Submitted by Rebecca Jaeger on the 2013 fall semester program in Granada, Spain..
This past weekend, I visited the sprawling metropolitan area that is Barcelona. As I am in Spain this semester, I wanted to make sure that I visited many of the most notable cities in the country, which is why I chose to plan one of my excursions to Barcelona. My first impression of the city was that it was quite large and had impeccable architecture. Out of all of the cities that I have been to in my life, this is the prettiest.
Of course, while staying in Barcelona, I had to visit the many famous buildings (especially those by Gaudi) that are there. Park Guell and Casa Batllo are two famous constructions by Gaudi that I visited. Casa Batllo is easily the oddest-looking place I have ever been, as there are no straight lines in the entire house and it is decorated like something out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It made for an incredibly interesting tour!
My favorite place of all in Barcelona was the Sagrada Familia. After seeing a segment about this gargantuan, unfinished cathedral on 60 Minutes last year, I knew that I wanted to see it in person and it was totally worth it. Not only is the outside magnificently impressive, but the inside is indescribable. I attempted to take pictures, but I know that they did not do it justice. The inside of the Sagrada Familia is massive and covered in the creative decorations of Gaudi. It is truly an experience to walk through the cathedral and I would recommend it to anyone who travels to Barcelona.
Another highlight of the trip was visiting Montjuic, which is a small mountain that offers great views of Barcelona as well as countless museums. However, my favorite part of Montjuic was the Olympic Stadium from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Granted, these Olympics happened before I was born, but it was nonetheless impressive to see the place where many athletes competed. It made me realize my desire to become an Olympian, but unless I happen to have a knack for curling, I don’t think that dream will be accomplished!
Overall, my experience in Barcelona was very enjoyable and I can’t wait to see more of Spain with my trip to Sevilla and Cordoba in two weeks!