BARCELONA NIGHT LIFE!

The Barcelona night life is the best! Every night is a night to go out and party. On Monday nights we go to Otto Zutz which is more of a teen club (I would say..) It is very fun, but it is a very crowded and small crammed space. It is a lot of fun when you are with all of your friends though. On Wednesday nights we go to either Bling! or Sutton. Both of these clubs are across the street from each other so it is very easy to go back and forth. When I first came to Barcelona, I was told that Monday nights and Wednesday nights are the biggest nights to go out. Well everyone proved me right! These two nights are with out a doubt the most fun! On thursday nights we go to my favorite club which is OPIUM. At OPIUM there are always these people that are dressed up in funny costumes that walk around the club. This club is down by the port olympic and is on the beach. This club is massive! Everything about this club is just amazing. On Friday nights we go to Shoko and Saturday nights are Up and Down. Each night is a night to get dressed up and party! I love going out after a long day of school work and hanging with my friends. Every night we do not arrive to the club until 1:30-2:00am! Back in the United States, this is when the clubs close. Everything in Barcelona is pushed back way farther. The night life here is something that I will always remember and it is something that everyone should take advantage of because back in the United States, it is nothing comparable!

Futbol Game - GO BARCA!

When my family visited me back in March all my father wanted to do was go to a Barcelona futbol game. So we got 4 tickets to the Barcelona Futbol Game on Tuesday, March 8th 2012. Who would have thought we were going to see history! Lionel Messi became the first player to score 5 goals in a champions league! On this day, when we arrived at the stadium I could not get over huge the stadium was. It hold about 100,000 people. Everyone in the stadium is wearing some sort of Barcelona Futbol gear such as a scarf, jersey, t-shirt or even holding a banner. Everyone in the stadium is basically bleeding red and blue! They are cheering for their heroes and absolutely love watching futbol games. I found it very interning that throughout the soccer game, you are sitting down unless some scores a goal. You are never standing up and chanting. Only when a goal is scored is when people sing songs and chant for their Barcelona. I am glad that I went to a futbol game during my abroad experience in Barcelona.

Stike! March 29th 2012

A 24 hour Strike occurred all over spain on Thursday, March 29th 2012. On this day everything was closed, including the airport, metro and cabs. There was so possible way to get through the city, but my friends and I decided to rent bikes for the day. So the night before we rented bikes at a store for only 16 euros each for the day. We woke up early that morning and headed down to the beach because there was a strike. The strike was to the government's pro-business labor reforms and funding cuts to educations and other services. On this day many families and groups got together all through out Barcelona on the streets. There were bombs and people writing graffiti all over the walls. This was something that I have never witnessed before in my life. On my way back from the beach this day, I could see the smoke from the bombs that they lit off by Catalunya's metro stop. I heard that the main streets were very busy and crowded. We were enforced to not go near this during the day. This was a day that I did not understand because how can you go on a general strike for 24 hours and then the next day just go back to a normal work day. Something like this would not happen in the United States. This was an event that I will never forget.

Barcelona Zoo!

In the beginning of the semester, my roommates and I decided to go on a walk since we had just arrived in Barcelona. We ended up by the Arc de Triumph and walked down through the park and ended up at the Barcelona Zoo! My two other roommates and I were so ecstatic that we just randomly found the zoo. Well of course we decided to go inside! This was one of the best days that I had in Barcelona with my two roommates. We walked inside and saw so many different animals that I have never seen before! We saw kangaroos, lions, monkeys, zebras, kangaroos etc. We ended up spending a full 3 hours at the zoo this day and explored everywhere! Who would have ever though that 3 young girls would have so much fun at a zoo for the day! All of the animals were so interesting especially the kangaroo. My roommates and I thought we were going to see a gorilla when we turned the corner, but instead we saw a Kangaroo that was posing for us! The three of us could not stop laughing! The day spent at the Barcelona Zoo is a day that I will always remember.

