Barthelona

(I started writing this Sunday night, but fell asleep halfway through)

I am currently in Barcelona, taking advantage of the ever so precious wifi in our hostel. It's been a fast-paced 36 hours so far, and given that I only had that much time, I tried to pack in as much as was physically feasible. After an hour-long adventure hunting down our hostel from the airport, we dropped off our stuff and headed for the Barri Gotic. We wandered around for a good couple of hours, ice cream and water bottle in hand to mitigate the beating sun before heading back to the hotel for check-in and a nap. Semi-rested, we made our way down La Rambla and turned into a smaller alley in search of a less crowded/expensive dinner, and a TV to watch the soccer game. (Womp, US) The night ended with a stroll along the Port and a failed attempt at finding (or searching for) a nearby bar. Day 2 was dedicated to Gaudi...casa-hunting, Park Guell strolling, and Sagrada awe. With a little Metro pick-pocket attempt thrown into the mix. That night we headed to Montjuic to see the Olympic Stadium (where we also happened to find 10 stray cats and an Aerosmith concert). After taking the funicular to the top, we descended through the stadium, and past the gorgeously lit museum in search of the Magic Fountain show, which sadly never actually ran. But we did stumble upon a Pride concert of sorts at bottom of the hill, an entertaining sight in any country. After dinner we headed back to our hostel, exhausted from our seemingly non-stop movement through the city. Exhausting, but well worth it (duh).

Glad to be moving at a slower pace again,

Katharine