I headed back to London VERY early Wednesday morning, only to be there for a short while. An hour after I got home I had to get back on the tube to pick up Benjamin from Heathrow. Getting to the airport late of course, (because the tube ALWAYS lets you down) I was in a fluster as I hurried into the arrival gate. But, it all magically went away the moment I saw him standing there (probably nervous as hell thinking he might be lost in London when I didn't show up). A little/big piece of home was there and an overwhelming sense of happiness came over me. I guess I came into this whole thing thinking I could never be homesick, I was too tough for that. But as much as I hate to admit it, I've never been so homesick in my life being here, although I still unbelievably love every minute of my life in London. Seeing Ben though, was like bringing home to me and I never let that feeling go the whole time he was here. Besides that, I was also soo glad to have him around again.
We boarded the tube back to Fulham which ended up being pretty funny watching some one who had never experienced it before. I've gotten so used to all the people and public transport that I don't notice the little things that Ben did. For example, the tube can sometimes be like a library, where no matter how many people present it remains quiet and every one's reading something (at least in the morning and during the day). Anyways, after that, Ben was super anxious to get out and see things, so although I was exhausted I knew how important it was to go see some of the major sites for him. We headed to Westminster where the first thing he saw getting out of the station was Big Ben, Parliament, and the London eye. It was a beautiful cloudless day and we soaked it in as we stood on the bridge over looking it all. After that we took a walk along the river, similar to what I did on my first day in London. The whole day was just perfect, and after some obvious fish and chips at a pub, we went home to get ready to head off to Barcelona in the morning.
Arriving in Barcelona was just as I imagined, beautiful, sunny, without a cloud in the sky. We gave the taxi driver (who spoke zero English) the address to where we were staying, the Catalina Port, and having no idea as to what kind of place it was we kind of expected the worse. It wasn't too long after getting into the main city that the driver pulled into a small alley close to the ocean and main street. He tried to explain to us what he was doing, but I obviously don't speak Spanish so that was quite interesting. Anyways, he pulled over and pointed toward the door to the Catalina Port. At first, we were a little skeptical because it was right near this beautiful plaza and in the middle of everything but we went inside to find that we were at the right place. Everything was really modern and new looking, and over all just a really cool place. The most shocking part was opening the door to our room finding this HUGE room with none other than a outdoor terrace attached to it. It had a beautiful view and we honestly couldn't have gotten much better. After unpacking (and checking out the mini bar) we decided to wander along Las Ramblas, the biggest and busiest street in Barcelona. It was filled with street entertainers in various gear (our favorite was the guy on the toilet!), art and flower vendors, and multiple restaurants with outdoor terrances. As we were walking we ran into this enormous market called "Mercat de La Boqueria" with the most amazing fresh foods. The colors are the first thing that hit you as you walk in, the fresh fruits are stacked high in piles and are just everywhere. They also have these stands with these fresh fruit smoothies called fruities that Ben and I instantly became addicted to the moment we had one (which were only 1 Euro). The market was also filled with fresh fish, cheeses, candy, ice cream, breads, everything. It was definitely a nice little discovery. Afterwords we decided to sit down at one of the outdoor restaurants for a couple of sangria's (which were huge and delicious). We had a front row view of the toilet man, a weird princess, a man statue, and a devil like man who would say "boo" at people when they walked by on Las Ramblas. All very interesting and great for people watching. But, after a nice little sunset, we walked along the alleys, which I loved, and found a cute plaza right near our place which we instantly fell in love with that we later spent a lot of time in. We went back to the room and got ready to go out for dinner, watching our all Spanish television (they even had Boy Meets World on...in Spanish). We decided to go back to Las Ramblas to another outdoor restaurant, where we got the most amazing paella ever and of course sangria's. Afterwards though, we decided to get some rest before our bike tour the next morning.
