Blair is in Barcelona

October 20, 2008

This past weekend, we went to Barcelona, and it was absolutely beautiful. After a 10 hour bus ride, we finally arrived around 7:30 PM, eating dinner at 8:15 PM. We were about a 25 minute journey outside of the city. So after dinner, I went out with Madeline, Vanessa, and Paul to go explore the city. We waited half an hour for the bus, got on the bus (where the clock was ½ an hour ahead), waited 20 minutes on the bus, got to the train station, waited 10 minutes for the train, and took a 15 minute RENFE train into Barcelona.

We left at 9:40 – we arrived at 11:15.

We meandered down las Ramblas, looking at all the closed shops as well as the bars. We finally decided to sit down for a drink at an outside bar. We got 1.5 liters of Sangria made with Cava, and enjoyed a nice night sitting outside. We took a cab back to the hotel, and instead of being the 25 euros it should have been, it was a 40 euro cab ride.

So it goes.

The next day, Saturday, was much better.

We were up early for our panoramic bus tour, visiting first the 1992 Olympic stadium, followed by a scenic overlook of the city, la Sagrada Familia cathedral (designed by Gaudi and began construction in the late 1800s while still unfinished today) and finally, Gaudi’s Park Guell. We drove by art by Roy Lichenstein! The Sacred Family was so neat, and the concept is neat too. One side, the side created by Gaudi himself, displays the birth of Jesus and is completely curved and beautiful. The other side, created after his death, was all jagged, and portrayed the crucifixion. The final side has yet to be created. I wanted to go inside so badly, but we continued on to Park Guell, which was so unique with its mosaics everywhere.

We had lunch at a local restaurant, and I had a green salad along with grilled garlic monkfish. Afterwards, Madeline, Vanessa and I forewent the opportunity to go souvenir shopping in favor of discovering two of Gaudi’s more famous buildings, Casa Batillo and la Pedrera. Oh my god, they were so beautiful! Casa Batillo, aka the bone house, is supposed to invoke the sensation of being inside a fish or 20,000 leagues under the sea, and the walls undulated and looked like scales, with stained glass everywhere to carry light throughout the house. The balconies are reminiscent of bones, as are the upper levels, which give the sensation of walking through a whale’s skeleton. On the roof, there are figures that seem to be like a dragon’s back, and so many mosaics and beautiful views. After that, we headed to la Pedrera, an old apartment building that was renovated and reopened to the public in 1996. We headed up to the roof first, famous and featured in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which looks like faces are coming out of the chimneys. It was absolutely beautiful, and the best decision ever.



We ran back to the bus, barely catching it outside of the Hard Rock Café at 7:30, and arrived back at the hotel around 8:30. We had dinner around 9, and then I got ready to go out with Lauren and Alex to a club that others had gone out to the night before. Around 11, we called a cab, and Alex, Lauren, Ashlee, Laura, Jasmine, Avani and I left to go explore nighttime Barcelona. Lauren and I were approached by a couple guys and we chatted with them and had a drink before heading to the club. In the line at the club, we talked to a guy who ended up being Maltese! I got lost and meandered through the club, finally finding Ashlee, and we got a drink.

I don’t remember anything after that.

I woke up in Ashlee’s room still drunk. I evidently had 2 more drinks, and made Ashlee fall with me, and feel terrible about it. I certainly felt terrible the next day at the Dali exhibit as I experienced my first hangover of my life. I really enjoyed the artwork I did see. I slept most of the day, unfortunately.

I was embarrassed beyond belief. Like, words cannot describe my emotions on Sunday.

Yesterday, we spent another 11 hours on the bus ride home. I was still suffering the consequences of Saturday night. I read a bit, listened to music, and watched the 10th Kingdom.

All in all, though, Barcelona was beautiful, and our time spent there was way way way too short. I really hope to go back there someday on my own time to explore all of the museums we drove past and maybe to go to the beach! So far, if there is any place I’ve been to that is on my list to go back to, it’s Barcelona. The blend of modernism with old, ornate architecture was absolutely unique and complimentary, unlike any other place I’ve been to or any other place I will probably visit.