Bus Tour + Zoo Barcelona
Our first night in the hostel was a success. The four of us got up early, ate breakfast (which was an awesome granola, corn flake cereal – delicious!) and got showered for our upcoming adventures. While walking around the marina, Danielle, Jess, Amanda and I noticed the buses that would take you all over the city of Barcelona to the major sites. You could get on and off the bus at any stop you wanted, and you got to see everything. We bought tickets and loaded the bus. We decided to make our first stop at the Parc de la Cuitadella. It was such a beautiful day out, so to walk around in a park was perfect! Danielle and I decided to check out the zoo while we were there. It was so much fun! We saw every kind of animal! Lions, tigers, bears, giraffes, elephants, EVERYTHING! I love zoos. I will never grow out of them.
Lunch with Professor Helguero-Balcells
Before coming to Barcelona, I had been talking with my Spanish teacher from Lynn, Professor Helguero-Balcells. She had mentioned that she would be in Barcelona the same weekend as Danielle and I. We exchanged numbers, and before we got on the bus tour she called. We decided to meet up for lunch. After designating a time and place to meet (at 2:30 p.m. in front of the Hard Rock Barcelona), it was set. Danielle and I were so excited! After the Parc de la Cuitadella, the bus took us to Placa de Catalunya, where the Hard Rock was. Seeing Professor Helguero-Balcells and her husband was a blast. They took us to this cute little Spanish restaurant in the area. It was delicious! Plus the décor was adorable. The walls were painted all different colors – red, green, blue, even the placemats were colorful. The restaurant had such great character. After lunch, Professor Helgeuro-Balcells told us that she would be in Madrid. So we decided to set another dinner date for Thursday evening and include T.J. in the extravaganza. So much fun!
Antoni GaudÃ, Sagrada FamÃlia + Park Güell
After lunch, we ventured back to the bus to complete our tour. Our first stop was the work-in-progress cathedral of Sagrada FamÃlia. It’s a major landmark in Barcelona, and it was GaudÃ’s dream. The construction of this cathedral began in 1882. When Gaudà died in 1926, only one of the towers was had been completed. His style is so unique. It’s like something you would see in a fairytale with the mixture of modern and old-fashioned architecture. They say it will be completed in 20 years. If possible, I will definitely be making a second trip to see it. I can’t even imagine how extravagant it will be.
Unfortunately, our time began to run out. It was almost 6 p.m. and the busses stopped running at 7 p.m. We had to decide on one final stop, and we chose GaudÃ’s Park Güell. I definitely think it was a good choice! This garden was amazing. Walking through the main entrance, the first thing I thought was that it looked like a Gingerbread House. The architecture is so unique and so imaginative, all entwined with nature – which was GaudÃ’s main inspiration. I could have played in this park for hours. It was like being in a different world. We walked to the top of the main structure that was covered with beautiful mosaics (plus the famous mosaic lizard statue) and massive white columns just in time to catch a glimpse of sunset over looking the city of Barcelona and the ocean. It was breathtaking. This park was the highlight of Barcelona for me. It was something I had never seen before, and I don’t know if I will ever see anything like it again. Gaudà is truly a mastermind.
La Rambla
Unfortunately our time for exploring Barcelona had run out. There is so much more to see! I wish I had more time and more money to make it happen. But after the bus ride back to our part of town, we walked down La Rambla. It’s a very touristy, high volume street with anything and everything you could imagine. We stopped at a sidewalk café for paella and enjoyed the beautiful Barcelona night while people watching. It was definitely a good, relaxing end to a great weekend in Barcelona.
