Barcelona!!!

---

Super easy to get from the airport to my hostel Black Swan. I almost did not book there because of the name, but it had some of the best reviews. These reviews were well-founded and I ended up leaving one of my own. I loved the staff, the prime location, and the facilities were super-cute and newly renovated. Did I mention it was a bargain price, too? :D

It was here that I learned where Algeria was located in Africa—the northwest, as well as the fact that it is the largest African country. Maybe you already knew that, but I am learning so much about geography while I’m meeting people from all over at these hostels. Hostel was amazing and met 2 basketball players from US that are Pros in Spain.

Forget what ya heard bout all them other European Christmas markets—Barcelona xmas lights are unmatched (though Lisbon was a close second, see next post).

As soon as I arrived at the Barcelona social club I was referred to, I met a young man from Sitges named Zo. He has actually been to Fort Collins once, about 10 years ago, so that was neat. A good friend from Kansas had recommended I visit Sitges while in Barcelona, if possible. He said that in the 70’s when he visited, it was a great little beach community and very free-spirited. Zo confirmed this was still the case, then gave me his cell number and the directions to he and his girlfriend's place in Sitges from the Barcelona train station.

Paella night! :D This was my first time trying the dish and it was awesome! I oculd go without the lil baby octopus, squid things, though.

Christmas Eve we all went on a pub crawl and ended up at a club called Jamboree. Here, I got a hard-core concussion, which hurt and sucks due to the long-term implications, but also, that night my phone was pickpocketed from my back pocket. Barcelona is STILL THE BEST PLACE!!!

Christmas day I was out of it from the concussion, but a group of us walked down to the beach, about a 10 minute walk, and basked in the clear, sunny skyscape. One dude from Belgium even stripped down to his shorts and went for a short swim. He said it was cold, but no unbearable once you were all in. None of us risked it. Later that night we watched The Interview with people from all over the world and we were all laughing at the same parts :D

The day after xmas, I walked throughout the city listening to my headphones when Gogol Bordello came on and it was fitting for sure. I usually do not wear headphones when in a new city- I prefer to enjoy the full sensory experience and hear the local sounds. But this was a different kind of day for me head :P (ps. a friend lives off Gogol utca here in BP! Just found out this weekend).

I visited the Sagrada Familia Church, which has been under construction for over 100 years. It was cool to see the layers of construction styles as methods have changed over time. That night, a girl from the hostel and I went out on the town looking for tapas and drinks. We found a few cool spots and fell in love with tapas right away.

The next day, I ran into Zo again-- not at all planned, and he offered to buy my train ticket to Sitges because he thought I really would love to see it, but I just promised to buy my ticket and come down the next day. What are the odds of meeting a guy from the town that was recommended, who is willing to host me with his girlfriend and their two dog for a day in their city- and I run into him twice! It was meant to be that I went to Sitges. Turned out to be a beautiful, quaint city that certainly does inspire you to tell your friends, ‘Hey, check this place out, it’s fantastic!’ My one word review for this city: WOW. I highly recommend Barcelona and this quick affordable afternoon trip to Sitges, a secret gem along the Mediterranean coast.

When I returned to the hostel one evening to find one of the staff asking everyone how they would like their steak cooked. Apparently, he wanted to share his abundance of food with everyone and spent the next 3-4 hours cooking steak chunks and fried potatoes for over 40 people. I don't eat a lot of meat, but this guy was a hero to me after a day of chilling in Sitges and working up an appetite 😉

I WANT TO LIVE HERE!! :D ANYWHERE IN THIS COUNTRY! :D

---