Barcelona

Barcelona
Originally uploaded by sasnook.

My plans have already changed many times while backpacking around Europe, so a last minute decision not to go to Marseille was not a big deal. I opted against spending a few days in Marseille dew to the stories I had heard about people getting robbed while there or passing through. And so far along my journey I have been fortunate enough to have kept all my belongings, credit cards, and identification. So on a whim, I decided to head directly to Barcelona and spend four days there before heading to Reus and then to London.
Barcelona is very different than any other city. I don’t mean that in a bad way because it is a great party city and Gaudi is found everywhere in churches (Sagrada Familia), houses, parks (Park Guell), apartments and many other places. Needless to say I saw a lot of his artwork. I also went to the Picasso Museum and decided to be a bum one day and go to the beach (I had already lost my Florida tan). But one of the best things about Barcelona was the market. They had everything and anything at the market that dealt with food. Piles of fruits, vegetables, dried fruits and nuts, fresh fish, homemade candy, eggs and so much more. They laid it out so that the entire market looked like one big rainbow of color and it was gorgeous.
I also met a few people while staying in Plaza Real’s hostal: The Kabul. A few girls from Maryland, Sara and Beth, with whom I went and had a four and a half hour dinner one night that consisted of four courses, a huge pitcher of sangria, and Irish coffee, that only cost us at the end of the night 21 Euro. But I also met some more Aussi’s, a few Kiwi’s, some Canadian’s that had been in Verena’s and my canyoning group, and a few English guys. I would highly suggest to those traveling Europe to stop in Barcelona for a few nights if only to experience Guadi and the nightlife.