We woke up early the next morning so that we wouldn't get lost before the bike tour. After talking to a couple of my Aussie housemates and some of my sorority sisters who had studied abroad, I was told to go on this "Fat Tire Bike Tour" through Barcelona which I guess was really fun for them and got you to all the major sites around the city. I know picturing Ben and I on bikes sounds a little comical...which we laughed at ourselves...we both thought it would be a great way to see the city. Finding the bike tour was a lot easier and quicker than we thought, so we ended up having a little breakfast at a coffee shop near it before hand. We met the group at Ciutat Vella, or the middle of the city, where we grabbed our bikes and met our tour guide, who was this really funny South African guy. There was a group of about 20 of us, mostly people our age, and after a few laughs from trying to get used to the bikes (I struggled at first lol) we headed through the alley's of Barcelona, ringing our bells the whole way though ;). But in all seriousness, although trying to swerve in and out of people through those alley's was funny, it was amazing to see all of it. I loved going through those streets off of the main roads because I felt like I got more of a feel for what the city actually is, the authentic Barcelona. Our first stop was at the site where Christopher Columbus stood in front of the King and Queen (who actually thought he had no chance of returning) after discovering the new world. We then headed off to the main Cathedral (Catedral La Seu) which was unfortunately under construction like most of the city, and supposedly contains several saint relics inside, maybe the most in the world. In the same square as the cathedral, also known as the Gothic quarter, was a piece of the old Catalonia wall that surrounded the city hundreds of years ago. From there we stopped at the Palau de la Música Catalana, which is one of the most famous pieces of modern architecture in the city with brilliant sets of colors and designs on it. Then it was off to the Arc de Triomf similar to the one in Paris, built in 1888 for the World's Exhibition. We then road our bikes through this beautiful row of palm trees, the whole time Ben actually taking pictures of me mid ride, which I was too clumsy/dangerous to attempt due to my fear that I might actually hurt someone if I tried. From there we went to the Parc de la Ciutadella or the central park of Barcelona. It was very pretty, with palm trees and different Spanish architecture, including a cascade fountain with hints of Gaudi all around it. We got a little free time to explore the park then headed to possibly the most famous site in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia temple, passing a bull fighting arena along the way (although it is outlawed to bull fight...they continue to do it). The temple started with Gaudi in 1866, but it was too big of a project for him to finish, it actually isn't predicted to be completed until 2030, but the builders are trying to make it as close to Gaudi's masterpiece as possible. Our tour guide told us that Gaudi was actually hit by a tram right in front of the temple and people just thought he was beggar on the street so no one helped him for days. Then finally some one took him to the community hospital where he was barely treated. Days later, a doctor finally recognized the great architect, but when asked if he wanted to go to the nicer private hospital he just replied "if this is how the poor is treated, then I will also be treated like that and die here with them." So he did and is now buried in Sagrada Familia. The temple itself consists of 18 towers, one for Jesus, Mary, the 4 evangelists, and the 12 apostles and a nativity facade that depicts the life of Jesus. Gaudi incorporated all kinds of shapes and designs so that the project could continue in the future. The temple is amazing because its nothing like I've ever seen before, the architecture is so unique. The gothic nature of it all gives it a different type of feel than a normal church would and the detail in the architecture is actually quite genius. After being able to walk around it for a little while, we rode over to the beach where we saw the Olympic Port where the athletes stayed in 1992 and the new 6 star hotel being built that is similar to the 7 star hotel in Dubai. We had a break on the beach where we just ate sandwiches from the local market and drank a box of sangria that only cost 2 Euro. Ben and I hung out with our tour guide that told us about his life in Barcelona and different things about the city that we probably wouldn't find out from anyone other than someone like him. I also started to talk to another guy on the trip who was working in Barcelona but did the same BUNAC program in London that I'm doing, so that was a strange coincidence. As we were about to leave, I realized I hadn't finished the huge box of sangria we bought and not knowing what to do, my tour guide insisted I just put it on the back of the bike saying "people do it all the time" while at the same time he proceeded to put a beer on his own bike. We then headed off to our last stop, the eternal flame of the city and then had to give up our bikes. Although I was sad that it was over, it definitely was a worthwhile experience and an amazing way to see the city. I mean we had a great tour guide who was really funny and cool, we saw all the major sites, the weather was beautiful, and we had a fun time getting around the streets of Barcelona on a bike with a push bell :). Doesn't get much better than that.
After the bike tour, Ben and I just strolled around the streets of Barcelona going through the major shopping area and back to our favorite plaza for some drinks. It was funny because inside the plaza there were these chairs scattered around all by themselves. We contemplated the type of people who might sit in these individual chairs, just to see a little old man sitting in one, of course by himself. From there we went back, got ready, then went back to the plaza for dinner and afterwards found the most authentic Spanish bar we could find. The place had an old school vibe to it, although there was plenty of young people in there, with old artifacts on the walls and animal skins everywhere. An old man came up to us, whom we later found out his name was Pepe, trying to get our drink order. He spoke no English, which for some reason when you tell an older person from Barcelona that you do not speak Spanish they continue to talk to you in Spanish anyways. But somehow it turned out to be a lot of fun because he would get our drinks, then give us shots of some unknown substance, and then continue to talk to us while putting his arm around Ben and grabbing my face. Pepe put on a quite a show, after taking many shots himself with customers, and ended up making it quite the memorable night.
The next day we had some time on our hands before having to get to the airport, so we headed back to Las Ramblas where a market of craft and art vendors were set up for the day (I bought a really pretty piece of artwork from a local artist). We/I checked that out for a little while before heading back to the market we went to on the first day to get some more of those smoothies we loved. Unfortunately after getting a bite to eat and looking around a little more we had to head back to London. When Ben and I talked about everything over again at the end of it, we both agreed how easy the life felt like when we were there, so completely different from London. Everything is so much slower and laid back and it just seems like the people were all so happy. The way of life is so easy to fall in love with while your there and it was gut wrenching to have to leave it behind. To me, that's the way I want to live my life...with someone special by my side, feeling like all of your worries are some where else, in a place where time seems to go slower. Barcelona was definitely beautiful and a must see experience to anyone traveling over here. But, make sure if you go to take it slow, walk through the amazing alleys, and soak it all in, including the sun which will most definitely show.
Part 3..coming soon...the rest of Ben's London visit, where we visited the Natural History Museum, Stonehenge, Bath, Oxford vs Cambridge boat races, and other stuff around the city!!
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