Fiesta Forever

Spring Break 2011 was definitely one for the record books.  Three days in Barcelona, two days in Madrid, and many wonderful and memorable times.

Last week I finished up finals on Tuesday afternoon and then prepared the forthcoming trip to Spain.  Although Spain wasn't on the top my original list of trip destinations because I had already visited it, I was very excited when Tuesday night came around and I was preparing to leave.  After the crazy weekend of studying, I was more than ready to travel and experience some Spanish culture.

Our journey began very early in the morning on Wednesday.  I woke up at 2:10am to finish my final packing before catching a cab at 3:00am for the Easybus station near Earl's Court.  Our bus departed at 3:30am and we were finally on our way to London's Gatwick Airport North Terminal. The line for security was very short because of the early time we arrived and we quickly made our way inside the departure area. Since we had some time to kill before the plane boarded, we ate breakfast sandwiches at EAT and did some people watching.  A little over 30 minutes before our flight we were able to head to Gate 106 to board.

The flight left right on time and was very smooth.  We all caught some extra shut eye, falling asleep even before the flight attendants finished their safety protocol announcements. I woke up to a plane filled with blazing sunshine and one of the most amazing views I have ever seen out of a plane window: the peaks of the Pyrenees mountains.  It was so awe-inspiring to see the aerial view of all of the snowy peaks shimmering in the sunlight.

Once we arrived at the airport we proceeded to the Aerobus stop to purchase tickets for a bus to the city center.  Unfortunately at this time, Katherine realized that she had lost her wallet somewhere between London and Barcelona.  She was so calm about the whole situation though and insisted that we proceed to the hostel so that she could contact her banks and cancel her debit cards.  The bus ride was a great introduction to the city.  The immense amount of palm trees definitely made a bold statement that we were some place warm and sunny.  We got off of the bus at the Plaza de Catalunya and then made the short walk to the Equity Point Centric Hostel.

After checking in and Katherine finished settling her affairs, we decided to answer our growling stomachs' pleas with lunch.  We asked for a recommendation from the hostel and then departed heading west towards the less touristy part of town.  Along the way we walked along Passeig de Gracia which features many high end shops.  We also stumbled upon a beautiful courtyard filled with tropical palm and orange trees, benches, and flowers.  We at lunch at a small cafe that had a fixed price lunch menu.  I had an egg, ham, and peppers dish to start and a hamburgeusa for the main course.  For dessert I had the traditional custard dessert, flan. It was a great start to the tastes of Spain.

Flan

Following lunch, we had Starbucks to combat some of the tiredness of the early morning. Then we walked towards the Plaza de Catalunya to check out the fountatins that we had seen when we first got off of the bus.  This plaza was so pretty.  It has two large fountains that constantly spray water towards the sky surrounded by statues. In the center of the plaza there was a large open area which was filled with pigeons during the day.

Plaza de Catalunya

Continuing on, we began our relationship with one of the MVP's of the trip: Rick Steves.  Nikki brought along a travel book by Rick that was literally a lifesaver while in both cities of the trip.  We ended up taking many of his walking tours around Barcelona to see the sites and even took a few of his suggestions for places to eat. Following Rick's walking tour route of the Old Town, we made our way down Las Ramblas.  This is basically a wide boulevard with many tourist shops and sites to see.  Along the path there are many street performers (some creepier than others) and cute cafes to sit and enjoy the bustling scenery.  One of the coolest things that we saw here were the Roman ruins.  These ruins were discovered when construction workers in the city began to dig into the ground to build the foundation for a new hotel.  As they were digging the ruins were discovered and the plans had to be relocated to preserve this piece of history.

At the end of Las Ramblas we made our way towards the harbor.  We saw the famous statue of Christopher Columbus surrounded by lions, the pier filled with seagulls, and hundreds of sail boats.  Even though the sun had already set we decided to head off to the beach which was further north along the coast line.  It was so relaxing to stop and take in the ocean waves reflecting in the moonlight. Katherine and Leorah decided to run out onto a rock that was near the splashing tide.  Just as I was capturing their epic dash on film they were doused with a huge splash of water.

