Beautiful Barcelona

Friday, July 12, 2013

Today I woke up at 5:30 AM to finish getting ready for BARCELONA!!  We got on the bus and left at 6:10.  I sat next to Laura.  We got to our first rest stop at 8:35 and left at 9:00.  I tried to fall asleep on the bus but it was hard to stay asleep.  We got to the next rest stop at 11:45 and left at 12:45.  We got to the Hotel around 3:00.  We are staying at Ayre Hotel Caspe.  It is really nice.  Our room number is 121.  My roommate is Rose.  We have AC, weefee and a normal shower!!  It is so great we even have some English tv channels.

After we settled in we went to grab a quick lunch.  We started our optional walking tour around 5:20.  Vanessa and Alejandro led the walking tour.  First we went to Cataluyna Square where there was a beautiful water fountain.  Next we walked to Las Ramblas, which I absolutely loved.  It was a long street with no cars that had food, vendors, street performers and shops.  They had all kinds of food, all sorts of souvenirs and local crafts.  By the end of the strip there was a huge outside food market called Mercado de la Boqueria.  There were fresh fruits, candy, meat and fish vendors and so much more!  Next we walked into Placa Reial (that’s how they pronounce and spell it in Catalan).  At the end of Las Ramblas is the Monument of Christopher Columbus.  At the top he is pointing to the port.  Next we walked to the waterfront called Rambla de Mar on the Old Port.  There were many boats and further down tons of cruise ships.  Here one of the girls from the group almost got pick pocketed by a gypsie using her scarf as a cover-up.  Thankfully she noticed and grabbed the ladies wrists.  Next we walked to Parc de la Ciutadella.  It was so beautiful and there was this huge fountain.  We were all joking that it is the perfect wedding spot.

We got back around 9:00 and a bunch of us went to a Mexican restaurant.  We showered and got ready to go out.  About 25 of us went to Opium Night Club.  It was free entrance before 1:00 so we got there at 12:00ish.  There were about 8 nightclubs that were all right on the beach.  It was so cool!  We had no problem getting in.  It was so big inside and we had such a great time!!  I had a rum and coke that was 12 euro and I almost died when I paid so that was my only one.  We danced and the music was great.  We left around 2:00 because we had to get up early the next day.

I am so excited to finally be in Barcelona!!  I have been looking forward to this mini getaway for so long!  It is nice to get out of the dorm and get away from all of the classes and homework.

It is also interesting to listen and read Catalan.  It is a dialect that they speak in Barcelona.  It is sometimes hard to read signs because the words are completely different.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Today I woke up at 8:30.  Breakfast in the only meal we get for free so we made sure we filled up.  It was actually really good.  We met in the lobby at 10:00 to start our bus / walking tour.  We had a tour guide, which was really nice.

Our first stop was to see La Sagrada Familia, which is the Church of the Holy Family.  It was only a 3-minute drive from our Hotel.  It has been under construction for many years and will only be complete if they get enough donations.  Gaudí devoted many years to the project.  It is absolutely beautiful and so massive.

Next we drove down a Diagonal Avenue, which is 13 KM long.  The streets are so interesting because there are no corners.  Instead there are octangonal streets because all of the buildings are squares.  Next we went to Montjuïc Hill which had a beautiful view of Barcelona.  After we drove by the Christopher Columbus Monument again that we saw the night before.

After that we went to the Old Quarter and saw Kings Square, Archivo de la Corona de Aragón that holds important archives and Cathedral Square.  We also saw the oldest store which is now a candle shop.  They were all so beautiful.

After we drove to Park Güell.  I absolutely loved this park.  The architecture and all of the mosaics were amazing.  Guadí designed it.  There were so many people there but I took as many pictures as I could.

After we were all starving and all went to a buffet.  It was a salad and grill buffet so it was good.  We got back to the Hotel around 4:00.

From 4:00 to 5:00 I uploaded pictures and updated my blog in the lobby.  This hotel is so cool and trendy.  I love it!

After I took a siesta and at 7:30 a group of us met in the lobby to go back to Las Ramblas.  On our way there we stopped in some shops to look around.  Laura and I got so excited when we saw a chocolate shop.  They were so nice in there and gave us samples of chocolate and a milkshake.  It was so yummy and the chocolate was made in Spain!  We walked down Las Ramblas and I bought some presents and souvenirs from the local stands.  I like to try and support the local people because they make everything themselves and it is authentic.

Next Laura and I split from the group to get dinner.  We went down a side alley and found this amazing restaurant.  We had sangria and four different types of tapas.  It was soooo delish!  We spent hours there.  We left and got back to the hotel around 1:00.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Today I slept in a little and woke up at 10:00.  We went to breakfast and then met in the lobby at 11:30.  We took taxis to the Olympic Stadium.  This stadium was used for the 1992 Olympics.  The stadium was so big!  They were setting up for the 2013 world aquatics swimming competition so it was crowded.

Next we took a taxi back to the Christopher Columbus Monument and walked around to find food at Las Ramblas.  We got pizza and I ended up grabbing a few more things on the street.  Next we walked to the beach and stayed until 5:00.  We took another taxi back because it was too far to walk.  The taxis are really cheap here and split between four people it is cheap.  I had dinner in the hotel because it wasn’t expensive at all at 6:30.

At 8:45 we met in the lobby to meet Vanessa so she could take us to the light show.  The walk was a little under an hour.  You had to pay to use the elevator to go to the top to watch the show but we didn’t want to do that.  We went into the mall and took the escalators all the way to the top for free instead.  It was so cool.  Lights were being projected onto a huge water fountain with music playing in the background.  After, we headed down and walked to the fountain.  It was amazing.  You could feel the water during some parts because the water was so high.  After the show Grace and I took a taxi back to the hotel.  I finished packing and went to bed.

I had such an amazing time in Barcelona and can’t believe we are leaving tomorrow.  I wish we could stay longer.  I love it here and there is so much more to see and do!  We tried to do so much in so little time.  One day I will be back here!!