The Beauty in Barcelona
Tibidabo Amusement Park~
This park is atop the massive Tibidabo mountain, overlooking the city. There is a long windy road that takes you up the steep land. An intricate cathedral with a statue of Jesus spreading his arms looks over the mountain. Directly in front of it was Tibidabo Amusement Park. The colorful ferris wheel is right upfront, close enough to the edge of the mountain to see a spectacular view of the whole city. The rides are targeted towards younger kids, but my friends and I still had plenty to do. I think it was amazing to see the views of Barcelona while on the rides and while walking around the park. It was very similar to a smaller version of Canobie Lake Park, or any other local American amusement park. The roller coaster was lots of fun, and I felt like a bird flying over the city! It is funny because instead of selling popcorn or candy apples, Tibidabo sells churros and chocolate. It was around $25 to enter.
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Park Güell~
One of the most popular tourist destinations in Barcelona, Park Güell is the incomplete work of Antoni Gaudi. The park is perfect for a day with warm weather, but tickets sell out very quick. When my mother was visiting, we went, but had to come back the next day because tickets were sold out. The mosaic sculptures and outdoor architecture were unique and colorful. With the flowers in bloom, it feels like the best of Spring. The park is a lovely place for pictures, and you can spend a lot of time walking around and enjoying the scenery. We visited the two houses on the property that served as historical museums. One of them was Gaudi's old house! When it was near sunset, we hiked up towards the top of the park, where we could see beautiful panoramic views of the city. It was a lovely day, and I hope to return to Park Güell in the future.
National Art Museum of Catalonia~
Located in the bustling Plaza Espanya, the National Art Museum is a beauty of a building. It looks like a castle where queens and kings would reside. From the outside, it is the most beautiful museum I have seen yet, especially in the spring when they turn the massive fountains on! At the top of the grand staircase outside of the museum, you can see how packed the city is. Buildings look as if they cover every square inch of the land, up until the mountains! It is a lovely view, and for those who are not museum lovers like me, it is worth going just to see. The museum is filled with Catalan and Romanesque art including gold trimmed paintings and pieces from Sant Joan of Boi. It is a massive museum with various sections, and the inside is sophistically decorated. It is also possible to visit the museum's rooftop. From there, you can see the Olympic Spire in perfect view, and I was able to see the sunset too!
Park Guell
Laberint d'Horta Park
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The Laberint d'Horta Park is a beautiful display of greenery and perfectly trimmed hedges. What makes it most appealing (and why I wanted to see it for myself) is the lovely maze garden! In the center of the park is this maze garden, that people can try to escape. I have to admit I tried it myself.... and it was a lot harder than I thought... Just in front of it was a small rectangular pool filled with tadpoles. When you looked up close you could see them all swimming! It was amazing. You could climb some stairs and follow different paths in order to explore deeper into the park. It was quite large, and extremely peaceful. I went by myself and found it so relaxing. There were numerous fountains, plants, benches and statutes. It felt almost like a hike because many parts were in the woods. The maze would be fun to do with friends. You could make it into a competition too! It is definitely a place for nature lovers, and there did not seem to be too much to do around there (it was a bit out of the way from Place Catalunya, so I needed to put some extra time aside for traveling to and from there).
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Sagrada familia:
The absolute must-see attraction of Barcelona. This is THE most breathtaking structure I have ever been in. The Sagrada Familia is the architectural work of Antoni Gaudi, and it still under construction. From the outside, the intricate detail does not seem like it could possibly be made by man. Whether you are religious or not, this church is just fantastic. It is appalling to take it all in when you walk through the entrance. You can book tours online with audio guides, but my mother and I signed up for a guided tour with an outside company. Our guide described the inside and out of the building, and the timeline of the building's construction. There is just an immense amount of detail in that building, and I think that it is absolutely amazing!
