Dear readers,
As promised, here is a brief snapshot of the second half of my second week in Alicante. In this post, you will finally discover where my adventure took place after waiting so long with baited breath. On Friday, June 17th two friends and I boarded a train for a five-hour journey. The destination of this journey, heretofore undisclosed to you anxious readers, was Barcelona! Other than the fact that I had never visited the city before, there were a couple of other factors that made the entire trip quite the thrill.
First of all, Barcelona marked my first time ever staying in a hostel. After wary researching on TripAdvisor and Hostels.com, I decided to go for it because it was the most affordable housing option, though to be frank, the idea of lodging in a room with 7-10 utter strangers was a bit of a nerve-wracking one. Fortunately, the experience contradicted my fears and turned out to be a perfectly clean and safe environment to spend a few nights. One of the rooms is pictured below.
Despite its somewhat "jailish" appearance, the hostel was perfectly comfortable! I would definitely recommend it to other travelers.
We only had one full day in Barcelona, so we bought passes to a tour bus so we could cover as much ground in the city as possible. On our way to the bus stop, I saw this sign...
Upon witnessing this oddity, two thoughts came to my mind (after blinking several times in disbelief): 1) What is this doing in Barcelona, Spain? and 2) What on earth would be served at a Nebraska restaurant and bar? Lost for words.
From the interesting Nebraska bar, we moved on to La Sagrada Familia, an unfinished work of true artistic genius by Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí was a Spanish artist who was (and still is) widely renown for his thoroughly unique and individualist style in architecture, which was an example of Catalan Modernisme. Catalan Modernisme is described as, an "expression of a desire for the modernisation and cultural resurgence of Catalonia, fed by the dynamism of its capital, Barcelona. This was why Modernisme went beyond architecture and the plastic arts, also playing an important role in language, literature, and music" (http://www.parkguell.cat/en/park-gueell/origin-and-creation, accessed June 23, 2016). Perhaps one of his most renown works of art is the cathedral, La Sagrada Familia, which he began in 1882, but was unable to finish by the time of his death in 1926. He worked for 44 years, but when someone asked him when he would ever finish the church, he responded: "My client is not in a hurry." Clearly, this shows us an insight into the passion of his artist's heart. His concern was not deadlines or the petty expectations of man; rather, he labored slowly and surely to meticulously craft something of true and unique beauty, which would please his Creator. Even looking at the church in its unfinished state, we know he truly accomplished that mission.
We also visited Park Güell, which is another famous work of Gaudí. After being commissioned for the job by Eusebi Güell, Gaudí began construction in 1900 and opened it to the public in 1926. Simply breathtaking in its arboreal beauty alone, the park becomes a veritable paradise when decorated with the exquisite murals crafted by that master artist.
This is the home where Gaudí lived for most of his lifetime.
The flowers are simply breathtaking.
Aren't the murals simply mind-blowing in their complexity and perfect symmetry?
That covered most of what we saw in Barcelona! As you can see, we spent most of our time touring Gaudí's works, which was an blessing I will never forget. They are simply indescribable in their majestic artistry. If you ever have the chance to visit Spain, please, go visit la Sagrada Familia, Güell, or any of Gaudí's other works. I assure you. You will not come away disappointed.
On our way back to the hostel, we were caught in a Grendel of a rainstorm, the intensity of which reminded me of a bath or dip in the pool. Naturally, being used to the thoroughly non-rainy climate of Alicante, I had only worn my Birkenstocks, shorts, and short sleeved white shirt. Bad call. We ended up having to make an emergency stop at Zara to pick up a sweater to protect me from the chill! Moral of the story: never mess with a white shirt when rain is on the line! If you didn't catch my Princess Bride reference there, I'm sorry. Go watch the movie and come back. ;)
Anyways, we finished off the day with traditional paella and wine at a local restaurant, which was of course, the perfect ending to a wonderful venture.
Thank you all for taking the time to read about my adventures in Spain! I hope you're as intrigued by this beautiful country as I increasingly am. And seriously, if you ever have the freedom, go visit Barcelona.
Hasta luego,
Laurel
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