BARCELONA!!

*For more Barcelona Pictures, look at my photo albums to the right!*

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted! I apologize for the delay; but now that I am taking a break from travelling in the next few weeks, I should be posting much more regularly!

This past weekend, we went to Barcelona! It was my first time in Spain, and I am itching to go back already. I'm pretty sure that Barcelona is the most perfect honeymoon spot on the planet. There is so much to do, and the mood is both exotic and cosmopolitan, relaxed, and romantic...

We arrived in Barcelona late Thursday night last week, and went to our hostel from the bus station. All I will elaborate on in terms of our lodging was that it was...well...a hostel, in every sense of the word. Not too clean, not too safe, and not too relaxing. But, we did meet some interesting people, and it made us want to get up and out early every morning, which is a definite benefit! There were four of us on the trip, and we stayed in an 8-man room, in which there were four other college-students travelling. They were all nice, so it was manageable to stay there.

Friday morning, we walked around our neighborhood a bit, which was near the main street of La Rambla, right next to the Gothic area. We took a metro up to Temple de la Sagrada Familia, which is the church that the architect Antoni Gaudi spent the last 40 years of his life working on. It is still under construction, and although Gaudi's orginal plans were burned, there have been great efforts to maintain the integrity of his original plans and architectural style. Everything on the cathedral is based off of nature; for example, there are patterns in the towers that are supposed to resemble honeycomb, and turrets that look like stalks of lavender. There are also huge ceramic bowls of fruit on one part of the church. It is an incredibly intricate building, and very gaudy...Actually, I learned while in Barcelona (which is known mostly for its abundance of Gaudi architecture) that the word Gaudy comes from Gaudi's name! So one can only imagine how excessive it is. The inside of the cathedral has the most brightly colored stained glass I have ever seen...it is so beautiful and light is reflected everywhere inside. The church is still under construction, but completion is anticipated for 2010! So, hopefully it will be done the next time I am back.

After visiting the church, we walked to the Passeig de Gracia, which is a long boulevard covered in Gaudi's buildings. It was such a nice day--sunny and warm--and walking down the street was so nice. We stopped at a Tapas restaurant and sat at lunch for about two hours, just enjoying the sunlight, the people-watching, and the amazing dishes!

We walked through the Gothic area towards the seafront, and then along the docks. It felt like a summer's day in San Francisco, but the people milling about made the water's edge remniscent of Santa Monica. It felt like home! After walking all day, we took a siesta at the hostel before heading out for the night.

The nightlife in Barcelona is so fun! They definitely start the nights later there, which is very tiring and would not be a very healthy lifestyle continuously, but it was fun for just the weekend. We hung out at our hostel with several foreign people for a while (some of them were probably a little too old to be at a "youth" hostel...it was a bit strange, and all I'll say is I'm glad our doors locked!). Then, we headed out to the Rambla area, and met up with some other Tri Delts who were visiting from London.

We ended up at a really fun dance club and danced for hours! Just walking around at nighttime was really fun and we met a lot of nice people.

The next day, we started out with lunch by the beach (Barceloneta), at Salamanca, a delicious paella restaurant that a sorority sister told me about. It was divine! We sat outside, by the ocean, and spent a couple hours enjoying the breeze and the amazing paella. It was served in a huge pan, and even though we ordered for four people (there were four of us), we probably could have just ordered for two and had enough! After gorging ourselves, we went to the beach and relaxed there for a while. It was such a nice day.

Before sunset, we headed up to the north side of Barcelona to see Parc Guell, another site with lots of Gaudi architecture. It was so beautiful up there, the plants and stonework and tile...and the views of Barcelona as well! This part of the trip felt the most like the movie "Vicki Christina Barcelona," if you've seen it (if you haven't, I'd suggest you watch it...a great twist on Woody Allen!).

On our last day in Barca, we didn't have much time, so we went on a walking tour of the Gothic area that we had been told about at the hostel. I am so glad we did it! It was a free tour, and the tour guides work for tips, so they are very funny and entertaining, and actually teach you a lot! We learned all about the oldest part of the city, and several facts about the Catalan culture. Barcelona is so beautiful, and I think I really benefitted from this tour. If you're ever there, the tour is with Travel Bar, a place for travellers to meet and mingle. We really enjoyed the experience!

I am so glad I visited Barca, and hope to go back soon. I am happy because now, after travelling so much in the past month, I will have a bit of a break and can profit from visiting more of Paris! And my family comes in just about two weeks!

A Street Performer in the Gothic area: