Thank you Dad for hounding me to get on this as I was about to surf the internet for about 7 hours and completely forget. Around yesterday morning at 8am, I got back from my weekend in Barcelona. I didn't do too much there, but what I did do was amazing and fantastic and proved to make Barcelona one of my favorite abroad destinations.
The group I was travelling in got to Barcelona around 11pm on Thursday. We had tickets to a concert at one of Barcelona's premier nightclubs (anked among the top 5 in the world!) So we didn't have much time to waste. The concert was a blast and I even ran into some friends from home who made it out as well. It was a pleasant surprise that made the night that much more enjoyable. We got back to our hostel at the reasonable hour of 7 in the morning. Needless to say the next day was going to be spent relaxing quite a bit.
We woke up around noon Friday and headed toward our next hostel for the weekend...too bad it didn't exist! We searched and searched and searched but after checking the address three times and even going into the building it was suppose to be in, we still could not locate it. we found a nicish hotel with vacancy for only a night, so we decided to book it in hopes that something else would open up the next night. After getting settled, we headed toward the beach area to have lunch at a little place called "Bo de B." It has since become my favorite sandwich place in the world. They take a baguette, fill it to the top with marinated chicken, and then put on your ingredients. After the feta, avocado, lettuce, tomato, corn, lentils, and peppers I could barely fit it into my mouth to take a bite...but barely was enough for me. I vow to go back to Barcelona simply for the sandwich.
We made our way to the beach finally to catch some rays. It turned out to be a lot of rays, as we were there for around 5 or 6 hours! People were enjoying the 80 degree perfect day and deep blue sea that spanned as far as you could see. There were women walking up and down the beach offering oil and massages for 5 euro. I didn't get one, but I saw the subsequent sunburn that resulted from it after my friend got one.
That night Marisa and I met Jenna, my friend who is studying abroad there for dinner. We went to a vegetarian place called Sesamo. Despite the horrendous service (seated at 930, fed at 11!) we had a lovely dinner and caught up on tons of stuff. After dinner we were so tired we decided to go home, but as we were walking we heard some great music coming from the building above us. It turned out to be a jazz club called 41 North where the artist was playing something called flamenco fusion jazz. It had a very unique sound and we ended up staying there for a good portion of the night.
The next day began at the beach again, as our attempts to sneak into the W hotel to use their luxury pool was thwarted by the doorman. To be honest I never really expected it to work (with four 20 year olds saying that they stayed there) so I wasn't terribly disappointed. After a few hours there one of my suite-mates and I decided to venture to Las Ramblas, the famous street of shopping and pickpocketing to try what was purported to be the best falafel in Barcelona. After an hour of searching it was evident that, while not the best that I've had, it was really really good. Stuffed, we realized with the discrepancy between geographic location and time zone that it was 7pm, despite the sun still blistering above. We went to a restaurant pretty soon after that, but I didn't eat much. After that I turned in early and decided to rest up for the next day instead of go out.
Sunday I was excited and poised to do some real sightseeing. We began at the Segrada Familia which, as you'll tell by the video I've uploaded, is the most spectacular structure I've ever seen hands down. It is an utter mastery of design, and it is safe for me to say that Gaudi is now my favorite architect. It is very pagan in style and is grandiose in so many ways I cannot describe. Please do your best to feel as infinitely humbled as I did upon my first steps into this extravagant church.
We left Segrada Familia to enjoy yet another meal from the sandwichery-from-heaven Bo de B, after which we continued our Gaudi tour and went to Parc Guell, which is the park which Gaudi designed. Gaudi did to this park exactly what he had done to the church, which is made it absolutely spectacular. The shapes, constructions, and layout was unlike anywhere I had ever been before. His work inspired me to actually emote as opposed to stare and simply say "cool." I have never been moved by artwork as much as I had been this day. That night's dinner was spent at one of Barcelona's most exclusive restaurants, Carpe Diem Lounge Club. It was asian themed, and as you'll see, far more decadent than we had expected, but of curse a delicious meal ensued. To sum it up, I may like sushi now.
The last part of my trip was spent at a bar called Dow Jones. The concept of the bar was that they treated drinks like stocks. When demand for one particular kind went up, so did the price; on the other hand, when drinks weren't being purchased frequently, prices went down. It was an amazing idea and a great time as well. I hope someday i will find a bar like that in the states, where the bar does not only provide the beer, but the games as well.
All in all I can whole-heartedly say that short of a few unavoidable gripes, Barcelona was an absolutely amazing city and I plan on going back if I ever get the chance. Updates on Spring Break still on their way...sometime;.
It may sound like a dream, but in actually eating pizza 5 times in 3 days really gets at your digestive tract. Our school-sanctioned venture to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea began on Friday with a 4 hour bus ride. We stopped at the grocery store before leaving, and a friend and I picked up a slice of pre-made pizza rosso (#1). It was gorgeous as we drove along the Amalfi Coast boarding mountains and the sea much of the time. Living in Rome I am so used to seeing ancient buildings in a crowded city, not so much open terrain. It was refreshing and until this point in my life probably the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. Our first stop was to a farm to see the buffalo that make mozzarella di bufala, a fresh version of mozzarella that is usually the only acceptable kind here in Italy. They were hideous, but damn do they make good cheese. We had pizza there for lunch (#2). 
