Barcelona

"Barcelona is a verb and I can conjugate it" pretty much sums up my weekend. This was quite possibly one of the most amazing cities I’ve ever visited. If anyone is actually reading this blog I’d like to preface this by saying this is going to be a long post. I simply can’t bring myself to leave any part of my adventure out.

Friday morning I departed Seville via Ryanair at 10:20 and arrived in Barcelona around noon. I then proceeded to take the train into the heart of the city getting off near La Rambla, which is one of the cities major streets but more on that later.  Lucky for me I had friends waiting near the train station so I met up with them as soon as I arrived. Without checking into the Hostel Sun & Moon we began exploring the city. 

Our first destination was the Sagradad Familia, a giant cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudi. Proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI in November 2010, it is without a doubt the most spectacular building I have ever seen. Construction began in 1882 and as of right now the projected completion date is sometime in 2017. For over and hour I was awestruck by the design and found myself staring at the same spot for minutes. Pictures do not do this building the justice it deserves at all. Gaudi was a true genius for designing such a magnificent place and it’s a shame he had to die before it was finished. 

After taking our sweet time at Sagradad Familia we headed to Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf. After seeing the cathedral there isn’t much to say about this, however, it was still a fun sight to see. At this point it was about time to check in at the hostel and prepare for the exciting nightlife of Barcelona. The Sun & Moon lived up to my expectations of what a European hostel should be. Once I had my key I walked into a room with three bunk beds and a couple of Asians chilling with the lights off and laptops open. With no response to my attempted conversation I immediately walked out, went to my friends room, and slept there for the weekend. Each room was equip with six lockers and beds with only a pillow. Blankets and towels were extra so I decided to forgo the needless luxuries.

Friday night was quite an experience in itself. Barcelona transforms itself at night from a relatively safe tourist trap to sketchville. Outside of the hostel locals were trying to sell everything from umbrellas to cocaine. I strayed away from these dealers and hung out with some other tourists from Germany and France. The interesting thing about my new friends was that Spanish was the common language, a language none of us spoke well at all. According to the French girls, who spoke little Spanish and less English, myself and the other Nick were “fluent” in Spanish…. What a joke.  However, trying to converse with Europeans in Spanish is an interesting time. We were able to convey our thoughts for the most part, which is all that truly matters. Nonetheless, I was glad to be using my Spanish outside the classroom in an unfamiliar setting. Due to the fact that Barcelona is extremely touristy, most everyone spoke some English so I hadn’t been forced to use my Spanish too much.

Saturday morning we started our day relatively early around 10. First stop, the café next door for café con leche. In my 19 years on this planet I’ve drank coffee maybe twice. However, since my arrival in Spain I have a cup three to five days a week. When in Rome I guess. Anywho, after getting my fix we headed to a cathedral near the hostel. It was nice, however, it paled in comparison to the Sagradad so we didn’t spend much time there.  

At this point everyone had different agendas for what they wanted to see in Barcelona. Tyler, Ansley, Kelly, and myself headed over to the Picasso museum while the others went their own way. While I am not a huge art buff there was no way I was not going to see a museum dedicated to one of the most unique artists of all time. Picasso truly was a magnificent artist and viewing his work was time well spent. Tyler started feeling sick after the museum so he headed back to the Sun & Moon while the rest of us headed to Park Güell.

However before taking a taxi to Gaudi’s famous park and home we explored Las Ramblas and it’s open-air market. Complete with street performers, tourist shops, and street vendors selling some strange things. It reminded me a little bit of San Francisco only much better. There was a giant open air-market so we stopped in there and ate some strange fruit whose name escapes me at this moment. As it was almost lunchtime we bought some cold pasta to go and took it with us to eat at the park.

After a ten minute cab ride we arrived at Gaudi’s famous Park Güell. On a hill overlooking Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea Gaudi outdid himself with his unique style of architecture. Words can’t really describe this place so I’ll leave it to the pictures. Needless to say, eating some fresh pasta while overlooking Barcelona in such an amazing place was priceless.

We’re taking a group excursion to Granada with Tech on Friday and Saturday so I’ll have updates about that trip next week.