Sunny with a high of 75.

After not coming home until 5am, it was not on my top priorities to wake up for 9am breakfast. We all slept until 11 am, got up, but our beach gear on and went to breakfast. The weather was absolutely beautiful. It was sunny, 75 degrees, and breezy. The beach is about a 15 minute walk from us, so we headed off, stopping at merchant shops along the way to pick up souvenirs and presents for friends and family. We laid out on the beach until about 3pm, and I was so happy that I finally got some color into my less than pigmented face. Vitamin D was much needed. We sat and talked on the beach, and relaxed. This trip was definitely more of a vacation than a sight seeing extravaganza, which was nice. After a long day at the beach, we showered and then the girls and I ate a free dinner at the hostel, which is first come first serve from 8:30-10pm. We met up with the guys for drinks and tapas (appetizers) at a nice restaurant down a cute street with different places to eat piled on top of each other. We settled for dessert and decided to lay low and just hang out at a bar for the rest of the night.



For the last day in Barcelona, we decided to take full advantage of being a tourist. We got breakfast, and hopped on the metro up to an area called Parc Güell. Park Güell is a garden complex with buildings sitting on the hill of el Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914. The whole park was beautiful, we hiked up to the top and there was an absolutley stunning view of the entire city. We climbed up this rock structure with a cross on top and you could literally see a 360 degree view of the city from the water to the trees on the other side. I was literally sweating, I decided it was a great idea to wear a black shirt and dark jeans when it was about 80 degrees outside. Never the less the breeze kept me at a cool temperature and I made sure to stay in the shade for most of the time. As you walked down the path from the top of the park, there are merchants selling anything and everything you can imagine. From tshirts to scarves and jewelry to sunglasses you could get anything for a reasonable price. I settled on a few presents for some friends and a scarf for myself before heading down to see some of the buildings Gaudi built. The buildings were covered in mosaics, like most of the art work he had done, and were beautiful to look at.


pictured: Park Guell
After the park, we made our way over to La Sagrada Familia, another building built by Gaudi. It is a massive, privately-funded Roman Catholic church that has been under construction in Barcelona since 1882 and is not expected to be complete until at least 2026. It toweres over the trees and all the buildings surrounding it, and though it was covered with construction scaffolding and wires, it was still amazing to see the detail and architecture that went into building this cathedral. We stopped for a rest in the park area next to it where I tried a gofres (chocolate waffle with ice cream). It may have been the best thing I've ever eaten. I savored every bite and was completely satisfied with my 5 euro purchase. To cap off the day, we took the metro back and went to another park near the beach. It had the La Cascada Ciutadella fountain, which was built way back in the 1800's. It was also built by Gaudi, and had amazing statues and a gold plated dome on top. We walked through the park and also got to see the parliament building and it's surrounding gardens.





pictured: La Sagrada Familia, La Cascada Fountain, Barcelona Parliament building.

After a long day, we went out to dinner for traditional Spanish tapas for our last night. We ended up just hanging out at night at the beach, just talking and watching the waves crash down. I was completely relaxed and content with this entire weekend. Seeing such beautiful sights and walking around a country I truly never thought I'd visit has humbled me. I realize how blessed I am to have this opportunity to go to such amazing places each weekend I'm here. I don't take anything for granted, and I don't really think the gravity of being abroad has really set into my head yet. I know I am extremely lucky to have the opportunities I have, and I am truly thankful for them.