The third and final stop on our Spring break trip was the capital of Spain, Barcelona!
Barcelona was somewhere that I never really expected to go, but the flights fit very well when we were in the midst of planning our vacation. As I have said before in my blog posts, make sure to plan and be prepared, but keep an open mind! If you don’t keep your mind open to new things, and countries in this case, then you might miss out an an amazing experience!
Our hostel was located in Plaça de Catalunya, which is the city center. This was a perfect location, as it was pretty much in walking distance of the major attractions in Barcelona. We started off our time in Barcelona by visiting some of the popular sights, which we were able to complete in less than a day!
La Sagrada Familia is a large, unfinished basilica in Barcelona. It’s stunning architecture and stained glass windows draw over 3 million visitors per year. After enjoying it’s views, we made our way over the Arc di Triomf, another iconic attraction in Barcelona. From there, we made our way to the Cathedral of Barcelona, through the Gothic Centre and to Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, a popular food market. More commonly known as La Boqueria, this market offers endless amounts of fresh food. After enjoying some authentic Spanish cuisine, we walked through La Rambla, a central shopping street in Barcelona.
The next day we visited Park Güell, a public park with gardens and architecture created by the historic architect, Antoni Guadi. The park and it’s history were beautiful, but I was most drawn to the fact that a scene from the The Cheetah Girls 2 was filmed here. Yes, I came fully prepared wearing a cheetah printed dress to relive my childhood dreams. We also spent time at Barceloneta Beach, the most well-known beach in the city. Barcelona is definitely a little bit warmer than London, and even the sunscreen didn’t protect my skin from the hot sun.
Barcelona, Spain was a great place to end our amazing Spring break. My favorite thing about Barcelona was the attitude of the city. Everything felt very bright, colorful and happy, which mimics my feelings about studying abroad! Each place we traveled to were so different and diverse in nature. I am so grateful that we were given a Spring break through the Foundation of International Education and able to enjoy a little bit more of Europe!
