Hola! First off this weekend was full of mispronunciations and accidentally saying Italian words instead of Spanish, oops! Barcelona was a coastal city dream! I am not sure I was prepared for the city to be so big and be full of so many people, but other than that any city that is near an ocean automatically becomes one of my favorites.
Thursday afternoon, after almost a 3 hour delay, we made our way from Pisa to Barcelona. My friends and I arrived that late afternoon, checked into our hostel and walked around the area before heading to dinner by the beach. I unfortunately am not the biggest fan of seafood so while my friends ate fishy meals I opted for some chicken and delicious sangria.
Friday we headed out in the morning to grab coffee and do shopping before spending the day at the beach! I was extremely thankful for warm weather and a blue sky full of sunshine, since almost every trip I have been on hasn't had the best of weather. The beach was full of people from all over the world. One of my favorite things about traveling is getting to hear so many different languages and meet people from all over. We were those girls who every person that came up to us trying to buy something, we bought it. From mojitos, hair wraps, henna tattoos, fresh coconut, tapestries, bracelets, and of course food. We even ended up meeting guys from England that somehow convinced us to join them for a bar crawl that night.
Thursday afternoon, after almost a 3 hour delay, we made our way from Pisa to Barcelona. My friends and I arrived that late afternoon, checked into our hostel and walked around the area before heading to dinner by the beach. I unfortunately am not the biggest fan of seafood so while my friends ate fishy meals I opted for some chicken and delicious sangria.
Friday we headed out in the morning to grab coffee and do shopping before spending the day at the beach! I was extremely thankful for warm weather and a blue sky full of sunshine, since almost every trip I have been on hasn't had the best of weather. The beach was full of people from all over the world. One of my favorite things about traveling is getting to hear so many different languages and meet people from all over. We were those girls who every person that came up to us trying to buy something, we bought it. From mojitos, hair wraps, henna tattoos, fresh coconut, tapestries, bracelets, and of course food. We even ended up meeting guys from England that somehow convinced us to join them for a bar crawl that night.
That night we met up with the guys we met on the beach for a few drinks before parting ways to go to a club we had been told we could not miss. I am not sure how long I would survive in Barcelona if I stayed more than a week. Apparently they go out late and stay up til the sunrises. We also had our new friends from Switzerland that were staying in our hostel room tag along with us. Side note: After the girls found out we were from America they instantly were in awe of our lives. They said " America is their dream" and they can't wait to visit. It was interesting to see that everyone from Europe and Australia in our room wants to go America just as much as we wanted to come to Europe. So with that, we danced until about 6 am and then made our way to the beach to watch the sunrise with a few people we met throughout the night from England, Holland, and more.
After about a 3 hour "nap" we forced ourselves to get up so that we could do some sight seeing. We walked around the city to see Casa Batllo, the Sagrada Familia, and more! The architecture in Barcelona is so different from anywhere I had been before, and I loved seeing something so different. The mosaic walls, and spindled iron rods, all so intricate. So far in Europe a lot of the cathedrals have been similar, but the Sagrada Familia is so unique. It reminds me of the drip sand castles my family always makes on the beach. After loads of walking we spent an hour or so napping on the beach before making our way home. We stopped for dinner along the way and I have never been so happy to see a taco in my life. I ate roasted corn on the cob, nachos, and tacos. I have missed a little Spanish food in my diet. That night we headed up to Park Guell, which over looks all of Barcelona. The walls are covered in mosaic art work and spanish designs. I thought Florence was decently big, but after seeing these other cities I can't imagine having to trek across a city so big for class each day and to go to my friends apartments. Before heading to bed we lounged in our hostel with a large crown to watch the Barcelona futbol game. I had wanted to attend the game, but unfortunately the tickets I could actually afford were all sold out. I appreciated watching the game with people who actually care and are interested in the game. After sipping on some sangria we made our way to bed to prepare for our 5 am wake up call to head for the air port sunday morning.
A weekend well spent, with warm weather and great friends! I can't believe I only have a few weekends left before heading back to the states. As excited as I am to see my family and friends, I wish they could come to me. This weekend I am making some small trips including Cinque Terre, which I am so excited about! Thats all for now!
Always,
Sam
Always,
Sam