Spring Break Part 2: Barcelona!

After a VERY early morning in Madrid, we finally arrived in Barcelona. I was super excited to take a shower, regroup, and then show Katie and Steph the city I had so much fun in the year before. The resting and regrouping wasn't exactly in the cards for us. We had a couple problems with the hostel-- their computer was down and they weren't being very helpful, but after a short struggle over what to do, we ended up moving to a different hostel, and the result was fantastic. This, however, ate up most of our morning and spilled into our afternoon-- the whole reason that we had taken such an early flight. Eventually we got settled into a room that we loved (we stayed right on passeig de gracia), and the three of us headed out into the city.

Our hostel, centric point, right on passeig de gracia!The view from the sweet room we had in our hostel!

I got to play tour guide with Katie and Steph. The first thing that they wanted to do was go to the beach. I was pretty excited about this because it meant that I got to spend the afternoon hanging around Barceloneta. I was proud because I successfully navigated my way to the beach, and through the roads of the city. It wasn't as warm as Madrid, and it got a bit chilly as the sun started to set, but I had really missed being near the ocean. We were all so excited, that we ran (Katie, on the left in purple, literally started sprinting) toward the water.


There were a lot of people surfing, and even though they weren't that good, it was fun to watch them wipe-out or, ocasionally, successfully ride a wave in. After the stress of the first day, we decided that our first day should be casual, so we just stuck to the area around Barceloneta and the harbor, and looked for a good paella restaurant for that night.

After a shower and a late siesta we headed out to a great paella restaurant on the water and then over to Chupitos for some Harry Potter shots. Now Mom, I know that you don't like shots, but you would like a Harry Potter shot. They light it on FIRE, and it tastes delicious. We had a fantastic evening, and even ended up heading over to Ryan's for a beer. It wasn't the same without the boys, but it was still a lot of fun.

The next day we got up ready to take on Barcelona, and since, we hadn't gotten to see much the day before we really made moves. We started out by heading up to Parque Guell. Sadly, part of the park was closed so we didn't get to go all the way up, but I finally got to have my ANTM (America's Next Top Model, for those of you who aren't in the know) moment on the runway. Also, you really can't beat the view from the park looking out over the city, that is, unless you head over to Mount Juic, which is where we headed next.
Mount Juic is a fort located on a hill near the water looking out over the water and the city, and it provides a stunning view. We then decided to round the day out at Sagrada Familia. This was an absolutely amazing take. The building itself is just so impressive, and when you think about the history behind it, it becomes even more impressive. Every detail is carefully planned and the forethought that goes into every detail is amazing.After a full day, Steph, Katie, and I treated ourselves to a long, leisurely dinner and then went out for a couple drinks before another extremely early flight home. Steph's flight was before Katie and mine which meant that she had to leave the hostel at 4:30 a.m. Katie and I followed a few hours behind her, and we made it home before noon. If the excitement of our vacation wasn't enough, Katie and I had tickets for that afternoon to see our first football match. We got home and had enough time to shower and change before heading out to the match. Although we were exhuasted and running on only a few hours of sleep, the match was amazing! The chants that the fans sing are intense, and the atmosphere is electric. It was a great end to our week, and after the match ended we headed home to get some much needed shut-eye before starting the second half of our semester.