So far so good here in Barcelona! First off it is hard to believe that it is finally here after so many years of waiting and debating. One month in, I'm so glad that we decided to leave our comforts, paycheck, home, etc to come to Spain.
School has been fun, I've got a great team and the courses and workload are challenging. The campus is great and I'm really enjoying my classes and professors. All is well with school. One thing to note is that the evening right before I started school, Emre bit my lip! He bit it hard, hard enough to draw blood and make it look like I had a cold sore for the first day of classes. Thanks Emre. Ah well, I decided to laugh it off, but it sucked!
Outside of school, here are some of my Barcelona highlights so far:
Bunkers del Carmen
One of the first place we went when we arrived in Barcelona. I won't go into the history of the place but safe to say the views of the city are great. We took a bus almost all the way to the top and were treated to great views. It was fun to try and pick out the famous landmarks scattered across the city.
One of the first place we went when we arrived in Barcelona. I won't go into the history of the place but safe to say the views of the city are great. We took a bus almost all the way to the top and were treated to great views. It was fun to try and pick out the famous landmarks scattered across the city.
The beach
The beaches in the city have been pretty crowded, and we haven't been outside of Barcelona yet, but I've been surprised by just how good they've been. The water is a nice temperature, and the views, even if they have been of the city, have been really nice. We've been to the beach quite a few times, sometimes just to walk along it, or to chill at night, but I've swam twice so far. We've seen our fair share of boobs and willies, but haven't added to the display just yet. Watch this space.
The beaches in the city have been pretty crowded, and we haven't been outside of Barcelona yet, but I've been surprised by just how good they've been. The water is a nice temperature, and the views, even if they have been of the city, have been really nice. We've been to the beach quite a few times, sometimes just to walk along it, or to chill at night, but I've swam twice so far. We've seen our fair share of boobs and willies, but haven't added to the display just yet. Watch this space.
La Rambla
I really like being somewhere with lots of people and lots of energy. La Rambla is one of those places. It is fun just to walk up and down, paying attention to your pockets to make sure nobody steals anything. Now that I write it, it doesn't seem too fun, but there is something about places like this that is just awesome. One of my favorite pictures of Lain, perhaps ever, was taken in the middle of La Rambla, standing on some tiles that look cool but I have no idea what they are about. Actually, I should also mention, we had the "Welcome-to-Barcelona" experience by getting pickpocketed on La Rambla. Emre was sleeping in his stroller and Lain and Hollie were getting Gelato. We kept our phones in this little pocket of the stroller right behind Emre's head, and I went to the front of the stroller to see my sleeping child when I saw someone pass by really close to the stroller. In an instant, I'd seen him move his hand behind his back as he walked past me, so I grabbed his arm and wouldn't let go until I was certain I knew what was going on. He claimed he hadn't taken anything from me, so I kept challenging him about it until he finally gave Lain's phone back before he took off. We followed him and called the police over, pointed the guy out, and then spent the next little while giving a statement to the police while the guy tried to deny he'd done anything. I felt bad for the guy, but oh well.
El Gótico
To the east side of La Rambla is the Gothic Quarter, which is really old and kind of like a big maze. It is really pedestrian, and it is probably my favorite place to walk around. There are all sorts of old churches, alleyways, etc. which make it exciting. Nothing specific to add here, apart from that it is so cool that all of this is a short metro ride away from home!
Park Guell
The view from Park Guell is the default image of Barcelona. It is set on a hill with a decent view of the city, with a bunch of Gaudí things that make it really picturesque. It was great to see the park in person, but we will have to go back, as half of the most important part was undergoing renovations! We went here with Hollie, and it was a lot of fun. To be honest, Barcelona's parks are great but very different to what we are used to. The kids' parks are not bad, but definitely not as packed with slides and stuff like they would be in the states, but Emre doesn't seem to mind. And the parks are less big grassy fields and more kind of gardens. Its nice that way, and Park Guell is obviously a really nice one of those garden-style parks, but I'm looking forward to getting out of the city into the mountains at some point to stretch out!
Tibidabo
Tibidabo is a mountain overlooking the city, which is not too far from where we live. At the top of the mountain is a beautiful church and... a theme park. We've been up there a few times for the views, which are fantastic. I embarrassed myself up there once... We were walking back from the top of the mountain to the funicular station, spoiled with the view of Barcelona, when I whooped really loud and said: "I love this road!" I didn't realize there was someone right behind me. Lain was laughing at me for quite some time! Also, another day, we were walking up at the theme park and Lain was looking ahead and didn't see this concrete bench, and walked right into it, hurting her shin! It was funny at first, but she really hurt her leg!
Tibidabo is a mountain overlooking the city, which is not too far from where we live. At the top of the mountain is a beautiful church and... a theme park. We've been up there a few times for the views, which are fantastic. I embarrassed myself up there once... We were walking back from the top of the mountain to the funicular station, spoiled with the view of Barcelona, when I whooped really loud and said: "I love this road!" I didn't realize there was someone right behind me. Lain was laughing at me for quite some time! Also, another day, we were walking up at the theme park and Lain was looking ahead and didn't see this concrete bench, and walked right into it, hurting her shin! It was funny at first, but she really hurt her leg!