Barcelona

Cara and I with street art we found

Boqueria

Boqueria

Boqueria

Birds in Plaza Catalyuna

Stained glass at the Sagrada Familia

Construction at the Sagrada Familia

Budget

Airshow

Montjuic

On Montjuic

The girls in the castle in Montjuic

My only photo from Parc Guell- the ceiling.

After the bus ride, plane ride, getting lost in the airport and metro ride I am officially home from Barcelona. The city was amazing, beautiful architecture and gorgeous weather. We stayed in a hostel near Passeg de Gracias which, compared to my last experience was a palace. Although I didn't splurge for a top sheet (2 euros!) until the second night, the free breakfast made up for it. Everyday we stocked up on the free apples and crackers/little cakes for later and ate our weight in toasted bread and Smacks/Corn Flakes mixed.

Thursday- Let me explain something about RyanAir: when they say they are a budget airline, they mean it. The entire plane was neon yellow and plastic, resembling more of a toy than the aircraft I would be trusting my life with. During our 10pm flight, the lights were not turned off once and the flight was spent with the crew trying to sell perfume and Smoke-Less cigarettes to the passengers. But hey, you get what you pay for. We landed in Girona, a town outside of Barcelona and took a bus to Barcelona. After checking into our hostel, we decided to explore the area we were in. We walked about 5 minutes and saw a woman sitting by herself on a street corner crying/talking to herself. After seeing us, she stood up and started walking towards us...and we started walking quickly. It was after that that she yelled "CORREN CHICAS, CORREN" or "RUN GIRLS, RUN". I have never in my life ran from a human being and I hope I never have to do it again. We made it safely to the hostel and decided to go to sleep, hoping that the next day would not include insane drunk women.

Friday- Our first stop, after getting a little lost, was the Picasso Museum in the Gothic Quarter. The paintings were incredible- my favorite was "Woman in a Mantilla", and I loved seeing the different styles he worked in. The museum also had a few photographs of Picasso in the last few years of his life which was incredible to see. After, we found our way to the Boqueria, the largest outdoor market in Spain. They had a little bit of EVERYTHING, and made the Mercado San Miguel look mini. After lunch, we walked around the Gothic Quarter and I made the purchase of my dream boots, which will always remind me of Barcelona.

Saturday- Waking up after five hours of sleep was not easy, but we made our way to the Sagrada Familia, a church constructed by Gaudi. The outside of the church was beautiful, and we waited in line to get inside. Nine euros and thirty minutes later, we made it inside only to find that it was under construction. The entire interior was covered with drapes and plaster which made it hard to enjoy the beauty of the church. The stained glass window was my favorite part of the church, even though Im not sure it was worth nine euros. To offset the staggering cost of the entrance fee for the Sagrada Familia, we did lunch on a budget: stolen bread from the free breakfast, free sauces from McDonalds, and turkey and cheese that we bought from a supermercado. Surprisingly, the sandwiches were great and cost a mere 1.30 per person. We then ventured to the beach to see the Red Bull World Championship Air Racing competition. The competition featured helicopters and planes doing flips, twists and completing a sort of obstacle course. Somehow, in a festival full of people, with a loud speaker right near our ears and planes/helicopters flying right over our heads, we all managed to fall asleep. Don't ask me how, but it was a feat.

Sunday- Another five hours of sleep, and we were all walking zombies. After seeing one of the Olympic stadiums and torch from the Barcelona Olympics, we took a tram (that showed great views of Barcelona!) up to Montjuic, a castle on top of a huge hill in Barcelona and explored. With only about an hour and a half until we had to get to the bus station, we ventured to Parc Guell, also designed by Gaudi. I wish we had more time there AND that my camera had not died because it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. The park is full of structures made mosaic-style out of tile. EVERYTHING is tiled, from the benches to the columns. Of course there was a great violinist playing classical music which made the experience that much better. The next time I go to Barcelona (and there will be a next time), Parc Guell is on top of my to-do list.