Barcelona

“Bless you.”

Those simple words have so many different meanings. I learned this lesson just a minute ago while sitting in the Geroma, Barcelona airport. As Steph sleeps quietly in front of me at Gate 12, a lady to my left sneezed. On instinct I turned with a hearty country twang and gave a quick “bless you.” The woman, taken aback by my English, nodded her head and bowed a bit. I watched her get up towards her flight to Madrid, realizing that she thought I was blessing her with safe travels.

Two simple words...so many different meanings.

One meaning is definite, however, a blessing is something that touches your life and in an instant can change it forever.

I have been truly blessed through my travels in Barcelona, Spain.

I never thought that in a four day period I could meet people from the UK, Belgium, Australia, Rome, New Zealand, London, Japan, France, and all different parts of Canada, but we did! The city gave me so much and more.

Our journey started on Thursday night. We flew into Geroma and took an hour bus ride into Barcelona. We arrived at approximately 11pm, and being the “adventurous chicks” we are, we started slowly walking towards different hostels. No, we didn’t have reservations, a place to go, or any sleep accommodations for that night, merely hope and faith that we’d find an open hostel!

Three hours went by, and we finally found one on La Rambla y Catalunya, one of the main streets in Barcelona. It’s name- “Windsor Hostel.” It’s claim to fame- being the CHEAPEST HOSTEL in Barcelona. Needless to say it’s stained sheets, flooded toilets, and peeling paint proved this point.


We were SCARED.FOR.OUR.LIVES.

Morning brought hope as we heard the streets of Barcelona erupt with people and music.

We woke up and walked down La Rambla through different art exhibits, shopping venues, and exquisite dining areas. The Farmer's market was completely entertaining while the boulevard was packed with energy and colorfully painted with Spanish culture; truly beautiful.



As we headed towards the seafront, we stopped at Columbus Monument, which holds a globe-shaped viewing gallery at the top. The tourist center rests underneath, so we went ahead and bought bus passes for the next day.

We continued onto Port Vell, where we strolled through the L’Aquarium area and Barceloneta. It wasn’t the best weather, but quaint bars were still open on the beach. We decided it was time for sangria. The city is famous for the light, acidic red wine with fruit. The beach booth quenched our thirst and welcomed us to the Port Olympic area!




From there Steph and I walked a little further down Gran Casino de Barcelona area and then headed back to our wonderful accommodations to get ready for the night. We ended up meeting a few people from the UK who were VERY excited that we also spoke English. Famous “orgasm” shots from Chupitos, crazy dancing on the beach at Shocko, and numerous cab rides later we headed back to our hostel for a few hours of rest before the sun rose.

I deem this next day “married couple” as Steph and I explored the city in matching scarves, taking some amazing save the date photos ALL ACROSS the hills of Barcelona. We hopped on Barcelona Bus Turístic at Passeig de Garcia street, which is home to La Pedrera. This breathtaking museum was built by Gaudi between 1906 and 1910. It evokes the motion of the waves and holds some of Gaudi’s most famous work. The architect also created many of the lamps and hexagonal paving stones that line that area.


Next, we drove past Sagrada Familia, which is one of Gaudi’s dreams. He devoted much of his life to the building and construction began in the late 19th century. Only one of the towers was completed at the time of his death, so it’s still under construction.


We then traveled through the district of Gracia which is one of the most popular villages for young people. Monthly festivals and food markets keep the area true to its culture. The neighborhood leads up to Park Güell, which was by far the most beautiful park I’ve ever seen. It’s named after Gaudi’s great patron, Count Eusebi Güell. All of the architecture was inspired by Gaudi himself as whirlwinds of tile and stone unite on top of a mountain. We walked up to the two highest points which featured a cathedral and cross. Taking in the beauty of every sculpture and tile, we easily spent two hours just walking around.





From there we made a pit stop for more sangria (this was an everyday occurrence) and some much needed postcards. Sitting on the restaurant balcony, we watched as a parade filled the small streets.


Hopping back onto the bus, we passed such monuments as Sarrià and Monestir de Pedralbes.

We then reached my favorite destination of the day- Mount Tibidado. Tibidabo is the highest point in Barcelona in the Serra de Collserola, and it requires three forms of transportation to get to it. We went from the bus to a trolley called Tramvia Blau to another freight cart called Funicular up in the air.

An amusement park rests at the top of Mount Tibidabo. For just 20 euro kids can enjoy a fun-filled day of carousal rides and cotton candy. No amusement park would be complete without some form of spirituality close by! That’s right, the Catholic church Temple de Sagrat Cor sits above the park. It serves as the main attraction of Mount Tibidabo and was built 60 years ago. Tourists from all over the world struggle to the top for a breathtaking view of Barcelona.




After Tibidabo we hopped back on the bus in search of the largest stadium in Europe- Barcelona’s futbol dome! We didn’t have time to see a game, but with the World Cup going on, it was wonderful to see crazed fans in the streets shooting off fireworks.


From the stadium we rode the bus through different smaller monuments including Frances Macia and Estacio de Sants square. It was interesting to see Montjuïc area, because the architecture is very similar to the TX capitol. See below:



This area was also host to the 1929 International Exhibition and 1992 Olympic Games.

From there we went to the cite of the actual Olympics Games- the Anella Olimpica! This is where my camera died (sad day), but we were still able to soak in the beauty of the stadium. Steph and I even had a much heated debate on whether or not the stands were as big as the ones as Darrell K Royal at UT. The judgment is still out.

Down the road from the stadium we jumped in an air cart and experienced a wonderful view of the city during sunset. A perfect ending to the perfect day...



I mean, of course our night didn’t end there! Spending less than 30 minutes in our hostel, we quickly got ready and made friends with our new “hostel familia.” A few sangria's later, and we headed to the Subway for some public transportation to Port Olympic (gotta love that 1.4 euro public transportation). After clubbing all night at CDLC and Catwalk area, we found ourselves on the beach, watching the sunrise at 7am.

A fast two-hour power nap and we hit the beach for the day. It took awhile to get used to the European style of everything, but a 5 euro massage on the sand helped me loosen up and accept all the men in Speedos and older topless ladies, thoroughly enjoying their day in the sun.

Near third-degree burns filled my entire body, but I was happy going home to Dublin with a tan. For our last night, Steph and made friends with a fellow Texan- Carl. He spoke 5 languages and also lived in our hostel, so we thought it’d be helpful to have him and his skills around. We enjoyed a few drinks in the La Rambla area and ended up on the beach, savoring our last night of sand and sangria.

As I said before, a blessing is something to be cherished. Never before did I imagine that surviving Barcelona in a hostel was possible. Never before did I think that my best friend and I could share some of Spain’s most beautiful views and history together. Never before have I been changed, as I have here in Barcelona.

No matter the meaning, the language, or the overall translation…

I have been TRULY. BLESSED.

Thank you Hostel Windsor, Port Vell beaches, new nightlife friends, Gaudi’s architecture, Stephanie, and overall Barcelona for all the memories and moments.

Texas fight yall.