La Dolce Vita: Barcelona

Our last stop for the 10 day trip was Barcelona. We found our hostel, HelloBCN, which I definitely recommend- although the accommodations weren't superb the location was great and they had activities offered for the day and night to facilitate your sightseeing in Barcelona. Since it was still daylight, we walked down to the pier and to the beach. Having lived by the ocean for about half my life, it was great to finally stick my toes in the sand again. I'll admit I definitely prefer sandy beaches to the stone beaches in Nice. I got a Belgian waffle on the boardwalk with fruit on top, it was delicious!

We walked back to the hostel to take a nap before going out. The hostel arranged to take us to a bar and then club for the night. At the first bar we went to I had a man tell me I was "more beautiful than his dog", which he had with him in the bar (for some reason people are allowed to bring their dogs everywhere in Europe). I couldn't help but to laugh and look confused, it wasn't the most flattering compliment I've ever received. We went to Club Opium later in the night, and I absolutely loved this club, the music was great and it wasn't super crowded and smoky like usual. Also with the hostel we got free entry, great since the money is currently draining out of my account. We stayed out till about 4:30, pretty early for the locals but that was definitely as late as I could last.

In the Las Ramblas area we happened to run into one of Neil's friends whose studying abroad in Barcelona and he offered to take us around the next day. We took the funicular's to the top of the mountain and started the Castle de Montjuic. From the top we had an amazing view of the port and ocean. We started the descent back down to the city and on the way we got to see the Olympic Stadium and the facility they built for the Olympic swimming events. We passed the Museum of Catalonia Art and then took the tram to the Gothic Quarter. After lunch, I went to see La Sagrada Familia, and this was absolutely incredible. I would have to say the Sagrada and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome are my two favorite sights in Europe. A little background on the Sagrada Familia- it is a large Roman Catholic church designed by Gaudi. Construction began shortly before his death in 1926, and at the time of his death only a quarter of the project was complete, then all construction was halted by the Spanish Civil War until the 1950s. Today, some of the greatest building challenges remain and completion date is expected to be 2026. It was fantastic to see the eclectic mix of design styles resulting from its construction over many decades. The spiral staircases and stained glass windows on the inside were astonishing. The altar was unlike any I've see in the many Catholic churches I've been to. It's fascinating to see the transition to modern styles in the Church construction. When in Barcelona, if you are to see one thing, you MUST see La Sagrada Familia. After leaving the church I walked outside and stood across the street, trying to enjoy the Sagrada before I left. But of course, I was interrupted when a guy came up to me and asked, "Are you a masterpiece?". I asked him what he said because I didn't hear him at first, and he goes, you are a masterpiece like that (pointing to the church). Well, so much for trying to quietly enjoy myself. I took the tram to Passeig de Garcia after wards, this is a great place if you want to do any shopping.

For dinner we went to a tapas bar and got Sangria. The tapas were great and surprisingly filling, something you definitely need to try while in Spain. After wards we went out for our last night in Barcelona. We started at a club called Shoko, and I don't recommend it at all. The age group seemed closer to my parents age...which was weird...and the club was incredibly smoky. I was definitely ready to go back to Riva the next morning, I had a hard time keeping up with the Barcelona nightlife by the end haha.

I had a fabulous time in Barcelona and I want to return some day because I know there was so much I didn't have the time to see during my stay. Now back in Riva, we're finishing our last business info technology course, international operations. Aside from studying I've been packing up and getting ready to leave, it's hard to believe my time here is almost up!