Barcelona (part 2) & Sicily

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Hey everyone! I know it has been a little while since I have blogged, but I have been super busy. I just flew back to Rome this morning from Catania, Sicily. But before I get to that, I want to finish writing about the rest of the time I spent with my Dad in Barcelona. After our first day, we decided to start our second day off at La Sagrada Familia, an amazing cathedral designed by Gaudí. Luckily we were able to take a tour and skip the 3 hour line, and got a great view of the inside. It is a huge church, with some of the highest ceilings I have seen in any in Europe. It was very interesting to me because it was a modern example of the tradition of constructing major cathedrals and churches in Europe. The style was also extremely distinct from all others, with uniquely shaped stained glass and narrow supports. From there, we took a taxi to an amazing viewpoint of Barcelona. Barcelona is a huge city with an extremely busy port, and it was awesome to see all of this from above. Nearby, we visited the Castillo de Montjuich which was a fortification defending the city atop this large hill. It was obviously located in an extremely strategic position, having a view over the city and all of the surrounding ocean. A little further down the hill is the Barcelona Olympic Stadium, which hosted the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. It was smaller than I would have imagined, but nevertheless a great place to visit. On our way back, we stumbled upon Barcelona's largest open market (which my Dad had wanted to visit). It was so cool to see all of the fresh fruits and vegetables, and stands selling chocolates and other desserts. At the same time, it was a little gross to see some of the skinned goat heads, and live seafood and shellfish that was being sold. There is no doubt that this market was authentic! The next day, we had more of a relaxing day and visited the famous La Barceloneta beach. It was a really cool beach, and I totally want to come back to it during summer. My Dad and I flew back to Rome on Sunday, and on Monday he was able to come see my school and meet my friends. I was really happy for him to come. Halloween was also celebrated here at school. I dressed up as Aladdin and had a great time with my friends. On Saturday morning, I took my first trip by myself. That morning I flew on kind of a dumpy Italian airline called Meridiana to Catania. Hey, it was worth it for what I paid! Sicily from the beginning struck me as completely different from the rest of Italy. It is definitely much warmer, more of a tropical climate, and also much less developed. Catania is a city of about 200,000 people, and is a very laid-back place. I was able to get a 4 star hotel for a very cheap rate (due to no tourists being around) and I went immediately to check in. The rest of the day, I was able to walk the entire main area of the city. I saw a few of the various gothic churches and Roman ruins scattered throughout the city. The duomo is by far the biggest of the city. The ruins can't compare to anything you would see for example in the Roman Forum, but still were very interesting. That night I enjoyed a nice meal, and called it an early night to get up early the next morning. The next morning, I had intended to wake up early and go to Siracusa to visit some of Sicily's famous Ancient Greek ruins. I woke up and walked all the way to the ticket station, and bought my tickets. Unfortunately, things can't always go as planned while traveling. Right next to each other, there are 3 bus depots in Catania. I knew I had tickets for the 10:30am bus, but when 10:25 came around and there was no bus, I knew I was in the wrong place. With no English speaker to help me, I assumed waiting at the depot right next to the ticket office would be a good idea. Unfortunately, the bus was leaving from a non-visible, walled bus station across the street. Only as the bus was driving off at around 10:32 as I was running up to it did I fully realize that. So, I decided to wait for the 11:30 bus that was posted on the schedule, which never showed up. I tried my best in broken Italian to figure out the schedule. One bus driver claimed it was coming on Sunday, while another didn't. By the time 12:30 rolled around, I realized no bus was coming for a long time and I was tired and sick of waiting. Plus, I would only have about 2 hours to visit the ruins (if the buses had actually run on time by that point). I decided to play it safe, and use the day to rest. I have been so tired from all of the traveling and school, so I needed it. I spent the day walking around, eating, and napping of course. Then this morning, I woke up at 5am to catch my flight. Got back here this morning, and now just finished up some homework before class. Time is flying and I am super busy! I have to say, I am reaching the point where I am definitely getting ready to head home. I miss everything about it! But until then, I still have a few more weeks to enjoy. Wednesday I am heading to Sardinia, and thursday night I am flying out to Paris! I will write again soon this week. Thanks for reading...!

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Comments

[Aunt Maryann]

great travels!
I'm so happy that you are having such a great time. Terrific that your Dad could visit. Barcelona is really a fun city.

[Chris Colarusso]

Barcelona
Yes! Barcelona was very very fun... totally different atmosphere than most of Europe!