i love BARCELONA.

To do in Barcelona:
1. see all of Gaudi’s amazingness: check √
2. wander through the beautiful streets and neighborhoods: check √
3. prove to a pick-pocket’er that no one can get in my slash proof bag: check √
4. enjoy some quality time with my fellow Clarkies: check √check √and check √
(photos from BARCA: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2049604&id=21502223&l=2b03afc72b )
Well, I had an amazing weekend in Barcelona. Despite the miserable, (and I am not exaggerating) miserable 12-hour train ride, the weekend went as great as it possibly good have. I arrived in Barcelona on Thursday morning and I had the day to spend alone (and unfortunately with my backpack) because Cassie was working that day. I got a map from the tourism office and was on my way to Park Güell – which I decided to go to first so that I could relax in the park and also because people talk non-stop about how great it is. I must mention that on the way to the park I was almost pick pocketed on my 1st metro ride in Barca (a sketchy looking man moved out of a seat to stand next to me while I noticed a nice older looking man trying to get my attention and pointing at my bag, and then the man. I was scared and then laughed because, well, I had my “slash proof bag” that is impossible to get inside – right Aunt Marcia? So no luck for the pick-pocketer.) I also enjoyed the best “café con leche” that I have had in Spain along the way. Park Güell is in fact very beautiful and special but the amount of tourists was a bit overwhelming. I spent quite some time there admiring Gaudi’s structures, tiles, ceilings – everything – while I also did a lot of people watching and relaxing in the park on a beautiful day. From there I went to “Mirador del Palau Nacional” in Mont Juic. This is where the Museum of National Art of Catalunya is and not only is the building beautiful but the view of Barcelona was incredible. The museum was great (I saw some very cool Roman art, Gaudi, Picasso, Mir) but honestly at this point the best part was being able to check my backpack and walk freely for a few hours. After enjoying the museum, the view, and the park I had heard from Cassie and met her close to here in Plaza Espanya. It was so great to see Cassie – if you haven’t figured out by now; she is a good friend from Clark that is teaching English outside of Barcelona. We walked back to her very-cute-modern apartment and from there we got Mexican (haha) food and walked through Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter/neighborhood) which was very cool.

Highlights from
DAY 2: (I could go on and on about each day…)
Sleeping well in Cassie’s roommate’s bed. Walking around “Las Ramblas” – the main street full of street performers and cool art. “El Mercat” the huge market full of delicious fruit, seafood, meat, and of course mushrooms. BAGELS: you cannot find bagels often in Spain so this was a treat. Visiting the beach and enjoying the Mediterranean. Walking up Paseig de Gracia – the street with two Gaudi sites: Casa Botllo and La Perdera. Casa Botllo is by far my favorite and was just beautiful – we wanted to go in but it cost 16 €! We cooked up some stir-fry and went out to a fun bar where you sit with other people so we made friends with Chileans, Germans, and other Spaniards! It was a very good day and night.

DAY 3: happy Halloween!
We started the day off in this cute Café Jardin (Garden Café) which was on a terrace full of plants – very cool. We went back to Park Güell because we wanted to go into Casa/Museu Gaudi and it was good we went back because we entered the park a different way and I saw a lot more that I hadn’t seen last time. It is really big. We went into Casa/Museu Gaudi and it was very cool to see where he lived and spent a lot of time designing everything. I would LOVE to have the furniture that he designed. From there we went to the famous La Sagrada Familia. Of course it was cool to see but I was more impressed with Casa Botllo, or even his furniture. That night we got pizzas (how American! But they were delicious) and another Clarkie, Maaian, who is from Barcelona came over with some of her friends. We got dressed up and went out for Halloween. We went to a very cool club that was decorated for Halloween and we had a really, really fun time (we stayed out until 7…).

DAY 4: last day.
The last day we spent some time in Plaza Real and then met with Maaian for coffee and walked through a very cool area (El Borne?) with neat stores and restaurants. We went into a beautiful church and also visited Palau de la Musica, which was beautiful, but unfortunately we couldn’t go inside because I had to catch my train – next time! I went back to Cassie’s apartment and made my way to the train station for the dreadful train ride back. I was sad to say bye to Cassie (and Maaian, too) who was such a good host to me – it was so cool to see her life in Barcelona and to catch up with her on everything post-Clark.

The whole trip was just wonderful. I felt so lucky to be there and I’m so happy that I finally made it! The city has so many great things to offer whether it is just wandering around the streets, Gaudi, the museums, the diversity of culture, and of course the night life. I loved it and I hope you all can make it there one day, too! Here I am back in Motril sick as un perro (a dog!). I have bronchitis and had a fever of 101, which was not fun, but I am getting better and got my 1st visit to a Spanish doctor over with (it went great, by the way).

I wont bore you anymore…this is getting long. So much love from Spain and I miss all of you every day. Here is the link to my Barcelona Facebook photo album – it is easier to post a link that upload photos on here -- PLEASE check them out!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2049604&id=21502223&l=2b03afc72b