Barcelona

 

Barcelona was one of the best trips so far, this year. Four days of exploring a beautiful city with some great friends, what more can I ask for? We ate tapas and drank sangria. We didn’t speak the Spanish I had practiced as they don’t speak Spanish in Barcelona. They speak a language that is somewhat similar to Spanish called Catalina, which I didn’t know before.

The weekend before we left, a group of us went to Belgium for Caio’s birthday. We ate at this American, Elvis Presley, Western style restaurant and had a great time dancing and laughing together. The next morning about ten of us realized we had food poisoning.  So I spent my weekend packed for Barcelona, my Euro Trip, and changing families. All while feeling like I was going to die.

Monday morning, I woke up at 5:30 and felt a lot better. Caio, my friend from Brazil, Raphael, Caio’s host brother and I caught the bus at the Gare in Lille and made our way to the airport in Brussels. We hung out in the airport for a while and met Kathryn, Raphael’s friend from London. We flew with Ryanair which, for anyone who’s ever traveled or lived in Europe knows. It is a discount airline and you pay for what you get. The baggage limits are tiny and so are the seats. Whatever, it is cheap. We got on the plane with our tiny pack packs and were eager to land in Spain.

We were all very happy to land in Barcelona and were ready to get. We met another friend of Raphael's friends, Nicolai, there. We took a train to the hostel and Raphael and I managed to fall asleep during the short trip. Traveling is tiring. We checked into the hostel which was in a good location, it was also close to the metro, which was nice too.

We set out and walked to Famillia Ságrada which is a Catherdral that was designed by Gaudi over 120 years ago and is STILL under construction. I was not a huge fan of the Cathedral as the construction made it look bad. But it was so beautiful and I can imagine when it is done it will be magnificent.   We went shopping in little boutiques and I bought a little Spanish change purse. I met a very creepy man who guessed that I was Canadian because I was fumbling between French and English. After we got a coffee because it was a lot colder than we had expected.

We went back to the hotel and had a little nap and get warmer clothes. After talking to the guy at the front desk of the hostel, we went to this little tapas place that he had recommended. On the way there, we met two Americans who were completely lost and couldn’t find their hotel. Instead of searching, they came with us to dinner. We enjoyed octopus legs, shrimp and various sea foods… well everyone else did… not me. After dinner, the metro was closed and we didn’t want to pay for a cab, so we walked for about two hours and saw Barcelona by night. The first day of the trip was great!

The next morning, we set out early and headed to a higher land point of Barcelona. The view of the city was so beautiful. We could see the Famillia Ságrada, many Spanish buildings and then the beach and water. There were palm trees , exotic birds, colourful flowers and it was sunny and warm. We walked through a park which was filled with statues, greenery, fountains and off in the distance we could see a castle. How perfect. There was a pathway that had the tops and bottoms of beer bottles showing and the story was that the workers put all the beer they had drank that year into the walkway. We spent  ome time playing in a children’s music park with music makers, slides, etc. We had a drink looking out over Barcelona and then headed back down to the city. Then we went to the Gothic District of Barcelona. It is one of the main areas and had a lot of shopping, expensive restaurants and a lot of buildings by the architect, Gaudi. They were all different and were so colourful. It was something that was really nice to see. This area also has a lot of shopping, so we looked around for a bit too. We had a nap on rocks along the ocean, it was so perfect.

Our hostel had a kitchen so we made Paila*** for dinner which is a Spanish dish that normally includes, rice, peppers, chicken, seafood and meat.  It was complicated to make but luckily Raphael is a good chef. We enjoyed our Spanish meal and then headed out to a sports bar that is next to the Football Stadium. There was a semi-final game between Chelsea and Barcelona that was a pretty big deal… for those who are soccer fans. Football is massive in Europe, so everyone in Barcelona was excited. We watched the game, and Chelsea ended up winning. I actually saw a Spanish man crying in the streets. We went towards the Stadium and the gates were open. Raphael and Caio wanted to in really bad, so we simply walked in the exit and ended up in the massive stadium. It was really neat. We took a few pictures and then were asked to leave. We listened to Chelsea fans singing and cheering from the upper seats. Englishmen are really passionate about their football. They were not very numerous, but they were sure proud. Caio was searching for this very famous Brazilian reported who is normally at these games, but we didn’t find him. We took the metro home and everyone was so tired, we ended up going to bed right away.

We got up early and the five of us had breakfast together. We planned out our day and then took the metro and god off in a neighbourhood that was less touristic. There were old cement houses, laundry hanging from balconies, old bicycles against the walls, kids playing with some sort of leather ball and old beat up cars. It was as if we had left the city and gone to a little Spanish town. We walked a little further and got back to the crowds of people with camera and tour guides. We were at Gaudi Park which is a beautiful area where 35 houses were supposed to be built, and the government cut the finding after only two were complete. The longest bench in the world is in this park as well and it surrounds an open area. The bench is made from many tiles of different colours, patterns, shapes and sizes. It was quite the sight. We entered one of Gaudi’s houses and it was simple but beautiful.

After Gaudi Park, and a lot of walking, we took a break and had lunch in a little café. After we ate, we took the metro and stumbled across the best market I have ever been to. Sainte Joseph- La Boqueria Market. Imagine this: every fruit you could ever want, all in the same place. Every stand sold freshly squeezed juice for 2 euros, it was delicious. Strawberries that were as big as my fist and bananas smaller than my fingers… It was the most colourful place I had ever seen and I felt like I was in heaven. I was so happy we happened to find it. I bought little flowers that were brightly coloured and dried out. I am sure they were real flowers that were dried and dyed, but the boys insisted they were paper. This is impossible because of the perfect detail they assumed. It was the debate of the trip.

We went to another church and museum that Gaudi had done and there were temporary tennis courts set up to promote a tennis match in Barcelona. There were professional tennis players, playing with kids and Caio, Raphael and I joined. I played with a Spanish player who was not bad to look at. It was so funny. I guess all my years of tennis camp didn’t improve my level that much. There were little kids who were was better than I was… ou la la. I was embarrassed. The boys were laughing at me. We shopped around that area and explored.

Finally we made it to the beach! We played in the sand for a bit but the water was far too cold to go in! There was one man who had just gotten out as we arrived, he must have been crazy!! There was an outdoor gym with stations for pull ups, sit ups, etc. Apparently they have that in many places but I had never heard of it. We slept on cement lounge chairs on the beach for a while but it got too cold so we went back to the hostel. I went to a shopping mall and the others had a nap after we ate dinner. That night we went to an area where there are a lot of bars and then ended the night at a night club. The club was massive and it was really neat inside. We met some people outside the casino and one of them had just won 5000 euros, so he gave me two euros… I was happy.

Raphael, Caio and I got back to the hostel at 5:15, slept for 30 minutes and then had to get up to go to the airport. We took the train, said bye to Raph and then boarded our flight. As soon as we got on the plane, Caio and I both fell asleep. We waited around in the Brussels’ airport for an hour and then took a bus back to Lille.

It was such an amazing trip and I am so glad I went with another exchange student. Caio is one of my closest friends here, so it was perfect. Raphael was a lot of fun as well. He is actually crazier than I am…. If that’s possible. Haha. It was a trip that I will remember forever and I am so happy that I went!

I love Spain!  Viva la Fiesta!