Saturday, Leah and I, and several of my friends from Aix, flew to Barcelona. Leaving Aix was a bit surreal, but having Leah with me made it feel like just another adventure, not an actual goodbye (yet).
We got into Barcelona and settled into our AirBnb, immediately enjoying the warm sunshine. Barcelona is such a lively city. There is energy in the air; it feels like everyone is trying to express themselves, from the old gothic architecture, standing stately and true, to the magnificent Gaudi buildings, unique and colorful. The whole city is a mosaic of different times and architectures; a million different little pieces that together make a beautiful work of art.
After dropping off our bags, Leah and I headed to Mercado de La Boqueria, the food market in Barcelona. We had 2 euro sangria, fudge, and enjoyed walking through the endless stalls.
We reached the water and spent time just wandering back to our accommodations, picking rights and lefts at random to just get a feel for the city. Later, after tasty (and cheap) burgers, we attended the Florence + the Machine concert. Florence was such an inspiring performer, twirling on stage and preaching a message of love. She gave so much heart and soul into her music, and we danced and sang at the top of our lungs as we tried with mild success to get closer to the stage.
Sunday we started off with a free general walking tour, which we always use to get an overview of the city. After some paella, we bit off more than we could chew, and decided to do another free walking tour, this time dedicated to Gaudi and other modernist works throughout the city. I’m so happy about all the information we learned and sights we saw, but by the time we got home, we passed out for the rest of the night.
On Monday morning, we made the two hour train ride to Montserrat, an ancient monastery with views overlooking Spain. We did a bit of hiking and literally just sat on the edge enjoying the views.
Then we finally visited Park Guell, my favorite of any of Gaudi’s works. We sauntered around, enjoying the tile work and taking pictures. I know we were in Spain, but we honestly heard so much French in Barcelona! I asked some French girls to take our picture in Park Guell, and I’m pleased to report my French skills are still up to snuff (3 days later…).
That night, we did a tapas tour before going out in Barcelona. We had such a good time at both! All of the tapas we’ve had have been delicious, from the patatas (potatoes, served in a variety of fashions), to my favorite, pan con tomate, which is literally just tomatoes on bread. Tuesday morning, after an American brunch (I’ve missed pancakes so much), we headed to the big one: La Sagrada Familia. The outside is absurdly intricate, with hidden details everywhere you look, but it was the inside that captivated me. I’ve honestly never seen such vibrant stained glass.
The pictures don’t do it justice; the light coming through the windows hit the columns and floor with such vibrancy your entire person was bathed in the colorful light. Obviously, the church isn’t yet finished, and neither is all the stained glass work. We had a wonderful start to our adventure roaming around Barcelona, and but we didn’t even nearly have time to do everything, and there will never be time to eat enough tapas. As we boarded our next plain, I was left thinking that I’ll just have to schedule another trip in sometime…maybe when Sagrada Familia is finally finished!
Emily Sakowitz 