04 | 03 | 18
B A R C E L O N A.
HOLA MI AMIGOS!! Wow!!! I had theee bestt weekend and I cant WAIT to share it with you!!! *enter a million heart eye emojis*
Out of all the places I've traveled in my life, I think Barcelona takes the cake. Funny enough, when Bailee and I were originally planning out our itinerary, Barcelona wasn't even on our list. I'd had a few friends on snapchat that were studying in Spain and it looked beautiful so I figured why not?!
After getting to school a few weeks back and sharing that Barcelona was apart of our plan, there were 4 other girls that were interested in coming with us. They did and im SO thankful for it! Traveling with a big group of girls is really fun!
After getting to school a few weeks back and sharing that Barcelona was apart of our plan, there were 4 other girls that were interested in coming with us. They did and im SO thankful for it! Traveling with a big group of girls is really fun!
Early Friday morning us 6 girls hopped out of bed in Olomouc, grabbed our duffels and headed out the door to catch our train to Prague. After arriving there 3 hours later, we bused to the airport where Bai and I waited 4 1/2 hours to board our plane! (the other girls were on a different flight) Finally after waiting out our layover in Munich, Germany, our next 2 hour flight landed in Barcelona at around 10:00 p.m. We had to meet up with the other girls at their terminal and catch a bus into the city! It was a bit complicated and we were all exhausted butttt eventually we got there! We stopped for Mcdonalds (yikes, I know..its seems healthier in Europe though HAH) after heading to check into our Hostel!
OUR HOSTEL WAS THE COOLEST PLACE EVER. Originally when it was just Bai and I we had an airbnb booked. When the other girls decided to come, we cancelled and looked high and low for a hostel. After the lil nasty experience we had with the ol "A to Z" hostel (Remember, "HOSTILE" - I had a really negative perception of them til this weekend) in Prague, I was determined to find something cool and clean. We found our "Poshtel" online called "Generator Hostels." (Seriously look it up, it was amazing) I felt like I was living in a real life episode of Zoey 101. When we walked in, the place had all these cool hanging bubble chairs, and bright colors, and modern art! It had a little restaurant/bar with free breakfast tokens and an upstairs hangout with games and pool tables. The rooms were brightly colored with these cute spanish tiles and clean little white bunk pods with your own charger outlet and light. I felt right at home. We had 8 beds in our room and only 6 of us. (Remember this detail, V important.)
We were pooped and went straight to sleep to get well rested for our full weekend of activities! Saturday morning we woke up and got ready. We headed downstairs to meet our guide for our free walking tour around the city. Anywhere we go, Bai and I figured out to book these free walking tours to get a feel and sense of surrounding for where you are. Also to learn some cool history about the place your visiting! On our tour we met a girl named Natalie from Canada! She was studying abroad in France and was on a solo trip to Spain for her Holiday. We kind of adopted her into our squad and she hung out with us for the remainder of our stay. The walking tour was cool but I over anticipated the warm weather in Spain and was a bit chilly, so I wasn't really paying attention.
After it was over we found Brunch at Casa Nova cafe and planned out the rest of our day! I tried some traditinoal tapas (i.e. "small plates", huge thing in Spain) spanish potatoes with red sauce and a little plate of assorted olives and they were actually pretty good. After lunch we stopped for ice cream and kept walking to do some shopping. I was on the hunt for authentic leather sandals and the girls in our group wanted dresses for church. We went to the main shopping district with popular stores like Urban Outfitters, problem being we were far off the beaten path from the cool, local leather shops I was looking for, soooo I unfortunately had to settle for some sandals from urban. They aren't authentic but they're cute! Maybe in Greece I'll find some!
Anyway, after our shopping we headed back to the hostel and changed for dinner, we met Natalie at a Seafood restaurant by the ocean and it was super pretty! It reminded me of a place I'd eat with my parents on one of their Dealer20 meetings (yeah, that kind of place…can we say boujeeeee) After all of us girls accepted that dinner would be a little spendy we said screw it and indulged. Problem being I really only like seafood when its drenched in butter and mixed with pasta. LOL. This restaurants specialty was Paellas (a huge pan of rice and seafood - shrimp, muscles, squid, etc. YUCK) I really wasn't a huge fan and didnt eat more than a bite or two. Thats ok! Megan didnt like it either and we decided we were going to eat something else when we were done. After dinner, Jess, Makayla, and Lacey went to the club. Bailee and Natalie went to grab a drink, and Megan and I went to have our dinner! We knew we wanted to be up bright and early for Church on Easter so we went back to the hostel when we were done. When we were headed up to our room, Megan got a text from Bailee that said "Where are you guys?" "We have two new roommates and they're males." YEP. Remember when I told you to remember that we had 8 beds!? Well, 2 older guys from France decided they wanted to join the party and check into our room. Grrreeeaaaaaat. Needless to say I was a little creeped out and mostly really annoyed. But thats just how it is with hostels. You dont rent rooms, you rent beds. And most are Co-Ed. Ugh…still not 100% on board.
