Espana

BARCELONA, SPAIN

Hostel’s are much different than how we American’s imagine them. This particular one was huge, bright, clean, had sitting areas and many amenities.  In fact, each one of our rooms had large patios that overlooked the courtyard. Needless to say, staying at hostels was much better than I anticipated, thank goodness!

Barcelona is a giant city that has multiple attractions and I tried to cram as much of those experiences into my time there. I began exploring the city in the Gothic quarter, taking a tour of the architecture and winding roads and alleyways. In these alleys are the tiniest cafes and shops, but the owners are so kind and welcoming that you can’t help but jam yourself in with other strangers to enjoy an espresso.

Sacre Familia Cathedral was the crème de la crème of the gothic style architecture. The detailing on just the outside will make your jaw drop. I can’t even begin to describe the unbelievable skill that went into creating this ornate building.

There is a market off of the main street that is unlike any other that I’ve seen before. The variety of fruits, the vibrant colors, the hustle and bustle of the patrons. If you ever make it to Barcelona, do yourself a favor, find this market and get yourself some fresh fruit!

A few of us went to explore the famous Parc Guell. When first arriving it looked like we were about to walk into Hansel and Gretel’s world, because a few of the buildings looked like they were made of candy. But that was just the beginning of this gigantic park, there were multiple pathways that spiraled upwards towards other castle like buildings covered in mosaic tiles, caves created out of stone and various lookout points.  Along our journey to the top lookout points we passed many street performers, but interestingly enough they all used different instruments (strings, harmonica, guitarists, didgeridoo, flutes, singers).  At the very top of the park there were extremely rustic stone steps that lead to a cross overlooking the entire city of Barcelona. It was a bit dangerous, but the view was worth it.

After our climb to the top of Barcelona we decided to grab lunch on the beach. A city on the water, with culture, history and delicious cuisine, what else could you ask for?

Oh, that’s right, you could ask for a Spanish Guitarist, Flamenco dancers and Sangria! Which is exactly how our group spent our evening.  

The dance of Flamenco is extremely serious with fiery passion. The crowd gets involved by shouting “Ole” while the dancers use props as their skirts, fans and castanet’s to add variety.  After watching the incredible show, they taught us some moves and we danced all night long in true Spanish style.