I visited Barcelona in March (I know, this is May) with Evita and Annie. Looking back, Barcelona is one of my favorite cities. There were a lot of Americans (I probably heard more English than Catalan or Castellano) and it seemed that most of the Barcelonians we met could speak English. Despite the ultra-tourist setting, I still loved the city. A friend of mine stayed in Barcelona for 10 days (there is so much to do). I wish I could have stayed that long in Barcelona since there was a lot more I wanted to do, but I'm thankful that I got to even visit for a couple of days.
Our weekend started with an overnight bus from Madrid to Barcelona. I apologize to the guy I was sitting next to - I'm sure my head hit him a couple times while I was sleeping. He seemed pretty excited to get off the bus. Once we arrived in Barcelona, we walked in Las Ramblas, the strip of small streets+stores that takes you to the beach. Beach! That's one thing I miss from California and I wish Madrid was near a body of water. It was good to just sit on the beach, take in the air, and watch and hear the waves. One major reason why I liked Barcelona was the location and the atmosphere. There was a calm feeling to the city and it seemed so normal to just walk along the coast with my yummy gelato. Another reason why I liked Barcelona was because of Gaudí, who was an architect and designed some of the buildings in Barcelona. You can instantly tell what buildings are his creations. He's works are so unique and shows how crazy his mind was (crazy in a good way).
Annie! I think this picture is a good representation of Barcelona in a nutshell, with the weird colorful monument and the old looking buildings in the background. Barcelona is a mixture of modernity and antiquity. It had some modern architectural structures (besides Gaudí's) yet there were also some Roman ruins (near the Cathedral) and buildings from centuries ago. Barcelona has always been an area of intellectual and economic prosperity, and you can definitely sense that by walking around and seeing the combination of the old and new.
Nightlife in Barcelona - old people dancing! The people were dancing to raise money for renovations for the Cathedral. There was a live band and the dancers were all in circles (from as small as 4 people to as big as 20) with their clothes and belongings in the center. People who lose their belongings in clubs should dance like them to avoid losing their things (it's also much more aesthetically pleasing to watch people dancing in circles holding hands than watch the dancing in clubs). I remember one woman who was really good - very straight back, very precise. I don't think I could have danced next to her; I don't have good control of my limbs apparently. I enjoyed watching them :)
At night, we also got to see a concert of a Spanish guitarist. One of my dream goals is to play the classical guitar (I say dream because it's probably only going to stay a dream - I'm too lazy to actually make it work). The guitarist was excellent, and I loved the songs he played.
Gaudí was a genius. Period. Here is a look inside the Sangria Familia, which was under his direction until he died. He combined elements of nature (hooray!) and math (yuck!) to design the church. It was a bit strange to have long forgotten multi-variable calculus lessons suddenly come back when I saw the building. The church is still undergoing construction (it´s privately funded which includes my admission ticket), but his ingenuity and innovation overpower the chaos from the construction work.
Park Guell - another Gaudí creation. This park was supposed to be an exclusive community for the rich people. It was on top of a hill (hills aren't my friends) and Gaudí designed the houses (his house was in the park). Unfortunately, the whole exclusive community idea didn't really take off, but fortunately, tourists like me can enjoy the workings of Gaudí's crazy mind in a large setting. It almost felt like I was in an amusement park, with the unique structures, vivid colors, music - and the people who were trying to sell you their stuff.
While I was at Barcelona, I rented a bike for a couple hours. It seemed like a good idea at the time since the weather was gorgeous, but then again, the last time I rode a bike was when I was 10. The guys who were after me in line in the bike shop actually clapped when I successfully pedaled my way out. (I had to practice in the small streets for more than a couple minutes to re-learn how to ride a bike. I am living proof that you never forget how to ride a bike, regardless of how nonathletic you are). I think this picture was taken on my magical bike ride along the ports of the Barcelona coast. It was magical because 1) I did not hit anyone, 2) I did not get hit by anyone although there were close calls, 3) I did not fall off, and 4) I made it back in one piece (the bike and me).
I have a not-so-great memory, and I know there's something I'm missing. But I remember that I truly enjoyed my weekend in Barcelona.
Unfortunately, Barcelona is the last Spanish city I will visit. I wish I could see more of Spain, especially the north, like San Sebastian and Santiago. Next time I come to Spain, I will definitely check out them and perhaps write them in this blog :)
Susan
Susan, deng. This is awesome.
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