To Be in Barcelona

Barcelona, for me, was more of a relaxed section of break. However, that does not mean that I did nothing at all. It was a shorter stay by far, but the company was good and the sights were there for our viewing. I stayed in two different hostels, the first of which was not very good. But, I only stayed there one night and then I moved on to the next to find myself coincidentally in the same room as my two friends. We spent a good few days in Barcelona.

Barcelona (Sparknotes version) ;) :

Day 0: Arrived. It was nighttime, so I basically took the metro to the hostel, checked in, did a bit of online chatting, and went to bed.

Day 1: Arrived at the new hostel, checked in and sat updating and uploading pictures all day. Not too exciting, but like I said, this was the more relaxing bit of my travelling.

Day 2: We took the free walking tour of the city. We got to see the old Roman walls, view the Cathedral (which is still being built on the outside), view the governmental houses, and hear a lot of history about the city itself. Following the tour, we continued on to the Picasso Museum. We tried to take advantage of every possible money saving opportunity and it just so happened that this museum was free on that day.

Day 3: Working our way down towards the sea, we made our way to the Maritime Museum. We saw submarines, model ships, parts from ships, a real ship, and some of the first scuba gear. It was pretty interesting. Its funny though when you travel without people you know really well from home because you find yourself thinking, "Oh, so-and-so would really like this museum." Not something you really get used to I don't think. Afterwards, we carried on to the Columbus Monument. We posed with the lions and then made our way through the city back towards the Modern Art Museum. I'm not sure we quite knew what to expect with this museum, but it was . . . interesting to say the least.

Day 4: Day 4 introduced possibly our favorite museum that we went to in Barcelona: Mus. d'Historia Ciutat, or the History of the City. The ancient Roman city was on display in a covered, slightly underground building. It was incredible. The amount of history in one place is staggering. Even though you are on a raised surface a few feet above the actual city, you can see where the people made wine, where they walked, and where they washed clothes. I think being a part of something like that, even if its only visiting for a while, makes a huge impression on the mind. To continue our day, we headed off to the Palau de la Musica. Its a music hall that is pretty reknown. The accoustics are phenominal and sitting in the hall, you just wonder what it would feel like to perform on that stage. We got a tour of the building, and we got to hear the organ play. We also were able to admire the architecture. We continued on to the Jewish Synagogue, thought to be one of the oldest synagogues in Europe. It was fairly small, but there was a lot of history in that small space. To end the day, we attended the Three Kings Parade. I'd never been to a parade at night before and it was pretty spectacular. There were lots of lights and the Three Kings made their appearance, and there were real camels! I couldn't believe how many they had, or that there were even real camels in the parade at all! The things you see when you travel.

Day 5: Gaudi. One of Barcelona's famous architects. Possibly the orgin of the word gaudy (though not likely). But, in being a beloved citizen of Barcelona, of course his touch is going to be all over. So, we devoted the morning of Day 5 to Gaudi's handiworks. First, we saw Sagrada Familia, a church which Gaudi originally designed, but they are still building it even though Gaudi is now dead. We then saw an apartment building of his design and then headed over to Casa Batllo. Its a large house that can be toured. It did cost quite a bit, but it was well worth it. Its Gaudi at his best. After Gaudi, we made our way to the Gaudi Park and then onwards and upwards, literally. We climbed a mountain. The view from the top was breath-taking. We got to the top just as the sun was beginning to set. That meant that it was getting dark as we made our way back down the mountain, which was a beautiful view as well. The surprise of the day was that on the way back down the mountain we saw a wild pig. It was really big and covered in fur. It was a bit nerve-wracking, because you never know how a wild animal will react, but it passed calmly and we continued on.

Day 6: I stayed in this day. I collected my thoughts, began packing and organizing, and relaxed.
Later we went out to dinner at a Spanish Vegan Restuarant. It was a really nice change after only eating pasta and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a week.

Day 7: Packed the rest and headed out to the airport. THe view out the airport window was spectacular. There were snow-capped mountains in the near distance and the sun was shining through the clouds. Waiting for the plane ride home wasn't bad. It was odd to me how much I missed being in Plymouth. Maybe more missing my friends here, but it was just weird how I was ready to come back.

However, all in all, I'd say Barcelona was a very good installment to my travels! :)