Last weekend, I went to Barcelona, Espagne with 3 friends. I rented a car, which turned out to be more cost effective than taking a bus or train. Each of us took turns driving – 2 on the way there, the other 2 on the way back. Driving in Europe is actually easier than I thought! At first, I thought I would despise the round-abouts; however, I realize that I actually love them! They are parfait because if you pass the street, you can simply continue circling around until you get to that street again.
I assumed Barcelona would be dirty and smelly; however, I was completely wrong. It is a beautiful city with a gorgeous beach, bountiful marchés, and excellent restaurants. We only had two days in Barcelona, so we tried to hit as many tourist attractions as possible within that time frame. I’m happy with the turn out. We saw the statue of Colombus, Esgléglesia Catedral de la Santa Creu, the Arc del Triomf, Parc de la Ciutadella, La Monumental (a former bullfighting arena), Basilica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia, El Gato de Botero, Cadafalch and Gaudi architecture, and Parc Guell. The highlight of the trip was renting bicycles. Barcelona is a biking city, as there are bike paths all throughout. I hadn’t ridden a bike in over 3 years, so I found bike riding in Barcelona to be quite exhilarating. I recommend wearing tennis shoes for the bike and for hiking up to Parc Guell. Another highlight was the food. On Saturday night, we had Chicken Paella for dinner. It reminded me of the fried rice I make when I’m in the USA! For breakfast on Sunday, we ate churros with hot chocolate, which were also amazing.
The downside parts of the trip were lunch on Sunday and having to return the rental car. The lunch we had on Sunday, right before we left for Aix, seemed delicious at the time; however, I threw it up on Monday. We each ate 3 empanadas of varying flavors. The 3 I ate did not sit well in my stomach thus leaving me sick from Monday-Wednesday. Finally, on Thursday, my appetite returned! I was so happy that I purchased a Nutella crepe! It was difficult to return the rental car for several reasons – one being my stomach hurting, and having to drive with the pain; the other being carless again, as it was a wonderful feeling to be able to drive in Europe.
I assumed Barcelona would be dirty and smelly; however, I was completely wrong. It is a beautiful city with a gorgeous beach, bountiful marchés, and excellent restaurants. We only had two days in Barcelona, so we tried to hit as many tourist attractions as possible within that time frame. I’m happy with the turn out. We saw the statue of Colombus, Esgléglesia Catedral de la Santa Creu, the Arc del Triomf, Parc de la Ciutadella, La Monumental (a former bullfighting arena), Basilica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia, El Gato de Botero, Cadafalch and Gaudi architecture, and Parc Guell. The highlight of the trip was renting bicycles. Barcelona is a biking city, as there are bike paths all throughout. I hadn’t ridden a bike in over 3 years, so I found bike riding in Barcelona to be quite exhilarating. I recommend wearing tennis shoes for the bike and for hiking up to Parc Guell. Another highlight was the food. On Saturday night, we had Chicken Paella for dinner. It reminded me of the fried rice I make when I’m in the USA! For breakfast on Sunday, we ate churros with hot chocolate, which were also amazing.
The downside parts of the trip were lunch on Sunday and having to return the rental car. The lunch we had on Sunday, right before we left for Aix, seemed delicious at the time; however, I threw it up on Monday. We each ate 3 empanadas of varying flavors. The 3 I ate did not sit well in my stomach thus leaving me sick from Monday-Wednesday. Finally, on Thursday, my appetite returned! I was so happy that I purchased a Nutella crepe! It was difficult to return the rental car for several reasons – one being my stomach hurting, and having to drive with the pain; the other being carless again, as it was a wonderful feeling to be able to drive in Europe.