DAY 1
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of last
week was spent in Barcelona Spain. Ellaisha, Renata, Marta, Beka and I all
stayed at Marta's house a half hour outside of the city. After a long day of
travelling we arrived at Marta's house around 2pm. Everyone was tired and
feeling lazy so we stayed in for a few hours and had a homemade lunch made for
us by Marta's parents. We took the train into Barcelona and walked through
Las Ramblas, and other areas of the city. We began to look for a nice place to
have dinner (preferably one with good tapas and paella). Most of the places we
found were really expensive so we ended up eating at a touristy restaurant on
Las Ramblas with a good deal. The tapas were less than exciting but the paella
was good. Afterwards we took the train back to Marta’s house exhausted from
such a long day.
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| Choosing a Restaurant |
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| Paella |
DAY 2
On our second day in Barcelona we got
started a little later than we hoped, but it can be hard to get 5 girls
showered and ready at a decent time. Once we arrived in Barcelona we went to
visit Park Guell, only to find out we need to buy tickets and use them at 4pm.
So we bought our tickets and went in search of lunch. We ate at an Italian
restaurant and then walked around an older area of the city eating ice cream. Afterwards
we headed back to the park and spent a couple hours exploring Gaudi’s beautiful
architecture. Afterwards we went back to Las Ramblas because April 23 was Sant
Jordi’s Day in Cataluña. (otherwise known as the rose and book festival) The
festival is based on a myth from the 15th century. A dragon poisoned
the air of a village and to appease him (and prevent him from hurting the
people) each day the villagers sacrificed an animal to him. When they ran out
of animals they began to sacrifice one person each day by a random draw. One
day the princess of the country was chosen to be fed to the dragon. George
saved her by killing the dragon. From its blood red roses began to grow. Therefore on this day each year lovers trade
roses and books. That night we ate a late dinner at Marta’s house of salad and
fish.
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| Park Guell |
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| Park Guell |
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| La Sagrada Familia |
DAY 3
On our third and last day we visited the
Sagrada Familia (another building by Gaudi, which was never quite finished
before he died). Afterwards we took the metro to find a restaurant recommended
by Marta’s parents. The tapas were great and one of our meals came with a
bottle of wine (which we attempted at but couldn’t finish). We ordered Spanish
tortilla, potatoes bravas, and ham croquettes. I had a chorizo and queso
baguette. After lunch we went for yet another ice cream (how could we help it
when they have kinder bueno ice cream in Spain!). We visited a market filled
with fresh meats, cheese, fruit, and deserts on our way to the beach. Once at
the beach we relaxed and people watched. Rena was determined to try Spanish
churros so we stopped at a restaurant on the boardwalk. We didn’t pick the best
churros in the city for sure but at least we tried! Our last stop of the day
was Els Búnkers del Carmel, an area on top of a mountain where you can see all
of Barcelona. We watched the sunset over the city before heading back to Marta’s
for a late dinner. Marta's family was so welcoming and friendly. I am so grateful they let us stay with them!
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| Out for Lunch |
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| Ice cream stop |
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| Market |
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| The Marina |
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| Reading, reading, reading |
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| Barcelona Beach |
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| Els Bunkers |
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