Thursday, April 1
After an evening flight out of Dublin, we arrived at the Girona airport in Spain quite late. Because Ryanair offers cheap flights, they do not fly directly into the city, and we had to take an hour bus ride followed by two metro rides before we were able to find our hostel. The ride went smoothly; our only small hiccup occurred when we tried to get on the train instead of the metro. The security guard just laughed when he realized what we were trying to do and pointed us in the right direction. We stayed at the Arian Youth Hostel in an eight person room and shared the room with some interesting people throughout the four night stay. Fortunately, we were each given a locker so we quickly got settled (in the dark because people were sleeping) and then headed down the street to a little restaurant for a bit to eat. The waiter was very unique and incredibly friendly and we had a great night planning for the next four days.
Friday, April 2
First stop of the day was the FC Barcelona "football" or soccer stadium in Barcelona, known as Camp Nou. They had a match on Saturday against Athletic Bilbao, or Athletic Club and we wanted to see if we could score tickets. On the way, we stopped at a little stand outside the stadium for mouth watering churros. All sugared up, we waited in line and were able to buy tickets which were cheaper than displayed online so we were all pretty excited. From there we headed toward Montjuic Park. Slightly unsure of our final destination, we saw an incredible gondola, sky coaster looking ride located at the top of a huge hill and decided to find a way to get there. Seeing multiple tour busses climb the steep hill reassured us that we were headed in the right direction. The climb was worth it and the view at the top was beautiful.
We took the gondola ride down to the beach and had a beautiful view of the city in the process.
It was a beautiful day and we took advantage and relaxed on the beach for a bit.
The beach at Barcelona was very different from the Jersey shore I am used to. People approached us every couple of minutes selling something in an attempt to make money. We had one women ask if we wanted a massage, and even proceeded to give Jack and I a little massage as a preview before we could get her to leave us alone. It was quite the experience. We were quite hungry at this point and ended up going to a little restaurant called Zahara where I had a salmon sandwich. The prices were cheap and we were able to sit outside so it made for delightful combination. With satisfied stomachs, we set to conquer La Rambla, a very busy pedestrian street filled with street performers and markets. We had a bit of a walk but took our time and enjoyed the sun.
The street performers varied, yet some were pretty impressive..
All were looking for money and would pose with you for some spare change in return.
Because it was Good Friday, there was an Easter procession through La Rambla. Although I was unsure of exactly what the procession included, it was pretty neat to see the large crowds gathered. 
We hung around La Rambla for a bit before heading over to see a fountain show at Font Magica. Throughout all of these trips that we have been taking, I still find that it's the little things that continue to amaze me. Check out this HUGE vending machine!
The metro dropped us off right outside the Fira de Barcelona where we had a fabulous view of the fountain. 
We woke up Saturday morning to another beautiful day in Barcelona. After living in Ireland for the past three months, we did not realize how much we missed the sunshine. First stop of the day was Guell Park, a spectacular park designed by Antoni Gaudi, master of much of the architecture of the city. His work is very unique, filled with colors in different mosaic forms. We spent the good part of the morning and early afternoon walking through and admiring his work.
To continue with the Gaudi theme, we left Guell Park in search of the Sagrada Familia. This unfinished cathedral was designed by Gaudi, and is very unique in that many aspects of the structure are inspired by nature. The church was beautiful, unlike anything I've ever seen.
The front portrayed sculptures about the death of Jesus, while the back focused on the birth. The contrast was quite interesting. Here is the front...
and here are some from the back!
Everywhere on the streets we noticed people eating this dish of rice and a mixture of meat and seafood. We decided we needed to experience whatever this meal was, and found a place where we could order Paella Mixta. Although not my favorite, it was good for a new experience and now I can say I officially tried this Spanish dish.
Here starts one of the best nights in Barcelona, the football game! The game started at 8:00, and we arrived at the stadium close to 7:15 with crowds and crowds of people. With 92,000 people in attendance, you never know what you are getting into, but the night was a blast and the atmosphere of the game was unlike any other.
Enjoying some time before the game started. These seats were quickly filled and you could no longer see the FC Barcelona!
Our seats were quite high, but the view from the stadium was pretty incredible.
FC Barcelona, the home team, won 4 to 1 making for an energetic stadium for most of the game. Here is a short video after one of the goals.
Sunday, April 4
Happy Easter everyone! First things first. We went to mass at the Barcelona Cathedral in the Gothic quarter of the city. The mass was said in Spanish, yet because of the strong Catalan influence (a mixture of Spanish and French) I was not even able to recognize the Our Father, something we had rehearsed multiple times in high school. The mass was done very well, absolutely beautiful and I especially enjoyed the music.
Feeling slightly homesick on this holiday which I was used to celebrating at home, we stopped by a little bakery for some Easter chocolate!
Because the rain had found us on Easter, we took a quick coffee break to plan the day. After a little caffeine, we decided to continue with our original plans and not let the weather stop us. Boy am I glad we did. We took the train to Montserrat, a Benedictine Monk retreat about an hour north of Barcelona. When we exited the train, I was quickly taken aback by the natural beauty of the area. Side note, the rain had stopped and the sun was in full force! A wonderful Easter surprise.
We took the gondola ride up the side of the mountain to the top.
Very hungry at the top, we stopped for a quick, yet delicious lunch where I was actually able to get "freshly squozen OJ," making my Easter semi-complete. Following lunch, we toured through the church and took our time admiring the scenery.
The clouds looked pretty daunting, and we took cues from nature and headed back home to Barcelona. Insistent upon seeing most of Gaudi's designs, we headed next to a couple of his famous works. First stop was Casa Mila.
next was Casa Batllo.
In celebration of Easter, we went to a tapas restaurant to treat ourselves to a nice meal. We all split a plate of tapas and were amazed both by the nice price as well as the most delicious taste. We drank sangria and just enjoyed a night of relaxation. Perfect ending of my first real holiday away from home.
Monday, May 5
After a very productive three days, we were determined to relax on our last day in Barcelona. We started the day with the Dali museum, a smaller exhibit housing works from Salvador Dali which were not placed in the Met in NY. It was very different, a bit provacative but creative and quite interesting.
The breeze was a bit strong, but we decided to head to the beach anyway. One last walk down La Rambla led us to search through the many street markets. The girls each bought a ring as a fun souvenir. Once we reached our destination, we laid down a blanket and relaxed on the beach. It was exactly what we all needed.
After another meal at Zahara near the beach, we caught the metro to the bus station and headed to the airport to catch our 9:50 flight back to Dublin. It had been a wonderful, relaxing and exciting weekend and we were all sad to say goodbye as the plane took off.
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