Barcelona & Madrid!

Spain was my favorite trip by far. I truly felt the dramatic culture shock that I was hoping for. My weeklong excursion was divided into two cities, Barcelona & Madrid. As our plane from cold, rainy Ireland touched down in Barcelona, I was immediately in utter excitement as I saw the beach to my left and palm trees all around. Making our way to our hostel was a little bit of a challenge, as English is rarely spoken. My friends and I had finally appreciated all the years of foreign language classes we were forced to take in school. 

After getting settled, our first day consisted of going the Barcelona football (soccer) game. It was really cool to experience a soccer game like this, as it is such an important sport to the rest of the world. It seems as though Spain’s soccer is like America’s baseball or football. It was even more exciting since Barcelona won the game!

The next day, following the exciting win by Barcelona, I was ready to explore the city. We saw it all, from La Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas, The Gothic Quarter and of course the gorgeous beaches and architecture. Seeing the beaches of Barcelona is where the city won me over. I loved the contrast of the hustle and bustle of the city and the serenity of the beautiful beaches. The bluish-green of the water was a peaceful tone that met the white puffy cloud-filled sky all against the rugged tan sand.

Getting to Madrid was quite a challenge. We had to sleep in the airport until our 6am flight on hard benches. When we made it to Madrid, I was a ghost. Getting off the plane and to the hostel all seems like a dream because I was so tired from our rough night’s sleep. But we pulled ourselves together and explored the majestic city. Madrid was a much older Spanish-feeling city. There were many different plazas with outdoor restaurants and street vendors. The architecture was breath-taking. 

Spain was an extremely exhausting trip, but nonetheless, amazing! I loved getting to see the differences of the two cities. