The Visits

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Since we have to be out of our hostel at around 9 to make our flight tomorrow, today was really our last hurrah in Barcelona. As such, we took advantage of an unplanned day and did everything else we wanted to do. We started by heading to Park Guell, which was a huge nature area that was supposed to be turned into a green residential development. It failed, but ended up as a huge nature park, and the estate that Gaudí designed for it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We also had entrance to Gaudí's house that he lived in for a chunk of his life on the Park property, which has been turned into a museum. It was relatively simple, but there were some cool things in there, especially the furniture that he designed for some of his projects.



After that, we headed to the Gothic Quarter, where we planned to go to the Picasso museum. However, there was a long line, so I headed off to look for internet so I could book tickets online and skip the wait. During my search, I heard a pair of flip flops stomp on the ground and stop. I looked up, and my best friend from freshman year was standing about 20 yards from me, calling my name (disclaimer: we did know that each other were in Barcelona, and we were planning to meet up for dinner, but we didn't plan to meet up at 2 in the afternoon). It was one of the most theatrical, squealing, hugging reunions I've ever been involved with. Worth it.



Emma -- my friend from freshman year -- came with Samii and I to the museum, which had a decent collection, and of course was almost entirely by Picasso. Unfortunately, pictures were forbidden, so I'll have to suggest that you all come and visit it yourself. On the walk home, we headed along La Rambla, which is one of the main streets of barcelona, lined with shops and stalls. There's also a HUGE food market off of it, which we stopped in and got empanadas at, and she showed us a place that does candy making demonstrations. Samii and I then headed back so that I could send in my second essay and finish a few school and email things. I then went for a run, which was a huge mistake, given the heat, humidity, and crowding in this city.



We met up with Emma again for dinner, who took us to a bar where they were playing the Madrid-Sevilla football (soccer) game. Ronaldo scored twice for Madrid. Barcelona fans weren't thrilled. Shocker. On the flip side, we got one of the few foods that we hadn't tried yet: spanish prosciutto, which was a fantastic dinner choice. Unfortunately, Emma is heading off to Madrid tomorrow, so we split up at the end of the night. But tomorrow, Samii and I head off to another adventure in Rome!

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