Sandwich and Friends

For a good sandwich or salad I would recommend coming to Sandwich and Friends only because it is one of the most Americanized restaurants that I can compare with to a restaurant in America. There is one Sandwich and Friends that is located right off the Catalunya metro stop, which is only 2 stops away from COACB. Sandwich and Friends has numerous sandwiches that are hot pressed or cold. They offer turkey, grilled chicken and vegetables on your sandwich. The salads are very similar to the ones that I have in America which is why I come to this restaurant a lot because if I am in the mood for a enjoyable lunch, I just hop on the subway and I am at Sandwich and Friends in just a few minutes. I would recommend this restaurant to all students that are traveling throughout Barcelona because it is very reasonable and a great meal!

Happy Pills - Candy Store

If you ask anyone, I have the biggest sweet tooth! Happy Pills is a little candy store that is located throughout Barcelona. It is very creative how they set up the candy store. You walk inside and you are able to pick a jar that ranges from 2 euros to 12 euros. In that jar you can fill up as much candy as you want. The 2 euros jars are small compared to the 12 euro jars. Once you pick your size jar you are able to pick the candy that you want. You put on a glove and pick the candy and you physically put the candy in whatever order you choose. The candy is organized by color which is every unique. Once you are done filling up your jar you are not done! You get to choose a sticker that says Happy Pills and then a saying on it to make your day. For an example, "To feel the magic of Barcelona". This was my recent Happy Pills candy jar. I have been collecting them ever since I have arrived here and I should not even tell you how many I have! This candy store is such a creative idea!

Organic Market

This food market/restaurant is by far my favorite place to go for lunch! I wish I had found this spot earlier in the school year, but now that I have discovered it I go all the time! It is called Organic Market and it is located right by the metro stop Catalunya, only 2 stops away from school. They have wok, to pasta, to burgers to even sushi! Everything in this market is organically grown and prepared fresh right in front of your eyes. I enjoy the chicken wok the most, it is one of my favorites! I recently just had the home made pear ravioli and I must say it is to die for! This is defiantly a place that I would recommend to future students coming to Barcelona. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very warming and welcoming. You can either eat at the restaurant or take it to go! Organic market is one of my favorite places to go have an enjoyable lunch with my friends.

CDLC

CDLC is one of my favorite restaurants to go to for lunch, an early dinner with friends or a late dinner. The atmosphere inside of this restaurant is just spectacular. It is located right on the beach in Port Olympic. This main reason why I love coming to this restaurant is because there is an outdoors area where you can sit outside on couches and enjoy a drink with your friends. It is very casual and of course a great meal! This is one of the restaurants that I was told to come to when I arrived in Barcelona. It is a more touristy restaurant compared to other ones, but I enjoy coming here for the atmosphere and great food. Every time my friends and I come to CDLC we always order the hummus platter. It has different types of dips in the platter that comes with falafel and pita. Most of the food in the restaurant is mediterranean cuisine but they do have sushi rolls as well. This is one of my favorite restaurants to bring friends to that are visiting barcelona!

La Boqueria Market

La Boqueria Market must be one of the most fascinating spots to go visit in Barcelona! The vibrant colors when you walk in are just magnificent. When I saw all of the vegetables, fruits and nuts, I could not help myself but stare at all of the fresh fruit right in front of my eyes. The candy, is another story! I have never layed my eyes on bigger pieces of gummy bears in my life! I felt as if I was a child in this market because the smile of my face was from ear to ear! The gelato in the market is so fresh that it melts in your mouth. Every time I go into the market, I am overly excited to see what they received! Even though this market is rather busy, since it is touristy, I enjoy the excitement of coming to this market.

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia is a land mark that many tourists know to visit when coming to Barcelona, Spain. Antoni Gaudi started this project in 1882, but in 1926 he was hit by a train and died. The construction of the project, slowly began up again but the Spanish Civil War interrupted the process. In the 1950's they began to build again, but is still not complete until this day. They say it will be ready in 2020. Even though the plan never fell through of being a cathedral inside, the outset of the church and the inside resemble a cathedral. Gaudi's designs were very unique and interesting, where his work drew primarily from nature. I have been inside of Sagrada Familia now 3 times and every time I go inside, I seem to find another part of the cathedral that I have never noticed. The mosaic tiles, inside the cathedral that let in the light from the outside are astonishing. Through my abroad experience, I have visited many cathedral and I would have to say that this cathedral is one of the prettiest works of art that I have seen!