Lion by the Christopher Columbus statue

Returning back to Las Ramblas for dinner we found a restaurant located just in a large courtyard off of the main street.  We enjoyed sharing tapas and sangria before returning to the hostel to prepare for the pub crawl that our hostel was hosting.  The pub crawl group consisted of our group and about 20 Irish UCD students.  We enjoyed taking in the crazy, loud Irish students and hearing about their trip. Our first stop was a cute, small Irish pub.  The second was a posh, swanky bar that was filled with white furniture and red light.  We ended the night at a dance club that featured a house techno DJ, flashing lights, and steam.  Exhausted from the long day, we headed back to the hostel and got a good night's sleep.

We began our second day in Barcelona by quickly getting ready for exploring the city, despite the rain.  I decided to try my luck at the showers only to discover that there was not a single drop of hot water to be had.  Brrr! Warming up, I enjoyed a cup of cafe con leche, toast, crackers, and cocoa crispies for breakfast.

Soon we were on the road walking towards La Sagrada Familia, a huge cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudi.  The cathedral began construction during 1882 and is just over half way completed today.  It is expected that the cathedral will be completely finished by 2026.  I have seen a fair number of amazing cathedrals during my travels and I can say without a doubt that one takes the prize as the most spectacular.  The exterior of the cathedral has three different facades (the Passion facade, Nativity facade, and Glory facade) and is filled with symbolism.

View of the Passion facade

Sculptures on the Passion facade

Me in front of the Nativity facade

The internal of the cathedral was filled with beautiful stained glass and stunning high ceilings.  In the exhibit in the basement of the church we learned that Gaudi used gravity and models to design the structure of the building.  He hung sandbags of a relative weight on strings and organized them in such a way that they represented the layout of the building.  He then used mirrors to flip the image of the inverted arches right side up. So brilliant!

Depiction of Gaudi's models

What really set this cathedral apart from all other ones that I have seen was the immense spaciousness of the architecture and the brightness inside.  The sunlight shining through the colorful glass windows and bright lights combined with the domes and high arches made for a joyous, inspiring environment.  Absolutely spectacular.

Alter with stained glass behind

Following our visit to the cathedral we took cabs to Parc Guell which is filled with Gaudi mosaics and architectural pieces. Even in the rain it was so amazing to be able to see the colorful mosaic tiles decorating buildings, the ground, and benches.  From the top of the park there was a great view back down towards the city center.  We visited the Gaudi house museum and learned more about Gaudi and the home's other inhabitants.

Parc Guell

Famous Gaudi Lizard

Mosaic benches

After exploring in the rain we took Bus 24 down the hill to the city center.  Starving from the morning, we stopped at Cafe Zurich which is frequented by locals. I had one of the most delicious jamon y queso sandwiches ever.  The restaurant added an olive oil tomato rub on the bread which was awesome and really set it apart. Feeling the need for some sweets, we decided to partake in Rick Steve's walking sweets tour which took us through some of the side streets off of Las Ramblas.  At the first location we tried a traditional dessert called Torron.  It was a flaky, nutty treat made out of butter and almonds. Due to the Spanish siesta and closed stores, we took a brief hiatus from the tour and decided to go to a Jewish temple located close by.  After 30 minutes of searching in the rain for the temple and only finding plaques commemorating the Jewish quarter, we gave up and headed back to the tour route for some churros. We ordered five orders of chocolate con churros at a cute cafe with a fun owner.  When we received our order we dug into the cups of rich, hot fudge-like chocolate while being judged by the locals savoring each bite.  It was a great first churro experience of the trip.

