Anyway, last weekend I took my first full weekend trip alone away from Sevilla to Barcelona. I went with three friends from the program, and was able to meet up with my friend Natalie Bisaro from freshman year who is studying in Switzerland. We had a very fun weekend together, and I can surely say Barcelona is in my top three for favorite cities so far. Although the trip as a whole was a perfect 10, that doesn't mean we didn't come across a few bumps in the road along the way... Actually, we encountered a problem right from the get-go... even before we got to the airport. The story is worth remembering, so I guess I will dive right into it: Marni and I agreed to meet at 6:30 AM at the bus stop for the airport, and our flight was scheduled for 9:05 aka plentyyy of time. Everything was going smoothly, until I realized at about 6:50 that I forgot my boarding pass in my room. Aww $h**!! I had to ride my Sevici bike home, rush up the elevator and try and get back to the bus stop before the bus came to pick us up. The distance from the bus stop to my house is about a 20 minute walk, and 10 minute bike ride. I couldn't believe I forgot the most crucial thing you need when traveling, because I remember asking myself that morning 2 or 3 times if I had everything. And of course, just as I was running back to the bus stop, I watched the bus slowly pull away, like something in a movie. So Marni and I decided we would wait for the next one, and if it didn't come in 20 minutes we would take a cab there. Fortunately, we were able to take the 2.40 euro bus ride instead of split a 30 euro cab ride to the airport and we still had about 20 minutes to spare before boarding. Guess it pays off to plan early.
The flight was extremely easy, and fortunately we did not encounter any problems in the airport or getting to our hostel. We stayed at Kabul youth hostel which was located right in the heart of the city in Plaça Real. We were about a 5 minute walk from the Barcelona beach and right outside the most famous street in Barcelona, "Las Ramblas". Las Ramblas is a long street leading from Plaça Catalunya (the center of Barcelona) to the Mediterranean Sea. It is separated by an island / divider, where street performers, artists, vendors, and tourists fill the walkway. Simply walking down the pathway was captivating because you always had something new to look at with each step you took. And a little off the beaten path, we found a Spanish market, called "La Boquerí", which was filled with hundreds of vendors selling meat, fruit, ice cream, candy, nuts, smoothies, vegetables, and anything else that fits into any of the 6 food groups.
I can safely say I "did Barcelona" because there is not a single thing my friends and I missed while we were there. Some of our destination sights included Parc Güell, the Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, Casa Batllo, the Picasso Museum, the Colombus monument, Plaça Espanya, and a free walking tour through the Barrio Gotica. Needless to say, we spent very little time in our hostel. Fortunately, we knew which sights to go to because of my parent's brilliant christmas gift, "Rick Steves' Spain". Like always, I was sure to read up on the history of each of the places we went to, which made me feel even more knowledgeable about the city and appreciate it that much more.
The most important thing to know about Barcelona is that the architect, Antoni Gaudí, reigns as king of this modern city that lies in the northeastern coast of Spain. Gaudí's work is literally everywhere throughout the city, and believe me, it is a kind of work you must see in person to fully appreciate. Gaudí was an architect of all kinds, but he actually was way more famous for constructing houses and apartments than churches and chapels. This kind of architecture was very refreshing, because the rest of Spain's cities are characterized by classical, antique architecture that dates back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Not that I don't appreciate and like this style, but Gaudí's work was very interesting to see because it was something new and different than the same old story of the Moors rule and domination in Spain. You can clearly tell Gaudí was an artist because his work is unlike anything I have ever seen before. Most of his work actually reminded me of something out of a Dr. Suess book. And what is even more interesting is that he intended for people to actually live in these apartments and houses. Although his work was centrally based in house and apartment floor plans, he is famous for the construction of the "Sagrada Familia" a church which is still under construction today. Upon arriving to the Sagrada Familia by metro, our entire group was awestruck when we finally saw it for ourselves. We went on Saturday, which was a day full of pouring rain and relatively cold weather, but I actually feel like the rain made the sight that much more epic. For me, it was very obvious that Gaudí died before he had the chance to design the interior because when we walked in, I felt like the interior of the church didn't truly match the genius of the exterior. Regardless, I was amazed by the grandiose architecture and will never forget the views I was fortunate enough to see while in Barcelona.
Aside from the history, and corresponding cultural aspects of the city, our group still managed to enjoy the crazy nightlife of the city as well. We explored Barcelona both nights during our stay, and found some very cool bars and restaurants. Our hostel planned optional nighttime events for everyone, and we decided to take advantage of this offer during our second night, and go to a club called Razzbatazz. The club was full of people from all over the world, which confirmed what everyone had been telling me before my trip: Barcelona is truly a popular world center; a place where you can find someone from every country of the world. It was also interesting to observe the separation between Barcelona / Cataluña and the rest of Spain. According to Lourdes, all of Cataluña wants independence from Spain, and there is a certain attitude there that they are better than Spain, thus should not be associated with them. And to an extent, this "separation" between Cataluña and the rest of Spain actually was fairly obvious. For example, it's interesting to think that people of this region speak a different language (Catalan), shrine a different flag (flag of Cataluña) and say first and foremost they are Catalan... Spaniards second.
Despite the conflict and tension, I still loved the city and wish I had more time to learn and see EVERYTHING the city has to offer. But for now it is back to home sweet Sevilla, and I am here to stay for a while. Maybe now I have a little break from traveling, I'll actually crack open one of those textbooks...
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