When I traveled to Barcelona with a friend I made in Italy, I was only looking forward to laying out on the beautiful beaches. So I arrived prepared with my bathing suit on under my clothes with much anticipation to swim and tan. When I arrived my new friends immediately took me on a tour and we went exploring through the downtown area of the city and visited the Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña, the Barcelona Olympic Stadium and the Temple De Sagrada Familia.
Following that we took a train to the beach and I was very pleased and excited to relax on the coast of the Mediteranean Sea. Considering the sun doesn't set in Barcelona until nearly 10pm I was happy with the time I got to spend at the beach, but I worked up an appetite and I couldn't wait to have a few Spanish tapas dishes. Tapas restaurants flood the streets while hosts stand outside their restaurant trying to lure you in with promises of "free sangria when you order two dishes," or "you get mixed seafood paella and a free pitcher of sangria!" We were hooked and took one host up on his offer. The seafood was very fresh and the sangria was sweet and refreshing.
On my last day in Barcelona I really wanted to see everything I could in a short amount of time, so my tour guides suggested that we visit Park Guell. When we were on our way we ran into a march or rally I guess you can say, lobbying for Barcelona's independence from Spain. A movement that has been taking place for years and is become a tough fight for the Catalans. The streets were crowded with people waving flags, holding signs, cheering and marching with pride for their homestead.
I'm glad I got to witness the march because the people were so enthused and powerful in their fight, while it was also very difficult to get through the crowds, it was a moment that can possibly change life for the Catalans. We moved onward to our journey to Park Guell and hopped on a train. The journey up the tall hills to the park is a great hiking experience because the walk is very steep and there are escalators built into the street to help you along. Finally, we arrived at the park which was breathtaking. The amount of detail in the tiling and structures in the park are unlike any other park that I have been to. It was a great experience and completely free I couldn't ask for more.
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