Oh Barca,
Where even to begin. I think landing at the airport was probably the start of my attraction to this city. When we touched down we were in a futuristic terminal of glass and lights. When I got off the plane the excitement that I already had was reaffirmed by the uniqueness of our surroundings.
We landed the morning of the 23rd and spent the rest of Friday wandering around Las Ramblas and down by the waterfront. Las Ramblas is the main drag of Barcelona with shops, restaurants and bars. There was always so many people there, and it connects to all the side streets with even more to explore in the Gothic neighborhood. Our hostel was in Plaza Real which was an adorable little plaza with palm trees, and a fountain in the middle.
Emma arrived at the hostel around 6pm, and was greeted by the cute love note I wrote her and left at reception. We went to dinner, and were all struggling to keep our eyes open with the Barca lifestyle. So to explain this everyone in Barcelona is superhuman. They someone don't eat dinner until around 10pm, and don't get to the club until literally 2am...I thought it was crazy last call in NY was 4am! Here that's the high point of the night and places don't close until way after dawn. So this first night Emma and I went to small Spanish bar in Barri Gotica, and what was supposed to be a low key night ended up with us taking and catching up until 4. It's so nice to have her abroad at the same time as me! We will be meeting up again in Dublin in a few weeks, so I've been able to see her three times this semester which has definitely been a lifesaver in my want for all things Boston. Park Guell
Saturday we decided to do one of the open air bus tours of Barcelona. Getting on the bus I had scary flashbacks of being harassed in NYC to the big apple tour, and right then I decided this is the single most touristy thing I have done in my entire life. It was so worth the trauma! We saw every major attraction in Barca and got it done in such a more convenient way than we could have on our own. My favorite part of the day was Park Guell, which is a public park that the architect Gaudi designed. I think all the Gaudi architecture was my absolute favorite part of Barcelona, I have never felt more drawn to a certain style of design and architecture. To all of my architecture friends...this is only until you design your fabulous and amazing buildings :). Later that night we went to a club called Razzmatazz. Most ridiculous nightclub I will probably ever go to. There were about seven different mini-clubs inside a huge warehouse...without rambling and going into too much detail it was basically the stereotypical European rave, you would picture in a Eurotrip movie. Walking home at dawn was the end of our amazing Saturday.
Sunday, I had my little dose of travel drama with forgetting to pick up the tickets I had ordered us for the FC Barcelona game. It somehow slipped my mind that NOTHING, and I mean nothing in Europe is open on Sunday. After this minor setback, I took a little hit to the wallet, and we bought new tickets for the game. We went down to Las Ramblas in the morning, and as even more of a downer, Emma had her bag stolen from Starbucks. It was my first real exposure to the crime in Europe that all the guidebooks warn you about. She filed a police report and the rest is history. Luckily her passport was back at the hotel, and it was just "things" that were taken which I guess is how you have to look at it. That afternoon we went to the Picasso museum which was a great showcase of so many works. At the game later that night, Emma and I ended up sitting lower level, using our concert sneaking skills to make it closer to the action.
Monday Martin and I wandered savoring our last day in Espana. We split up and walked around doing some window shopping, and ended the night at two clubs on the beach.
Barcelona was such an amazing city. It's one of the few places that I have been to so far that I can actually see myself living as an expat. The weather, the people, and the city itself were perfect in my eyes. I can't wait to go back in the future.
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