Summertime Adventures: December 2012

Castell de Montjulic

After my final prueba (test) Thursday, I packed my bags and grabbed the bus to the Alicante airport--final destination: Barcelona. With Ryanair's deals we had a round trip for under 60€. If you complied with all their regulations, were timely, and had the necessary documents, you weren't penalized with fees. This kept things pretty cheap. What I found though, is Ryanair can be slightly sketchy. So much so, that it's a common tradition to clap afterwards once you've arrived safely. Haha humorous, but slightly worrisome. :S

We got in late, and unfortunately only a few buses were running to and from the airport. Luckily there was one bus left (bus 46) that we could take into town. From there we walked to our hostel (Hostel 1), along with the airport staff who just clocked off work. They were kind enough to give us directions and ten minutes later, we arrived :) Thus began our adventure.

Park Guell entrance

The people were the best part of the trip. We made friends quickly on the bus, plane, at the hostel,...everywhere. One of the first evenings, we met up with a friend of a friend who is a native Spaniard studying his masters for translation in Barcelona. We joined him, his girlfriend, friend, and entire class for dinner at 100 Bocaditos (a restuarant with 100 different mini sandwiches). Cheap beer, tapas, and genial conversation. From there we headed out to the discoteca. Razzmatazz is their most popular dance club. It's huge. We never made it there, but if your in Barcelona, it's the place to go. (Frankly the name reminds me of my Jamba Juice days and that ever popular drink I had to make). Instead of the Razz, we went to Sidecar (pronounced C-day-car in their accent). We found one of their promoters outside and got a stamp for free entrance before 1:30 am, (this being Spain though, that's too early for anything to really start). So we went in, stayed for a dance, and went back out, receiving a second entrance stamp to let us back in, free, whenever we wanted to return. That's the fun part of the night, looking for cheap bars and dance clubs to get into for free if possible. But simply being, it was a fun night were we felt like one of the locals; where you really understood the power of connections and it seemed we had friends all over the world.

During the day, we wore out our legs walking the town. There are so many things to do. You can wonder the beach and skyscraper district. Explore the various malls. Take a stroll down Passeig de Garcia and shop among the high class stores (you'll pass by a couple Gaudi houses along the way). Watch the pigeons flock into the sky in the Placa de Catalunya. From there you can cross-over to La Rambla, a street full of small tiendas, artists, and more. Near the end you'll find the world's largest fresh food market--La Boqueria--full of the most exotic, enormous, and vast assortment of foods and sweets.

Splurge on an item or two, but save your money for the cheaper items that are inward or on the outer parts of the market.

Olympic village on Montjulic Hill

Further along the sea, on a giant hill, there sits Parc de Montjuic. It's incredibly large. At the top is Castell de Montjulic, a watch tower built during time of war, centuries ago, and free to enter. You can see all of Barcelona from it. Nearby, on the same hill, is the '92

Olympic Village

Olympic village. You can walk through and enjoy the spacious grandeur of it all. Adjacent to the village is the MNAC art museum. A fabulous place to go during the day or at night! There are three levels of marvelous fountains that follow the hillside down to the Magic fountain (which lights up with music and color Friday and Saturday nights, like the water shows in Las Vegas). The fountain displays a show every half-hour between 7-9 pm every Friday and Saturday. I recommend viewing it from the top of the MNAC and then work your way town to the base, enjoying each level of the scene.

MNAC viewing the Magic fountain

Far North of the city, towards the mountains, is Parque Guell. Here is the famous Gaudi parque. It looks like you stepped into Candy land with al the twisting architecture, winding mosaic-seats, dazzlingly colorful statues, and more. You can then hop on the metro and see Gaudi's SangradaFamilia. Buy your tickets online to save time in the cue. And trust me, it's worth every penny to see. Finally, if you’re a sports fan, you can check out Camp Nou. We went for a Barcelona game and it was fantastic. :) They also offer tours during the daytime, but check online for price and date details.

Park Guell

Ready for the Barcelona game

Speaking of the game. I'm a huge futbol (soccer) fan. So it was my dream to see a match. The tickets were fairly cheap, considering other teams, and the game was high scoring (double bonus)! We watched Athletic Club-Bialbao vs. Barcelona; and the score ended 5-1 Barc. :) The crowds weren't as rambunctious as I thought they would be, but it didn't make the games any less enjoyable. It was incredibly fun! And of course the metro was a nightmare to return on.

Catalonia independence flag
Photo by me

Also, while there, you'll notice Catalonia flags everywhere. In streets, balconies, and local businesses. A sign of pride and their desire to gain independence from Spain.

In regards to the language, there are five official languages of Spain. Each are a dialect of Spanish. When you enter Barcelona, you'll notice the dialect is different immediately. Every sign is in Catalán. Although, while it is spelled differently, it's pronounced similarly to Spanish. There are times and many words however that are completely different.

Overall I loved Barcelona. It's a great city for site-seeing; leisurely spending your time; relaxing on the beach or pier; or enjoying the tranquility of the various parks. The Gaudi works are impressive. The best architecture I've seen so far. A despite the chilled sleepover at the airport upon our return, it was a blast. It was all worth it.

I'll go back for sure. Likely for New Year's. We'll that's the plan anyway. ;)

Just a few recommendations:

When traveling to Barcelona see everything I had mentioned (and there's more if you have the time)
Stay at the Hostel 1 for the friendliest service and best dinners (they're free! Along with the breakfast and it's more than just toast).
Buy the T-10 pass if you're there for two days or so. It allows for 10 trips on nearlly all modes of public transportation in Barcelona for just under 10 euros. (We only needed zone one for everything and used about 15 trips total over three days)
If you're staying in hostels buy a tiny lock with a diameter smaller than a pencil and quick drying towel. (Some locks won't fit because they are too big, and the quick dry towel can be packed again quickly without the musty smell)
A toiletry bag helps keeps your essentials tidy and together
And finally a slim fanny pack or purse that hangs around your neck keeps your money safe.
If you are flying in late, there may be limited service to the airport, so check what public transportation service are operating late or be prepared to grab a cab.

Back in Murcia, I'm enjoying la Puente (translation: bridge; but is their termonolgy for an extended weekend) in celebration of St. Nick's day. It's a good time for me to catch up on my studies as I only have two more weeks left of school... :O

....Till my next adventure...

Viva la Vida

Besos! xx

Lyndsay

P.S. For more of my Barcelona photos, look at my previous post: Just a Teaser ;)