Chocolat con churros

Our final stop on the sweets tour was a small chocolate shop where we tried a few of the chocolate bon bons from the window.  Having successfully filled our sweet tooths, we decided to head to our next cultural attraction, the Museu Picasso. I thought that was very interesting to see how much Picasso's work changed throughout his career.  He is known for a very distinct modern style, however he started out with very classical works including portraits and landscapes. The museum was split up by each separate style of his works making it very easy to see the stark differences between them. 

My favorite pieces in the museum were Picasso's recreations of Velasquez's painting Las Meninas

Unfortunately while we were at the museum we heard from our friend Stacey who had decided to sleep in and get some additional rest at the hostel.  She was so sick that she needed to go to the hospital.  She had had a cold for many weeks but it escalated to a new height forcing her to need to seek out the help of a doctor.  In the end, she was fine but a bit dehydrated and in need of medicine. 

After the museum we visited the Cathedral of Barcelona.  One of the most famous sites of the city, it exhibited great examples of Gothic architecture.  Inside, the cathedral had many different chapels which were each decked out by different groups of wealthy community members.  Also, the cathedral contained the tomb of one of the patron saints of Barcelona, Eulalia. The building featured many gilded statues and dramatic chandeliers.



Inside the Barcelona Cathedral


For dinner we headed back to Las Ramblas to meet up with Stacey.  Exhausted from the long day we decided to walk towards our hostel to search for a restaurant.  We ended up at a restaurant called "Obama."  It was a British African Restaurant which pretty much was equivalent to American.  Being so hungry we gladly accepted a dinner of sandwiches, pasta, mozzarella sticks, and pizza. After dinner we headed back to the hostel and turned in early.

Our third day in Barcelona we ate breakfast at the hostel and then headed for the Plaza d'Espana. There we saw the stadium which used to be a bullfighting ring and the monument in the center of the roundabout. Continuing on, we walked towards the base of Montjuic which was our main destination of the day.  Translated to mean "Mountain of Jews," it is a large hill located near the coast.  We took an underground shuttle and a Gondola to get all the way up to the top of the mountain. At the top of the mountain is a castle which provides the best views of the city ever.  Because of this we took advantage of the view with many photo opportunities.  One side pf the castle offered an aerial view of the city and the mountains while the other side gave you a view of the ocean and more industrialized port.

The Palau National and view out over the city

Taking in the amazing views

Statue on the ocean side of the castle

After soaking in the sun on top of the mountain, we took the gondola back down the mountain half way and then continued on foot.  On this path we saw the 1992 Olympic stadium and the Palau Nacional which contains the Museu Nacional D'Art Catalunya. Inside, we had the chance to see more famous Picasso works as well as relics from a variety of churches and paintings by Salvador Dali. The view of the city from this museum added to the already fabulous collection of art.


Overlooking Barcelona from the museum steps



Palau Nacional

After hiking down the rest of the mountain we caught a bus headed for the beach that we visited earlier in the trip.  Because of the warm sunny weather we thought that a second trip to the beach was more than called for. Grabbing some delicious gelato, we found a spot on the beach to rest for a while.  The beach was very busy with people soaking in all that the beach had to offer.  There were a few individuals who took it even further, shedding their clothing to sunbathe and go into the water. We all decided we would still be American and remain bundled up in our spring clothing.

For dinner we made our way to Port Olimpica for Paella.  Along the way we climbed on a red rope climbing jungle gym and walked out on the rock piers. The rising moon took on a great red color as it rose above the horizon as we continued to walk towards the port.  We came across a casino along the coast and we couldn't help but stop in for a few minutes to try our luck at the slots.  Katherine and I decided to put in 5 euros each and in the end just enjoyed the sights and sounds of the casino floor.  For dinner we found a restaurant and ordered delicious bread with olive oil and tomatoes and Paella.  We ordered the mountaineer style which featured chicken as opposed to seafood and it arrived in a huge cast iron skillet.  It was so great!

