This weekend in Barcelona, Spain was the best of my life. And I say that without hesitation because I cannot imagine how it could have been any better. Flying out of Pisa at 6:30am instead of pm turned out to be a huge blessing. If we hadn’t have had that extra full day, I would have felt even worse leaving so soon. We crashed as soon as we got to the hostel but were up and ready to explore later in the afternoon. I had absolutely no idea what to expect—I didn’t know much about Spain, much less Barcelona. So it was a fantastic surprise to discover how amazing it is. Everything is gorgeously decorated and the city is an incredible mix of old and modern. Even the apartment buildings were gorgeous, and the sidewalks were decorated! Incredible. We spent that first afternoon wandering around, not knowing where we were or where we were going, and it was perfect. We stumbled upon a huge old church, and you would think I would be sick of pretty churches by now, but this one was so different. It was gothic style and every window was stained glass to perfection.
That’s another thing about Barcelona—it is so colorful! Every insignificant building is a sight to see, all the balconies are covered in flowers and plants, and the people are just as vibrant. I didn’t feel nearly as isolated in Barcelona. I didn’t have to endure any painfully blatant stares and people were much friendlier and more welcoming than the Italians we’ve gotten used to. I wish I could speak even a little Spanish, and felt bad having to point to everything on the menu because I couldn’t even to begin to pronounce the words. The word for chocolate starts with an x. And that is an important word to know!
After wandering aimlessly for a couple hours we decided to find two landmarks we had heard about. The first was a house designed by Gaudi. And oh my gosh. I know it’s my job to explain this house for you, but I can’t. The best I can do is say it looked like something out of Alice in Wonderland, and definitely not anything designed in the real world. And then we went to the Sagrada Family Church, also designed by Gaudi. I couldn’t do anything but stare. It. Was. Incredible. After we took thousands of pictures that won’t do the minor basilica justice, we were able to sneak inside through an open gate. Again, words are failing me to describe the church, besides, well, Alice in Wonderland-esque. My mind was so blown that after we returned to the hostel I did some research on the church to find out that it was started in 1882 and won’t be complete until 2026—the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi’s death. Construction was halted for the Spanish Civil War, and a lot of the plans were destroyed, as well as the original model. Construction was resumed in 1950 and as of last year passed the half-way point. It is only a little over half-way complete and it left me speechless! I can’t imagine how outstanding it is going to be when it’s finally finished. What is in place now is the core of the church and so much more still has to be added. I guess I’ll just have to come back in 2026!
Thursday night we went out to a club on the marina and had a great time, met some interesting people and walked down to the ocean to dip our feet in the Mediterranean after we had enough of the club. Then we found our way back to the hostel and crashed after the long, long day.
Friday was spent on the beach, and because I couldn’t bring sunscreen on the plane with me, I was planning on buying some there. Nope! Guess Spainards don’t get as burned as I do because I am RED. Definitely worth it though, it was a gorgeous view and the sea was amazing. In the evening we ventured to a new part of town to check into our other hostel and meet up with Laurel. It was great seeing a familiar face! We all went out for dinner then, and let me take this opportunity to tell you how AMAZING Spanish food is. Molly and I had no idea what to expect, and we weren’t expecting much. And man, were we mistaken. Tapas is not only the most brilliant dinning idea ever, they are also delicious. My two favorite from the weekend were the fried stuffed muscles I had the first night and the seafood paella from Friday night. And the sangria was delicious as well. Molly and I were absolutely beat after a day of frying on the beach, so we all three went for drinks at a place near our hostel and went to bed around 1—definitely a good idea.
Saturday was another day of sightseeing and wandering. We went to the Gaudi Park and marveled at his other works and the beauty of the park itself after visiting La Boqueria— Barcelona’s main food market. The market was, again, amazing. Everything was so fresh, the food all looked beautiful, and it was HUGE! Molly and I ate lunch around 2:30 and Laurel headed back to the hostel to meet up for her boyfriend to go to a music festival for the rest of the day. After another amazing meal (seafood spaghetti, crochettas (sp?), and sangria) we meandered back to the market, got food for the flight, and hung out at the hostel for about an hour before beginning our journey back to the Boot. I don’t have the desire to relive it, so I will just give you this headline: our flight was one hour. We spent 12 hours traveling. And it was all Italy’s fault.
All in all, Barcelona was amazing! Everything was so vibrant and full of life. It was exactly what we needed after working our asses off in Italian class. It’s weird that we needed a vacation from our vacation, but it was perfect. Meeting people and seeing the different culture has made me want to experience even more and branch out even further! But we only have 3 weekends left! What?! That seems crazy—the time has absolutely flown past.
