As I did with Madrid, I wanted to see the country more. I have heard that Barcelona is the most beautiful city on planet Earth. Due to my situation of having to check out of my room by noon on Sunday, my Saturday trip to Barcelona would have to be just a day trip and not book a hotel. Because of this, I wanted to be there for as long as I could. Due to this, I chose to take a bus at 2:30 a.m. from Valencia to arrive at 6:30. Was I tired? Yes. Was I drained after being a bus so long? Yes. Was I nervous because I am somewhere I have never been by myself? No, I had conquered Madrid, I would conquer Barcelona. So I left the bus station as the sun was rising, and had my morning mapped out. I had a tour at the FC Barcelona stadium at 10, and it was an hour and a half walk away, so I just strolled and saw some pretty structures and soaked it in while I strolled onto the stadium. I took the Player’s Experience tour, and I was so glad I did. I got to see the museum, the locker rooms, Messi’s old locker, sit in the Club’s President’s seat, and even go onto the pitch! That stadium holds 99,000 people, and they are about to expand. To have been down there, I can only imagine what the stadium sounds like when there are 99,000 people chanting for you as a player. CampNou was a fortress. After a dream tour, I had to map out the rest of my day. My list was to see Cathedrals, Park Guell, The Arc de Triomphe, and a Beach. So, I looked at my options and distances between places, and decided to start with La Sagrada Familia. I knew it was gorgeous because I saw a glimpse of it on my stroll to the stadium, but I had no idea what I was in for. La Sagrada Familia was designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí, a well known architect. He began work on La Sagrada Familia in 1882, for he envisioned a perfect Cathedral with absolutely no flaw. He did not get to see its finish, for he died in 1926, and was buried inside the church. Though construction continued, it was still a far ways from being done, and it is set to finish in 2026 in honor of Gaudí. It opened in 2010, though, to the public because it was able to be entered. I mean it when I say it, it is the most impressive building I think in the world. I have seen so many pictures of buildings, but nothing compares to what you see when standing outside La Sagrada Familia, let alone inside. I have never seen so much attention to detail be given, too much to put in here! I wish I would have done the audio tour, but it is okay because there were many marked places with its history to read. It stands so tall, has 18 towers, and I got to take an elevator up one of them and see all of Barcelona in that tower! It was sunny and warm in Barcelona, and so it was a perfect day to be up high in the tower. The stained glass windows, the giant columns, the work of Gaudí, all of it, was just overwhelming. This is a must see if you visit Barcelona. After staying there longer than intended (It was just too beautiful), I hiked uphill for almost an hour to Park Guelle. Literally, the city is like a giant hill, and so I went all the way up. But, it was worth it because the park was gorgeous and had many oversights of the city. I could see miles of the Mediterranean Sea, I could see La Sagrada Familia plain as day, and so much more. The architecture within the park too was lovely. Barcelona truly was a beautiful city, from within the town and above looking over it all. Running out of time, I ran (and became a professional jaywalker) downhill to the Arc de Triomphe. It was bigger than I expected, and really beautiful, set beside a lovely park where so many people were picnicking on a pretty Saturday night. Lastly, I trekked another 30 minutes to walk along the beach, in which while there I realized all I had eaten was a chocolate chip muffin from the bus station! So on my way back to catch the bus, I grabbed a baguette sub and carried it with me. I would say Barcelona is like a combination of Madrid and Valencia, in which it has many city-like structures (Madrid), but so much rich beauty in it (Valencia). After 21 miles in 12 hours, I got to say that I conquered Barcelona!
Comentários