busy road with a beautiful statue that Hamid couldn’t observe well from his slight sleepiness. They got inside the Burger King and it was absolutely beautiful, and it had an upstairs zone. It was a busy one, though, and waited a long time before they ordered and got their things upstairs, where they got to see the street and how many people walked with different motives. After the quick brunch, they went through a roundabout… with many homeless people there, asking for money. All of them ignored them, even the poor woman crying out to please help her. His heart clenched and he gave her two euros, and she thanked him and blessed him. They continued on their journey.
As they came inside, the place was wide and full of many shops that he didn’t see in London, as well as smells of different foods, clothes, people talking and having a great time. After a quick coffee, they were told the bridge would open, and people crossed the bridge in a hurry, but they stayed behind. The bridge slowly opened, and everyone gasped and took photos as seagulls and pigeons flew away from the commotion. Hamid was awestruck and they both left the place afterwards to a small bench with a park and an old building behind them, having a small sandwich of tortilla. They also saw famous theatres and the wonders Gaudi built, especially the building and parks and walked again to their car, stuffed and itching to go back to their apartment, and they did, after a long walk.
Nightfall came, and in the early hours of the night, one last time, Hamid and Celestine packed up and left before the clock struck eleven in the afternoon. They drove to the agency and gave them the keys and left.
Hamid had fallen in love with the city and promised to return someday… without having to wake up at such an ungodly hour ever again. Celestine laughed at that comment.
Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖
Tysm for the ask!
1. Building A Dynasty, a fic post-TRM that I'm still proud of 🤍
2. The Dowager's Tale, a one-shot about the Dowager Countess Dominique, D&D MC's grandmother. It's my fav so far 🤍
3. Cantabria a vacation fic I wrote about MC and Luke visiting Northern Spain 💚
4. The Viscountess, Chapter Five: The Power of Words In this chapter I explored Sinclaire's parenting and how words have far more impact than a simple action
5. For Love and Duty, Chapter One: Duty And Honour The first chapter of my Tudor Era AU!! I loved writing it and the fact that it has 40 notes 🥹 one of my favs for sure!!
P U R P O S E Spain Series will soon be available for purchase in the quaint La Cuadra boutique/gallery in Barcelona! It is run by an incredibly innovative artistan named Candela. More updates and pictures soon!
also,
P U R P O S E jewelry will soon be featured and available for purchase in a small boutique/gallery in the Canary Islands!!
and,
P U R P O S E is having an exhibition to launch the Spain Series at the Clos Mont Blonc winery in Barcelona in Mid May!
Super exciting to know people all over the globe will soon be wearing our jewelry!
