Barcelona!

Barcelona!

This past weekend was my trip to Barcelona, Spain. It was so amazing and I had so much fun. So here’s a little recap of my adventures!!
~Friday- I left Seville on a plane for an hour and a half to Barcelona. When we got there, we took the bus into town to the Plaza de Catalunya. From there, me and the 5 other girls that I was traveling with took out our maps and walked a few blocks to the Cathedral, then about 2 more blocks to our hostel (for more details, see below). After checking in, we were hungry, so we ventured out to find some food. The only thing that was open that was close enough that we wouldn’t get lost was McDonald’s, so I tried my first McDonald’s hamburger in Spain! It was about the same, the French fries taste the same, just a little bit better. They have a few different menu items, such as a doughnut and coffee and Toblerone McFlurry’s. After that, me, Kristen, and Sarah went out on our own to find some Cava, a local version of Champagne. It was really good. Me and Sarah tried the white Cava, while Kristen (our wine lover who’s taken a class on wine) had the blush Cava. It was really good and fun because it is grown right outside of Barcelona, where we were. After that, we went back to the hostel to get ready for our big day of touring.
~Saturday- Sarah, Kristen, and I went out on our own on Saturday, leaving the hostel about 9am to find some coffee. Unfortunately, Spain is on a different time schedule than we are used to, and it took us until about 9:30am to find a coffee place that was open. We finally found one, went in, and had a nice cup of café con leche. After that, we took out the maps they gave us at the hostel, and took off exploring, me being the main navigator. We first went to visit the Sangrada Familia, a huge gothic Cathedral designed by Gaudí that is still under construction, not finished. Because it cost 10 euro to go inside, we just stayed outside and took a few pictures. It was a really impressive building. After that, we hit a few souvenir shops then headed to the coast. Since I have never seen an ocean or a sea, this was truly an eye-opening experience. Seeing the coast of the Mediterranean Sea was absolutely amazing. We had some fun taking a few pictures, then walked along the beach. I had so much fun just looking out at the horizon, watching the blue waves run across the sand, listening to the real sound of waves crashing, and just appreciating the amazing view I was seeing. After walking a few miles along the beach, we went further inland where we found a cute pastry shop, which was delicious. I had a Fanta Limón to drink, which I think is my new favorite drink in Spain (since the Coca-cola light is NOT like diet coke, I don’t care what they say). A little while later, and a few more miles later, we stopped for lunch, where I got bread, salad, French fries, delicious salmon, and a glass of blush wine for 5,95 euros. Then we walked some more to the Park Montjuic. It was so beautiful. As we walked along the path, there was a smaller, unpaved path leading a different direction that we decided to explore. After awhile, we realized that there was no more path, so we started climbing to the building that was close above us. We ended up coming out of a gated area that had a “authorized personnel only sign.” Oops. It was a really fun adventure though. Following that, we finished walking through the park a bit, then headed back through the city to our hostel. We took a short nap (after walking all day we needed it) then went out to a popular looking street and found a cute little bar/restaurant for tapas. We split croquetes, (a fried chicken snack that’s DECLICIOUS), some pickled veggies, bread topped with a spicy (“spicy” for Spain is not spicy at all for us) sausage, and some patatas bravas (cooked potatoes with a spicy-ish red sauce). With that I tried a glass of their house white wine. It was a fun place with good food. After that we went in search of a place called Bubo, who makes the 2005 voted best chocolate cake in the world. For 3,50 euro, it was about a 3 inches in diameter circle about 1 inch thick chocolate dessert with a bit of coffee flavoring and a dark chocolate coating. It was delicious, but we shared one to try it, then went for ice cream for a real dessert. After dropping off a sick-feeling Sarah at the hostel, Kristen and I went out for another walk and ended up tasting a few more wines. We tried a local white and red wine, along with another brand of Cava. It was a really fun night.
~Sunday-Then this morning we went to another little café where I got a café con leche and a croissant. After that, we went to another walk around the city to see the Arc of Triumph. Another ice cream cone and a small bocadillo (made with Canadian bacon and cheese, very delicious) later, we got back on the bus to go to the Airport and return to Sevilla. I’m glad I got to visit Barcelona, but I’m glad I live in Seville. This was the first time that I’ve come back to Seville and almost felt that coming home feeling. It’s nice to be back in my own bed here where things are familiar. Now back to class tomorrow, then Granada on Friday!!!
~Hostel- my first hostel experience= not too bad. We got to the hostel, I had never stayed in one so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was a cute little place holding, I think, about 30 people. It was so colorful with decorated paintings everywhere. The desk people were really nice. It was 6 of us Tech girls staying together with 2 strangers (who turned out to both be guys) sharing a bathroom with all the girls in the hostel. They had towels for rent, and they supplied sheets, blankets, and pillows. They also had lockers in the rooms to lock your stuff. I have to say that the hostel experience is a cheap way to go, but you kind of get what you pay for. However, I thought it was very clean, friendly, colorful, and warm. So I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a great experience that I hope if I stay in another hostel, will go just as well.