I was soooo excited to see Sara again. We have become great travel buddies :) In case you don't remember, Sara was one of the girls that originally studied with me in Granada in 2006, and I also visited her in Calatayud at the beginning of the program. So this time we met in Barcelona along with her two roommates, Emily and Karli. Barcelona is HUGE. There is lots to see and do, and considering it was Semana Santa this week, there were LOADS of people there during the weekend.
I was disappointed to find out (after my unfortunate incident in Berlin), that there were yet again no way to lock up our things in our hostal. At least this time there were lockers, although there were no locks on them. So first things first, I went searching for a store that would sell me a lock. Not wanting to leave my things unattended, I lugged everything with me up this six story building (of course the locks and other hardware were on the top floor) and finally found a lock that would work. But it was all worth it in the end; at least I could be sure that I wouldn't get my things stolen this time :)
So that first night we went to a tapas bar with a really original name: La Cervecería... heehee. The tapas were really good though. The restaurant was really full so the waiter asked us if we minded sharing a table with three Italian guys. We soon came to find out that these Italians spoke no Spanish nor English, so we spent the rest of dinner trying to get our point across in three different languages. It was hilarious, and I was really surprised how much we were able to communicate with them! Quite the experience, and a great way to start off our trip.
It was Emily's birthday the first night we got there. After dinner, Sara and I met up with the others and decided to go to a local Irish Pub to celebrate. Emily knew one of the workers there, and he gave us a deal on a few drinks. We also brought along two guys from New York that the other girls had met on the first leg of their trip in Cadiz and Sevilla. It just so happened that these two were planning on going to Barcelona too, so they had planned to meet up with them. We hung out there for a while and then decided to move locations. Karli knew of this underground bar that looked like it was built in a cave... It was soooo cool inside. They were known for their sidra (hard apple cider), and rightfully so, because it was delicious. There's a mime standing at the entrance that tells you to be silent when entering, but as you get further and further into the bar you find that the silence doesn't last long :)
The next day we did lots of touristy stuff. We went to the cathedral first. Then we went to visit the Sagrada Familia (one of Gaudí's most famous buildings), and we walked along Las Ramblas (the main avenues there). La Sagrada Familia was amazing. It was soooo elaborate. It's a shame that it has been under construction for so long, but its no wonder why because it is such a big job to finish and no one seems to know how now that Gaudí isn't around to help. We wanted to take a tour of the inside, but there was at least an hour and a half wait! We thought we'd pass and go do other things instead.
So we grabbed some snacks and headed for the park. We met up with the others, talked, and climbed trees. It was a perfect day to people watch in the park.
Later we decided we would all meet up to explore Montjuïc and its castle. Montjuïc really stands for "Mountain of the Jewish people", whereas many Jewish people as well as those who were against Franco's regime were held there.... and many were executed. We got to the top and entered into the castle/fortress. It was really interesting. You could tell why the location was chosen for such a place, as it was very secluded and had a view of the entire city. We climbed onto some of the old cannons to get an even better view....
After Montjuïc we went in search for what was apparently the "best kebab in the world" (according to Karli)... and wow it waaaas delicious. I got this Adana Kebab plate that had this spicy mystery meat on skewers. It was really tasty. We decided to call it a night after dinner (we ate at like 11), because we were tired from the full day of walking.
On Saturday Sara and I went to Parc Güell, an entire park designed by Gaudí. His work is simply amazing. I was impressed with all the detail in the mosaics that lined the benches in the main square, and the buildings were no less impressive. Sara and I brought a picnic and some cards and found a park bench to play. Hadn't played gin rummy in a while... not a really common Spanish game :)
On Sunday we went to a labyrinth hidden in a park! It was sooo fun. I couldn't help but think that there were going to be creatures popping out at me like in the movie though... heehe. The place was gorgeous, although unfortunately it had rained the night before and so the paths were all muddy and full of puddles. But oh well, a little mud never hurt anyone. The experience was well worth it.
Barcelona is definitely a place to see. I would recommend it to everyone. Unfortunately, our trip had to come to an end. On Monday I had a flight that left at 7 am... so I had to get up at 4:30! And now I'm back in good ol' Palma...
