Spring Break Part 2: Barcelona

I decided to go to Barcelona for the second part of my spring break so I could practice my fluent Spanish. Hah, that's a total joke. I took Spanish once in the second grade and remember singing a song about chocolate with my classmates in the talent show... Ask me about it, I love to tell that story. Anyway, it's not like Spanish would help, in Barcelona, the language is Catalan. I actually ended up speaking to more people in French in this city.
Barcelona was so fun and a perfect way to end my spring break. Although the weather could have been a bit nicer, there were girls from my program, beautiful sights, and the beach. What is spring break without a beach? Here's my breakdown of each day.

Landing in Barcelona!

Thursday:
Our plane got in late, so we went straight to our hostel and went to bed. First time rocking the top bunk and I'm proud to say I did not fall off. The craziest part about Thursday was that earlier that day I had been in Paris and now I was in Spain!

Friday:
A whole group of girls from my Arcadia program in Rome were staying in the same hostel in Barcelona. We got an early start and wandered around our neighborhood. Our hostel was in a really great location. Just a few minutes away was the Arc de Triomf so we snapped a few pictures and strolled through a nearby park. On the way back, we did a little shopping but quickly realized most of the stores were wholesale only. Why anyone would want to by fifteen pairs of jean overalls is beyond me, but anyway...

1 week, 2 Triumphant Arches...

After dealing with a little mishap checking into the hostel as a group, we split up with plans to meet for tapas in the evening. One girl, Katie, and I made plans to go to the Picasso museum. On the way there and back we saw the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Santa Maria del Mar. Both were archeologically beautiful but it was interesting because they were packed next to their neighboring buildings down small alleyways. Whereas the monuments and important buildings in Rome and Paris are spacious and out in the open, in Barcelona this felt like a hidden surprise.

Palace of Catalan Music

Saint Mary by the Sea

The Picasso museum was very interesting and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. The museum consisted of his early works when he lived in Barcelona. Towards the end were more paintings in the style one might think of as "Picasso." The sheer amount of works, especially considering it was his earlier stuff, was mind blowing. I would love to do nothing but paint all day.

A Picasso Original

Katie and I went back to the park we had strolled through earlier that morning with our other friends. Although it was raining, we wanted to explore. The Parc de la Ciutadella was quite interesting. There was a mix of a lot of different things which I'm not sure the significance of. My favorite thing was probably the giant mammoth statue next to the jungle style plants. Again- interesting.

So much rain!

Pretty!

I felt like I was in the rain forest.

Cool big fountain thing

Never pass up a "Singing in the Rain" moment

Mammoth...?

The tapas we had that night were delicious, but the "potatas bravas" had to be my favorite. It's no surprise as well that the sangria is the best in Spain. That night, our group hit up the Barcelona night life. It did not disappoint.

Saturday:
Saturday we did the Spanish start and woke up at 1pm. It was nice for once to just be able to sleep and not have to worry about rushing around. Katie and I decided to do a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour. At first, I felt so incredibly ashamed. This is the epitome of tacky tourist attractions. I'm sure the locals hate seeing this big, bumbling bus meander through their neighborhood all day while people hang off the side holding up their iPads to snap pictures of every little thing. Have I mentioned I can't stand people who take actual pictures with their iPads? If you are one of these people, I regret to inform you that we can no longer be friends.
However, considering all the places we were able to see, plus a helpful recording that gave information along the way, and my embarrassing lack of knowledge about Barcelona, I warmed up to the bus. Highlights included the Sagrada Familia (more on that later), Park Güell, Monestir de Pedralbes (a peaceful monastery with a beautiful view), Palau Reial-Pavellons Güell (the palace and gardens of the Spanish royal family), the Barcelona football stadium (on a game day!), the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (or the MNAC- we just went for the view), the Anella Olímpica (sight of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona), and some cool places along the coast. 

The Sagrada Familia, still under construction!

Cool mosaic

View from the top of Park Güell

Peaceful monastery

The Spanish Royal Family's Palace

NBD going into my palace, guys...

Go Barca!

Beautiful view from the top of the MNAC building

Olympic Park

The Olympics were held here during the year of my birth!

Looking out onto the field

Christopher Columbus Monument

Pretty sunset on the coast

Saturday night, we had some great tapas again and I experienced Barcelona nightlife part two. I've got some great anecdotes, but in order to keep this post (somewhat) short, I'll save them for a face-to-face telling. They're better that way.

Sunday:
Finally, the weather was absolutely incredible (on the last day, of course). Katie and I met up with my roommate Marree and together we went back to the Sagrada Familia to go inside. This church had been the one monument I knew to go to before I arrived in Barcelona and I'm so glad I was able to see it. The artist and architect, Antoni Gaudí, began construction on this building in 1883 and it has been under construction since. The inside was just as incredible as the outside as Gaudí took the Gothic style to the extreme. 

Stunning.

Incredible.

So cool.

Finished vs. Unfinished.

After the church, we went to the Magic Fountain at the bottom the the MNAC building, which Katie and I had seen the day before. The fountain wasn't "magical" or even on for that matter, but the weather was so beautiful that it didn't matter. With little time left, the three of us found a famous chocolate shop and got some churros and hot chocolate. Best decision all weekend.

In front of the "Magic Fountain"

So yummy!

With that, we headed back to Rome. After my third and final Ryanair travel experience (I'm a lucky duck, they were all successful), we were back in the eternal city. Our whole group of girls talked about how comforting it was to see Italian again and sang a parody song called "Sweet Home Garbatella." It had been a long day. 

If anything was going to try to come close to topping last year's spring break, Paris and Barcelona were the places to go. I'm so lucky and thankful for all the opportunities I've had while abroad and the places I've been able to experience.