Craic in Cork: Explorin' Barca

Last Saturday was our day to tour around Barcelona. Friday was a busy day traveling to Montserrat,so we did not have much time to see the rest of the city. Luckily, it was very sunny, and a gorgeous day out, so we had nothing holding us back!

Our first stop was the Picasso museum. This was hidden down one of the many side streets in Barcelona, and was very unassuming. A fun fact for those of you that may be visiting soon, it is free for students! Anything free is definitely a plus to us :). We spent a little while in here, walking around seeing all that there was in the museum. I never realized how much Picasso's style changed as an artist throughout time. His early works looked nothing like the Picasso that we know today! The museum was really interesting, and a stop I am glad we made!

After the museum, we headed to Parc Guell, the place where there are the famous mosaic makings of the artist Guadí. We were all looking forward to this spot the most on our list of things to in Barcelona, because it is what always appears in pictures. Before we made the trek to the top, we made a pitstop for some churros. This was the one food i was DYING to try in Barca, and oh my god were they delicious. Once we finished our quick snack, we continued on with the journey through the park. It was such a beautiful day out, I would have never guessed that it was the middle of winter! Strolling around and just taking in the artwork and crowds, this was what perfection truly was.

Once we finished at the park, we headed for the beach! Everyone wanted to catch some of the sunset, and we timed this perfectly. On our way towards the beach, we stopped at the Sagrada Familia, a massive church in the city. We wanted to stop in, but there was a really long line, and it costs about 12 euro to get in! We decided to pass on this, and felt that we were able to embrace the immensity from its size. We continued to the beach! As we arrived, the sunset was just beginning. We got some popcorn, and walked, and walked, and walked, until it was dark! The setting was so pretty, almost magical. Barcelona was absolutely stunning.

We stopped for tapas at a small restaurant along the beach to grab a snack before our last stop of the night. I had ham and chicken croquettes, and some white wine. Everyone was enamored by the setting, a restaurant, on the beach, with wonderful food, drink, and people. This was the life...

After our quick bite, we went to the last destination, the Icebarcelona. This is one of those famous bars that is made our of all ice, and you are given winter coats and gloves to wear inside. It was just us in the bar, so we were able to stay for a long time (which was not took long, it was freezing!). It was such a fun time!! On the walk home, we were all pretty starving. Tapas are super small, and definitely not enough for a meal, so we stopped and had kebabs. Seton got me hooked on these, I had never had one before Barca, and I am obsessed!!!!! Delicious!

Our time in Barcelon was winding down, and it was back to the hostel. Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin

Gaudí's work