I just got back from a weekend in Barcelona! Exploring Europe has been so much fun, but is also really exhausting. It was so nice stepping off the airport to another warm place! While in the airport and trying to find out how to get to our hostel, I found it really difficult to remember ANY Spanish from my high school classes. (In Barcelona they actually speak Catalan, which is similar to Spanish, so I thought I could get by). Even though some French and Spanish words are similar, it is the small conversational pieces that I just couldn't seem to utter at first. I found myself saying "Merci beaucoup" (thank you very much) and "Bonjour" to everyone I tried to talk to. Bella and I met up with two friends from UCLA who are studying in other places this fall, and we brought along some friends from our program, as well. We stayed at a place called "The Hostel Box" near a main street in Barcelona called La Rambla. It was my first hostel, and overall a good expiernce. We stayed in a 14-person dorm, which actually was not as bad as it seems.
This is a picture of La Rambla, the main street near where we were staying. It was pretty touristy, but it has a lot of energy and cool things to see. There was a market on this street with lots of jewelry, crafts, etc. The most fun part for me was walking down the small side streets and seeing the smaller shops. Later in the trip, we came across a HUGE stretch of all types of clothing stores. It was shopping heaven. We discovered a store that I think is only in Europe, called Pull and Bear, where I found a cute maroon skirt! I've already worn it twice in Paris because I wanted to wear it before it gets cold!
Asseret and Katie Jo are our two friends from UCLA (and DG). They are studying in Madrid and Rome. It was so fun hearing about all that they have been up to in their programs and what their abroad experiences have been like.
Bella and me before going out Thursday night!
Another picture on La Rambla. I couldn't choose which one I liked better so I just posted both. The rest of our friends came Friday morning to meet us, and we set off on our adventure for the day!
We started by getting churros and chocolate for breakfast. Asseret is fluent in Spanish, which was really helpful for finding places and asking for directions. It took us a while to find a place that sold churros and chocolate but once we finally did it was SO worth it. The churros were fresh and crisp and had a light coating of sugar on them. The dark chocolate was a warm with a thick and smooth consistacny. It was very rich. We split two small cups between 6 of us and didn't even finish them.
La Boqueria! Just off La Rambla is a large indoor market filled with fruits, veggies, sweets, juices, meats, cheese, etc.! I loved exploring this market(minus the fish section). It was so colorful and fun! (see photos below).
These Marzipan candies were so cute and intricate. was amazed by how well done each piece was.
There was juice EVERYWHERE. I did try one, and actually didn't like it very much. I ordered the pineapple flavor, without knowing that the drink was died green. I could taste more of the artificial dye than the actual fruit. i recommend getting the juices that are more than 1 euro. I tried my friends juice from a different stand, and it was delicious! Basically, just be careful which one you choose! The ones pictured above look a lot better than the one I tried.
I didn't have one of these but my friends tried the Sangria flavor and said it was refreshing and delicious!
SO MUCH CANDY.
Even the chocolate was artfully made.
If you know anything about me, you have to know that this was by far my favorite stand!
Just another building that I loved. This was after we left the market and were on our way to find the houses designed by Gaudi in Barcelona.
House #1: Batlló house
House #2: Casa Mila La Pidrera
I just liked this owl haha.
Bubbles!!!
La Sagrada Familia Church designed by Antoni Gaudi. This was an absolute must-see for everyone in our group. I studied this building in a class at UCLA during my spring semester and so seeing it in person was awesome. It kind of remind me or dripping wax. What I liked about the outside was the if you look closly at just one tiny section, there are faces and shapes in the building that you don't notice when seeing it from afar. There was a long line to get inside, but you MUST go inside if you visit Barcelona. It was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.
This is just one of the details I zoomed in on. The emotion in the figures face is so strong.
Finally inside the church!
At first I thought there were color lightbulbs creating this effect, but it is actually the stained glass which lets in this green, and yellow, and red light. It was SO pretty, and probably the coolest part of the church in my opinion. I have never seen such intense colors and such a colorful sacred space.
The ceiling.
The stained glass on the side of the building where the sun was not shining through. It was hard to get a picture straight on where the sun was shining because it was so bright.
I think this is my favorite picture from the inside. Believe it or not, this picture is 100% unedited! These colors are as vivid in real life as they are in the picture. It was fantastic.
This is from the front of the church looking back. Gaudi died before finishing this church, which explains why it has been under construction for so many years. My friends and I were trying to figure out if he intentionally left the back windows clear, or if he intended to do stained glass all the way through.
