barcelona!

A rundown of my weekend in Barcelona:

Wednesday
Jess and I arrived in Barcelona around 11pm after a somewhat turbulent flight. Despite our efforts to travel from the airport to Olivia's using public transportation, we were forced into taking a cab after missing the closing of the metro by about ten minutes. It started to pour and we pulled up to Olivia's Residencia wet, tired, and feeling defeated. Although Olivia had warned us that space was limited and that she did not have much to offer in terms of bedding, the lack of mattress, pillows, and comforters made Jess and I homesick for Madrid. We ended up laying out the clothes that we had packed for the weekend on the floor and sharing one top sheet, very homeless. And cold. And uncomfortable.

Thursday
We woke up Thursday morning and walked down to the beach. There were all these kitties climbing around on the rocks and I got to put my toesies (aka tootsies if you're my mom) in the Mediterranean for the first time. We wandered around Barceloneta (the beach section), ate bananas from a fruit vendor and got cafe con leche before walking north towards the Picasso museum. On our way through "Barri Gotic" we ran into Iglesia de Maria del Mar which was beautiful. The Picasso Museum was amazing, they had a lot of little drawings and paintings that he did when he was really young and also had a special exhibit of all of the works that Picasso himself owned. We kept exploring afterwards and ended up in the courtyard of the "Catedral" where the weekly "Mercat Gotic", the antique market, was taking place. Tired from so much walking, we sat down and read for a bit before making our way back towards Olivia's.

the pretty water | cold toes in the Mediterranean!

inside Maria del Mar | courtyard of the Picasso Museum

dolls and other goodies at Mercat Gotic

beachy colors : )

Friday
We were excited to finally be reunited with Maya, Vera, Anoop, and Sophie. Jess and I dropped our bags in the hostel before meeting up with everyone. We decided to try to see all the major Gaudi things and started off with Casa Batllo, walked up Passeig de Gracia to La Pedrera, made our way across town to La Sagrada Familia (where we took a lift to the top of one of the towers and had to make our way down on a tiny spiral staircase), and then jumped on the metro and made the uphill trek to Park Guell. Drained physically and exhausted visually, we all took siestas back at the hostel. Although we probably should have gone to an authentic Barcelona restaurant, we instead gave into our mutual cravings for sushi and sangria which really hit the spot despite an alarming lack of edamame and spicy tuna rolls. Some of Anoop's friends who are studying in Barcelona took us all to a bar called Pippermint's. Their specialty is giant drinks (2 liter beers with 8 straws shoved in them) but the atmosphere was a bit too fratty for my liking (and the American frat boys that took up most of the place didn't help). After hanging out for a little we took cabs to Club Pacha where we danced until heading back to the hostel around 4:30.

Casa Batllo | La Pedrera

La Sagrada Familia | inside one of the towers (we went to the top!)

one of the facades of La Sagrada Familia | spiral staircase down!
(click to enlarge)

group shot!

entrance to Park Guell

inside the park

Casa Museu-Gaudi (pretty and pink!)

Saturday
We spent the majority of Saturday's daylight hours in bed but it was a much needed and well deserved rest. After lots of whining, yawning, and sloth-like movements Jess, Vera, Maya and I finally made our way to Las Ramblas. We slowly made our way down the activity-filled street (people in costumes, cuddly baby bunnies for only 12 euro, and shops and cafes) before ducking into the colorful Mercat Boqueria where we gawked at the colorful fruit and candy displays, held our breath through the fish section and picked up some amazing coconut-strawberry-kiwi juice. Towards the bottom of Las Ramblas we were transported into a fairy wonderland (a fairy themed cafe but still...) where we warmed up with tea. Energized from our caffeine boost, we climbed all over the lions at the foot of the Columbus statue and walked along the ports towards the Catedral. Sadly, the facade of the Catedral was under serious construction (seems to be a recurring theme in Barcelona) but the inside was still stunning. We grabbed some bocadillos and then had another little siesta session back at the hostel. Afterwards we made our way through the rain (!!) to Chupitos, a bar that has every type of shot imaginable. Jess and I started off with the "boy scout" (they give you a marshmallow that you roast in a fire that is lit on top of the bar before using it to chase the shot), Maya and Vera followed up with the Monica Lewisnky (and lived to tell the tale...), and we continued with a shot topped off with whipped cream and m&ms and another with a lolipop. Very yummy indeed.

tiny little bundles of bunny

inside Mercat Boqueria
fruit, huevos, candy, and flores

Fairy Wonderland | playing on the lions
(i spy a creeper...)

approaching the Catedral from the back | interior of the Catedral



candles inside the Catedral

pre-Boy Scout shot

Sunday
Jess and I woke up around 8 to pack and go to the airport for our flight at noon. The flight was smooth, I read "The Little Prince" for the first time, and we were happy to be back on Madrid soil. Barcelona was fun but Madrid definitely is my new home and I'm happy to be back!

bye bye Barcelona!
(ps i risked my life to take these)



good to be back :)