A Weekend in Barca

This past weekend I traveled to Barcelona, Spain to experience the rich and vibrant Spanish culture. Barcelona is without a doubt one of the greatest cities I've traveled to and I cannot wait to go back! We stayed at the wonderful Generator Hostel which was completely unlike any other hostel I had heard about or seen. They had a restaurant and bar inside, along with a lounge, pool tables, foosball tables, photo booths, and many other great accommodations. It took me a while to stop accidentally speaking french whenever someone spoke to me, but I eventually transitioned into my limited spanish vocabulary. Although I was only there for a few days, I feel like I accomplished and explored a lot of what the city has to offer. Parc Guell is one of the city's most notable attractions, full of Gaudi's colorful art and architecture. The sun was in full force, and although we were hot, we toured the park for an hour and took in the beautiful flowers, mosaics, and buildings that make it famous. We were lucky enough to be in Spain when they were playing against Netherlands in the World Cup, so we ventured to the very cool Ovella Negra to watch the match. The old warehouse/ empty train station turned tavern can hold up to 500 people and makes for such an amazing atmosphere when watching the game. They had long german-style tables, 2-story ceilings, huge projector screens to watch the games, and towers of beer or sangria that could be brought to each table. The place was packed and it was one of the best experiences ever. For lunch on Saturday we went to the sandwich shop Bo de B. We heard about it through someones friend and were told that it was exceptional. We arrived half an hour before it opened and there were already people waiting in line. It didn't look like much from the outside and only held about 15 people on the inside, but all the hype proved to be true. One of the best sandwiches I've ever had. Another must in Barcelona is Flamenco. We went to a live Flamenco show at Tarantos that completely blew my mind. I've never seen such an exciting, vibrant, passionate dance/musical performance. Since the weather was perfect we simply had to go to beach and spent Saturday afternoon basking in the sun on one of Barcelona's beaches. That night we had a spectacular tapas dinner to top off the trip, one of Barca's specialties. I could have spent a lifetime exploring Barcelona, shopping, eating, going to the beaches, etc, but that gives me all the more reason to return to the city soon! I know there's so much left to do there, here's to hoping I get to do it all one day! The great memories I made in Barcelona somehow didn't keep me from being homesick for Paris, I often found myself missing my new home and the parisian way of life. I'm back in Paris now and, even though I miss the heat and the beaches of Barca, I am happy to stay here for a little while before traveling again. Here are some photos of my glorious trip to Espana, enjoy! Adios amigos!