Two days have passed since our Barcelona adventure, but my peeling sunburn serves as a
daily reminder as to how much we did there!
Day 1
I woke up early the
next morning to squeeze in my last of many jogs before our fun in the
sun vacation, and then woke Alex up as soon as I got back because we
had quite a bit to do before we left. We had been checking the
weather everyday before our trip, and it was constantly changing.
Some days it would be raining, and some days it was sunny. Overall,
the temperatures looked like they would be in the upper 60’s to mid
70’s, so I was optimistic for some shorts and sundress weather. As
always, packing took entirely too long. Just when I mastered the
skill of only packing what I needed for trips, I relapsed and packed
more than I needed. Once an over-packer, always an over-packer.
Besides, it was our last big trip, so I wanted to make sure I had
plenty of dresses to choose from. The warmest thing I brought was my
light blue hoodie and jeans, and I was only planning on wearing that
on the airplane.
Time was quickly
slipping away from us, and we, of course, had those last minute
thoughts guaranteed to trigger travel anxiety like putting liquids
into a bag.
It all worked out
and we were completely packed and out the door on time. Our first
train left Melle at 5pm, and we wouldn’t be at the Weeze Airport
until 10pm, so we knew we had a long night head of us.
After four trains
and one bus ride, we arrived at the airport. We made reservations to
stay in the airport’s hotel, which was 700 cold-and-darkly-wooded
meters to the creepiest hotel in all of Germany. There were signs
along the way that helped guide us there, but we were shocked by the
lack of shuttle service or even sidewalk to this destination. It was
very campy and the area reminded me of Virginia in a way.
Our room and the
men’s bathroom was on the first ominous floor, while the women’s
bathroom was on the second floor. No way was I venturing up there by
myself. It was poorly lit, creepy, and I’m pretty positive haunted.
The place used to be British barracks. That being said, Alex and I
took a trip to the men’s room… together. It could have been
awkward since someone else came in (either a man, another woman in my
position, or a ghost), but I managed to stay hidden in my stall.
The rest of the
night, Alex and I played Go Fish, which I dominated in, and ate
crappy chocolate. We used to love our Alpenmilch chocolate from Aldi,
but now that we had a taste of Ritter chocolate, nothing else can
even compare. It’s like it releases a whole new level of endorphins
in your system. The night was short-lived because we had to wake up
in a few short hours to go back to the airport.
Day 2
The alarm went off
at 4:10am, and we happily left the haunted hotel 20 minutes later. It
was a smooth check in, despite security throwing away our sunscreen
since the bottle was too big for the airplane. Such is life.
We boarded the plane
at 7am, and I was forced to cram my purse in my already overstuffed
backpack since I wasn’t allowed two carry-ons. It was my first time
walking on a tarmac, so I thought that was pretty epic. The flight
was only two hours long, and once we landed they played the cheesiest
trumpet music signifying that Ryanair landed on time.
We then deplaned and
bought our round trip bus tickets to Barcelona, which was much easier
than buying them online. The bus ride lasted about an hour, and then
we walked another 40 minutes to our hostel. Both of us downloaded a
map of Barcelona and Spanish dictionary while we were in Prague, so
we were well-prepared for this getaway. So it seemed.
We left our bags in
the luggage room of the hostel since we were early, and I was not
impressed with the reception right off the bat. They seemed really
disorganized and disinterested in customer service, but as long as it
wouldn’t turn into another Munich incident, I wasn’t opening my
mouth to complain.
Famished, Alex and I
found a small restaurant to eat at for lunch. We took advantage of
the burger deal on the menu, and to our surprise, the burgers we
bunless! Weight Watchers would probably approve of that. They were
delicious though, and we got a full bottle of ketchup, unlike the
café in Prague. You win some, you lose some.
After lunch, we
walked through Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, which was beautiful. The
Barcelona Cathedral, a gothic church, was a grand sight to see. It
reminded me of the cathedral in Köln. After we meandered through
some of the streets, we made our way back to the hostel around 2pm to
get our beds and make a game plan.
When we got into the
room, a huge wave of fatigue hit us, so we took a nap. It was cloudy
and cold, anyways, which was extremely disheartening for a girl who
only packed clothes fit for a tropical vacation.
That night, Alex and
I had pizza at a small and inexpensive restaurant. I even tested out
my Spanish skills a little bit when I asked for “la cuenta” to
pay. It brought me back to those really mind-numbing Spanish classes
I took in high school. I suppose I learned a few things, after all.
It definitely rolls off my tongue easier than German and Czech.
We then scoped out a
few bars and went inside some stores to escape the unanticipated
cold. We ended up ordering 4 euro mojitos from a great bar. Sadly, we
were the only ones in there because it was really early.
On our way back to
the hostel, we picked up some “campesino” chips and ate them in
the hostel lounge on the 7th floor. The both of us were
able to fall asleep effortlessly that night.
Day 3
We woke up in time
for our hostel breakfast, which was the usual by this point. Hostel
breakfasts were nothing special. It was much sunnier and warmer out,
so walking around the city seemed more pleasant than the day before.
It made for better pictures, particularly in Plaça de Catalunya.
