This will likely be the longest blog post in the world. Consider yourself warned.
My spring break consisted of 2 nights in Madrid, 3 nights in Barcelona, and 3 nights in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. It was amazing, beautiful, exhausting, and maybe the best vacation I've ever been on.
For the first part of our trip we were a group of 6 girls. We left London Thursday night, only to be stuck at the airport with a 4 hour delay.We passed the time at the airport bar and eating lots of candy. When we realized that we wouldn't be getting to our hostel in Madrid until around 4 am, we attempted to call them to let them know and to be sure someone would be at reception to let us in. Well, the person at reception did not speak English, and somehow I ended up with the phone. Having only a few semesters of Spanish under my belt and a few pints in, I struggled to communicate with this man who repeatedly told me that someone who speaks English would be there tomorrow. After a lengthy and awkward Spanglish session, I managed to say "plane is late" and "arrive at 4 in the morning" and he said "okay". And with that, our spring break in Spain began.
Friday morning we woke up and explored Madrid. We ate delicious tapas for lunch, wandered through the parks throughout the city, did some souvenir shopping, and had the best ice cream I have ever eaten. I had 1 scoop of dulce de leche, a creamy caramel flavor, and 1 scoop of mint. It was light but creamy and...amazing. I ate a lot of ice cream this trip (almost every day) but I never found an ice cream to beat that one. Yummmm. Madrid surpassed all expectations, and not just with the ice cream. I had heard that Madrid was so-so, but I found the city so beautiful. The day was sunny and clear, making the huge white buildings even more beautiful. The architecture is amazing- so complex and detailed. There were so many parks with fountains and awesome views of the city. I would 100% recommend visiting Madrid.
In Madrid there were so many people painted like statues and sitting very still. We found a ton of these in Barcelona, too. Some of them it hard to tell how they were sitting, and they were extra interesting. There were also lots of street vendors with jewelry, scarves, artwork, etc.
That night we ate dinner at a paella place! We also had more tapas, and a new delicious addition. We ordered tortilla, which was a potato-y omlette-y fluffy cake-thing. It was probably the best thing we ate that meal. This was also our first sampling of sangria, which became a regular beverage this trip. That night we went out with friends from home of one of the girls traveling with me. They told us how to order a bodka y redbool, a vodka redbull. So we all drank vodka redbulls...all night. The place we went to cost 5 euros to get in, but there were free drinks! Ridiculously cheap compared to London!
Saturday morning we went to a huge large market across the street from our hostel.There were tons of tapas, fish, fruit, bread, pastries, kebabs, sushi and candies. I had smoked salmon on top of tomato, which looked a little weird but was really really really good. I also had frozen yogurt with pineapple and strawberries. The fruit was HUGE. The strawberries were about the size of my palm, and grapes as big as my thumb. We also tried croquetas, which we didn't learn the name for until later in the trip. These are little fried rolls with various things inside. The ones we ate had spinach and cheese, but later we saw them with chicken, ham, shrimp, potato, and various vegetables. They were good for a snack, but I can't imagine making a meal of them!
Our flight to Barcelona was only about an hour long and relatively painless. Here we met up with a group of other girls, now creating an entourage of 11 girls. Several times we were joined by a group of boys who were also in Barcelona at the time. We were split up in living arrangements though. My hostel was really nice, but not in the best area. Our room was offset of a terrace, very Spanish looking. We had our first dinner on Las Ramblas, the main shopping street in Barcelona. Avoiding high prices we still managed to get a big dinner- roasted chicken, french fries, rice, salad, and a free shot. That night we bought boxed wine for 88 cents-which was an excellent addition to the night! We went to a club called Catwalk with friends of the group who are in Barcelona for the semester. This was our first night out in Barcelona, and our first experience with the...time change. We went out at 1 am, and left the club around 4 am. When we were leaving, some people were just arriving! How these people can function on that lifestyle over time beats me. But I was surprised at how quickly and easily I adapted to it. I never managed to successfully take a nap around 7 pm as they do, but even so I felt fine. Even at 4 am each night I felt ready to go, as if it was still midnight! The atmosphere of the club was amazing- the lights and the loud music are kind of absorbing. I never saw myself loving the club scene so much, but Barcelona was so so awesome.
Sunday we slept in, and then went to see more of the city. We saw the Columbus Column and the area thats around it. The architecture was old looking and intricate. As beautiful as the city was, we needed to see the water! At the harbor there were these white statues standing out of the water. They were of people looking up to the sky. It was a little odd, and in my opinion took away from the blue water, picturesque boats, and clear skies.
We crossed the river and went to a sandwich place called Bo de B, where I ordered a "bocadillo de pollo" or a chicken sandwich. For 3.5 euros you got a big baquette sandwich with chicken, lots of veggies, and 3 different types of sauces- garlic, yoghurt, and avocado. There was also a hot sauce but I passed on that one. The best part about these sandwiches was the bread. Throughout Barcelona I ate so much bread because it was SO good. These sandwiches were so delicious that we went back the next day again! Next we got dessert at a place called Bubo. They sold lots of cakes and macaroons. The cakes themselves were really pretty, and the way they were displayed so neatly made the place look so professional. In 2005, they were voted having the best chocolate cake. And guess what? I ate that chocolate cake. It was a little circular cake covered in a chocolate mouse with a macaroon on top. By only complaint was that it was too small!
The sight-seeing continued to the Cathedral of Barcelona and the Arc de Triumph (yes it is called that even though it is in Barcelona and completely copying the one in Paris). We went to Parque Citadella, which has lots of fountains, ponds, and a big lake. It was truly beautiful- and packed with people! We sat and drank wine, while being surrounded by people walking on tight ropes, juggling, climbing trees, and doing gymnastics. There were definitely some characters at the park that day, but it only added to the experience!
