Hola, Barcelona!

I was lucky enough to spend my 21st birthday in Barcelona, which, before this study abroad experience, is definitely not something I ever imagined would happen. The day was filled with sunshine, warm weather, and many breathtaking sights offered by the city. The main attractions we hit were Park Güell, the Sagrada Familia, and a walking tour of the Old Town. 

On the morning of April 15th, we got up and walked to the highly recommended 'Brunch & Cake' for, well, brunch (but no cake). A nice surprise along the way was this beautiful little park squeezed in between streets and buildings. 

Brunch & Cake

My meal of choice was a sweet waffle with turkey, poached eggs, and hollandaise - with a balsamic dressed side salad. This definitely isn't a combination I'd normally go for, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well the flavours all went together. I'll have to recreate it one day. Brunch & Cake's atmosphere and presentation was definitely up to parr, and I did enjoy the food, but unfortunately for the price I'm not sure I'd jump out of bed to go again. Everyone else I know who has gone there speaks very very highly of it, though, so if you're ever in Barcelona I'd say you may as well give it a go!

An instagram foodie's dream.

Next, you're about to see a few Gaudí buildings that are scattered throughout the city. Then later, at Park Güell and the Sagrada Familia, you'll see some more. Antoni Gaudí was a late 1800's to 1900's architect with a very unique and distinctive style that has greatly influenced the face of Barcelona architecture. Gaudí was mostly influenced by nature rather than the work of other architects, which is definitely reflected in the organic shapes and edges in his work. I would have loved to see the inside of some of these buildings (the images online are amazing), but the queues were a little too intense for an already short trip. 

Casa Batlló

Casa Milà

On our away to Park Güell, we happened upon this really cool fragrance shop called 'Aromas Artesanales'. As you can see, the walls were lined with a crazy amount of difference fragrances, and a 100mL bottle was just under 7 euros, so of course I couldn't resist. The retail associate was super knowledgeable and was able to pinpoint the exact scent I was looking for with just the words "citrus" and "rose". I would definitely tell everyone to go here if in Barcelona; there was a men's side as well. 

Leading to Park Güell is a nice walk down along the hills among trees and great views.

Once at Park Güell, we stopped off for a much needed popsicle before heading into the actual park, called the monumental zone. Construction of the park began in 1900 and was a showcase of Barcelona's economy and artistic atmosphere. Antoni Gaudí was entrusted by Eusebi Güell to plan and create this entire area, which was to be residential for well-off families. The work was stopped in 1914, and after Eusebi's death it was offered to Barcelona City Council. Park Güell was open to the public in 1926 and became a UNESCO Cultural Heritage site in 1984. 

You get an amazing view of Barcelona and the distant ocean from here.

Can you imagine people living in those? I wish.

The mosaic work on these benches, and throughout the park, could be admired for hours.

The gardens

Next on the agenda was a visit to the Sagrada Familia, another Gaudí design. In 1883 he took over the design of this large Roman Catholic church, and five generations have since witnessed it's continuous construction. The Sagrada Familia could be finished in the first third of the 21st century, which is actually quite cool considering that most world-renowned cathedrals and churches were built long ago - so this would be a masterpiece finished by one of our current generations. 

You can see how different the two entrances are from one another by comparing the first photo to this one.

Gaudí's organic inspiration really shows on this side.

What made paying to enter this church so worthwhile is how absolutely unique it is compared to every other church and cathedral I've seen in Europe. And I've been in a lot of those. The pillars and other details are done completely in white, which reflect the many colours shining through a rainbow of stained glass. If it weren't for the occasional cross, altar, and Nativity facade, I wouldn't even think that this is a church. It is first and foremost a work of art - completely different from the dark wooden features and biblical stained-glass patterns of others. Gaudí was much more subtle in his expression of religion said that colour was the expression of life, which is why he decided to make its presence a focus in the Sagrada Familia.

Grand, vaulted ceilings that almost transport you to an alien world.

Rainbow reflections

To see what Gaudí's Sagrada Familia will look like when finished, check out this video. It is going to be an absolute spectacle. 

Our last excursion of the day was a walking tour of Barcelona's Old Town, which included areas like Barrio Gotico, El Born, and La Rambla.  

The Santa Maria del Pi actually has a larger rose (round) window than the Notre Dame in Paris. I believe our guide even said that it is the largest in Europe.

Some of my favourite bits of Barcelona are the narrow balcony-lined streets.

Ajuntament de Barcelona (city hall)

Some Gothic architecture.

On the left, you can see the Bell Tower of the Cathedral of Barcelona.

The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, a.k.a. Barcelona Cathedral.

Interesting anecdote for this last photo. What is now a building belonging to the architectural society, but used to be a cafe, has what looks like a kid's drawing wrapped around it. This piece of art was actually done by Picasso, and the story goes like this: Picasso was an art student going broke (from wild nights out, allegedly) and couldn't afford to pay his tab at the cafe that was once located here. Young Pablo Picasso drew this up on a napkin and gave it to the waiter as "payment". Of course, he was merely a student at the time, so this was a worthless gesture. However, that napkin was luckily somehow saved and the image was immortalized on the building's facade. Maybe the waiter was psychic - who knows.

I hope you enjoyed my birthday in Barcelona as much as I did (or at least half as much). Day 2, and my honorary birthday part 2, will show Barceloneta Beach, some more nature, and a couple local markets. But that post will have to wait until I'm back from Copenhagen in a few days. Lots of late, but great, posts will be coming in, hopefully, the near future from Budapest, Ghent, Brussels, Copenhagen, and more - I just need to organize it all :/ 

Thanks for reading :)

- Alexandra