A day in Barcelona.

I decided to stop in Barcelona on my way to Granada because 1 - it was cheaper, and 2 - I wasn't sure if I'd get the chance to visit during the semester. I was there for two nights (more like one and a half with my delayed arrival), so I only had one full day in the city.

I chose to just embrace my disgusting, living-out-of-a-suitcase self, so after I had rolled out of my sheet-less bed (it was just too hard to put them on at 2 AM in a dark dorm-style room; I slept with the fitted sheet wrapped around me), eaten my free breakfast, thrown on some dirty clothes, and made the decision not to shower until that night (I would be alone all day...), I set off to do some sight-seeing. I hadn't done a lot of research about Barcelona, but I thought I'd just try to do a highlight tour and see the most famous things, so the free map the hostel gave me seemed like a good enough guide for me.

I started out by just wandering a bit, enjoying the overcast sky and gorgeous architecture, vaguely heading to Las Ramblas, which is a must-see but I'm not sure why. But it was very European and pretty and I got a free smoothie so I enjoyed it.

I followed Las Ramblas to the water and then walked along the harbor, seeing a few interesting monuments that seemed important. I was trying to make my way toward the Gothic Quarter, and I knew I was close once I came upon Santa Maria del Mar, a breathtaking Gothic cathedral near the water (which, if you understand the meaning of its name in Spanish, makes sense.) It was unexpected but so beautiful, giving me a chance to say some prayers and giving me a reason to be thankful that I was in Europe (I still have some reservations about choosing to do my semester abroad here, but really, there's no better place to see churches, and you all know how much I love churches...)

Then I wandered through the Gothic Quarter a little more, quickly arriving at my first concrete destination - the Picasso Museum! I loved it. Really, a lot.

After that, I bought myself some lunch, which was absolutely delicious. Sandwiches are maybe one of my favorite things in the world, but vegetarian sandwiches can often disappoint, so this was a wonderful surprise. Fried eggs, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonnaise on buttery toasted bread - so simple, so bad for me, so blissful.

I got a little lost and walked around a lot, but I was in Barcelona, so I couldn't really complain... wandering is just unplanned sight-seeing! I eventually found the city's main Cathedral, and got to enjoy its beautiful main sanctuary and its peaceful cloister.

As I was leaving, I passed by an elevator, and I was intrigued, so I stopped to investigate. Then another American tourist stopped too. We called the elevator and when the doors opened, we both just sort-of shrugged at each other and hopped in. After a few slightly scary seconds (lots of peculiar noises...), the doors opened again, and we were on the roof, with an amazing view of the city before us. Another wonderful surprise!

My last destination of the day was Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, which was quite far away, so I got to see a lot more lovely little Barcelona things on my walk there. Once I got there, I was pretty tired but nevertheless completely enthralled by the utter strangeness of the church in front of me. SO WEIRD. I didn't really know what to expect, and I don't think I could have known, because it was just amazing and confusing and beautiful and sometimes kind of scary. And, somehow, I happened to run into a BC alum who's currently living in Jordan (I also ran into her in Amman.) That was yet another unexpected twist, especially considering my gloriously filthy state.

My camera died right after I stepped out of the church, so that's where my visual documentation of Barcelona ended. It was starting to get dark, so I went back to the hostel, and after getting lost again, I arrived with very tired feet and a dirty self, so I finally took a shower. Then I ended up hanging out in the common room and ate cheese and talked to some of the other guests, which was nice but made me realize that I felt a little lonely. I'm glad I got to see the city, but it was weird doing it all by myself... kind of a "happiness is only real when shared" moment (reference goes out to you, dear Sylvia.) I am just not destined to travel the world alone. But this loneliness only lasted for one day, and it only made me more grateful for the loved ones I do have and more excited to get to Granada and get settled!

(The rest of the photos are here.)