Modernity- Barcelona

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This is about a week late. Last week was a rough week school-wise. Tests, quizzes, and papers- oh my. I don't understand why. I didn't come to Italy to study, and anyone who thinks so is a nut job. I am again thankful for my handy dandy travel journal.

Spain began with McDonalds. McFlurry's and fries are the perfect travel companion- even if my ass has been jiggling since I've been to Barcelona. Whatever. First order of business after checking into hostel, was finding sangria. Sangria is soo much better than wine! Also, ordering in Spanish is so much easier for me than ordering ini Italian. Apparently, Spanish hasn't failed me as much as I thought it had. Or maybe I haven't failed Spanish, whatever...

After that, we went to La Rambla which is the big stretch with all the bars and clubs etc. Barcelona isn't a very safe city theft wise. They love American passports and wallets, so whenever we were walking, I was looking for the guy who wanted my wallet. Drinking in the streets is legal in Barcelona too. These guys will buy a 6 pack of beer, and walk around selling the beers for a euro. Then, they'll try to take your wallet, if you're not smart. Our plane had gotten in late, and we waited to meet our friend who's plane was delayed. So, by the time we got out to La Rambla, everything was closing which totally shocked me because I was under the impression that Barcelona bars never closed. I was wrong. All the same, we arrived home to our hostel at an appropriately late hour.

The next day, we got up, had breakfast (Dunkin Donuts, no they did not have milky way hot chocolate, but they did have hash browns, but no ketchup- wtf?). We then went to the Picasso Museum. He hung around Barcelona a lot, especially when he was young. The museum had a ton of his really really early stuff, like things he drew and painted when he was 10 years old. It was really neat to see his skill develop, especially when it came to drawing portraits and people. Picasso had a lot of skill that I didn't realize he had. I'm just so used to his stuff looking like an acid trip. I mean, I did know that he had a lot of talent, especially with the meninas and things like Guernica. But, my point is, I think he still would have been the famous Picasso even if he stuck to painting just portraits and that kind of thing.

After that, we went to the beach. It was too cold to go in the water, or really go anywhere on the sand. But we sat in the sun on this wall and just kind of chilled out. It was so relaxing. A lot of kids here at the JFRC have gone to Barcelona, and not gone to see any of culture that Barcelona has to offer. They said that they would hang out on the beach during the day, and go out at night. I thought that sounded like a waste of a trip. But sitting there on that wall, I completely understood. After that and lunch (some of the best chicken and potatoes I've ever had in my entire life), we walked around trying to accomplish seeing sights, but the cathedral we went to was under construction- LAME! So, we shopped. Barcelona had really decently priced shopping which was awesome since Rome is rather expensive. That night, we headed out to the Barcelona night life. It was a fun time. The three girls I traveled with were blonde, so they garnered all the males' attention which I was thankful for.

The next day was Gaudi day. He is probably my new favorite person. Do yourself a favor and google him. We went and saw his apartment building (La Perdera), his park (Park Guell), and his cathedral (La Sagrada Familia). All of his architecture is based off of things found in nature, and he likes to play around with light. Park Guell was my favorite part of Barcelona. At the entrance, they had 2 houses that looked like gingerbread houses. It had a beautiful fountain with a mosaic lizard- weird to picture, but cool to see. His temple has been under construction for almost 130 years. It has or will have 12 towers symbolizing the 12 apostles. We took a lift up into one of the towers, and it was soo neat. Coming down was kind of rough, winding staircases in the dark. My descriptions can't really do Gaudi justice. The best I can do is offer my pictures. That night we had our final Spanish dinner which was AMAZING! And cheap! The next day, we were up at 4:45 to catch our 6:50 flight.

So, that's Barcelona- the first really modern European city I have been to. It was great! My Vienna blog will be coming up soon.

Love to all!

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