¡Barcelona!

Oh Barcelona. The most sleep-deprived I have ever been in my life, but so much fun. Erica and I made a pact the second day we were there that if our post-college lives are mundane and unfulfilling we’d move to Barcelona. It’s that fantastic.

Our adventure started off with a 10 our overnight bus ride from Valladolid. It would’ve been absolutely miserable if half the bus wasn’t kids from Cal Poly. We arrived in Barcelona at 7 something in the morning, totally disoriented, a pretty bad state to be in in the pickpocket capital of the world. Within 10 minutes of getting off the bus one of our friends almost had a purse stolen, a scary, but probably much needed wake-up call for our group. The rest of the morning I walked around with my backpack locked shut and carried it on my stomach… I was so paranoid. We nagivated our way through the metro system and found our hostel, which was so cool. Free breakfast (!!!), a rooftop terrace/bar, cheap drinks and food on Saturdays, access to an indoor pool and spa next door… it was just rad.

Day one was packed full of Anthoni Gaudí, and I have no clue how I was awake enough to enjoy it, but I was, and I did. After a much needed shower, we strolled through the streets of Barcelona until we were face-to-face with La Sagrada Familia: scaffolding everywhere, weird façades, Tim Burton/Disneyland looking architecture and all. I got so excited, and even more so when the girls agreed to stand in the ridiculously long line and pay to tour the inside of the cathedral. I had seen La Sagrada Familia when I went to Barcelona after high school, we got off the bus and took pictures in front of it, but I had no idea what it was about, and didn’t get to see inside either. Now, with a few art history classes under my belt and a much greater appreciation for Gaudí’s life and work, I finally got to see his masterpiece… or at least what’s been built so far. It’s scheduled to be finished in 2030, and I plan on coming back when it’s completed.

The first thing I saw walking through the doors underneath the cubist Jesus (check out pictures, I’m not kidding) were the doors themselves. Big, bulky wood doors covered in carved letters: Jesus Christ and God in different languages, what stuck out most to me, was the phrase “que es verdad?” (what is truth?) - pretty progressive and modern for a cathedral. Next thing I know, I’m completely overwhelmed by an entire cathedral wall of stained glass in an array of colors and designs lighting up the whole interior. It was absolutely stunning. The completed portions of pillars and ceilings were incredible. The whole time I was trying to picture Gaudí the person, his thoughts and inspirations… what could possible provoke a person to think up this place and the style he developed for it. Some call it neo-Gothic. I’d like to think Gaudí can’t really be classified.

After the tour we went out for lunch. Awesome sangria, terrible cheeseburger. Never again in España. My poor digestive system is taking such a beating in this country. More Gaudí architecture followed that afternoon with a hike (even with the escalators it was still a hike) up to Parque Güell and an incredible view of the entire city, all the way out to the Mediterranean Sea. We got to see Gaudí’s house and enjoy all the Dr. Suess-esque scenery. I love all the spires, mosaic-looking artwork and trippy-wavy designs. It’s totally unique and something Barcelona prides itself in.

After a pasta dinner provided by the boys and transferred from their hostel to ours via Special K box (sketchy), we went out on a mission to find a discotec, since they are severely lacking in our Spanish hometown of Valladolid. Turned out to be a bummer of a night, none of us heard about or could find a place to go, but we had a good time (semi-drunkenly… don’t judge, mom, I’m in Europe and it’s perfectly acceptable… I love you) exploring the port area called Barceloneta (love it) at night. Shenanigans included:
purchasing COLD BEER (!!!) from some guy off the street (even sketchier than my dinner)
running around outside the Barcelona aquarium we stumbled upon trying to find somewhere to go to the bathroom….
the best McDonalds I’ve ever eaten (probably because I washed it down with previously mentioned cold beer)
wandering back to our hostel for the only sleep I’d get that weekend

By day two of Barcelona, I was in love with this city. We started the morning with free breakfast on our rooftop terrace overlooking the city (so cool!) and walked through the Arc de Triumph (who knew) and a gorgeous park with a guy playing “What a Wonderful World” on trumpet. It was almost too picturesque. We went to the Chocolate Museum, entry ticket is a bar of chocolate, of course, strolled through a really cool shopping district with lots of Moroccan stuff (Layne there are cool earrings coming your way in December), and we stumbled upon a Catalán concert in front of the cathedral. Our friend Helena did a little dancing with the locals (it was too cute) and then we were off to find the beach. And we did. And dipping my feet in the Mediterranean was just as wonderful as it sounds.

Except for the half-naked old ladies. Of which there are many. If Erica and I ever moved there, we’d probably get into it, but it takes a while to get used to the concept, not to mention the sight. It’s funny to me that I’m in the best shape I’ll probably ever be in, I’m 22 years of and far too self-conscious to even consider going topless on a beach where dozens of 70-something year-old ladies don’t give a crap and go about their business sun-bathing, reading, and chatting it up with their half-naked old lady friends. The cultural differences I notice never cease to amaze me.

After a fantastic lunch on the promanade next to the beach (my first feta cheese and salad not drenched in vinegar and olive oil in WEEKS) we went back to our hostel for a much needed siesta (locals don’t actually siesta, by the way, us extranjeros made that up…) and get ready for attempting a night out once again. Our hostel organizes trips out to certain bars where we can get deals on drinks or not pay a cover charge so we decided our best bet was to tag along. Good call, whoever’s idea it was. Us, along with a bunch of random other college kids and foreigners our age were taken to a club called Roxy. And cheers, it was a good night.

The dj was awesome, and played a lot of American music. It was wonderfully refreshing to recognize every song (and good stuff too – Jackson 5 and old school R&B and 90s music). I realized later how incredible it was to be in a club packed to the brim with so many kids my age from all over the world who spoke different languages, ate different food, listened to different music, but there we were, all in the same place, dancing to the same music and singing it all together. I love it.

The group of us that went all had a blast, Erica and I had so much fun that we were at the club when it closed down.

At 6:30 in the morning.

At least we didn’t have to find our way back to the hostel in the dark, right mom?

The next day, err, a few hours later, we checked out of our hostel and spent an afternoon sitting on our butts on the beach. I swam a little in the Mediterranean, mostly just to say I did it, cuz it was pretty cold. That night we got to enjoy yet another sleepless overnight bus back to Valladolid, and straight to class. Eww. I was pretty out of it, and I think I looked even more haggard and disoriented than I felt. Needless to say, I got a wonderful nights’ sleep that night, concluding a wonderful weekend in Barcelona. I hope it’s not the last time I see that city.