New Nirvana: Barcelona

After enjoying Beerfest despite my cancelled trip, I was at least looking forward to a visit from my dad and a short trip to Barcelona the following weekend.

Well, apparently, the icelandic volcano wasn't done messing with me yet.

Needless to say, plans had to change quickly. We had two roundtrip train

tickets to Barcelona but not two people. However, thanks to the generosity of my dad, I was able to invite my friend Jen to B

arcelona for the weekend so the trip wouldn't be completely bust.

The trip was indeed amazing, and started out with an adventure on the night train in our "Gran Butaca" seating (or, 'Grand Armchair') and seemed non-stop from there.

We had the fortune of coming to Barcelona during their Saint's day which meant that the streets were crowded with people, flower stands, and book vendors (on Barcelona's saint's day, the tradition is for people to exchange books and flowers and in massive quantities, apparently) We could hardly make it through La Rambla, Barcelona's main street and walkway, it was so full of people.

That first day we made it to the famous La Boqueria market in Barcelona which instantly became one of my favorite places in the world. Filled to the brim with fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, meats, nuts, cheeses, chocolates, spices, and anything else this girl could imagine. I wanted to set up camp and live my life sampling all the foods and flavors packed in under one roof. Almost immediately I decided that our beach day would have to be put off until Sunday so I could have one more day to spend at the market.

Later in the afternoon, we also made it to La Pedrera - Gaudi's famous apartment building - and then to Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's last project that is still unfinished (and according to most natives, will never be despite the 2030 promise). Not knowing much (or really anything) about Gaudi before coming to Barcelona, these spots were particularly fascinating. I loved seeing Sagrada Familia and being a visitor during its building process, and I'm more excited to come back when it's all finished and see the final product, because it's sure to be grand.

The next days in Barcelona included more exploring of the market,

walking of the pier, Park Guell (another Gaudi masterpiece), a day at the beach, and some of the best food I've had in Spain (although many in Barcelona would argue that we weren't in Spain but in Cataluna).

At the end, we made our way to our night train back to catch a few winks before having to be back at work the next morning. I was sad that the trip came to an end and that I wouldn't have more opportunities to return to Barcelona before leaving at the end of my post. But at least I know I have to get back eventually to see the completed Sagrada Familia.