Following dinner, we took the Metro back to Plaza Catalunya and searched for churros and someplace to relax before having to return to the hostel for our bags.  We ended up at a fun bar filled with crazy Spanish hosts who started yelling random cheers and belting out tunes.  As we entered the bar they shouted "Hola Hola Hola!" and were joined in by all of the other bar guests.  Our favorite song was Bruce Channel's "Hey Baby!" and we gladly sang along.

We then returned to the hostel to grab our things and then headed for the bus station.  When planning our trip we decided that the best way to get between Barcelona and Madrid was by night bus because we then saved the charge for an additional night at the hostel and were able to sleep throughout the long 8-hour ride.  Our bus left at 1:00am from the Estacion Nord and we quickly fell asleep once we located the correct seats.  I thankfully was able to sleep the entire length of the trip and was only awoken when the bus stopped to let other passengers on or off the bus because of the freezing cold air that seeped into the bus when the door was opened.  By 9:30am we arrived in Madrid and were on our way to our second hostel amidst rain and puddles aplenty.

For this stay, we decided to stay at the Cat's Hostel which was recommended both by Hostelworld.com and many friends.  When we arrived at the hostel we weren't allowed to check in yet so we dropped off our bags and went to find breakfast.  We ended up at a chain called Pans and ordered a variety of coffee, orange juice, and pastries.  While there I was able to coordinate a time to meet Alicia, a friend from home, who had traveled to Madrid for the weekend to explore the city together.

After meeting up, we all left to take Rick Steve's walking tour through the main points of town. We started in the busy square Plaza del Sol by learning about the old post office and the plaque marking the center of Spain. We also saw the statue of Carlos III and of a bear climbing a tree. Next we stopped at an amazing pastry shop that Rick recommended to try Nepolitanas filled with chocolate.  They were beyond awesome.  The dough was so flaky and the chocolate was just the right sweetness.

Enjoying our Napolitanas

Our next stop on the tour was the Plaza Mayor.  It is a large courtyard that is filled with cobblestones, pubs, and street performers.  Our favorite performer was coined "Bubble Man" because he used string to create the largest bubbles I have ever seen in my life. There also was a man dressed up like Spiderman who loved to pose with tourists.

Bubbleman in the Plaza Mayor

Continuing on, we stopped in a Mercado to purchase a snack.  Katherine and I split a baguette loaf while others tried some fresh Spanish fruit. We then found our way to Palacio Real or the Royal Palace.  Because of the heavy rain falling we decided to return to the hostel and dry off while we settled into our room.

The inside of the Cat's Hostel was so cool.  It used to be a palace and in the center there was a large courtyard room that was decked out with decorative tiles and stained glass.  There was a fountain in the center and many floor pillows found around the room. 

Courtyard in our hostel

As we were settling into our bedroom Stacey had a bit of an accident.  She stood up and hit her head on the sharp corner of one of the locker doors.  Although Katherine and I originally just thought that she would have a large bump as proof of the incident, we soon realized that the situation was much more serious.  Stacey insisted that it really hurt and moved her hand from her head to find that it was bleeding quite profusely.  Katherine and I tried to calm her down and get the blood to stop running while a nice British woman who was sharing our room ran to get the hostel owners to call for an ambulance.  We eventually were able to get Stacey calmed down and thankfully she did not have to make a trip to the hospital to get stitches.

After the incident Alicia and I went to meet up with her two friends from Sevilla who were also coming up for the weekend, Cait and Grace.  We stopped at a small cafe and grabbed coffee and sandwiches.  Then we went to the Reina Sofia Museum to meet up with everyone else from the group.  The Reina Sofia Museum is dedicated to 20th century art with a focus on Spanish artists.  Inside we explored the second and third floors, enjoying the multitude of fabulous works.  While some paintings left us pondering what the artist was thinking, others were brilliantly intricate.  My favorite rooms were those containing Salvador Dali's pieces, Picasso's Guernica, and local photography.

