Vicki, Cristina, Barcelona

It’s been a few days since my last post, mostly because I spent the entire weekend unplugged in Barcelona! It was nice to have a few days with as little technology as possible.  But alas, this means I have A TON to catch up on.   Let’s begin with Thursday, shall we? After class we were scheduled to go snorkeling on Tabarca.  Being the overly-cautious person that I am, you can imagine how concerned I was in regards to various poisonous sea creatures.  This fear however, was long gone the moment we all stepped into a speed boat that was Tabarca-bound.  The boat was amazing and with every wave we hit, a resounding “WOO!” went up from everyone (except Alex, as he is a guy…and guys just are physically incapable of “woo”-ing).  The ride over was long, but with Pitbull blasting in the background, it felt like the most fun and exclusive boat party ever!  Once we arrived at Tabarca, we were supplied with snorkels and flippers and were literally tossed into the water.  While it took some getting used to, after a while we were all having a blast! You could see everything, from wildlife to rock formations, unlike anything I’d ever done. 

Tabarca

By the time we finished snorkeling, we were all pooped.  After a bumpy ride back to the mainland, we parted ways and decided to meet up later.  We proceed in usual Alicantino fashion, bar hopping, dancing, gossiping, laughing…and not getting in until 5 am.  The late-night partying was regretted the next day, as we had to meet at the bus stop at 8:45 for our weekend get-away to Barcelona.  Good thing we were able to sleep on the 6 hour ride there, otherwise we would have been ill-prepared for the walking tour of the wine cellar Codorniu.  The cellar was incredibly massive and we were shown how the wine was prepared from start to finish.  We even ended the tour with a wine-tasting.  

After the tour we entered the main center of the city and were dropped off at our hotel.  We were told once we got our room keys we needed to be downstairs in 10 minutes for another walking tour.  You can imagine my dismay after less than 3 hours of sleep, a 6 hour bus ride, and a wine cellar tour.  Either way, the tour of the Plaza de Catalunya and La Rambla proved useful within the next couple days.  After the tour we realized just how ridiculously hungry we were.  We were all responsible for our own meals this weekend so naturally we wanted to find somewhere cheap to eat.  Little did we know that’s easier to do in Alicante than in Barcelona.  We settled on a tapas bar nearby La Rambla, and ended up economically splitting pizzas.  That night, while we wanted to see more of the city, a few of the girls and I decided a night in was just what we all needed.  So we all met up in mine and Cynthia’s room and chatted for a couple hours, allowing us, especially Ashley and I, to get the first full 8 hours of sleep we’ve seen in two weeks.  The next morning after an expensive Starbucks breakfast, we headed out for our second tour of Barcelona: La Sagrada Familia.  This extravagant church was designed by the famous Spanish architect Antonio Gaudí.  His mastery of curvature was apparent and distinctive, and his buildings can be found all over Barcelona.  La Sagrada Familia is probably his most famous work.  He spent the last 12 years of his life working solely on this project, and let me tell you, it showed.  

La Sagrada Familia

After the breath-taking tour of La Sagrada Familia, we had free time.  We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Qu Qu, and while everyone else enjoyed their meal, I had had my fill of my iberic ham sandwich by the third bite.  Fun fact: Spanish ham or jamón ibérico is far from regular ham that we get in the U.S.  It more of a raw meat and has a stringy and fatty texture.  Naturally this isn’t something one would want to eat every day, and having had it two days in a row, my stomach was not pleased.  I did end up feeling better before the third (yes THIRD) walking tour of the gothic quarter.  The distinctive architecture of this area made this one of my favorite parts of Barcelona.  The cobblestone streets and the stylistic balconies made it feel like a different time.

Gothic Quarter

Sergio then led us to a park.  It was beautiful, don’t get me wrong.  But it was EXTREMELY far away from the hotel.  And with a “the tour is over” announcement from Sergio, we were on our own to get back.  An hour and a half and twenty pounds of sweat later, our weary legs dragged us into the hotel and into our respective beds.  I showered and passed out for an hour or two and then, feeling much better, decided to accompany Cynthia to La Rambla for souvenir shopping.  After getting what we needed (plus some Spanish McDonalds…don’t judge me), we met up with some of the other girls back at the hotel.  Ashley, Rosie, and I decided to spend a night on the town in Barcelona and took a cab to the port.  The port is party-central in Barcelona, and we bar hopped for hours, gaining free entry into one of the huge dance clubs on the beach.  After much tom-foolery (making up a fake language, avoiding Spanish guys like the plague, fending off the sandwich and samosa salesman on the beach, getting hit on by security guards, and taking pictures with fake Vikings) we decided to head back home.  

Rosie and a random fake viking

Rosie, Ashley, and I...partying it up Barcelona style

Exclusive Beach Club

Rolling in at 6 am, we knew we had yet another long day ahead of us.  After touring El Parque Guell and Camp Nou (the football stadium for Catalonia’s beloved team), we boarded the bus and headed back to Alicante.  While it was a fun and exciting trip, I can’t tell you how nice it is to be in my own room.  My host mom had gazpacho and tortilla de patata waiting for me, and this girl couldn’t have been happier.  Now I’m off to bed to hopefully catch up on all the sleep I missed this weekend.  Hasta luego, keep calm and Ba-ba-ba-baaaarcelona!! (My Sherona).

Camp Nou

Back in Alicante <3