So a couple weekends ago, Ali and I went to Barcelona for Easter weekend. This trip was kinda on a whim…we originally planned to go to Germany for Easter to see all the cool castles but it was WAY to expensive….SO we decided on Barcelona. It was the best decision we had ever made! We sated with the family of a friend that I worked with out in Colorado the past few years. They were absolutely amazing and did so much for us! Jan, my friend from camp was still in the US but his sister, Xenia, was there. It was great to see her again! We met about four years ago when Jan and her stayed in Missouri with another friend.
To get to Barcelona, we had to fly RyanAir…lets just say that was an experience itself. It is a cheap European airline that is mainly used for students traveling abroad. We could only have one bag and it can’t be bigger than a backpack. There are also no seat numbers so it is first come first serve on the seats, which is quite interesting. I didn’t think everyone was going to fit but they manage to jam as many people on those flights as possible. It was fun though!
Once we arrived in Barcelona, Ariel, Xenia’s dad, picked us up and drove us to their house. It was late but he was so nice, he took us on the scenic route to their house which goes over a mountain and we could see all of Barcelona and its lights! It was beautiful! The family lives in a smaller town just over the mountain, called Valldoreix. It was a cute town with actual neighborhoods, something I haven’t seen in four months.
Our first day in Spain was definitely a packed one. We started off by the family letting us drive their car to the train station because that was how we got into Barcelona. It was so weird driving, I hadn’t at all since I was at home. But don’t worry, I did just fine! Once into the city we walked up and down the main street, La Rambla. It is a pedestrian street where they have all sorts of street vendors and performers all day long. It was quite entertaining! First we HAD to find a Starbuck for Ali, she was so excited because here in Italy they don’t have Starbucks. After our fix of caffeine and flavored coffee, we went to check out the Gothic District, which is the old part of the city. There, they have the Picasso Museum and the Barcelona Cathedral. Both were very cool!
We also walked all the way to Sagrada Familia, which is a giant church designed by Gaudi, a famous Spanish architect. The church actually isn’t even finished yet. I would explain it to you but I think a picture will be better. For lunch we HAD to go to the Hard Rock just because we hadn’t been around any sort of American food in the past four months and all we wanted was a cheeseburger! After, we just walked around La Rambla some more before heading back to the house. That night we went out to eat with Ariel, Susanna (the mom) and grandpa, who spoke hardly any English! It was so fun to actually be with a family from there and be able to experience how they live there! At dinner we had all sorts of delicious Tapas, which are sorta like finger food. I think our first day was one of my favorites!
Sagrada Familia
The next day, we got to hang out with Xenia all day which was SO fun! She was such a fun girl and she taught us a lot about the city! That day it was Catalan’s holiday “St. Jordi” which is kind of like our Valentine’s day. As tradition goes, the men give the women roses and the women give the men a book. There is a long story to why they give these things but I will leave that out! Anyway, Ali and I were given three different roses that day, one from the dad, one from the grandpa, and one at the FC BARCELONA GAME!!! I will get to that in a minute. So, that day Xenia’s grandpa drove us into town. We started out with checking out La Rambla again and the giant central market where we got fresh smoothies! Next we headed up to Montjuic, which is an old fortress on the top of a mountain next to the coats. The views were unbelievable! There, we also walked to the 1992 Olympic stadium, which was SO cool! There, the family picked us up and we went to the beach where we had paella for lunch! It was yummy! By this time we were exhausted and stuffed so we headed back and rested before our big night at the soccer game! Somehow, we got FRONT ROW tickets to the game and it was absolutely amazing! Defiantly one of my top experiences here in Europe, of course after paragliding over the Swiss Alps. ;)
At Montjuic with Xenia!
Parque Guell
Our last day was great but the past two days had definitely worn us out. We took the train again and then hiked up to Parque Guell, which is also designed by Gaudi. It was so cool, tons of people and the architecture was so interesting!
By far, this trip is at the top of favorite places I have been while studying here, which says a lot because I have traveled a ton! I love Italy but Spain is definitely a place I want to visit again someday! And Jan and Xenia’s family we absolutely so great! They defiantly made the trip worthwhile!
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