Barcelona - Week 2 beginnings

Un mapa of Barcelona:

View Larger Map

Awe Barcelona, where to begin? How about I pick up where I left off, when Alberto had to leave and go back to Zaragoza. My hotel in Barcelona was called Hotel Pelai, centrally located with tons of shopping and restaurants around. Plus my favorite tapa restaurant I found was right around the corner, even better!!

So the next 2 days I would be completely solo in Barcelona, and as you know I needed to make a plan because if I didn't well...the mind wanders and I was already having troubles reigning that one in! I wandered around Barcelona that evening, first stop to the plaza Espana. It actually was quite nice, at that same time there was a huge Harley Davidson parade and festival going on so I was surrounded by bikers left and right. Kinda funny to me...Harley Davidson in Spain? I guess it makes sense seeing that Barcelona is known and very proud for their "motorbike" city! But still, I think Los Estados Unidos when I see Harley Davidson!

I wandered aimlessly and viewed the Olympic area and at the same time a rugby game was going, on so I took a break to view the hot men...I mean...watch the intense game of rugby! The weather in Barcelona, I thought, was a tad cooler than Madrid. In the evening, I actually had to put on the only pair of jeans I brought, and a shirt with sleeves...gasp...I know! A shirt with sleeves, hadn't worn one of those since I left Seattle! The very few pics of me were taken by strangers, they would ask me to take their photo so to return the favor I had them take mine! After all, I needed a little proof I was actually there! :)

I really enjoyed my stay in Barcelona, my nights were similar to my nights in Madrid. After I'd go out at night for dinner I would come back and plant this Americana bootey in the lobby, made friends with the night workers, while drinking cervezas or popping open a bottle of wine! Dinner was at a yummy tapa restaurant called Celler de Tapas. I ate dinner their both nights in Barcelona because their menu was huge and so delicious! Just look past the frizzy hair and greasy face pictures...the humidity was not my friend...even with the multiple attempts to look cute, dang impossible I tell you!! I don't know how those Spaniard girls do it ... must ... learn ... their ... secrets!

One night while I was enjoying a cold cerveza, and a red velvet cupcake, I befriended a French man (forgot his name...however I remember very distinctively his hotness!) who gave me the best tip ever for my stay in Barcelona. I was at first just going to use the tour buses where you pay way too much money but the positive thing is they take you exactly where you want to go, and it gives you the history behind wherever you visit. Seriously the prices on that was $60+ euros for half days and full days....and not too mention you had to be back on the bus at a certain time. Uh no thanks! He told me about the Barcelona tour buses that have a "hop on, hop off" system, plus they have a ton of bus stops all over Barcelona - just as many as the normal bus stops! To purchase a 2 day pass, $22 euros! Uh hello, hands down the best deal ever because they had stops at all the major tourist sights and you could take as long as you wanted. If you don't mind walking a little bit and reading a map you are completely set to experience the sites! Both Madrid and Barcelona are very easy to navigate thru! I swore it was easier for me to navigate in this foreign country than Seattle sometimes! Mental note....I need to visit France....total hotties there! No seriously, I'm not lying! I met several French men and they were all very pleasant on the eyes! The Frenchman I met in my hotel, on my first official solo night, I asked him to hang with me but sadly he was leaving back the next day ... he also thought I was from England! I make friends wherever I go, and between me and you ... he was totally crushed not to hang out with me! It's true, his steamy blues gave him away! :P

See that cute pink Vespa? Yep, totally want one of those! If I lived in Spain you know I would definitely own one of those, maybe even put a basket on the back for my boys ... then it would be officially "Junified!" Some of my favorites in Barcelona were the churches (always), Park Guell, and the beaches!! One my first day, the sun was shining and it was super hot so I made the mental note to bring my bikini the next day to enjoy the beach. That was going to be the day I was going to make history ... I was going to go ... brace yourself ... topless! Yep, topless! Unfortunately for all the Spaniards the next day was cloudy, so my tatas did not make the grand appearance... some hearts were broken that day.

The Sagrada Familia was an amazing church, some say that it won't be complete till 2026! Come on! Really, 2026?! It's an amazing building for sure, and just like many other churches that I had visited, it is really overwhelming to be inside such a building with grandeur and history. My favorite to do while visiting such churches is to relax on a church bench and take the time to write in my journal, very therapeutic.

Isn't it crazy how much detail this building has? My pictures definitely don't do this building any justice, my advice is to Google this building because you will be amazed by it's grandeur and details!

Do you see the picture on the top left? The one with the water and the no swimming sign in front? That made me laugh out loud because the water was maybe a foot deep ... really they had to post a sign to tell people not to swim in it? I think its a given! Awe the little things that make me smile! The bottom left picture of me in the pink dress is another memorable moment, apparently I was too indecent to go into the church behind me, they had a dress code; a shawl or sleeves required. There were even some gypsies outside the church selling shawls for people to wear, but I don't know about those gypsies ... I was worried I would be cursed by them so I just ignored them instead.

Did I tell you about the gypsies yet? Well, if I hadn't I will tell you now! Apparently there are gypsies in Spain, they stand out on the street and try to hand you a flower or a lavender sprig or just some plant sprig of some sort ... a normal person thinks nothing of this act. It looks like an act of kindness "awe how nice they want to give me a flower, etc" but I advise you of this, don't take it! I repeat don't take it! If you want to give them money for it than I suppose you can take it, but really I'm not paying for a sprig of something that I can pick myself. If you take this item, without paying, then they actually curse you and your family to some eternal hell or something along these lines ... a lifetime of bad luck or more! Hardcore right and just plain mean! All over a simple sprig! Craziness and so wrong, who does that?!

So after my two very full days, adding many, many more miles on my feet....it was time for me to board another bus Zaragoza bound! I was super excited to go to Zaragoza! This is the city where Alberto is from, I just knew this city was already going to be one of my favorites! Not sleeping much on that Tuesday night, I woke up super early Wednesday morning, got super cute (well as cute as I could in Spain with high humidity and crazy temperatures!) rode the metro to the bus station and I was on my way. I'm telling you I'm quite the skilled traveler! Goodbye Barcelona, it was a great 2 days!

Next stop: Zaragoza!

Besos! Go.Be.Love