July 31 - We Love BCN

Our group activities for the day did not start until the afternoon so I figured this would be the perfect day to do some things I had been eying. I slept in too late to grab hotel breakfast but I got some from the nearby café and it was a much tastier choice. After breakfast, some friends and I took the metro to La Rambla for some fun shopping time. I had a list of places I wanted to visit and our first stop was a Sephora WITH A SLIDE. Of course, I went down the twisty slide into the biggest makeup store I had ever seen. I went in only wanting to look around but ended up leaving with a few items for myself since they were cheaper than in the states. From there, we went to some clothing stores and all found a few things we liked. We went to Pandora so I could get my charm for my bracelet, a bakery for some fun treats, and Starbucks for some coffee and collectible mugs. We had a truly busy morning but this was only the beginning of it.

We hopped on a metro back to our hotel to leave our haul of things before meeting up with our group. With our group, we made our way back into central Barcelona to hit the essential Barcelona landmark: La Sagrada Familia. We took the metro line and as soon as we stepped out from the tunnel we were utterly wowed. The church is MASSIVE. It is still unfortunately under construction though so we could not see it in its full glory. Still, it was a gorgeous exterior full of so many ornate details. Our classmates found the tour guide and we began our exploration. We explored the outside and talked about the designer, Gaudi, and his visions for the building. We then went inside and I was utterly bewildered. The sculptures and stained glass were gorgeous. I am a sucker for Catholic stained glass and this raised the bar. The gorgeous colors from the window gave the room a rainbow tint and it was truly a sight to behold. We talked lots about the history of the church and how it was never realized during Gaudi’s lifetime. The Sagrada Familia was one of the prettiest buildings I have ever seen and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to visit such a beautiful place.

The tour lasted for a while and we saw so many things before heading off for our next activity. The twenty-some of us all crammed into one bus and went towards Park Guell. Since we arrived early to the park and we were all feeling pretty hungry, we stopped for some ice cream at a nearby restaurant. That refreshing little treat was definitely necessary for us to keep going. Once we had some sugar in our system, we headed up the hill to the park. Park Guell is another Gaudi creation that now serves as a popular tourist destination. At the park, we all dispersed and enjoyed some time out in the summer sun. It was an absolutely massive park filled with unique trees and walking paths. A majority of us were in that park for over an hour just exploring and having a good time. It was starting to get hot though and the heat coupled with the humidity is a draining mix. So, we decided to head out and head back to the hotel.

In all honesty, I was a bit delirious from the heat exhaustion so I don’t remember getting back to the hotel. I did do so safely though and I made sure to replenish my water supply. I relaxed in bed for a while before deciding to go out with some friends for dinner. We walked to find a tapas restaurant and ended up at a Doner Kebab shop. We grabbed some pitas and fries and enjoyed a cheap dinner perfect after a long day of spending money. The pitas were a great dinner before going back to the hotel to work on this blog. I worked for a reasonable amount of time before deciding to get to bed at a reasonable time. It was a great day and I am loving Barcelona so much.

♡ Katie