¡Vamos a la playa! - Barcelona

One weekend in April, Casey, Elizabeth and I went to Barcelona. Thankfully we were able to take the AVE there, Spain’s fast-speed train, because it was always so much easier to travel by train than by plane. When we arrived, we inevitably got lost on our way to the hostel, and once we had checked in we headed out to explore a little bit and have dinner.

We walked up Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s main street, and looked at all the different shops along the way. There was a street shop that was selling rabbits and turtles, kind of strange. Eventually we ended up at Rosa Negra, a Mexican restaurant, to have gross margaritas and delicious burritos.

Liz, me, and Casey

Later that night we went to a local bar, L’Ascensor. The entrance was an old elevator and the decorations throughout were old-timey. There were two lamps at the bar that had rolled-up papers stuck all throughout them, and there were notes written on the papers. So I decided to write a note, too.

The next day we headed out on a walking tour of the Gothic neighborhood with our hostel. We saw Plaza Real, the Jewish Quarter, a couple cathedrals, and random squares along the way. It was really cool to get to hear some of the history of the area. At one plaza, our guide pointed out a space invader tile up on the wall. Apparently there is an artist that goes around the world and leaves his mark as little space invaders. It was pretty cool!

Later on in the day we headed to a lunch spot that had been recommended to us by a ton of friends, Bó de B. The sandwiches were cheap and stuffed with Mediterranean amazingness. Yum! Afterward we headed out to the beach for a quick siesta before more exploring. On the beaches in Barcelona, people come around trying to sell things constantly. ¿Mojito? ¿Cerveza? ¿Massagy? It was very obnoxious, but luckily canceled out by a group of guys nearby singing and playing the guitar.

Next we headed to a park and wandered around for a bit. The park was gorgeous and there was a giant fountain in it.

The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering through a huge market full of fruits, fish, and candy, then heading to Plaza Real for tapas. 

That night we decided to find out what Barcelona’s nightlife was all about, complete with shots on fire and a club right on the beach. I have to say, it did all live up to its reputation.

The next day started off with a traditional American-style brunch off eggs benedict and coffee, followed by some more beach napping. After our siestas we headed out to see La Sagrada Familia, a church by architect Antoni Gaudí, followed by wandering through his Parc Güell. His architectural style is very cool, and it gives Barcelona a very unique vibe. 

La Sagrada Familia

Parc Güell

For dinner that night we went for Paella, which Casey and I were excited about since our host family is Argentinian and therefore never cooks Paella. 

For the evening activities, we went to a huge Sangria bar then hung out in Plaza Real chatting up some Spaniards. The Sangria bar was in a cave-like building and had a ton of character. I made the mistake of calling out ¡Hala Madrid! a few times, but other than that it was great. When we got back to our hostel for the night we met a few French guys and had terrible language barriers!

The last day we ventured over to Montjuïc and saw the Olympic Stadium and some great views of the city. Barcelona was fun and we met some of the most interesting people. I definitely see where all the tourism comes from, but I am so happy to have studied abroad in Madrid where normal (Castilian) Spanish is spoken, rather than Catalan, which is more of a mix between Spanish and French. 

The Sahara

The majority of my spring break this year was spent camping out in the Sahara, and it was incredible. After hours and hours on a bus, we finally arrived in a small town in Morocco on the border of the Sahara. From there, we took jeep 4x4's for about an hour into the desert. I lucked out and the driver for my group was willing to do some off-roading in the dunes while blasting spanish and moroccan music. It was a blast!

Our group with the jeep driver

The next morning we all woke up to watch the sunrise over the desert. I can easily say that this was one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. My friend Taylor and I walked out in the dunes with a Berber (a person that lives in the desert), and he lead us directly to what was apparently his favorite dune. I couldn't really tell the difference between the dunes... After the grand event we walked back to camp. Right as we got there, though, our new friend wanted to show us what he did for a living. So we were coaxed into buying some shell fossils from the desert!

Later in the day we had another amazing adventure: this time, RIDING CAMELS! It was so cool, but also very uncomfortable and my camel was crazy. When I walked up to the line of about 80 camels or so, a berber lead me to mine, and it was bucking around and camel-screaming while foaming at the mouth. Perfect. I started to reject my camel, but the berbers forced me on him anyway. He stood up super fast and then was fine the rest of the ride, except for the possible rabies...

Me and Crol the Warrior King

Half-way through our ride we stopped at a HUGE sand dune, and climbed it. It was hard to do but the view was incredible. Also, keep in mind we were in the Sahara. Meaning it was a little toasty. At the end of our camel rides we walked into a nearby town and saw a couple shops. It was interesting to see the way of life there, which was much simpler than any place I've seen.

The rest of the day we had free time, so my friends and I took advantage of the sun and laid out for a little. Soon after though, a big group of berber kids came over to the camp. I was told that they would come and to bring candy, so I went and got a bag and they practically attacked me for it! It was cool seeing how happy they were with the candy.

After watching the sunset over the camp (also beautiful), we we greeted again by more berber kids who kept talking about their "salamanders." My friends and I played along and met they're salamanders, and someone told me they were just fake lizards. WRONG! The second they put one in my hand it started squirming around and I shreiked, so naturally all the little kids ran up to me with their lizards at once. It was fun playing with the kids, but the second lizards were involved I was out of there!

The next morning was our last, so we wandered around in the dunes for awhile, met another berber kid who had found a baby fox, and headed out in our jeeps. I will never forget Morocco, and especially the Sahara. It was gorgeous with orange sand and great people. I am so thankful to have had the experience!