A Whole New World: Barca Barca Barca!

The best thing about Barcelona = it was in the 50s/60s the whole time - a nice break from snowy Rouen! As soon as we (I went with my friend from the Czech Republic named Tereza) stepped off the plane we saw palm trees greeting us at the airport. Just like Florida. We took a bus into the city and found our hostel relatively easily. Pooped after a long journey, we went to bed in anticipation of a full day of sightseeing.

The first thing we did was purchase tickets for the sightseeing bus, and it was really a good move. The bus went to all of the main attractions, and had information you could listen to during the ride. I inquired about a football match, but there weren’t any in Barcelona until the next week. Too bad!

We also bought about 20 clementines for 77 cents – quite a bargain! The first stop on our journey was Casa Batllo, which is a house designed by a well-known architect named Gaudi. The architecture was truly amazing and I really felt like I was in a Dr. Seuss book. The architecture is similar to the drawings, or at least according to what I remember from my childhood. After Casa Batllo, we went to Park Guell, which has other Gaudi architecture. The day was so perfect, and we spent an hour sitting in the sun eating clementines. Such an enjoyable/relaxing afternoon! All throughout the park there were musicians playing, and it made for a wonderful atmosphere.

We also went to see Sagrada Familia, a famous church designed by Gaudi. Building started long ago, but isn’t scheduled to finish until 2026, so there was construction going on while we were there. Inside, the stained glass windows were gorgeous. The church was cool because it wasn’t crumbling as some are, but was very modern and clean.

At the end of the day we rode the bus around and saw the stadium, a palace, the university (across from the palace) and other cool sights.

For dinner we went to a place to get tapas and paella (rice with vegetables and meat or fish). I tried sangria and surprisingly liked it. The place we went to was quite cozy and they even had a football match on tv!

The next day we saw some other sights, and we went to the beach where we saw a submarine! Also, we found a shopping mall and I bought a dress!

The day ended with an extremely long flight and driving back to Rouen in a snowstorm. Bye bye Barca :(

I had heard that no one in Spain spoke English, but apparently “Barcelona” is different from Spain. They speak Catalan, so all of the signs were translated into Catalan, Castillan, and English. Catalan is closer to French, and Castillan is closer to Latin, so it was interesting to compare the Catalan translation to the French…it actually was pretty similar. For example: exit was Sortidas in Catalan, and it is Sortie in French. In Castillan it is Salida.

Barcelona and Rome are probably my two favorite places I’ve been to, and I highly recommend visiting!