A few of us took the tower tour (an extra 4 euro). It takes you up in an elevator to one of the highest towers and you are able to walk across this bridge to see the view. You then walk down what seems like a never-ending spiral staircase.
There were little openings that you could poke your head out of all the way down, just like this one!
Descending.
This was probably my favorite picture from the towers. It wasn't at the very top but It was nice to have a view without a net in the way.
Barceloneta beach!
Asseret and I decided to take advantage of the beach while it was still light out. We didn't have our bathing suits so we have to go buy new ones, which is why we are matching! Haha.
Make-shift beach day without towels.
A little carnival near the beach!
More shopping!
Asseret and Katie Jo dancing at Shoko, the club we went to two of the nights. I don't think I could ever keep up with the lifestyle there. People stay out until 5 or 6 in the morning! We did both nights, and it was honestly exhausting. We did have a lot of fun dancing, though!
Taking a break to take pictures!
The next day we hiked up to Park Guell, which is an amazing park with tons of mosaic, houses, and an insane view of Barcelona. Again, this place was designed by Gaudi and has his very typical colorful and unique style.
Justine, Jen, and me at the very tip top of the park!
Apparently this is the world's longest bench. So cool! I loved this place.
This is a portion of the bench with some of Gaudi's houses in the background. It kind of reminded me of Whoville.
Sitting on the world's longest bench!
Friends reunited in Barcelona. This was such an incredible weekend and it was so comforting to see friends from back home.
More art on the ceiling.
The view up from the little courtyard I had a picture of before. You can see the bench with people sitting on it at the top!
As we were running out of time on Saturday, it was sad to realize we wouldn't be able to go EVERYWHERE we wanted to. I opted for the FC Barcelona stadium over the Picasso museum because as a soccer player I just couldn't not see this place. (But, one of my friends DID go to the Picasso museum and loved it!) I don't actually follow this team but I know they are one of the best, if not the best, in the world, and have crazy fans. We had to pay to go in, but we got to go into both the museum and stadium. We also actually got to go down to field level, which was awesome. The letters on the stands across the way "Mes Que Un Club" translates to "More Than A Club." Very fitting for this soccer obsessed lifestyle.
Jerseys in the store! Messi, #10, is said to be the best in the world.
The press conference room.
I wish there had been a game the weekend we went. It would have been so cool to see!
The hallway the players walk through onto the field. I didn't get a picture, but there is actually a small chapel off this hallway where they pray before games!
These look a lot comfier than the benches we used to have...
Our last meal in Barcelona, tapas!
...and sangria!
When there's an anchor, it's hard to resist.
Our last night out! On the weekend the metro stays open all night long!
So we went to a REALLY cool bar called Espit Chupitos. They had hundreds of different drinks and shots, and a lot of them involved fire. It was kind of scary at first but these guys looked like they knew what they were doing. The shots had funny names (Finding Nemo, the Harry Potter, etc.) and every one of them involved a different cool trick/entertainment. There was even a smores shot where they lit it on fire and the person would roast a marchmallow over the flame. I highly recommend this place for any young people visiting Barcelona. It is kind of hard to find (it's a hole in the wall), but worth it!
Just some of the drinks.
Our bartender for the night. We had a 6 am flight on Sunday and so we didn't book a room and instead stayed out until we could take the metro back at three to meet up with the rest of our friends. (The things we do for cheap flights...) The people at the hostel were really helpful and accomodating. We were able to keep our stuff locked there all night and they even called us a shuttle for cheaper than a taxi would cost to split.
While I wish I could have had another day in Barcelona, I was glad to have Sunday to sleep and relax. Like I said, there is no way I could keep up with staying up so late there all the time. Midway through the trip a few of us were talking about how we actually really missed Paris. As much fun as Barcelona was, there is just something about Paris that feels richer and warmer (besides the weather). I was so happy to come back and see our apartment and the streets of Paris. I also realized how hard it is going to be to come back to the states and not have delicious pastries on every corner. The four of us who are studying in Paris realized we are now semi-snobby about our pastries and bread. The apple tart in Barcelona was just no comparison.
I feel like my blogs just keep getting longer and longer. It is so hard to sum up such a packed weekend because there is so much I want to share and to remember!
I love these trips but I am also SO happy to know I am spending this weekend in Paris. My classes just ended for the week and I am looking forward to a fun and relaxing weekend. We are planning to try out a vegetarian restaurant down by the Notre Dame one night. I also really want to go see Monet's garden this weekend. It is supposed to be warm this weekend, but also rain, so I am not really sure what to expect haha. I still haven't figured out this bipolar Paris weather.
Anyway, that is all for now. Bon week-end!