Good thing was the little French dad's decided to go out until 6:30 in the morning each night so we never even really saw them. On Sunday, Bai, Megan, and I woke up and got ready for Church on Easter Sunday! I dont think I've ever been so excited to go to Church in my life after not having it for so long. It was p e r f e c t!!! We had our cute Easter dresses on and the sun was shining bright! We scoped out the "International Church of Barcelona" and I was so satisfied with it! It was an Evangelical Free English speaking mission Church similar to the ones we're used to back home! The Worship was so powerful and us girls stood right in the front row and praised our God and sang our hearts out! All three of us girls got emotional several times during the service, I think just because it felt SO amazing to finally be around other Christians and feel the presence of our Lord again. (Remember Czech is the most atheist country in the world) I was so thankful for that moment. It was the highlight of our trip. We even made a friend there named Brooke from California who was studying in Spain and thinks she's going to stay and be a missionary! What a dream! After walking out of those doors that Sunday morning I felt God had rebooted me. He'd reminded me that because of him I'm living my life to the fullest and that I need to be grateful every single day for the opportunities he lays in front of me.
After Church we went to Starbucks and sat for a minute to text the other girls back at the hostel. We met up with them and went to have spanish tacos for lunch. They were different than the mexican tacos im used too but still yummy! After lunch we all split up again and a couple of girls made their way to the beach while Bailee, Makayla, Megan and I started our journey up the hills of Spain to visit the famous Park Güell! It was BEAUTIFUL! Located high above overlooking the city of Barcelona, this historical park was filled with all kinds of foliage and greenery and pretty little spanish architecture. There were mariachi bands, and painters, and little vendors selling their jewels. We wandered up and down the beaten paths and took in the breath taking views of the city and the ocean! It was warm and magical and I was so happy.
After decided we weren't gonna treck back down the mountain, we caught a cab and went to the beach and board walk! The coastline was of course windy and the evening was setting in, which made for another chilly walk! We decided we we're going to stop AGAIN for ice cream and it was the best strawberry ice cream i've EVER had. We walked a little longer and decided we were all hungry for real food so we scouted for dinner. We found the CUTEST surf restaurant by the pier and you would have thought I was back in L.A. again. (A lot of Barcelona reminded me of L.A., I thought it so many times while I was there!) I had a goat cheese appetizer and chicken for dinner! It was so good!
We went back to the hostel and met up with the other girls to talk about our day! I face timed my family during their Easter dinner and I realized it was the first time I was sad that they weren't there with me instead of me not being there with them. Thats really when I decided just how content I was with Spain. If I could go back now and choose, I probably would have studied there instead! The vibes are just ON POINT.
On Monday I was sad to wakeup early and leave. We had a 6 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany and we decided to leave the airport and go have lunch in the little German village of Romerberg. The storybook town had traditional German sausages, and chocolates and their Easter festival was still going. It made for a good afternoon. We headed back to the airport and caught our flight to Prague so we could take our bus ride 3 hours back to Olomouc. It was a LONG day!
Over all, Barcelona has my heart and I will for sure return someday! I think i'd be really amazing to go there with a significant other! I would definitely consider this if you're taken and reading this! Next week I leave for my spring break to Vienna, Venice, Rome, then Greece! I'm so excited to see my Mama, Grandma, and Aunt!
XOXO ~ My very best,
Abigayle
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead | Peter 1:3
After it was over we found Brunch at Casa Nova cafe and planned out the rest of our day! I tried some traditinoal tapas (i.e. "small plates", huge thing in Spain) spanish potatoes with red sauce and a little plate of assorted olives and they were actually pretty good. After lunch we stopped for ice cream and kept walking to do some shopping. I was on the hunt for authentic leather sandals and the girls in our group wanted dresses for church. We went to the main shopping district with popular stores like Urban Outfitters, problem being we were far off the beaten path from the cool, local leather shops I was looking for, soooo I unfortunately had to settle for some sandals from urban. They aren't authentic but they're cute! Maybe in Greece I'll find some!
