Fall Break: Barcelona

After a loooong train ride that took up all of Saturday, we finally arrived in Barcelona. Obviously that wasn't the original plan, but sometimes French people just stop driving trains because they want to retire early; but you can't let that get to you.

Anyway, back to Barcelona. After checking into our hostel, we went straight out to dinner as we were all eager to try authentic Spanish cuisine. We settled at a restaurant with a prefix menu, and I tried paella for the first time. It was very good; somewhat like seafood risotto, but with some added Spanish spiciness. Food in Spain is certainly not served with a smile, but definitely a slight grin when compared to service in Italy. The rest of the evening consisted of bar and club hopping, and we even ran into some people from AUR who happened to be in Barcelona at the same time. I learned that Barcelona does have a good bar scene, but it can often be very selective. One bar in claimed that we needed to be 23 to get in, while another claimed to have a guest list. Still, it was Halloween, so the Americans we ran into were dressed in costumes, but overall I was underwhelmed by the creativity of the Spanish. I guess you can't really blame Spain for not embracing a pointless American Holiday.

The next day, also spent in Barcelona, consisted of rapid fire sightseeing. Some people may not like the rapid-fire style of vacationing, but I wanted to get my moneys worth for this eurail pass. We first went to a park, designed by the famous Spanish architect goudi, and walked to the top of a hill for some great views of the entire city. Check it out:

After the mini hike, we took a differed route back down l and we were lucky enough to run into street performers playing authentic Spanish music. They were very talented and it was very cool to get a true snapshot of Spanish culture.

Also on the way down, we saw two buildings desired by the famous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi; they look like life-size Ginger bread houses and I had to hold back to urge to eat them. Apparently Gaudi is a big deal in Spain, they let him design a lot. Check out the gingerbread houses:
After that hike, we visited 2 other famous buildings designed by Gaudi, as well as a monstrous Cathedral. The cathedral has been in progress for 50 years and it's supposed to be completed by 2012, in time for the end of the world. Check it out:

It was literally too big for me to get a good photo, but you get the idea.

Overall, I enjoyed Barcelona; the exclusive nature of the night life took a bit away from our night out but the sightseeing was great. I also enjoyed the public transportation, very easy to get around, and simple to understand; and like several European cities, arrival times were displayed for the subways. Lastly, the people. They seem to mostly keep to themselves; Barcelona is huge and there's a lot we didn't see, but it seems like the people don't mind American Tourists as long as we're not annoying, and they're definitely nicer than the French. Speaking of the French, onto Paris!