My Little Glimpse of Spain

So my stay in France with family was interrupted with a short 2 night/3day trip to Spain. 


The convenience of living in the south of France (if you have time) is that the border of Spain is about 2 hours away by car. So that's exactly what we (my aunt, uncle, cousin and her friend) did. The trip for me was a different type of traveling. Normally, with my family we go and visit the "tourist" things first. But because Spain is so close to them and the nearest amusement park is in Paris (8-9 hours away) we went to the amusement park in Salou-PortAventura Park. We spent 2 days there. By the morning of the second day I started complaining (partially in my head). 


By 4PM we we're back in the car (much disappointment to the two other teenagers) heading for Barcelona. Excitment didn't even describe properly what I was feeling. 


See, I had been to barcelona before at around 8 years old. Only one problem about that. I don't remember any of it. So I was determined to see and remember this time. 


We arrived at around 7PM, pretty tired. We stayed at a hostel in the Gothic part of Barcelona. Being not too far for Las Ramblas (the famous street with a bunch of shops and restaurants) we had dinner there and called it a night. 


Being determined I made a decision. Instead of waiting for the others to wake up and go see things, I left my room at 8:30AM with my wallet, my phone and a map. 


1st stop: The information desk at Placa de Sant Jaume. 


2nd stop: Money exchange. 


3rd stop: Cafe #1 in one of the tiny gothic corner streets. 


4th stop: Metro (I bought a ten stop card)


5th stop: Sagrada Familia which is one of the famous Gaudi "creations. Its a church. 


6th stop: A HUGE bottle of water in the park facing the Sagrada Familia. I sat next to an anciant old man and watch people go by (including a man playing with bubbles) I also "hitched" a ride with a group of english tourist to listen to some facts about the Sagrada Familia. 


7th stop: Got off at Vallcara stop (green line) and walked to Park Guell (Gaudi's nature park). It was on the steepest hill. It wasn't so bad in some places there were escalators so I would turn around and look back. I could see all of Barcelona. It was beautiful. Spain was just waking up. 


I stuck around in Park Guell for about 2 and half hours. I had a light lunch there sitting in a shady bit looking at the view. I also went to the house built inside the park for a quick look. Everything was sooo pretty and thought out. 

I left differently then I got in and walk all the way to Lesseps (it's a square serving as the border between the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi and Gràcia district) 

Lesseps

8th Stop: I got off a BUNCH of times at a BUNCH of different stops to see the less visisted parts of Barcelona (mainly the residential streets in which I found Cafe #2-4) 


9th stop: I wanted to go see the Picasso Museum back in the Gothic part of town, but it was already 3:30 and when I got there the line to get in was too long. Not to mention when I first got there 20 mins earlier I went through the wrong entrance and did actually see some of the art work :P To be a blaze NYer I realized it was basically the same type of senario that we have at our own but private Picasso gallery (I believe its still there- I went when I was part of a pre-college program at FIT- we saw early work and later work and it was fabulous). 


10th stop: Meeting back up with family to head back to france. We left for France at 4:30PM tired and worn out but I was so PLEASED. For the first time in my life I traveled through a foreign city on my own. Barcelona was/is a easy to manuver city, that is beautiful and exciting and has so much mixed up history. Its buildings are intergrated with old and new (sometimes not so pretty but fits into the feel of the city). I'm so happy I could do it on my own, but I hope next time I travel (which I will...I'm still young :P) I can do it with friends.