Salvador Dali's Portrait of Joella

A classic Picasso

Picasso's Guernica

Following the Reina Sofia, we visited the Prado, another prominent art museum in Madrid.  It contains one of the world's most extensive collections of 12-19th century European art.  Because of the sheer size of this museum and our limited time in which to see it we decided to focus our visit on pieces by Goya and Velasquez.  For me it was really awesome to get the chance to see Velasquez's painting Las Meninas.  In the Picasso Museum in Barcelona I got to see Picasso's recreations of this painting and it was spectacular to see the original in person as well. Goya's works were very interesting.  His portrayals of people were somewhat creepy and yet still very intriguing.  These pieces left us contemplating long after we left the museum.

For dinner Alicia, Cait, Grace, and I headed to La Latina.  This is an area of the city known for its great restaurants.  We found a small cafe that featured many tapas and made ourselves right at home.  We shared garlic shrimp, a chicken and cheese crepe, potatoes bravas, and potatoes with fried egg and chorizo.  We washed everything down with a glass of a specialty concoction: half red wine and half lemonade.  I would describe it as a refreshing take on sangria. Finishing our great meal, we returned to the hostel to meet up with everyone else, getting lost only three times along the way.

We ended our evening with a trip to a club called Boom which is known for its Indie music flair.  It was a great place to sit back, relax, and enjoy being with friends.  Unfortunately for us the venue didn't get very busy until nearly 2:30am at which point we were very exhausted from the day.  We headed back to the hostel to turn in for the night.

In the morning we woke up and packed our bags so that we could check out of the hostel.  We left our bags in the luggage room once again and then headed out the door.  It was a beautiful day filled with sunshine and a mild temperature.  It was greatly appreciated after the rainy day on Saturday.

Our first stop of the day was the Royal Palace.  We all decided that we had to see the interior of the extravagant palace.  The Palace is the third largest in all of Europe and is known for its ornately decorated rooms, 24 of which are open to the public.  My favorite rooms were those of Carlos III's bed chambers. Featuring beautiful chandeliers, painted ceilings, and furniture, it was so elegant. It also was amazing to be able to see the quartet of Stradivarius instruments in the Queen's rooms.  The "orchestra dork" in Alicia and I were overwhelmed by the sight of them.  So cool!  After touring the house we went on to see the armory.  Out of all of the different displays of armor that I have seen during my time abroad this display was by far the coolest.  The representations of the full horse and knight together were so neat to see.  All of the armor was also much more decorative than those I have seen other places.

Alicia and I at the Royal Palace

We left the Palace all together and headed to the Plaza Oriental and then back to the Plaza Del Sol to pick up some additional pastries for lunch.  This time I ordered 2 Napolitanas: one with ham and cheese and the other with chocolate.  Being a gorgeous Sunday afternoon the Plaza del Sol was much busier.  There were many street performers and hundreds of people milling about. Continuing on we walked to the Botantical Gardens to see some pretty flowers and exquisitely trimmed hedges. It was so great to see blooming flowers and green bushes and trees.  It was as if spring was being hinted at.

Some of the beautiful flowers in the Botanical Gardens

Cait had heard of a city bus that would take us past the football (or soccer in America) stadium where the Real Madrid team plays as well as other newer buildings.  We hopped on Bus 27 near the gardens and road it towards the more modern section of town.  Throughout the ride we saw some of the futuristic buildings that were under construction and many other historic buildings. 

Real Madrid Stadium

Awesome new buildings

We ended our afternoon together sharing stories about studying abroad and the visa application process over one last cup of cafe con leche.

The group of Londoners met back up at the hostel and we said our goodbyes before heading to the airport on the Metro.  Our flight back was relatively smooth besides the short delay to take off and unboard the plane.

Overall, spring break was an awesome experience.  It was so cool to get to see both of these cities because they were so different and extraordinary in their own way.  Although it was exhausting, it was an amazing experience that I will always remember.