Barcelona: Day 2

Hello everyone!

One of the great things about going to a city for the first time is that everything is new! So even though we got lost on our way to the Picasso Museum on our second day in Barcelona it was fine because we ended up finding some other things that we could take pictures of!

For example Barcelona's version of the Arch de Triomph.

Arc de Triomf

After this we did eventually find our way to the Picasso Museum which I would highly recommend to those who ever make it to Barcelona. After the museum we decided to head to the beaches because it was just so sunny, how could we not?

Unfortunately, the wind was incredibly cold as was the sand but that's to be expected at the beach in the middle of January right? All the same, it was nice to be near the ocean. One can feel pretty landlocked in Paris if they don't venture outwards. After the beach our appetites grew so we headed to our always reliable and very loyal Boqueria where I had an amazing seafood platter for lunch.

Yum! After the market we went and found the Catedral de Barcelona which was undergoing some major reconstruction so I wasn't able to get the best photos.

Voila! That night my friend and I visited some of the nightlife and found a very heavy populated bar to get drinks. Spain, especially Madrid/Barcelona are known for their nightlife, for many people their nights do not end until around 6am or so. But for us tourists who had spent the whole day walking we decided to call it a night around midnight.

Stick around for Day 3!

-Michael

Barcelona: Day 1

Hello all!

I decided to take a very last-minute trip to Barcelona this past week with a friend of mine. We have a semester break right not until February 21st so why not take advantage of the proximity of other European countries and travel? My round trip ticket to Barcelona was only 95 euros! Anyways, we took off from Paris Beauvais Airport at about 9am and landed in Barcelona a couple hours later and went straight to the hostel to check in.

After getting settled in we took off and headed straight for Parc Guell. One of the main attractions of Barcelona, this park was designed by the famous artist Gaudi. The trek was made easy by conveniently placed escalators.

And now the park

After spending a good amount of time here and taking too many photos we ventured off to the main downtown district known as La Rambla where we found an amazing "mercat" that sold amazing food for nothing. We ended up coming to this market everyday of the trip.

After eating and exploring this area we took the metro back up north a little to check out La Sagrada Familia. A church also designed by Gaudi. We snapped a few photos of the exterior but decided to come back the next day since we were both pretty fatigued.

We went back to the hostel for a small siesta and then headed out for a paella dinner and then a stroll along the port at night. After our walk, we went back to the hostel and had a nice conversation with our Australian hostel-mate and then passed out.

Stay tuned for Day 2!

-Michael

Bonne Année!

Happy New Year everyone! Here are some pics from my night out on the town in Paris on New Year's Eve. I started my night at about 9pm and headed towards a friends house. We left there around 11, which was a mistake because the metro (which was free all night long) was insane. We were forced to get off the first train that came because it was just crowded and the one we did get on had so many delays because of something either blocking the door or there was too much weight.

Ended up counting down to midnight on the metro which wasn't the best spot but.. at least it was in still in Paris? Anyways, here are some photos from the night. Most are on the Champs-Elysees which is a prime location for all your shopping needs, and then we made our way to the Eiffel Tower. There were random fireworks going on here and there but for the most part the streets were just filled with people, very drunk people, shouting "BONNE ANNEE VOISIN!" HAPPY NEW YEAR NEIGHBOR !

(From left to right: my roommate Maddie, Tiffany, and Megan.)

Bring it on, 2011.

-Michael