Barcelona

La Sagrada Familia

Inside La Sagrada Familia

Back side of La Sagrada Familia

View of City from Park Guell

more Gaudi at Park Guell

I have hit a writers block on my finals...if it's possible to do so before having written anything.

Last Friday about 10 other people from my group and I headed off to Barcelona for the weekend. I really didn't know anything about what I was going to do or see there except that Natasha and I would be splitting off to stay in a hostel with Melinda (my friend from home). Melinda has been over traveling around Europe by herself for the past two months so I was super excited to get to meet up!

Traveling in a group of 11 people--who, lets be honest, really have no idea what they're doing--turned out to be quite the ordeal. It took us forever to figure out how to buy the right ticket for the metro and in the mean time--while one of the security guys was trying to help us--I guess someone tried to get in to my bag. The man started telling someone to leave and then looked at me and told me to be careful and someone was trying to rob me, "can't you tell?" well no sir, actually I couldn't. I'm standing in a huge group trying to understand your directions at how to use this machine and plus I'm an American tourist, I thought our vulnerability was quite well known by now. Anyways, after that little ordeal I knew traveling in a large group was a bad idea, especially carrying bags and turning around in circles trying to figure out where to go and what to do.

Natasha and I got off the metro and headed down Las Ramblas--one of the main streets in barcelona--towards our hostel. As we were walking down the road, two guys started talking to me and pointing at my bag/jacket. I immediately thought someone had sliced my bag open or something like that but when I stopped to take a look I found this, fortunately, to be not the case. However, someone had sprayed some kind of yellow goop all over my backpack and jacket. Before you get all giddy thinking I got pooped on by some Spanish bird, let me add in there that the smell of honey mustard accompanied this goop making me feel a little better about my fate. Now, not only did I look like I didn't know what the hell I was doing but I looked like a chicken nugget. awesome. The guys handed me a napkin and I did my best to wipe myself clean of the condiment. sick. I still don't know how this happened and I was unsuccessful in finding the little punk who apparently was carrying a super soaker filled with mustard.

It took us about two hours to get from the airport to our hostel (the bus to the metro station in the city took an hour alone) so needless to say we were way late for meeting Melinda and I just kept hoping that they had let her check in even though the reservations were under my name(which they did). Our hostel was called Kabul Hostel and I totally recommend it if you find yourself in Barcelona. It was right off of Las ramblas in this cute little square with plenty of things going on at all time. The place was the most stereotypical hostel I could imagine. Perhaps a little overwhelming if you had to stay there forever, but I was looking for that experience since the other times I have been more secluded. There was a bar in the lobby where people were always in there drinking and listening to music. Continental breakfast was served every morning, along with free dinner (which was first come first serve) and to top it off, from 6:30-7:30 pm there was a happy hour that served 2 liter beers for only 3 euros! It only cost us 19 euro a night and with all that included, it was the best deal I have found yet.

Considering we didn't get there until about 12:30 and spent the first half hour or so just catching up, we weren't sure if we were up for a big night. Instead we went to the hostel bar for a pint then hit the streets just to wander around. Spanish culture is a very late one where places stay open very late and clubs don't even open until around 2:30 am so we potentially had the whole night still ahead of us. We were tired though and decided after some falafel (if you go to continental Europe--they don't have them in Ireland--go to MAOZ and be prepared for the most amazing falafel) and unsuccessful free entry to a club we would just go back and go out the next night.

The first night we were there all of the beds in our room were full but by our last day it was just Melinda, Natasha and I and 2 Spanish girls, a guy from London (but spent most of his time in France) and a creepy Italian. One of the coolest things about being in a hostel is getting to meet the different people staying there and we talked with the French/British guy and Spanish girls a lot. A lot of the talking was of course about our creepy Italian roommate. The fact that he didn't speak any English (or really Spanish) left room for a lot of miscommunication but let me assure you, that was the least creepy part about him. The first night we were there he kept peering over his bed (he was on the top bunk and Natasha was on the bottom) and looking at Natasha. Finally, after about the third time she looked at him and asked him to stop doing that...to which he replied "you stop." He tried to communicate to her the fact that she was moving around which was funny because clearly, he had been the one all night moving around and making a lot of noise. His locker was right next to my head (I was on another top bunk) and so in the morning he was going through his stuff and when I opened my eyes he was looking at me so I just uncomfortably turned over. Nobody wanted to be in the room alone with him and It actually became the joke of our room.