Collserola Hike~
The Collserola hike was the first time I had hiked in Barcelona! Located on Carretera de les Algues, this gorgeous spot is easy to reach by train. I went with my program as a day time activity they provided, and we took the FGC train via Peu del Funicular to get there. It was a bit chilly when we went in mid-January, but it was absolutely worth the trip. The whole hike was about an hour and a half. When we arrived at the base of it, we walked up a steep incline for about 15 minutes. Once we got up there, it was a nice smooth dirt road with spectacular views. At times it was a bit scary, because the edge was extremely steep and we were so high up. I felt like a bird in the sky; the panoramic view from above was lovely and filled with trees and houses. The way down was a bit tricky, I am sure there are other ways but it was very rocky and steep. There is even a restaurant located about half way down, where you can get something to eat and continue to oversee the view! We ate there before heading back to the city center.
 La Boqueria~ the Front Entrance |  The Meats |
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 The Chocolates |  The Peppers |
 The Seafood |  The Fruits |
 The Smoothies |  The Candy |
 The Fish |
La Boqueria~
La Boqueria market in Las Ramblas is another symbolic destination in the city. More formally known as Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, it is a traditional-style market that has been there since 1840. The market has every category of groceries: fish, meats, fruits, veggies, chocolates/desserts. Some of the foods look really delicious, while others are a bit intimidating. A lot of the items for sale in the fish section were still alive and moving, and in the meat section I saw parts of animals I wish that I hadn't.... Overall it is a very busy market with a huge variety.
Parks of Montjuic~
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Montjuic is known for the Olympic Stadium and the National Art Museum, but it is also home to the most peaceful, lovely parks and gardens of the city. This area has a whole cluster of them that stretch all the way to the peak of the land. There are also funiculars that are basically enclosed ski lifts that you can pay to ride. On them, you get a birds eye view of the area and a glimpse of the entire city landscape. The parks were not busy at all during the sunny weekdays of April. I imagine they get busier during the summer time though. We saw lots of flowers, birds, fountains, orange trees and more. We got dropped off at the Olympic Stadium, and spent half a day just wondering into the surrounding parks. You can look on a map at the different ones located in the area. We walked through the Jardins del Mirador, the Jardins de Laribal, the Parc de Montjuic, and possibly some others that I did not keep track of. At the very top we saw the Castell de Montjuic, which is an old military fortress of the city!
FCBarcelona Futbol Match! ~Camp Nou
I do not follow much about sports, but I do know that soccer is a huge deal in Spain. FCB branding is everywhere throughout the city, and you can easily find merchandise representing the team and players. As one of the included activities in my program, we were taken to a game. Camp Nou is a MASSIVE stadium. We were quite high up, and it was amazing to see all the people in the crowds. Seeing Messi play was really cool, even though I didn't understand all the rules...
Just before the game I was able to buy a jersey from one of the street vendors in Placa Catalunya for very cheap. It was a very cool experience, and I would like to go back again and get closer seats. One thing that is really interesting: they don't sell any alcohol in the stadium! This caught me by surprise as beer is a best seller at all American games. I think they booted the beverage to minimize fan aggression..
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Penedes Winery Tour~
As a part of one of the day trips through my study abroad program, we toured the Eudald winery in the Penedes region about an hour drive away from the city center. Penedes is the largest wine region in Catalonia, started by the Phoenicians. They had planted the first grapes and olives in the region. We walked along the rows and rows of T-shaped grape plants. We had a wonderful tour guide, who described the many phases of the wine-making process. We learned that the juices are left to ferment in oak barrels. Cava is aged underground in green bottles. After they have aged, they are bottled and sold! I enjoyed the tour a lot. At the end we got to sample the wines, drinking them from the traditional Porron decanter. Though this was my first ever winery tour, I can't imagine others being much different. I would say it is a cool thing to do for the first time, or every few years, but I would not have been inclined to tour another in a different country because the process for every wine is nearly the same.
The Barcelona Zoo~
The Barcelona Zoo is located just at the end of the park area straight through the Arc de Triumph. It is quite close to the ocean as well. One Saturday when I stayed in the city for the weekend, my friend Maddy and I decided to visit. The zoo had a very large variety of animals. BUT, as I continued to walk through I felt sad. I would not recommend this zoo. I know zoos in general are quite controversial, but this one in particular has very small habitats for the animals. The larger animals like the elephants, giraffes, gorillas and bears need much, much more space than they are given. Some of the animals did not look particularly well either. It is always cool to see unique animals at the zoo and take pictures, but I wish that I didn't go because it did not feel right. You have to pay to get in too. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it!