Anyway, after our shopping we headed back to the hostel and changed for dinner, we met Natalie at a Seafood restaurant by the ocean and it was super pretty! It reminded me of a place I'd eat with my parents on one of their Dealer20 meetings (yeah, that kind of place…can we say boujeeeee) After all of us girls accepted that dinner would be a little spendy we said screw it and indulged. Problem being I really only like seafood when its drenched in butter and mixed with pasta. LOL. This restaurants specialty was Paellas (a huge pan of rice and seafood - shrimp, muscles, squid, etc. YUCK) I really wasn't a huge fan and didnt eat more than a bite or two. Thats ok! Megan didnt like it either and we decided we were going to eat something else when we were done. After dinner, Jess, Makayla, and Lacey went to the club. Bailee and Natalie went to grab a drink, and Megan and I went to have our dinner! We knew we wanted to be up bright and early for Church on Easter so we went back to the hostel when we were done. When we were headed up to our room, Megan got a text from Bailee that said "Where are you guys?" "We have two new roommates and they're males." YEP. Remember when I told you to remember that we had 8 beds!? Well, 2 older guys from France decided they wanted to join the party and check into our room. Grrreeeaaaaaat. Needless to say I was a little creeped out and mostly really annoyed. But thats just how it is with hostels. You dont rent rooms, you rent beds. And most are Co-Ed. Ugh…still not 100% on board.
Good thing was the little French dad's decided to go out until 6:30 in the morning each night so we never even really saw them. On Sunday, Bai, Megan, and I woke up and got ready for Church on Easter Sunday! I dont think I've ever been so excited to go to Church in my life after not having it for so long. It was p e r f e c t!!! We had our cute Easter dresses on and the sun was shining bright! We scoped out the "International Church of Barcelona" and I was so satisfied with it! It was an Evangelical Free English speaking mission Church similar to the ones we're used to back home! The Worship was so powerful and us girls stood right in the front row and praised our God and sang our hearts out! All three of us girls got emotional several times during the service, I think just because it felt SO amazing to finally be around other Christians and feel the presence of our Lord again. (Remember Czech is the most atheist country in the world) I was so thankful for that moment. It was the highlight of our trip. We even made a friend there named Brooke from California who was studying in Spain and thinks she's going to stay and be a missionary! What a dream! After walking out of those doors that Sunday morning I felt God had rebooted me. He'd reminded me that because of him I'm living my life to the fullest and that I need to be grateful every single day for the opportunities he lays in front of me.
After Church we went to Starbucks and sat for a minute to text the other girls back at the hostel. We met up with them and went to have spanish tacos for lunch. They were different than the mexican tacos im used too but still yummy! After lunch we all split up again and a couple of girls made their way to the beach while Bailee, Makayla, Megan and I started our journey up the hills of Spain to visit the famous Park Güell! It was BEAUTIFUL! Located high above overlooking the city of Barcelona, this historical park was filled with all kinds of foliage and greenery and pretty little spanish architecture. There were mariachi bands, and painters, and little vendors selling their jewels. We wandered up and down the beaten paths and took in the breath taking views of the city and the ocean! It was warm and magical and I was so happy.
After decided we weren't gonna treck back down the mountain, we caught a cab and went to the beach and board walk! The coastline was of course windy and the evening was setting in, which made for another chilly walk! We decided we we're going to stop AGAIN for ice cream and it was the best strawberry ice cream i've EVER had. We walked a little longer and decided we were all hungry for real food so we scouted for dinner. We found the CUTEST surf restaurant by the pier and you would have thought I was back in L.A. again. (A lot of Barcelona reminded me of L.A., I thought it so many times while I was there!) I had a goat cheese appetizer and chicken for dinner! It was so good!
We went back to the hostel and met up with the other girls to talk about our day! I face timed my family during their Easter dinner and I realized it was the first time I was sad that they weren't there with me instead of me not being there with them. Thats really when I decided just how content I was with Spain. If I could go back now and choose, I probably would have studied there instead! The vibes are just ON POINT.
On Monday I was sad to wakeup early and leave. We had a 6 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany and we decided to leave the airport and go have lunch in the little German village of Romerberg. The storybook town had traditional German sausages, and chocolates and their Easter festival was still going. It made for a good afternoon. We headed back to the airport and caught our flight to Prague so we could take our bus ride 3 hours back to Olomouc. It was a LONG day!
Over all, Barcelona has my heart and I will for sure return someday! I think i'd be really amazing to go there with a significant other! I would definitely consider this if you're taken and reading this! Next week I leave for my spring break to Vienna, Venice, Rome, then Greece! I'm so excited to see my Mama, Grandma, and Aunt!
XOXO ~ My very best,
Abigayle
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead | Peter 1:3
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