That is, until the ferocious flock of pigeons swarmed us in the
circle of doom... I have a phobia of flying animals!
Alex and I did some
shopping, which was so much fun for me! On the way back to the hostel
to drop off my new merchandise, we saw a woman talking to two police
officers. I noticed that her bag was missing and she looked upset.
When the police handed her their notepad, I figured they were asking
for a description of the person who stole her purse. I may be filling
in the blanks to this scenario a little too much, but it made me
realize that I needed to put all the important things in my purse
into our locker at the hostel, like my passport and debit card.
Barcelona does have a high rate of pick-pocketing and
purse-snatching.
We were both pretty
hungry after our hostel detour, so we grabbed a quick lunch and then
started walking towards Poble Espanyol, an open-air museum that
showcases different cities of Spain. It was our goal of the day to
make it there, but we were distracted a few times.
The walk was
torturously long, but we did sit periodically and also have an ice
cream break. I don’t think it helped that I packed the most
unsupportive shoes I owned. I was failing miserably when it came to
packing for this trip…
There was a huge car
show going on that weekend that we had to walk around, and once we
did, we stumbled upon Montjuïc, otherwise known as the Mountain of
the Jews. The mountain was massive with several flights of stairs, a
series of waterfalls, and sculptures leading up to Palau Nacional, or
the National Palace. It houses MNAC, which stands for Museu Nacional
d’Art de Catalunya, and was built in 1934 for Poble Espanyol. It
took a while to get to the top of the mountain, but the view of
Barcelona was one that made the leg pain worth it. We were even able
to go inside the museum for free, though our feet were killing us…
alright, it was mostly my feet. With that said, we took the subway
back.
Once we arrived back
at the hostel, that’s when the night went downhill. My stomach
really started to turn on me. I was so sick to my stomach that when
our Muslim roommates started to pray in our room, I actually thought
I was hallucinating. I had never seen Muslims pray before. It was
unexpected, especially in a hostel room built for 14 people. I
couldn’t stand to eat anything for a while and I was actually
missing the familiarity of Germany at this point, but I felt a little
bit better by the time we went to sleep.
Day 4
The next morning was
business as usual. Hostel breakfast, and then we got ready for the
day. I knew it would be chilly, but since we had planned on swinging
by the beach, I really wanted to tough it out and wear one of my
sundresses. Beauty really is pain. As I was getting ready, I
overheard the two Muslims and the restless Argentinian sleeper who
bunked above me trying to converse in English. The Muslims wanted to
talk about the car show and the soccer game that weekend, which were
all topics that the other guy knew nothing about. It was interesting
to me that English was their linking language, though. I ended up
talking to them, too, and really enjoyed their company.
With my Coach shades
on and my hair up in a pony, I was beach bound with Alex. Along the
way, we stopped in a few shops and attempted to go inside church, but
weren’t allowed since my shoulders were bare. I sincerely
disapprove of that rule. The man who wouldn’t let me in looked at
me like he was above my “slutty naked shoulders,” but little does
he know just how tasteful and classy any Lauren Conrad dress is, with
or without covered shoulders.
We also witnessed a
protest on the way to the beach. The majority of the people who were
marching through the street looked really scary and rough, so we
assumed they were fighting for something really juicy. Someone who
spoke English finally explained to us that it was about luxury homes
being built in Barcelona, and the prices for rent increasing. As
riveting as that is, we were hoping for something a little more
scandalous, so we trudged on in the Barcelona sun.
As we walked through
a market on the street with delicious smelling foods and sangria
everywhere, we saw a lot of palm trees. It was a sign that we were
close!
Once we saw the
white sand and the aqua blue Mediterranean Sea, I was in heaven. We
took our shoes off and walked to the water. The sand was certainly
hot, but the air was cool with a light breeze. As pleasant as the
water appeared, the chill it sent through my body took my breath
away. It was cold, but we each posed for pictures standing ankle deep
in the water, which was hardly bearable.
When that obligation
was fulfilled, Alex and I picked out a spot on the beach and laid out
in the sun. The only annoying part was all the people trying to sell
us things, like towels, mojitos, and massages. Let me just say, there
was no way I would even let these people rub my back for free.
Twenty minutes of their persistence was enough to send me to a bed in
Bedlam, so we decided to pack up after a while. It was a good thing
we did, too, because my shoulders were starting to look pink at this
point.
On the way back, we
each bought a glass of sangria from one of the stands at the market
we walked through earlier. We sat in the shade to avoid any further
sun damage and sipped our drinks. It was interesting being in the
market area because there were a lot of people selling merchandise
illegally. They lay their products out on white blankets attached to
ropes, and when the police drive by, they can quickly pick up their
stuff and scamper off. After a long day basking in the sun, we took
the subway back to the hostel.
Even though the
internet was terrible, we made an attempt to call our moms for
Mother’s Day. I was able to talk to mine for about 3 seconds, and
it made me miss home so much. I knew I would see American soil soon,
though.
Showering was a
painful endeavor because my sunburn was only getting worse. Minute by
minute, I was looking more like a lobster. I was glowing, and I don’t
think my teeth ever looked so white. Determined not to be a party
pooper, I carefully got dressed and went with Alex to the buffet down
the street. It was actually quite tasty and offered one drink, food,
and dessert for a reasonable price. That’s hard to come by in this
city since nearly everything is overpriced.
