I’m
sitting in my dorm in London, watching the rain come down. After five amazing
days in Barcelona I can’t say that I mind a quiet day of tea drinking, grocery
shopping, and school reading.
On
Monday morning, at 3 AM, Hayley and I took a bus to London’s Gatwick airport,
where we met up with Shiva for our flight to Barcelona (we took EasyJet, one of
a few budget travel companies in Europe). The plane took off exactly on time (whoa!),
and the flight took about an hour and a half. I slept most of the way, but I
woke up for the end of the ride as we went over the Pyrenees Mountains and along
the coast of Spain. My first impression of the country: a bright blue sky, aquamarine
water, brown mountains, and white sailboats.
We
landed in Barcelona around 10 AM and caught a shuttle from the airport to the
inner city (a quick 15 minute ride). I had no idea what to expect from Barcelona,
and I loved being greeted by palm trees and sun after the cold snap in London!
After we got off the bus we walked around the city for a few minutes and the
navigated the metro to get to our hostel.
Check
in wasn’t for another hour so we grabbed lunch at a nearby café. I had a delicious
and much needed coffee; I ordered the second cheapest coffee drink on the menu
(2.20 Euros), expecting a simple coffee, and ended up with a delicious
concoction of condensed milk, whipped cream, espresso, and chocolate sauce.
Yum! I also got a delicious Spanish tortilla. Forget what you know about
Mexican tortillas; this was made with eggs and potatoes and served cold with a
side of tomato topped baguette. I was in heaven.
After
our meal we walked around our corner of the city for a bit and then went to
check out our hostel!
We
had booked three beds in advance at the Hostel Sant Jordi Segrada Familia, and I couldn’t have been happier with our choice. For ten Euros a night we
shared a bedroom with one roommate (a sweet, chatty older woman from Slovenia) and
an apartment space with a few other people. We had our own bathroom, lockers, fully
stocked kitchen, and common space, and there was free internet and a huge
common room downstairs. The people working at the hostel were so nice; they
were always willing to give directions and help us out with restaurant
suggestions!
After
check in, Hayley, Shiva, and I went back outside to walk to the Parc del
Guinardo. Along the way we saw the Hospital Santa Creu i Sant Pau, a beautiful fifteenth
century gothic building.
The
walk to the park was all uphill (it reminded me of San Francisco), and we had
some wonderful views of the city as we walked.
After
walking for almost an hour we finally reached the Parc del Guinardo. There were
beautifully landscaped gardens, rugged hills covered in pines and cacti, and a
peak that overlooked the entire city. We walked around the park’s winding
pathways and then headed to the top of the hill. The view was totally worth the
climb!
The
sun was starting to set, so after the Parc del Guinardo we booked it to Parc
Guell, one of Antoni Gaudi’s many creations. Along the way we saw a ton of wall
art, cool buildings, and a really pretty church!
Parc
Guell was filled with bright tiled mosaics, fountains, and a pathway dotted
with bizarre stone pillars. After seeing pictures of the park for so many years
in my high school Spanish classes it was neat to see it in person! We watched the
sun go down from the park, listened to some live music (a guy with a guitar was
playing Wonderwall), and then walked to the metro to get back to the hostel.
We
were all totally exhausted from the walking and lack of sleep so we took a nap.
We woke up for a quick pizza dinner at a restaurant close to the hostel before
going right back to sleep! What can I say? We’re party animals.
Stay tuned for
a few more posts about Barcelona!
