Sagrada Sangria: Barcelona

Want to guess what I'm going to say about Barcelona? I loved it! Just like every other European city I have been too. There was something different about Barcelona though compared to some of the others, I don't know if it was because the weather was beautiful all weekend or what; but it was one of the most stress free trips I've been on.   We got in really late on Friday night around 1am and decided not to partake in the Barcelona nightlife because we wanted to wake up early and get our sightseeing done during the day.   Luckily, my friend Nicole studied abroad in Barcelona this semester and gave me a fantastic list of thins to do, places to visit and places to eat. The one place she told us we absolutely had to go was Park Güell. Park Güell is a park on the edge of the city designed by Antoni Gaudi, the architect responsible for many of the amazing buildings in Barcelona. We were lucky the weather absolutely gorgeous and we had an amazing view over the entire city. There are beautiful mosaic works throughout the park and lots of trails and places to walk around, if you go to Barcelona this should definitely be on the top of your list to go see.  

Another place that should be on the top of your list is one of Gaudi's other works, the Sagrada Familia. When we first got to the Sagrada Familia the line to enter was around the block; after about thirty minutes in line we finally entered and let me tell you, it was definitely worth the wait. I have seen a lot of Catholic churches, all over the world, and the Sagrada Familia is by far my favorite. I'm not sure if it was because of the amazing use of stained glass and architecture  or because it was so unconventional for a Catholic Church, but I thought it was fantastic. I do however regret not going up into the turrets, so I suggest that if you visit; you pay the couple of euros extra and take advantage of that opportunity.   

After touring the Sagrada Familia we headed down to the Barceloneta area for tapas and sangria. After lunch we split up and a couple of the girls went to the beach while some of us wanted to wander around the gothic quarter. In the midst of our wandering we stumbled upon Chulapio, a really great crêpe restaurant and bar with a really friendly bartender who makes a great sangria. As we were getting ready to pay our check the bartender came over with free cosmopolitan shots for us and then free tequila shots (served with and orange and cinnamon) for us after we paid the bill. Needless to say, we were felling pretty chipper by the time we left.  

As we continued wandering around we stumbled upon another one of Barcelona's famous churches; the Seu Cathedral. We actually saw the cloister first and has no idea what we were walking in to it were intrigued by the geese and fountains. As we walked around to the front of the church there was a large band that began playing and dozens of locals in circles dancing some traditional dance. It was a really great thing to experience and see.  

Next, we were lucky enough to stumble upon a food and drink festival near Barcelona's Ace de Triomf. And lucky for Meghan and me, it was vegetarian friendly!!! There were all sorts of stands selling veggie burgers, veggie empanadas, quiche, falafel and much more. We got the best falafel I have ever had; in a pita with hummus, lettuce, tomatoes and spicy Spanish sauce. We also tried out some local beer and freshly made mojitos.   

After a nap to ensure we would be able to stay awake while experiencing Barcelona night life, we headed to Razzmatazz around 1am. Razz is a multi level club with a different theme of music in each room. It was a ton of fun, I got to see my friend Nicole from home, a live band  started playing electro music around 3:30am and we ended up getting back to our hostel around 5:30am. Great night.  

Sunday morning we took a nice walk to get breakfast at a really great place called Brunch & Cake. They serve brunch everyday from 9am until 10pm and it is delicious. Expect to wait a little bit for a table, but believe me it is worth it. I recommend the brunch combo and a piece of their carrot cake or red velvet cake, you will not regret it. After brunch we headed to Montjuïc; a hill that over looks the harbour and there is the Castle of Montjuïc on top of it. To get up to the castle you can either walk (quite a ways) or take a gondola. This was another place that provided and amazing view of the sea and of Barcelona. We didn't go inside the castle but it was worth the trip just to walk around the grounds.  

Overall Barcelona was an absolutely amazing city and I had a great time exploring it with my friends. I feel as a student studying abroad it is one of the places you have to visit, hands down. Like I said about many cities before, I would go back in an instant.