Afterwards, we
stopped by an ATM and went to the Dow Jones bar, which was
exceptional. It operated like the New York stock market. Whenever
someone buys a drink, the price for that drink goes up. Every half
hour, the stock market “crashes,” and all the drinks were at
their lowest prices. The concept was really exciting and forces
customers to try different drinks. It was very American friendly, and
I liked listening to the music they played. The first European crowd
of people didn’t appreciate the bar as much as we did, though. Most
Americans would probably go nuts at this bar when the market
“crashes.” The second wave of people that came into the bar was a
rambunctious group. They were a stag party from Canada that really
got into it, and when the market crashed, they would scream, “Buy,
buy, buy!” We spent our night drinking here, and it definitely took
the edge off my sunburn enough to put me to sleep.
Day 5
The next morning
was… excruciating. I opted for jeans, a tank, and my blue hoodie to
cover up as much territory as possible, unlike yesterday’s
revealing sundress. Alex and I took the subway towards Poble Espanyol
since we didn’t get to see it the other day we planned to. Before
we reached the open air museum, we scouted out some very expensive
sunscreen that we knew we wouldn’t be able to bring on the plane.
However, the idea of burning on top of this burn sounded worse than
death to me.
When we reached
Poble Espanyol, Alex was able to use his student discount, while I
had to pay full price. Our “I-forgot-my-ID-at-the-hostel” scheme
only worked at the Museum of Communism in Prague but we figured it
was worth a shot.
The museum was a
great place to spend our last day. We spent hours walking around and
admiring the architecture built to represent the different Spanish
cities, shopping, and we even visited a Pablo Picasso Museum for
free. We decided to have paella as an early dinner at one of the
restaurants, too. We both got the Paella de Carne, and it just didn’t
sit right in my stomach. It was very filling, and very savory. The
atmosphere was nice, though. The last thing we did in Poble Espanyol
was visit the sculpture garden. It had interesting pieces, and of
course, more lovely views. We were lucky to see the beach, mountain,
and street life all in one city.
Alex and I took the
subway back only to find our Muslim roommates praying again. It
certainly didn’t bother me, I just didn’t want to be noisy and
disturb them like some of our other roommates would do. They seemed
to appreciate our respect, and in turn, offered us fruit. I didn’t
really want any, but they were keen on giving us some, so I couldn’t
say no.
That night, Alex and
I wandered around Barcelona for a cheap and happening place to drink
for our last night. It was a little too early for a fun crowd to be
out, so we got a mojito each at a café. Then, we decided to end our
night at Chupitos, a shot bar with over 200 shots all priced at 2
euros each. Overwhelmed by the selection, we had the bartender select
all of our shots for us. The first one was tasty. He lit it on fire,
along with an orange topped with cinnamon. First you eat the orange,
and then you take the shot. The other shots the bartender prepared
were lit on fire and equally as delicious. The world needs more
places like this. I was happy to spend our last night in Barcelona
there.
Our things were
packed and we were ready to leave in the morning. All I had left to
do was to change into my pajamas, the most agonizingly painful task
left. There were Spanish speaking señoritas showering and running
around in the girl’s bathroom, so I decided to avoid any human
contact and go into the men’s room, where I could see the lights
were off and nobody was inside. As soon as I went into the stall, a
group of men stumbled in… fantastic. I knew my only option
was to wait them out, so I curled my toes under my feet in hopes that
they wouldn’t notice the pink nail polish at the bottom of the
stall and set up camp. The shaving and man bonding lasted longer than
expected, but I figured I was safe. Most men aren’t ashamed of how
long they take in the bathroom stall. In fact, I think the longer
you’re in there, the more of a man it makes you. I threw in a cough
and a grunt here and there, but I figured I was getting too into
character, and I made myself focus on the mission. Right as they
left, a new batch of boys foiled my great escape. I knew I should
have just gone into the correct bathroom… I heard one of the
showers turn on, though, and I figured it was my only chance to get
out. So I sneakily peeked my head out from under the stall and saw a
clear path to the exit. I grabbed all my feminine items that should
never encroach in the men’s room and made a run for it. I’m not
exactly sure if anyone saw me since I never looked back, but at that
point, I didn’t care.
Day 6
Alex and I had to
wake up at 5:10am to be out of the hostel by 5:30am. I realized that
my sunburn actually felt worse, and it was too severe for me to carry
my heavy backpack. Even my purse was causing me pain. Alex is a hero.
He carried it the entire 40 minutes to the bus with his backpack, and
the rest of the journey home, for that matter. That couldn’t have
been an easy task the way I packed for this trip.
Despite our sunburn,
travelling home wasn’t so bad. We bought after-sun at one of the
pharmacies in Berlin since we had time in between train transfers. It
even came with two free samples of 50spf sunscreen… oh, the
irony. We were back home around 5pm, only to discover that we broke
the bank... it was by far, our most expensive trip. It was money well
spent though, I’d say. A very memorable getaway.