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| Cathedral de Barcelona |
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| Cathedral de Barcelona |
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| Parque Citadella |
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| Parque Citadella |
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| View from la Plaza Espanya |
Once the sun started to go down we made our way to La Plaza Espanya. There we walked up a ton of stairs to get to this amazing view of the city. By the time we reached the top it was dark out, and the city landscape was lit up. There was a man playing a guitar so we had some live entertainment as well. The day was perfect- relaxing and exciting all at the same time.
That night we went to club on the beach called Opium Mar. It was more of the same- electronic music, strobe lights, lots of dancing, and expensive drinks. This time though, we could take a stroll on the beach when we needed fresh air. It was another fun night, and when we left Opium at 5 am, the metro was re-opening for the morning so we took it back to our hostel.
Monday morning we went to Sagrada Familia, a very famous cathedral designed by Gaudi. It was begun in 1882 and is still under construction! The exterior is extremely detailed carvings out of limestone. The designs varied a lot, and we spent a good amount of time just looking at it!
Next we headed to Park Guell, a famous park designed by the same designer, Gaudi. Allegedly Gaudi designed Park Guell while on shrooms, so it looks a bit like a Dr. Suess book. It is created out of a white-ish beige stone and mosaic designs everywhere. There are columns throughout that are sort of twisted and funny looking. There was a photo shoot for the TV show America's Next Top Model there! They walked through a little tunnel made out of the funny columns.
We walked all the way to the top of the park to this little narrow tower type structure made out of the same beige stone. From there we could see a beautiful view of the city again, this time in daylight.
We went back to the beach to have some ice cream and waffles, a very common thing everywhere in Europe it seems, but especially in Spain. It was delicious!
Later we went out to dinner by the beach and I got more paella, but this time it was AMAZING. It was chicken and fish, including shrimp, calamari, and other stuff I didn't know. It was mixed with rice and this certain sauce- and was a LOT of food. But of course I ate the whole thing :) Then we headed to Chupitos, a shots bar. There was huge menu of shots, all for 2 euros. I had a boyscout (the bar tended made a fire on the bar in front of us and we roasted a marshmellow before taking the shot), a Bob Marley (stripped red green and yellow), and finding nemo (blue with whipped cream on top). There were over 300 shots on the menu on the wall, choosing the ones to try was difficult! After Chupitos we made our way to a club called Boulevard for another late night.
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| Bar on fire for Boyscout shots |
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| Shot Menu |
Tuesday morning we checked out of our hostel and went to a big food market called La Boqueria. There were loads of fruits, candies, chocolates, and meats. I had a big fruit salad for 1 euro with pineapple, strawberries, melon, kiwi, grapes, cherries, and coconut. It was so fresh, juicy, and light.
We sat on the beach and tried to absorb our last Barcelona day! We walked along the boardwalk and saw people making these intense sand sculptures and dancers making a music video! Then we headed back to Las Ramblas for some last minute shopping and then made our way to the airport!
As much as I loved Barcelona as a city, I couldn't help but feel uneasy a good amount of the time. Before coming I was well aware that pick-pocketing was a big problem there, but even so a girl in our group experienced it first hand while on the way to the hostel from the airport. Our friends studying in Barcelona were constantly reminding us to hold our bags and not hold our cameras out. It made for a kind of tense undertone, and I could feel myself relax as I arrived at the airport to go to the Canary Islands.
We arrived to Gran Canaria, the island we were staying on, very late on Tuesday night, and just went right to bed. On Wednesday morning I woke up to an unbelievable view! Our hostel overlooked the ocean, mountains, and city- all in one viewpoint. It was about 75 degrees too! We spent the first day relaxing at the pool, which had the same amazing view.
That night we walked down a huge winding hill to get to a shopping center. This place can only be compared to an Atlantic City boardwalk...in Spanish. We got ice cream, walked around, and then made our way back for a relaxing night at the hostel. It was around then that I discovered a regular visitor- Fernando. He was a little cat who was stationed outside our room at all times. Sometimes when on our way out to the balcony for a second we would leave our sliding door open, and he would get one paw in the door while looking at us nervously. Of course we didn't let him into our room (no matter how hard he tried) but a few times he sat by my feet while I sat in the chair on the balcony. There were lots of Fernando's friends throughout the hostel, too.
On Thursday we made our way to the beach! We went to La Playa Ingles. The whole thing was sort of surreal and beautiful. The beach was between mountains, with clear skies and bright blue water. It was much cooler at the beach, but still a warm alternative to London.
That night we went back to the shopping center/Atlantic City for dinner. We got Mexican food, of which there were a lot of restaurants for on the boardwalk, but it was not the Mexican food I'm used to. Excellent nonetheless. We pretended that it was one of the girl's birthday, and celebrated over free cocktails. Then we went to a small bar in the shopping center, and the fake birthday celebration continued with a huge cocktail jug with 11 straws in it. When they started to bring out the birthday sash, we decided the joke had gone on long enough and left the bar. We stopped briefly at another bar, and then a drag show. But then we made our way back up the winding hill to our hostel. We relaxed by the pool for a little before calling it a night.
Friday we spent the morning at the pool, before leaving Canary. It was absolutely perfect to end the trip there, since by then we were ready to just lounge at the pool and beach. Even though Spain is one of the places I have always wanted to go, it still managed to exceed all expectations. Spending spring break in Madrid, Barcelona, and Canary Islands was one of the best things I have done since being abroad.
The final stop of the tour was to Charles Bridge, my favorite place in Prague! There are many bridges over the Vltava river, but this one is beautifully decorated with statues and filled with vendors selling pictures and jewelry. The sun came out at this point, and the view of the water, bridge, and city was wonderful. I could feel a soft spot for Prague growing.
