Along with our new friends (Amanda, Bronwyn and Emily) we left the hostel by 10 to start out our first day in Barcelona. We stopped by a bakery for breakfast (why do these appear to exist everywhere but Prague?!) and I got a tube shaped pastry filled with chocolate cream. We walked a little ways to the center of town where we were meeting Bronwyn's friend Carlos. She studies with Carlos in the school she attends in Montpelier for her study abroad program and Carlos was in Barcelona for the weekend also since he is from there. Along with knowing the city layout well, he is also a history major so he was a knowledgable tour guide.
We first went to the Cathedral of Barcelona and then saw some Roman ruins in the Gothic Quarter and then Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is a famous pedestrian street that has tons of small shops and eateries. We then took a break from walking all over the place and had lunch. What was on the menu? Tapas, of course! When in Spain... We all shared tapas of patatas bravas, croquettes with minced meat, and fried squid at Carlos' favorite restaurant. We then went for round 2 at a local place for plates of open faced 'sandwiches'. It was all new and interesting foods to taste - and they were all great!
Some fountains in Barcelona
Gothic Quarter
Part of an ancient Roman aqueduct in the center of the city
Barcelona Cathedral
Patatas bravas
More tapas!
We then continued touring after lunch. We went to the museum of history and spent some time there. We followed this up by going to Pablo Picasso museum. Most notable for me were the exhibits on his blue period and cubism works. It had been a long and productive day so after this we headed back to the hostel. I had also had shooting pains in my right eye all day long that were bothering me very much so upon arriving back at the hostel, washing out my eye was high on my priority list - and it worked!
Barcelona's Museum of History
Some of Picasso's Blue Period paintings
Passing by Spain's version of Dunkin Donuts - Guess they like coffee more than donuts in Barcelona...
After hanging out in the hostel for a while we headed out to find somewhere to eat. By the way, this was my first time staying in a hostel and I really enjoyed the experience. It was particularly suiting since we were on a college break - so a great part about hostels is that you meet so many people your age (like the girls we had went around with that day). This hostel had gotten good reviews and I have no complaints on it. Our room didn't have a private bathroom but the place had 2 full bathrooms and 2 half bathrooms for everyone to use, which was plenty. The common room had a television, vending machines, and desktop computer for everyone's use. Although I always kept my belongings safe in the provided lockers (lock's were an additional fee) I always felt safe. Anyway, back to dinner. We found a place nearby that had paella! This seemed very appropriate. Our paella had whole shrimp and mussels. It was good but a small portion, so we went to a grocery store afterward to get some snacks. Then it was back to the hostel to hang out and call it a night!
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