Hey Cool People!
So we have now entered Spain.
Day 92 Tuesday, August 18th - Today we woke up in Nice, France and got on the bus to Barcelona, Spain. It was a bit of a struggle, since we stayed out a little later than we wanted to the night before. Most of the day was spent on the bus, so I have nothing really exciting to report.
We got to Barcelona around 6:30 p.m. When we got there a group of us decided to meet up around 8:00 pm for some tapas and drinks. A group of people found out that Major Lazor was DJ-ing at one of the clubs in Barcelona that night, so after tapas they got into a cab and went to parrrttaayyy (Major Lazor has the song Lean On https://youtu.be/YqeW9_5kURI). Me, Lydia, Jess and a few other people stayed out for one or two more drinks before heading back to the hostel and going to bed.
Our first impression of Barca was very nice; it is surprisingly eclectic. Barca is very affordable and it is nice to have some understanding of the language, granted it has been 7 years since I have taken any form of Spanish class.
Day 93 Wednesday, August 19th - We started our first full day in Barca by taking a walking tour of the Gothic sites. It was very interesting to learn about some of the history of the old gothic churches and the different social classes that built them. After the tour, most of us from the tour were pretty hungry as it was approaching lunchtime, so our tour guide offered to take us to lunch. He was able to hook us up with some free Sangria and a pretty nice deal for lunch: a three course meal for 13 euro.
After the walking tour, Me, Lydia, Jess and our new friend Vicki decided to go back to the room for a short siesta before heading to the local food market that afternoon. The Market was very cool, it had all this fresh juice, meats, seafood, tapas, sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, etc.
After the markets, we walked around the streets for a little bit before finding a cute restaurant near the peoples church for dinner. We each ordered a bunch of different tapas that we all shared. That night we stopped at a Mojito bar recommended by the tour guide from the morning walking tour. The bar, Rubi, offered a ton of different flavors of Mojitos for only 3.50 euro.
Day 94 Thursday, August 20th - Today was a busy day. We started off the morning going to the food market for some breakfast before making our way over to join a walking tour of Gaudi's famous architectural work. It was pretty incredible to see La Sagrada Familia: a massive church that is being completely built on donations and had been under construction for over 100 years.
We ended our walking tour at La Sagrada Familia and me, Lydia, Jess and our friend Vicki decided to do a little shopping to get some cheap cloths for La Tomatina. I went a little crazy shopping, but I was able to justify every purchase. In fact, I think I was the only one that bought anything that day.
After walking up and down the streets, we decided to go back to the hostel for a nap. I, for some reason, was too awake to nap, so I decided to go out for some coffee with someone I met. That night me, Lydia and Jess went out to dinner at this little wine bar that was recommended to us before going to Festa de Gracia. Festa de Gracia is this street festival where all the streets pick a theme for there street and decorate it accordingly. It was pretty cool. Some of the streets were under-the-water, Paris, Lego, etc.
Day 95 Friday, August 21st - Today we slept in a little bit, and took our time to check out. After check-out me, Lydia, Jess and Vicki walked over to the markets again for some late breakfast. We all got the most delicious crepes. We walked around a bit more before attempting to do some more shopping. After a little shopping, we said our goodbyes to Vicki since we would not be seeing here until we arrived in Valencia. Me, Lydia and Jess then made our way to the port to pick up our ferry tickets to Ibiza before going beck to the hostel and just relaxing. Lydia and Jess went out to dinner together, while I went out on my own. After dinner we walked over to the port and got on the ferry for our over-night ferry to Ibiza. The ferry itself was pretty comfortable, we each had a row of seats to ourselves, so we were all able to lay down and sleep. It also had a pool, outdoor deck and bar, movie room, restaurants, etc.
The People's Church
The Gothic Cathedral
The Food Markets
The Food Markets
La Sagrada Familia
La Sagrada Familia
Festa de Gracia