I got off the plane Friday morning and immediately went straight to the beach. It was absolute Heaven, ALL of Barca is absolute Heaven. Me, Nicole, Tara, Judy, Kayla, Natalia and Lauren got drinks, lay outside and got DARK.
Then once we were all dead from the heat, we went right to Las Ramblas! We lazily and crankily walked in and out of stores, and I of course did damage at Zara. They have a big plaza with pigeons like in Italy, and just like Erica, Henry was terrified so we poured bird seed on him!!
Me and Nicole head back to Hostel Generator which is GORGEOUS and looks like Urban Outfitters jizzed in a hotel. We have our own room for the night, and Maceo, Aaron and CJ are staying in a communal room.
That night we go meet Tara, Judy, Natalia, Kayla and Judy's friend who's studying abroad at Chupitos, which is a shot bar with 100 different shots. The place is TINY and packed, but shots are 2 euros so we do it. Afterwards is the famous club in Barca, Opium. Honestly...I like clubs in Madrid better. I mean, 8 stories of Kapital...you can't really compare.
The clubs are all on a row on the beach which is pretty cool for after you can go and there are Rastafarians selling weed right on the shore.
The next day, Nicole and I get up, still drunk, and decide to meet everyone else at Sagrada Familia to tour. They're running late so we decide to walk around the Parc Ciutadella. We threw up twice on the walk over. Once we get there, Nicole decides she needs to nap in the park, so I venture off alone. I walked into a church, a restaurant, a fountain, and even lit a candle in the church because I had hangover guilt.
We then meet them at Sagrada Familia. There are no words to describe how you feel when you first walk in. The rainbow lights shining in through the tinted windows in incomparable. Lauren even started to cry when she walked in. My photos just don't do it justice.
After that, we book it to the Picasso museum in the rain. I stole a coaster from the gift store because I didn't want to buy the full pack, and I have to add it to my collection!
Nicole and I go back, change, and then go out to dinner at this crazy meat place! We decide to walk in because the butch guys inside were calling at us, and hey, it looked fun. We started out with anchovies and tomato tostada, then I had ox, and Nicole and I split a pitcher of Sangria.
We walk the like freaking mile afterwards to a bar someone told us about with 4 euro all you can drink glasses. Sounds good, no?
It's this little hole in the wall owned by a family where the bartenders are an old Spanish couple and their thirty year old son. You order a drink, and they give you an empty glass, the handle of alcohol and the chaser and for 4 euros you can pour as much as you want. I had been planning on making it an early night, but YOBO, so Nicole and I decided to go with the boys to Razzmatazz, some random club.
The next day, we get up and Nicole and I go to Judy's friend, Johnny's, apartment. For breakfast we go to this tiny little bodega and get fresh bread and croissants. The bread was so fresh it literally melted in your mouth. We then go to the zoo in Parc Ciutadella! Elephants, zebras, tigers, oh my!
I then force everyone to go back to the amazing fountain I found when wandering solo in the park.
For lunch we find this little place that make you fresh paninis! And after, we go to the famous Parc Guell. There are African men selling souvenirs all around, Spaniards playing guitar and violin, and hippies hiking to the top.
All in all, Barca was gorgeous. When I left, I sort of regretted choosing Madrid over it. But I think it's a little to stuck up, a little too touristy, and a little too rural to spend the semester. I'm glad to be back in Madrid where I can be in a very old Spanish area, and then a very new-age metropolitan area in the same day. Besides, if I had access to a beach every day I probably wouldn't go to class!
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