barcelona, aka I'm supposed to live through a chicago winter after this?

Always at the top of my bucket list, I'd been counting down the months, weeks, and days until barcelona since four friebds fron my program and i booked our five day trip through spain. After leaving a pitch black dublin at 615 AM, barcelona's cloudless blue skies, overwhelmingly bright sun, and 60 degree temperatures were a very welcome sight. The good weather continued on the way to our hostel, which was perfectly situated in the midst of the waterfront, city centre, and La Rambla. A pedestrianized street of flower markets, souvenir shops, tented restaurants, and boutiques, La Rambla is Barcelona's pulse. Just crowded enough to excite but spacious enough not to overwhelm, I could count on getting sidetracked for at least 20 minutes anytime I crossed La Rambla en route to my hostel, whether by the savory smell of tapas, street musicians, or just the bubbling energy of the place.

After getting set up at our accomodation, my group headed to sagrada familia for a free tour of this arresting cathedral originally designed by modernist architect gaudi over 100 years ago. However, sagrada familia is so awash with jaw dropping originality that it's not scheduled to be completed for another 10 years. Miscommunication prevented us from  getting a tour so we "settled" for some exterior shots.

To get our fill of cool buildings, we ventured to Parc Guell, a forested park incorporating some of Gaudi's most outrageous pieces. I'd already been mesmerized to these pieces during my AP Art History class, but walking among these creations felt like visiting someone's acid trip. Especially because they are set against the forest and the city skyline, park guell completely dwarfed my own high expectations.

Following park guell was dinner and wandering around barcelona's streets which, per Spanish culture, truly come alive at night. Insane displays of Christmas lights hang from every street, music pumps from every restaurant, and more people crowd the streets if the trendier neighborhoods including Gothic Quarter. As implied by its name, it is a historic district featuring tight cobblestone streets of boutiques and bars, Roman ruins, and a cathedral that now overlooks a Christmas market. Far from ancient, Gothic Quarter is a really vibrant place just to unwind.

With the next day came a visit to the marina and Barceloneta, its slightly more distant beach district. Along the marina are a lot of interesting modern sculptures and a background mountain, making for  gorgeous view. 20 minutes after passing the marina, we reached barceloneta and the shores of the Mediterranean.  Also joining the party was a rainshower, but our experience with ireland rain kept us from complaining (much). That was probably a hidden blessing because even in the adverse conditions, I spent an hour walking along the sand, watching windsurfers tackle the rushing turquoise waves and wishing I could join in. If it'd been 70 and sunny, I'd be applying teach english in spain right now.

Once we finally separated ourselves from the beach, we went to the site of the 1992 olympics. Although the threat of a storm kept us from trying to find the actual stadium, we walked through the former Olympic village. It now features commemorative statues and a lot of modern buildings and casinos obviously meant to entertain the athletes. Sports geek that I am, I enjoyed taking in the sights and imagining magic and going crazy on the strip after winning gold.

While planning my travels months ago, barcelona had emerged as an absolute must see. Thankfully, the city only exceeded my huge expectations. With its colorful and otherwordly buildings, paln tree lined streets, friendly and warm people, vibrant but lax atmosphere, all within walking distance of a beach , it's easily become my favorite place behind cork and chicago. I could not be more thankful to have another chance to experience it  during new years.