Catch Up Time - Barcelona, Spain

Ahhh, beautiful Barcelona. So it is true - everything that I heard about Barcelona is true. It is absolutely fantastic and I now plan and staying for an extended period of time (maybe 6 months?) to learn Spanish and embrace their culture. I am disappointed that I did not get the chance to visit elsewhere in Spain, but maybe that is a good thing. I probably wouldn't ever leave...

I met a few really wonderful people durring my stay there including Ina, my fellow teanager (19), and Zach, a scary tattooed Canadian (secretly a big teady bear). My favorite part about Barcelona - besides the obvious architecture, culture, beaches, etc. - were the people I spent time with. My hostel is an infamous party place where the staff are just as involved with pub crawls and outings as the guests are. We ended up becoming very close - it was probably the booze, actually - and I plan on meeting up with them durring my travels!

Just to give you a visual, imagine walking down small pedestrian outdoor corridors to the beach, drinking cold beer and cider, hair being blown by the wind and kissed with the salty air. Picture getting lost in the local markets full to the brim with produce and eating gelato in the park. And then... The night life. Pub Crawling is a great way to see the local hang outs. It usually consists of  3 bars and a club, somtimes including free drinks or shots. Meet locals, and if your lucky you will get to watch a stripper dance in a giant martini glass full of water!

Quickly worth mentioning is the notorious shots bar around the corner. It offers 600 completely original shots ranging from the "Boy Scout" ( involves roasting a marshmello over flaming alcohol - my favorite) to "Exorcist" (involving a horribly mysterious mixture that I refused to try). Great atmosphere, although it gets pretty crazy and packed the closer you get to midnight.

I can't wait to visit again and see everything I didn't get a chance to see! Four days was definately not enough time to really experience the sites and absorbe the crowd.

Back for more soon,
-A