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30 August 2010

Hola Barcelona!

Hola!

Maggie and I recently got back from Spain and what a great experience it was!  On our first night, Bree showed us around an affordable but hip bar precinct and we ended up in a small bar that could fit no more than 20 people.  The indie Argentine bartender and the one other customer at the bar loved us and we scored a number of free shots and beers :)

The weather in Barcelona was hot and humid so we decided to venture out of the city to a beach at the Forum.  It was a great place to explore, with many modern and majestic structures (pictured) along the path to the beach.  The beach was beautiful, despite it being located against a backdrop of what seemed like factories.

The following day we joined a walking tour of Gaudi’s famous buildings; La Pedrera, Casa Batlló (pictured) and Sagrada Familia.  Gaudi was an eccentric architect and I was in awe with each of his buildings.  I had wanted to be an architect after high school but a family friend had talked me out of it.  I’m sure if I’d followed that path Gaudi would have been a huge influence for me along with Anish Kapoor.


Later that day we found ourselves exhausted after reaching the top of Park Guell.  It boasted a stunning view of Barcelona and a man dressed in a tight leopard print outfit rocked out some sweet tunes to make the occasion even more memorable (pictured).


The central beaches of Barcelona (pictured) were a stone’s throw away from our hostel so I couldn't resist visiting one, despite being told that the further away from the city you go, the better the beaches.  There I got a tan, was hassled by roaming locals who would constantly offer massages and over-priced snacks, and appreciated how liberal the beaches were (although when you see a man standing completely naked in the middle of the beach, it can be a bit overwhelming!).


One night a group of us visited a bar that offered 500 different types of shots for €2 each.  Each shot had an unusual name and recipe, and many of them involved the drink or the bar around it being lit up in flames!  The Kill Bill was filled with tobasco (do not try it!) and the Monica Lewinski is to be drunk out of a dildo whilst the drinker is blind-folded.

The final place of our Barcelonian visit that deserves mention is the Museu Nacional d’Art.  We stumbled upon this place by accident, while searching for the Magic Fountain (which was not so magic as there was no water in it).  We didn’t actually go to any art exhibitions inside it because we couldn’t afford it, but we still managed to explore the inside of the building.  The design of the building was in my opinion, a perfect fusion of modern and ancient Spanish architecture (pictured).  Also, the view from this museum rivalled that of Park Guell (pictured).


Oh! I should mention something about all the dreamy food we had but I'll write about that in my later posts on Valencia and Madrid.

Aardios amigos :)

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