Barcelona

     Sometimes the deals on Ryan Air are just too cheap to pass up, which is why my roommates and I decided we should spend two nights in Barcelona, thus making it my eighth consecutive weekend traveling.

On Thursday we departed Florence via the Santa Maria Novella Station, where we took the slow train to Pisa. Ninety minutes later we checked in, cleared security and anxiously awaited our flight to Girona.

After a short sleepless flight we arrived in Girona which is approximately an hour and 15 minutes outside of the Barcelona city center. A company called Barcelona Bus operates a frequent route between the Girona airport and the city center for the cost of 12 euro one-way, or  21 euro round trip which is obviously what we chose.  Upon arriving at the depot we each bought a two-day metro pass from the tourist info stand. I have to say even though I find almost all modes of public transportation to be completely questionable I was very impressed with the Barcelona metro system. The routes were simple color-coded lines with easy to see stops and transfer points and the metros themselves were clean and fast. Thumbs up Barcelona public transportation!

Countdown to the arrival of the next train.

Once we found the Blue hostel we got settled and decided to rent some bikes to explore the city. After pedaling around for an hour or so we stopped near the marina for a delicious four course paella lunch. For 10 euro we each got a helping of bread and chicken soup, a starter course, a huge second course, dessert, drink and some kind of peach flavored liquor. Completely stuffed we got back on our bikes and headed along the beach back to the hostel for an authentic Spanish siesta.

Lunch time

The W Hotel in the background. 

After our snooze we were still stuffed so we decided to forgo dinner and check out the Barcelona's famous nightlife on empty stomachs. A friend of mine from WSU had recommended the Chupitos bars as a fun and inexpensive place to start out the night. After a few “Harry Potters” and “Cub Scouts” we were feeling good and making buds. Some of the shots at the Chupitos bars are very interactive and include some interesting “props.” Order the Monika Lewinsky for a friend and you will know what I am talking about.

"Harry Potters"

Decisions, Decisions....

After the Chupitos bar we cabbed it to a row of clubs closer to where we had eaten lunch earlier in the day and after more drinks and lots of bad dancing we finally called it a night and headed back to the hostel.  I'm really not sure how anyone could study abroad in Barcelona with the combination of sunny beaches and the outrageous nightlife.

The next day we were a bit slow getting up and about. After walking to the statue of Christopher Columbus we headed along the Marina to what ended up being a giant shopping mall. After perusing a few stores and some interesting Christmas displays we decided we were ready for lunch so we ventured downtown to Rosa Negra for some highly anticipated Mexican food. After our nachos and burritos we felt another siesta was necessary.

Apparently this is Barcelona's idea of Christmas Cheer

Finally feeling refreshed we set out again to tour the shopping areas and explore some of the little side streets. Later we set our sights on an Irish pub for a quick dinner and a beer. Since the following day would be our last we called it an early night by Spanish standard, midnight that is.

Getting emo with the graffiti 

We checked out of the hostel at 11:00 the next morning and locked up our backpacks up at the reception. When we got to the metro I was peeved to discover that our metro passes had expired before the 48 hours were up. Not cool. After buying individual tickets for 1.40 euro a pop we headed to Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia only to be more peeved. Not only was it pouring down rain at this point the entrance fee was 12 euro (we were all broke) and the stupid thing isn’t even completed! It’s completely covered in scaffolding and surrounded by cranes! Supposedly the cathedral is meant to 'always' be under construction so every time someone comes to visit it there is something new to been seen but I thought it was overpriced and messy looking. Aside from Paris pretty much every noteworthy European monument I have gone to visit has been in some way tainted by construction. There is scaffolding on the Duomo, the Pantheon, the Rosslyn Chapel and St. Marks! I am sick of scaffolding!

After unanimously agreeing that we were all too poor and annoyed to pay the 12 euro we went to the nearest American friendly establishments to pout: Subway and Starbucks. After a six inch meatball marinara and a hot chocolate we took the metro back to the Drassanes stop and continued our walking /shopping tour of Barcelona. After my roommates found a few souvenirs we came upon Barcelona’s equivalent of the mercato central. After a quick walk through and a few pictures we continued along Las Ramblas and at 3:30 we headed back to the hostel to collect our bags.

We took the metro to the bus depot only to learn that we had missed the 4:05 bus by a few minutes and the next one wouldn’t be leaving for Girona until 5:30! We figured that even if the bus got us to the airport right on time, five minutes to check-in and clear security wasn't going to be enough. So we bit the bullet and took a cab all 64 miles. It worked out to be about 35 euro each, which sucked, but hey it could have been worse.

After a snooze in the cab we made our 7:25 flight, took the train from Pisa and arrived in Florence around 11:30pm. Of course some celebratory kebabs were in order.

Kebabs = Yum