Barcelona

This past Thursday and Friday I didn't have any classes, so a group of the Madrid Engineers decided to take a trip to Barcelona. The trip was very spontaneous and there was almost no planning involved. Most of the group took an overnight bus on Wednesday night; they bought their tickets just a few hours before they departed. I wasn't very excited about taking the bus so I convinced Monica, the study abroad student living in the same homestay as me, to fly to Barcelona on Thursday morning. Although a bit more expensive, flying is the way to go. It cuts travel time down by seven hours.

Monica and I arrived in Barcelona just a little later than the others, but had no trouble finding them in the Plaça de Catalunya, a huge plaza in the middle of Barcelona. From there we headed down La Rambla, a very large street with shopping, hotels, food, vendors, etc., in an effort to find a place to stay (I told you we didn't plan this trip beforehand!). After checking out a few hostels we found an apartment that would comfortably house all ten of us for 12 euros per person per night.

{Our apartment}

For the rest of the weekend we did as we pleased. We went sight seeing, ate tapas, and bonded as a group. Of course no weekend getaway is complete for me until I go shopping. I went a little crazy and bought an expensive purse for myself (an early birthday present) and a few souvenirs for loved ones at home. 

{My early birthday present, the purse I couldn't live without}

{Plaça d'Espanya}

 {Cool bridge we stumbled upon while exploring}

{Museu Nacional d'Arte de Catalunya}

{Barcelona Olympic Stadium}

{Part of Barcelona's Olympic Park}

{Port Vell}

{Sunny afternoon at the docks}

{City Hall}

{Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya}

 {Catedral de Barcelona}

 {View of Barcelona from the top of the hill, Montjuïc}

Although we managed to fit a good amount of activities into our short four day stay, there are still a ton of things I would love to do in Barcelona, and that is why I must go back one day!