Barcelona Recap

Bonjour!

Here are some additional key points from Barcelona:

• The city market was a lot of fun. It reminded me a lot of the West Side Market in downtown Cleveland. There were all types of animals, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, etc. Pretty much any kind of food you can imagine could be found there. I bought two of the incredible fresh fruit juices there (papaya/coconut and mango/papaya/strawberry), and both flavors were incredible. Plus, they were only 1E each!

• There were numerous pita stores in Barcelona, and they were all delicious. I think I purchased three falafel pitas while I was in the city.

• Living on the Ramblas had its ups and downs. It was awesome to see the non-stop hustle and bustle, the street-performers (Jack Skellington was my favorite), and the animal stores. However, the Ramblas became a little seedy at night because prostitutes begin to prowl the streets.

• My final exams went fine, I guess. We basically pulled all-nighters our last two nights in Barcelona in order to study. Everyone was burnt out of classes and thankful just to be finished.

• I ordered some helado (ice cream) on a whim, and it turned out to be a worthwhile investment. Dave said, "Bubba, you have been eating croissants and eggs all week, I think you can afford to buy some ice cream!" I ordered tiramisu and mango flavors.

• BUFFET! Perhaps the eating highlight of Barcelona was an all you can eat buffet for 8.5E. The group was skeptical upon arrival, but I did my research on this place and it turned out to be a worthwhile experience. There was a huge salad bar, pizza, pasta, bread, soups, coffee, fruit, ice cream, deserts, and it came with a drink of choice. This was a great way to try new local Spanish foods. I ate the most.

• Other site-seeing I did in Barcelona included the Barcelona Cathedral (second time), another cathedral (St. Mary's of the Sea, maybe?), the Chocolate Museum (disappointing), and the City History Museum (cool because you went underground to see remains of the old Roman city of Barce).

• I enjoyed Barcelona due to its uniqueness. There was no one unifying characteristic of the city. It is easily the most "European" city in Spain. Some areas, like the Gothic Quarter, are composed with small, winding streets with great shops, while other areas are full of taxis and huge tour buses. The one thing Barcelona did not lack was trees. Almost every street had lines of trees on both sides of the road. That was really nice.

Although I am probably forgetting to write some great stories from Barcelona, the bottom line is that Barcelona was a wonderful city that was unlike any of the other cities in Spain. Everyone in our group throughly enjoyed it and wished to spend more time there.