Barcelona

Well, dad and I have surely lived it up as tourists for the last three days in Barcelona. We got to meet up with Granny, go on the cheesiest tour bus ever, and see some amazing sights. It is safe to say that we are completely worn out, toured out and ready for some rest. I'm currently reading a mystery series by a Spanish novelist, and the books are set in Barcelona. Needless to say, I had a nerdgasm getting to see some of the places mentioned in the books. We stayed on "Las Ramblas", a famous street that is mentioned often, saw Castell Monjuic and Park Guell, rode the tour bus past Tibidabo, and ate in the very picturesque restaurant, Els Quatre Gats.

Granny on the cheesy tour bus that takes REALLY long routes around the city (I suppose you could call it the scenic route). 

A bunch of tourists taking pictures of the Sagrada Familia from the bus. It's really funny/obnoxious how people swarm like bees around any tourist attraction and snap thousands of pictures that they will definitely need to sort through later. R-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s. 

Given the picture above, it's understandable that the locals who live outside of the Sagrada familia would put up signs that say "tour bus out". (the stop is right across the street and tour buses that are full to the brim stop all day). However, the tourism also helps fuel Spain's economy. Where is the balance between locals wanting space but also needing the revenue from tourism? (feel free to comment your opinions!) (Also, side note, they speak Catalan in Barcelona, which to me is like Portuguese, Spanish and French all together, but I'd have to do some research to know its real linguistic roots). 

Crowd of people at Park Guell. It is such a gorgeous location, but is really hard to enjoy with so many people there. As dad and I would say "GAAAAAUUUDDDD-IIIIIIII". 

Park Guell

Dad and I at Castell Monjuic

Well, dad and I took a train back from Barcelona yesterday. I've decided that trains are AWESOME! So comfy/relaxing. Besides boats, they may be my favorite mode of transportation! In the afternoon, dad and I finally went to the OLDEST restaurant IN THE WORLD! (El Sobrino de Botín) and had an excellent meal (dad had lamb and I had La Ensalada Rioja, which has tuna, asparagus, artichoke, peppers, olives, and egg). The waiter was super friendly and told dad some of the history as well as let us go down into the wine cellar and brought dad a free (and really strong) drink at the end of our meal. For dessert, was lemon sorbet for dad (which I guessed he would order like a boss!) and caramel ice cream with chocolate sauce (dad guessed that I would order something else...I forgot what) for me. 

This morning, dad left for the states, and I walked to that awesome park in Madrid (El Parque de Buen Retiro) and stationed myself on a bench to read for the morning/afternoon and went back to the hotel in the afternoon to get my things together for tomorrow, when the study abroad program begins!

Hasta Pronto, 

Katie