Barcelona

Last week, I was in Barcelona, Spain. It is, hands down, one of the most beautiful and unique places I have ever been. One of the things I was surprised to learn before I went there was that it was one of the largest cities in Europe (behind Paris, London, Milan and the Ruhr region in France). However, once getting there it was very clear as the public transit/ rail system was very, very good. I flew in to Madrid and then took an AVE high velocity train (2.5 hours, 140 euros, very pleasant) to Barcelona Sants, and walked to my hotel on Gran Via near Espanya (big main road near a big plaza in the old part of the city). A thing to mention is that my husband and I bought the Barcelona pass for 44 euros each, which gave free or discounted admission to many museums as well as unlimited public transit on the bus or the metro (but not the bus to the airport which was 5 euros).

Although in English gaudy means something tastelessly showy, Barcelona is very much the opposite, despite being the city of Gaudi (my husband insists the architect is where the English word comes from). Regardless, Casa Mila, Park Guell, Casa Batllo and Sagrada Familia are amongst the most beautiful and unique places I have seen in the world. Several of these are world heritage sites, and definitely worth seeing. I only went inside Casa Mila (14 euros per person), but all of these places are worth the visit.

Aside from Gaudi, most of the places we visited were parks or museums. Definitely worth visiting is the Picasso museum, which is very well organized with many pieces from Picasso's renditions of Las Meninas by Velasquez (the original is in Madrid). It is not included in the Barcelona Pass book, but if you are a fan of Picasso it is a must see. I had seen the Picasso museum in Paris twice, and while the collection there was more diverse, this museum pieced together a better picture of his life. Across the street was a Museum of Design exhibit, which if its still there, is worth going to. Also, the Precolumbian museum is pretty neat if you like Mayan art. Another must see art gallery is the MNAC, National Museum of Catalan Art. My only regret with regards to museums is that I did not see the museum dedicated to Joan Miro; but I did take a picture next to the statue in front that looks like the Sony alien. We also went to Barcenolita, a big beach in Barcelona. Since it was May, there weren't many people, but it was still annoying to hear people constantly selling beer or water.

Perhaps the most interesting thing that happened while I was there was a rally for students against the government at Plaza Catalunya. It was cool to be around so many people who are my age and care about what is happening around them. Definitely not what I am used to as an American.

As far as food went, we mainly ate bread and cheese with salami sandwiches that we got out of small shops on off street roads. Since it was the start of a 2 month europe trip, we wanted to conserve food. I didn't regret it too much, since I am not a big food person; I just wish I bought some Sangria. Definitely visit the market off of La Rambla, beautiful and has cheap fruits and smoothies.

All together, I'd say that the atmosphere of Barcelona was a hybrid of Greek and French culture with a great understanding of design. I love it there.