Walking the City

Amazing architecture of Sagrada Familia
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Waking up this morning was a bit rough. For starters, we had had a little too much vino the evening before. Secondly, we got to know our roommates on a different level. The first night wasn’t as bad as the remaining two nights, but one of our roommates was a snorer, a very loud one. Once I woke up to the rumbling in the neighboring bed, I knew it was going to be difficult to fall back asleep. So I got up and headed to our free continental breakfast provided by our hostel. It was the one good thing about the place we were staying. I enjoyed some juice, cereal, and bread before being accompanied by Peter and Kuba. We talked about our plans for the day and headed to get ready. But instead of getting ready, I fell back asleep.

Arch we passed walking lost back to hostel
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An hour later the guys were ready to go, and Natalie and I were almost there. So they headed to Sagrada Familia as we finished up. On our way to meet them, we stopped at a little Italian café and ordered a pizza. It wasn’t too bad. Next stop, Sagrada Familia. This Temple was designed by Antonio Gaudi. He began the construction of it during his lifetime and it will continue for the next few decades. The funding for it comes from tourist visiting and donations. That is one of the reasons it is taking so long to complete. That, along with the unique and detailed architecture. The tour was short and to get to the top of one of the tours, you had to pay two more euros plus wait in line for over an hour. So we decided to just tour the inside of where most of the construction was occurring and walk briefly through the museum about the history of the temple and Gaudi.

Fountians in Placa de Catalunya
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We met the boys at McDonalds and ended up heading back to the hostel. Natalie and I got a bit lost on the way back and ended up seeing a few sights we hadn’t expected. We took a brief rest at the hostel before again heading to the cathedral this time to meet up with them. We walked around the area for a bit and watched a goofy clown stop traffic and sing marriage songs to passing couples. He was rather entertaining. After this meeting time, the guys decided they needed a rest at the hostel, so Natalie and I ventured on our own down La Rambla Street.

Freshly squeezed juice
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La Rambla Street. You need to visit it. I was shocked by how people were selling birds and small rodents at every stand along the way. You would hear rosters crowing or see baby rabbits. Also along the street, we saw various people dressed up in costumes. We believe there was some holiday going on over the weekend we were there with all the children and adults dressed up. Souvenir shops also line the street as well as restaurants, many cafés, bars, and clothing shops. Our greatest find off the street was a fresh food market. The rows were lined with people selling fresh fruits and vegetables, and they were fairly cheap for the amount you got. I couldn’t resist and bought myself a very large bag of strawberries. They were good but I needed lots of help to finish them all before we left. Along with that, Natalie and I drank some freshly squeezed juice. I had a coconut strawberry one that was delicious! I had it gone in two seconds. Natalie got a papaya one mixed with mango that was a bit too pulpy for our liking.

La Rambla Street
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We headed back to the hostel to meet up with the guys once again and head to dinner. We had been searching all day for tapas, trying to figure out what they were. I was recommended by friends to try them in Spain, they are delicious. I even asked for an explanation and still didn’t understand. Now, I think I got it. We found a restaurant called Tapas Tapas, must be its specialty. We all ordered numerous tapas to share. My best way of describing a tapa… a small appetizer like food. Similarly served like sushi on small plates with small bites. They are not one specific type of food, rather an amount of food in the serving. I hope that is making sense! Natalie and I shared five tapas. We had a Spanish omelet, fried cheese, fried cheese with ham, garlic chicken bites, and small crispy fries with a sauce. The food was good, but a bit too much fried food for our liking.

The fruit at the market
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After dinner, we walked around La Rambla Street and Placa de Catalunya. There we saw entertainment and people selling imitation Prada on the street. We settled at a Starbuck’s (go figure… in Europe, to have Starbucks’s) and enjoyed a drink. This is when it began, The Rain. It rained and rained and rained. It would let up for a bit, so you could venture out, and then start pouring again! Peter, Natalie and I walked to the port after Starbucks and then back to the hostel. By our return home, we were drenched and miserable! It looked as if we had gone for a swim in the sea! We were happy to finally be back and get into our warm beds.