Barcelona, Spain

After an exhausting couple of days in London, we arrived in Barcelona late Tuesday evening. Since we were all so tired, we went straight to bed...or at least we tried to get to bed! :)

Wednesday, May 29th

We awoke bright and early so that we could purchase our Barcelona Card - which gave us access to various forms of public transportation and discounts to museums and other attractions. Then we went ahead and explored the beautiful city! Walking down La Rambla - which is basically Main Street for tourists - we took in all of the beautiful architecture and small shops all around us. While walking, we stumbled across a farmer's market...which was huge! There was fresh fruit and vegetables, candy, all kinds of fresh meat, fresh cheese, and basically anything you can think of! Honestly, it kind of grossed me out seeing all of the meat and fish - some still had their teeth and eyes! Since it was interesting, we decided to eat our lunch there. Since there was no way I was going to eat the fish or meat, I enjoyed a nice little rice dish with vegetables in it.

Beautiful Barcelona!

The Barcelona Market

After the market, we walked down to the port and sat by the water for a while. It was a beautiful day! The sun was shining and the temperature was perfect! Since we were all still a bit exhausted, we decided it would be perfect to participate in a siesta since we are in Spain! We napped a little longer than expected - but that's okay. When we awoke, we got ready for a nice city dinner. We decided to head back near the port to eat our dinner. Along the way, a manager stopped us and asked us to eat at his restaurant. We talked for a bit before agreeing to eat at his place - and since we said yes, he said he'd give us a nice surprise. So we ate a nice meal, and when we were finished, the manager gave us some free champagne!

Barcelona Port

The Port!

After dinner, we stopped by the beach for a bit before heading to our hostel to sleep and prepare for another fun day in the city!

Thursday, May 30th

Today we took a free walking tour of the city. It was so neat to learn about the history behind Barcelona and the architecture! During the tour, we met two Americans who had just graduated from The Ohio State University - and one was even a FIJI! It was so neat to meet a brother overseas. We all became friendly and decided to head up to the Barcelona castle together. The view of the city was breathtaking from the top of the castle! After walking basically all day, we decided to head back to the market to cook our own meal for dinner. We enjoyed a cheap and homemade meal of grilled vegetables and potatoes - with some fresh fruit and wine - on the hostel's patio. It was a fantastic way to end night number two.

Friday, May 31st

Being our last day in Barcelona, we decided to continue sightseeing. We hiked up Park Guell - which architect Gaudi created this beautiful mosaic park. We did a lot of hiking up steps and hills before finally reaching what seemed like the top of Barcelona. Again, we had beautiful views of the city, and took it all in. After Park Guell, we made our way to Sagrada Familia - which is larger than imaginable! The church is stunning and absolutely breathtaking! There is so much detail and artwork that it's hard to take it all in.

Sagrada Familia

After sightseeing for the majority of the day, we prepared for our cocktail class available through our hostel. The class was so much fun and we all learned how to make a few cocktails like a professional!