Barcelona (July 13 - 18)

Seth and I got up early on the 13th to take the train to the airport, allowing lots of extra time for delays because of the late train debacle we experienced upon arrival in Rome.  It was pouring rain, which did not make the early morning any better, but we were happy to arrive at the airport on time.  I bid Seth farewell as he boarded for Zurich and I got on my plane bound for Barcelona.  I arrived and traveled downtown without a hitch.  My first stop was the tourist office, as I did not pre-book a hostel for my first couple of nights.  This was a bit of a disaster, as I ended up walking (in the sun with my big pack) to multiple hostels that were full before returning to the tourist office and asking if they could give me other suggestions and check availability.  The situation was annoying, but I now have a better idea of when to book hostels (i.e. not the afternoon of my arrival in a city).

On the 14^th, I started the day with a free Gaudi walking tour.  The tour began in one of the main plazas of the old city where two Gaudi-designed lampposts live.  We then walked outside Palau Guell, Casa Batllo, and the Sagrada Familia, three of Antoni Gaudi’s most famous buildings in Barcelona.  I love his architecture.  I especially liked Casa Batllo, an apartment building whose roof looks like a dragon’s back—multi-colored roof tiles look like scales—and whose balconies look like festival masks.  Our guide said she liked touring the inside of this house more than the Sagrada Familia, so I took her advice and came back at a later date.  I had lunch with a few Australian guys from the tour at La Bouqueria, a huge market just off La Rambla, Barcelona’s main street.  The fresh juice was great and much needed after a long tour.

In the afternoon, I returned to my hostel to take a nap, only to hear the guy on the bed next to me, Sean, saying to the girl on the bed above me, Emma, “you should come to Seattle sometime, you would like it there.”  I interrupted—“No way!”  Sean is from Vashon Island, at the end of his gap year.  He is going to UW next year.  I talked with him and Emma (from Sweden) instead of resting.  The three of us went out for dinner a bit later and had paella, a traditional dish made with rice and seafood.  It was great and there was plenty of it to go around.  Later that night, Sean and I hung out with Juan, a 34-year-old guy from Zurich and had a good talk.  Juan told me about some “secret” restaurants in Zurich that I wish I had known about before I visited!  I bid farewell to Sean before heading to bed, as he was leaving early the next morning.

I began July 15^th with a walking tour of the Gothic district, the main old town area of Barcelona.  We learned about the history of the area and passed some famous shops, the old Roman wall, the Jewish Quarter, and much more.  This tour was really long, and I had to refuel before I could reach the market for lunch.  My nose found a candy shop (that also sold sandwiches) so I had a sandwich and some chocolate before reaching La Bouqueria for some fresh fruit.  In the afternoon, I went back to Palau Guell and got a ticket to go inside.  To keep this post as short as possible, I will not go into detail, but it was awesome inside.  I had to change hostels in the evening due to poor pre-booking, then spent the remaining part of the evening making sure I got a good hostel booked for my four nights in London.  I headed back to La Rambla in the evening for a kebab dinner.

On the 16^th I returned to Casa Batllo and bought a ticket to tour the inside.  Though my most expensive activity in Barcelona, it was worth it.  The natural lighting, tile work, and ceilings in this apartment were incredible.  Parabolic arches line the attic ceiling, providing maximum support while taking up minimum space, and very few straight lines are used anywhere in the building.  While walking around the Gothic district after visiting Gaudi’s masterpiece, I popped my head into the Barcelona Cathedral, which had huge arches lining the ceiling that were really cool to stare up at.  I had dinner at my hostel—homemade paella—and it was even better than the paella I had previously.  More tomato, less salt, more love put into it.  I was out late dancing with a bunch of people from my hostel.  I had a great time and got to know lots of people from my hostel.  Two guys from Zurich, a woman from Montreal, and two guys from Hull, Massachusetts, about 30 miles from Boston.  Erik, one of the guys from near Boston, asked about my coop plans and said he could get me an interview at his company, iDroid, if I am interested.  I don’t know if I will take him up on that, but the connection can’t work.  The other Massachusetts resident, James, had just graduated from UMass Amherst.  Small world.

In preparation to change hostels for my final night in Barcelona (again due to poor booking on my part—I know what to do next time), I spent the morning hanging out in the common room and did a load of laundry after grabbing some breakfast.  I met a couple from Victoria, BC who have never made it to Seattle but routinely go to Sasquatch, the music festival in Eastern Washington.  We had a good time talking about the northwest.  After moving hostels, I attempted to meet James and Erik at the beach.  I did not realize how big the beach was however, so after fruitlessly searching for them I ended up just taking a nap in the sun for a couple hours.  I put on sunscreen this time to avoid another funny-looking sunburn.  I met Eric, James, and the two Swiss guys for dinner.  We had a great time chatting about the differences between Switzerland and America, of which there are many.  I am appreciative of my new contacts around the world and I hope I can visit or see them again in the future.

I spent the morning of the 18^th, my final day in Barcelona, in Park Guell.  This park is called “Gaudi’s Garden” because he designed many elements of the park including some sculptures inside it.  Having no real agenda, I stumbled upon a really fun reggae band playing and decided to watch for a while.  One of the guitar players had dreadlocks down to his knees and a couple others were not far behind!  I liked them so much that I bought their CD, which I am excited to hear when I get home.  I also ran into a few other street artists, including a guy who cut silhouette portraits and an electric violinist who used a sound-looping machine to create a many-layered song from scratch.  Eventually, I made my way back to the center of town, had one final lunch at La Bouqueria, and headed out for London.  I arrived late at night, caught the last Underground train of the night, and made it to my hostel almost seamlessly.

London post coming soon.  As I write this I am on the plane from London to San Francisco, where I will connect back to Seattle!