Though I’m taking classes in Rome this semester, I’m trying to do quite a bit of traveling on my days off. This weekend I visited Barcelona, a Spanish city in the region of Catalonia. I had an awesome time, so here’s a rundown of my adventure…
What I Got to Do:
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La Rambla– This beautiful strip is surrounded by big name shops on the outer street and smaller tents and craftsmen on the inner walkways. Lined with trees that provide some shade, the street is full of artists, souvenir stalls, and performers dressed as movie characters and statues. We walked all the way down to the marina, where the city meets the sea, and found a few more antiques tents down there. Lots of shopping, and beautiful scenery!
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Sagrada Familia– Construction on this basilica started in 1882, but it’s not due to be finished until 2026. The building is a wild and beautiful mix of architectural styles, with intricate statues and facades lining the walls, gothic arches, soaring spires, and other outer decorations in a variety of artistic styles. Though there’s scaffolding and other obvious signs of the ongoing construction all around the church, it’s still absolutely stunning.
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Park Guell– The highlight of my trip, Park Guell was a wonderful spot to walk around. Parts of the park are free, including several terraces overlooking the city, sculpted stone arches, and winding paths through the park. To get into the main sector of the park requires an entrance ticket, which opens a whole new set of sights. Arching stone walkways, columns culminating in a mosaic ceiling, and a brightly colored mosaic lizard fountain are just a few of the highlights. And of course, perhaps the park’s most famous feature is the terrace overlooking the city lined with mosaic benches. Talk about a perfect spot for pictures. The whole place was designed by architect Antoni Gaudi, whose house is in the middle of the park and is now a museum.
What I Missed:
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Sagrada Familia (indoors)– So we visited Sagrada Familia, but unfortunately, we didn’t buy our tickets to get inside ahead of time, and they were sold out for the day when we got there. That was a real shame, because as lovely as the outside is, the inside is supposed to be full of gorgeous stained glass and art. Next time I’ll definitely be getting those tickets in advance.
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Paella– My biggest regret of the trip might be that I didn’t try this Spanish dish while I was there. A rice dish that often has seafood in Barcelona, which is right on the water, paella is supposed to be delicious. Unfortunately, my group didn’t make it to a paella restaurant during our weekend. I guess I’ll just have to go back!
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Gothic Quarter– One of my favorite things to do while traveling is just wander the city. I would’ve loved to do this in Barcelona’s old Gothic Quarter, which is full of beautiful old buildings. I can’t help but imagine that the Gothic Quarter is the perfect place for daydreaming and whimsical wandering, but we didn’t quite have time to get over there. It’s definitely on the list for the future though.
Barcelona was wonderful, and even if I didn’t get to do everything on my list, I had a great trip! If you’re ever heading abroad, make sure you do your research so you know exactly what you want to do and which places to visit. Hopefully someday I’ll be back to Barcelona to complete my list.