Park Guell

Park Guell was designed by a Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. Before coming to Barcelona, all I heard about was Gaudi's artwork and that I must vista every single piece of his work! Park Guell is a breathtaking garden that is located on the top of a hill in the Gracia district of Barcelona. The little pieces of tile that are put into this park are astonishing and unbelievable. The first time that I went to the park, I walked all the way to the top where I could see all of Barcelona. The view of Barcelona was magnificent! When walking through the park, all I wanted to do was look at each, individual mosaic tile. Each tile as very different, which made it unique. The entire park was made up of different tiles and designs. I did not know until I visited the park again that this site was for a housing complex, but was not followed through. There are different fountains that are located throughout the park. In the middle of the park, there is sand where I see children playing soccer all the time or enjoying a day out with family. At the entrance of the park, there is a multi-colored dragon that has mosaic tile all over it.

Montjuic

Barcelona was selected to host the 1992 Summer Olympics. On the hill of Montjuic, which literally means "Jew Hill", is where the 1992 Summer Olympics took place. One afternoon after class, my roommate and I decided to take a walk from our apartment to Montjuic, since it is only a 15-20 minute walk. We went up the escalators to the top of Monjuic, you were able to see all of Barcelona! It was magnificent! I was able to see Sagrada Familia from where I was standing. We walked to where the Olympics took place after. It was gorgeous up there! I was able to see the big stadium where everything took place, the pool and the track area. The water falls, were beautiful! I heard that you can go back on a Friday or Saturday night from 7-8:30 and there is a light show that comes on. Since this is my last weekend in Barcelona, I am going to spend an hour of my night at the top of Monjuic.

Museu de la xocolata

Since I am obsessed with chocolate, why not visit the Chocolate Museum in Barcelona! While on a days outing, I decided to look up the address for the museum and head towards the direction of it. My mouth dropped as soon as I entered the museum! To enter the museum, you received a chocolate bar that had a bar code on it. That was considered you "ticket". When walking inside, I could smell the fresh aroma of the chocolate. In the museum that was rather small, we saw a chocolate sculpture of SpongeBob Squarepants and of warriors fighting. I found it unique how they could mold the chocolate into figures. When we walked outside of the museum, there was a Culinary School going on that you could watch in the courtyard. There must have been a group of 25 young adults learning how to made chocolate. I enjoyed my "ticket" as soon a we left the museum!

Picasso Museum

While walking around the Gothic Quarter, my friends and I decided to walk towards the Bank District where the Picasso Museum is located on Montcada Street. This is the first museum that is dedicated to Pablo's Picasso's artwork with more than 3,500 pieces of art. When walking through the museum, I found it to be very interesting because it was organized by the years he had created his artwork and how it has evolved throughout the years. When I listened to the audio set, I was able to understand how he started off his work and why. The museum opened up in 1963, with only a few pierces of his collection. The expansion has grown through donations that have been made to the museum. The museum occupies 5 large houses that have art work format eh 13th and 14th centuries. Each house is dedicated to a different part of time that the section was built. Now, the Picasso Museum hosts special exhibitions.

El Raval District of Barcelona

We spent an hour in the quaint area called El Ravel which is a small neighborhood in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona. This area is one of the two neighborhoods that borders Las Ramblas. As we started our tour, we went through small narrow streets and ended up in an area where children were playing outside on the swings and playing futbol. It is a residential area where families can relax and enjoy a day out. This area is known for its nightspots, restaurants and bars.

Through our tour, we walked past the MACBA (Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art), which is a large museum containing modern art. This is one of the newest additions that added to the area.The outside of the museum was very contemporary and Xavi told us that this is an area where young students come to hang out and skate board outside. Next we went to the CCCB which is the Centre De Cultura Contemporania De Barcelona. CCCB is one of the most visited exhibitions and art centers in Barcelona. the CCCB also has an auditorium, seminar and lecture rooms that are located inside. The CCCB is a public consortium created by the Barcelona Provincial Coucil.

Towards the end of the tour we went to an area where Xavi told us students hang out at, hang out and skate board. It was interesting to see the perspective from someone who lives in Barcelona on the district of El Raval because I would have never know that this area existed unless I went on this field trip. This area was rather modern, which I enjoyed very much.