Beautiful Barcelona

Let me just say that I am head over heels for this city. I know I say this every time, but I truly have never loved a place more than beautiful Barcelona, and this past weekend was without a doubt one of my favorites of the semester. The last time I was in Barcelona I was in 8th grade and was still rocking side bangs, so needless to say this trip was inherently better.

The weekend began at 5am on Friday morning with my 9-hour train ride from Salamanca to Valladolid to Barcelona. I arrived mid-afternoon to meet up with Andie and Elise who had flown there on Thursday, while I was showing my parents around Salamanca. Our first adventure was Park Güell. Located on Carmel Hill, the park features the architectural delights of the incredible Antoni Gaudí, whose works can be found all throughout the city as well. It is this attraction that you have probably seen one too many world-traveling millennials throw up an Insta on the famous mosaic bench (see below—yes, I'm guilty). What you can't tell from the pictures is that this bench is actually extremely long, winding around an outlook point and absolutely swarming with people. At one point while I was taking a photo of Andie, a woman literally used her hands to push Andie out of the way for her own picture. It was absurd, but a necessary visit and worth it, of course.

Next we made two more touristy stops by seeing the Arc de Triomf (very similar to Arc de Triomphe in Paris but the one in Barcelona is smaller and in a way prettier) and strolling down Las Ramblas, Barcelona's most famous street. We then returned to our friends' apartment to get ready for the night. (Side note: special shout out to the KU Barca gals Danya, Jenna, Julia & Annie for their hospitality this weekend;,) We went to a cute tapas bar called La Luna for dinner, where the menu consisted of full portions for the price of tapas...10/10 recommend. The highlight of Friday night was going to the infamous nightclub Opium, an epic and international party venue that I would have to say lived up to its reputation.

Saturday morning Andie, Elise and I continued our Barcelona must-do's, starting with the mesmerizing Sagrada Família. Gaudí took over the construction of this church in 1883, a year after its original commencement, and began to transform its architectural style by combining Gothic with Art Nouveau. By Gaudí's death in1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete. Construction has progressed since then, but not without obstacles including the Spanish Civil War and a general feeling of contradiction about the nature of the project from Barcelona residents. Current predictions project the church's structural completion in 2026 and decorative finishes by 2030. Needless to say, this was by far the coolest cathedral I have ever visited, and I have seen a lot of cathedrals. Gaudí, you are something else. (Side note: I think that the inside of the church looks like a cross between a stone spaceship and the forest from the movie Avatar.)

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Our next stop was La Boqueria, Barcelona's huge market off Las Ramblas. One can stroll through here for hours without getting bored—or going hungry. Market food is always deliciously fresh and La Boqueria did not disappoint. For lunch I got some mango-passion fruit juice, chicken skewers and chocolate-covered strawberries on a stick. Can't complain. After this we walked down Las Ramblas and throughout the Gothic Quarter, the old center of the city. It was raining pretty steadily at this point which sucked, but I didn't even mind because I was having too much fun enjoying all of the winding streets lined with the absolute cutest cafes, bars, boutiques, art galleries, bookshops and more. If I lived in Barcelona I feel like I could go to a different coffeeshop every single day for the rest of my life and still not discover all of them. (Side note: if/when I live in Barcelona in the future I do plan on pursuing this challenge).

As the rain continued and evening approached we were forced to abandon our plans to watch the sunset and panoramic view of the city at Bunkers del Carmel. Instead we got Mexican for dinner which was almost better because it was my first Mexican meal this entire semester!!! Mexican food is more or less nonexistent in the very-Spanish city of Salamanca, but the internationality and size of Barcelona make nachos a lot easier to find. The assortment of tacos and dragon fruit margarita consisted of most likely my last Mexican meal until I get back to the States. Saturday night we went bar hopping. Each little bar was cuter than the next, all swanky and hip with fun names like The Mint and Sugarbar. I had probably the best whiskey sour of my life at one place. What was intended to be an early night ended with Danya and I encountering (and inevitably participating in) a late-night piano sing-a-long session in the metro. We stumbled upon this random piano in between trains where people were just stopping by to play a song or two as countless others stood by, listening or singing. We walked closer to see what was going on and ended up staying there for over two hours, talking with strangers, making friends and making song requests. This unexpected encounter is actually one of my favorite memories from the weekend. It's moments like these, so completely unprecedented and natural and cheesily beautiful, that make me so thankful to be in Europe able to have experiences like these, or even just alive in general. SO cliche but true. When again will I sing Coldplay in the Barcelona metro with friends and strangers by my side at 5 in the morning? Maybe never.

We woke up Sunday morning to the most beautiful day; naturally it was sunny and 75 when we had to go home after raining all day Saturday. But we made the most of it by eating breakfast at officially the best brunch spot I've ever had the joy of experiencing, Brunch & Cake. I mean seriously...

We ended our trip by hanging out at the beach. As if this city couldn't be more perfect...it has a beach. So sad I had to leave you, Barcelona, but I have no doubts that I will be back.