Barcelona:
Barcelona is one bizarre city. We all decided that it was weird, crazy, and cool. It had a great vibe though - like, a big-city feel, but artsy and creative too. We first got into the city just after sunset, when everything was starting to come to life. Our hostel was located pretty close to everything, so we did a LOT of walking - everywhere! We started by wandering around Las Ramblas, the main touristy area where there are lots of stores, restaurants, and bars. We found a place for food - and had our first pitcher of sangria! Then we walked around the Gothic area for a while. This neighborhood is very old-looking and, well, Gothic, I guess. Lots of bars, and people in the streets, and smoke everywhere! We found a little bar and hung out for a while. Afterwards, we walked down to the harbor and explored a little. We ended up going to bed relatively early for Barcelona-time: 2 am.
On day two, we headed straight down the street to find Gaudi's buildings and look around the town. Back in the early 1900s, Gaudi designed a bunch of artsy, cool buildings, some of which were inspired by Picasso's work. They all look so distinct and crazy! You can see the pictures of them on the photo link, I'm not going to try to describe them!
We also walked around Park Guell, which is a city park that Gaudi designed. It has some really cool and interesting architecture, and lots of trees and plants! Supposedly it was designed with state-of-the-art park techniques of the time, but they stopped building it because it cost to much money. It was a nice park, with some weird buildings and art, but I prefer Golden Gate Park any day.. We also went to the "Magic Fountain" show on Montjuic. This giant fountain lights up every 1/2 hour and does a show to music and lights. Kind of cool, I guess. We walked around a lot and explored so much of the city. I really think that walking is the best way to see a city, because not only do you see everything up close, but you get to encounter and examine the people! Barcelona seemed like one great big crazy fun party, and I would love to go there again!
Granada:
After our crazy 3 days in Barcelona, my friends went back to Paris and I stayed in Spain to visit my friend Luca in Granada. He's studying abroad there, so he knows the town pretty well. Granada was another super cool town, but for different reasons than Barcelona - actually, it was a nice juxtoposition to Barcelona. While Barcelona is big and touristy and expensive, Granada is much smaller, quieter, and very cheap! The little streets wind all over the city and up the hill to the Albazin neighborhood, where I stayed in my hostel. The Albazin neighborhood is CRAZY! It is literally a system of streets and little alleyways that wind all over the hill and form a giant labyrinth. I mean it - a labyrinth! It is almost impossible to find you way around, unless you know the streets or have a very detailled map. Luca and I spent about 45 minutes trying to find my hostel on the first day. But the neighborhood is cool because the streets are all so old and historic. This is the oldest part of Granada, where the original citizens lived. Over the years, graffitti artists have drawn over most of the walls too. There are even some artists who are famous now for their distinctive graffitti art.
Did I mention that Granada is super cheap? Whereas Paris, or Barcelona even, charges around 7 or 8 euro for a drink, Granada charges at most 2 or 3 EURO! Not only that, but each drink comes with a plate of FREE tapas!! So, you go to a bar, buy a cheap drink, eat all your free tapas, and you're good for the night. (food portions are bigger too!) Luca and I decided to spend the night the Spanish way: bar hop for a few hours, wander the streets, go to more bars, and then hit up the discoteca and dance all night long until the sun comes up! Needless to say, it was an awesome night, lots of fun, but we were so tired by the end! As I walked back up the labyrinth hill to my hostel, I tried to find the sun coming up.. but thanks to daylight savings I was an hour too early! So I just crashed in bed and rested up for day # 2.
On my second day, I wandered the streets of Granada in the rain and explored almost every corner of the city. It's such a cute town. I also got to practice my one Spanish phrase a lot: "Lociento, no ablo espanol.." because almost everyone I passed in the street stopped me to ask a question. We also hiked up to the Alhambra, which is Granada's famous icon. The Alhambra is an old military fortress originally built by the Arabs who used to live in Granada, before the Christians took over and kicked them out. There is a lot of Islamic influence in Granada, especially in the architecture. Up at the Alhambra, we had a great view of the whole city and the mountains above it.
One of the perks of my hostel was the "free guided cave tours" that the owner advertised. Behind Granada, up on the hill, there is a whole cave town where the gypsies used to live. Back in the day, the gypsies were so poor that they just dug holes into the moutain and lived in them, and the government didn't bother kicking them out. But when flooding destroyed the area, the gypsies were given land somewhere else and the caves were abandoned. THEN, in the 70s, the hippies took over the caves! Attracted to the low-cost and low-profile lifestyle, hippies from all over came to the caves and took up residence there. When we walked through the 'cave neighborhoods,' we saw all these doors leading into the side of the hill. You can see some pictures in the photo album.
Spain was an awesome experience for me; Barcelona was so cool and interesting, and Granada was fun and different. I would have no problem going back to either city. It was a nice change from France, too. Waiters never rush you with the bill (in face, you're lucky if they ever come to give it to you without being asked), people wear colorful clothes (a nice variation from the Paris black), and I couldn't understand anyone (oh wait, that happens in France too..). It was certainly a nice getaway for post-midterms. I routinely over-stuffed myself with great food, walked so much that I probably didn't gain any weight from all the food, and had lots of fun the whole time. Spain was such a fiesta!
I recommend you view my photos, for a better idea of everything! Don't forget that most of them have comments that explain what's happening..
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| Barcelona, Spain |
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| Granada, Spain |
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