This weekend, we all went to Barcelona, Spain. We left early Friday morning at 7:30 am and arrived to spain around 9:30. After getting to the city from the airport, we checked into our hostel. This was my first time staying in a hostel. I was shocked when I walked in to the Equity Gothic Hostel. It was very clean and comfortable. We had 8 beds to a room, so it was like a big party with all of my friends. After getting settled, we walked to La Rambla which is a long strip of shops and restaurants. There were open air markets and little stands selling handmade jewelry and fresh flowers. From La Rambla, we walked all the way to La Sagrada Familia, the Basilica designed by Gaudi. This Basilica was never been finished, so it is still being built. When you walk up to La Sagrada Familia, it looks almost fake. The design is very unique, and your eyes get lost in the all of the detail. After Sagrada Familia, we went back to La Rambla to see this open air market, Saint Joseph's, that we walked past earlier. It was like nothing I have ever seen before. There was a stand for everything: fruit, meat, cheese, chocolate, spices, prepared food, bread, wine, etc... We spent an hour just walking around this market.
Friday night, my brother, my friend Katie and I went out for tapas. We found this gorgeous tapas bar that was down a little side street. When you walk in, they give you a plate, and you walk up to the tapas bar and choose what you want. Each tapas has a toothpick in it which is how they charge you. The toothpicks add up when you want to try everything. After dinner, we met up with my friend Fiona. She is studying abroad in Barcelona with a home stay family. Fiona wanted to take us to Gracia, the neighborhood she is staying in, that has a lot of local bars and clubs. We rode the metro to get there from Plaza Catalunya. The metro trains in Spain are not like the redline in Chicago. They have cushioned seats like airplane seats and are extremely clean. When we arrived to Gracia, we met up with Fiona's RA, Marta. All of the clubs have "la lista." You have to be on "la lista" to get in. Marta knew some people at the club, so she was able to get us all in to Otto Zoots. Going into the club was a cultural experience alone. Everyone is dancing and singing and meeting new people.
Saturday morning, we woke up walked around the Gothic district. I found my first Starbucks of my time studying abroad (Rome doesn't have or need Starbucks). Then, we went in the Saint Joseph's market for lunch. At about 2:00pm, I met up with Fiona. She took me to a little hole in the wall tea shop. We had chai tea from Africa and sat in this shop for two hours, drinking tea and chatting like true Spaniards. Then we went shopping at Zara. Zara is originally from Spain, so the selection and prices are fabulous.
After shopping, we headed back to Gracia. Fiona took me up to her family's apartment to see how she lives. The apartment was quaint and very European. Walking around Gracia, we got stuck in the Carnivale parade. I have never seen anything like it. Carnivale in Barcelona was very different from Carnivale in Venice. It is more of a family experience in Barcelona. The parade consisted of people from the age of 2 to 80, dancing and signing and all dressed up. It was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. Gracia is not a tourist neighborhood, so I really felt like I was immersed in Spain's culture.
I left Fiona and back to Plaza Catalunya to meet up with my friends for dinner. We had tapas again. Around 11, we met up with Fiona again at a bar called the Black Sheep. It is an underground bar that is not very well known. A mime lets you in the door only after you and your entire group are completely silent. At Black Sheep, we had our very first Sangria. We sat there for hours, talking to the locals and drinking in the culture. It was so enjoyable. I loved every second of my weekend in Barcelona.
Baci,
Nikki
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