Barcelona

Hola todos! I'm back from my Barcelona trip, and I must say it was definitely the MOST FASCINATING place I have ever visited. (Disclaimer: Please be prepared to hear me say this after every trip.)
While in Barcelona I was able to add to my list of "firsts." The first "first" on my list was staying in a hostel. I'm not sure what I expected to find when I entered the hostel, but Itaca failed to list "psychedelic" in their description of the decor. Upon entering the door and stumbling through a mixture of fumes smelling of cigarette smoke and vanilla vodka, I finally I found my way to the receptionist. The guy behind the counter, appearing as though he hadn't showered in a week, gave us the keys to our room and told us we would be staying in the "green room" on the second floor. The walls surrounding the stairwell were painted cobalt blue with a picture of a yellow submarine full of hippies sailing up to the second floor.
Kristen was the first person to enter the room, and I can't begin to describe the look on her face when she flipped the lights and found herself looking directly into the eyes of one of our male roommates. I had the same reaction when I walked in, looked to my left, and found myself looking directly into a pair of bloodshot eyes belonging to a man with wild red hair and a bushy beard. Staying in the hostel was interesting to say the least. I enjoyed stepping out of my comfort zone, but after two days without a shower, I was glad to return home to my clean little room.

Number two on my lists of firsts was to touch the Mediterranean Sea. It was cold and windy in Barcelona, but I had to take at least one picture dipping my fingers into the Mediterranean. Here is the slightly awkward picture I took. I was trying to avoid getting the icy water in my shoes!



I forgot to mention earlier that we only had two days in Barcelona, so we decided to take a bus tour on Saturday. It worked out really well because the bus took us to about 15 different stops, and we were able to choose when and where we wanted to get off. We could spend as much time as we wanted at each stop before getting back on the bus to head to our next stop. (However, there were a couple of times when the bus failed to stop even though I'm positive the driver could see me sprinting behind it frantically waving my arms).

One of the most amazing places we visited was the Sagrada Familia church. Construction on this church began in 1883 but a year later was given to Gaudí who completely changed the original design. (The term "gaudy" comes from Gaudí whose works can definitely be described with this word. You will see evidence of this in the pictures I provided.) In typical Gaudí fashion, the design of this church is in a league of its own. Gaudí lived and worked on the site for 16 years before his death, but construction on the church still has not reached completion.





Everything was so detailed. I especially like the fruits. These oranges sat atop one of the towers. They looked so real!



This is a view from the top of one of the towers looking down the stairs. Needless-to-say I was exhausted by the time I finally made it back down!



I didn't find the interior of the Sagrada Familia that impressive because it is still under construction, but I LOVED the stained glass!



Here are a couple more pictures of Gaudí's work. This is the Casa Batlló. It was absolutely beautiful.





Sunday, we visited the Picasso museum and Las Ramblas Street. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take photos inside the Picasso museum, but it was definitely worth the visit.
Las Ramblas street was a hustle and bustle of stands selling everything from leather bracelets, to flowers, to birds and rabbits. I was most impressed by these strange costumes!






I could go on forever about how much fun I had in Barcelona. It is a beautiful city with an invigorating atmosphere, but Sunday I was ready to return to what I now call "Home Sweet Sevilla."
Hasta luego!