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During the day we walked around and saw some of the most amazing Architecture ever! I wasn't really familiar with the artist Gaudi before, but his work is all over the city and is truly beautiful. His architecture combines nature and almost fluid shapes together. It is really unique and quite easy to distinguish. We went and saw, probably Barcelona's most famous building, La Sagrada Familia. It is a huge cathedral designed by Gaudi that started being built in 1882 and is still pretty far from being finished. The building is incredible and the detail takes your breath away. I hope, so bad, to see it finished in my life time!

Outside la sagrada familia there were little holiday booths set up and christmas music being played. One of the booths were selling churros, which were almost as amazing as the church...calm down, I said almost.

Las ramblas is lined with street performers and so we spent some time just watching all of them. These aren't people juggling and swallowing swords, no...this is a whole street lined with those people who get dressed up and act like statues. weird. way weirder than you can imagine. some of them are seriously pathetic, others are actually really cool. One guy has accumulated a little fame even. He is dressed up as Edward Scissor Hands and then will occasionally move like him when someone gives him money. He looks exactly like Johnny Depp though, so much so that we were convinced it was actually Johnny himself just getting a little extra cash. These people stand here day in day out and some how find a way to earn a living. I can't imagine how much money that means people give them. I also can't imagine finding any dignity in painting my face gold and standing still for 8 hours a day but that's just me being critical and picky.

Along Las Ramblas there is this huge outdoor market called La Boqueria. There was any kind of fresh food you could imagine as well as meats galore. It was packed full and really cool to walk through.

Saturday night we were convinced to do a pub crawl. I have decided that not only are they good ways to meet people but they are a cheap way to go out at night! It cost us 10 euro and with that we got an hour with unlimited sangria and beer, a free shot at the four bars we went to and free club admission at the end of the night. Walking around from pub to pub was also a cool way to see parts of the city we would otherwise miss. This crawl, while a better deal than the one in Paris, had waaaayyy fewer people on it. When we got to the first place--for our "power hour"--there were only a couple other people there. Two guys were from Atlanta and worked for Delta and were just in Barcelona for about 24 hours. I think everyone else was from America too, but we didn't talk to them much.


Sunday we did more exploring and went to the Picasso Museum. It was sooooo cool to see so much of his work and the progression of his style. I really hadn't seen a lot of his earlier work and it was cool to see stuff outside of his classic "picasso" style. That evening we decided to just stay in our hostel. It was really nice and relaxing and I laid and listened to music while Melinda painted and Natasha drew. Some of the people in our room came in to hang out with us for the night and we just sat around talking.

Monday was our last day there and we went to Park Guell to see more of Gaudi's work. Amazing again. The park was really cool and had gorgeous views of the city. It was a really good way to end our trip.

Barcelona was very different from Paris. But I have noticed that all of the places that I have been during my time here have been very different. Barcelona has a much more funky and bohemian feel to it and I could really see myself actually living there. Paris is filled with all of these huge sites to see which is incredible but Barcelona was more of a realistic place to live. I'm sure spending your evenings lounging on the grass beneath the Eiffel tower drinking wine and eating a baguette would get ridiculous and tiring after a while. There was a really nice feeling to the city and everyone just seemed down to earth and down to have a good time. Considering I have only taken a couple months worth of Spanish (in the sixth grade) I didn't think i knew anything about the language apart from little words and phrases you pick up around here and there--being in a Spanish speaking country for 3 days made me realize that I seriously don't know any Spanish. Luckily Melinda and Natasha were able to get us by. I was able to just stand there with a confused look on my face and laugh whenever people tried to talk to me until one of them were able to come rescue me. Some day I'll learn Spanish and come back. And go to central and south America. Oh great, I think that was some foreshadowing for a future blog.

I only have 4 more days in Dublin. AHHHH. There is still so much I want to see and do and am not going to be able to. I have 4 essays I wanted to finish (only one that is actually due before I come home) but am leaving Thursday and Friday purely for Dublin. The city I have called home for the past 3 months deserves at least two solid days uninterrupted by school. Looks like I will have homework to do when I get home but I will survive. I have weeks left for homework but only days left for Dublin.

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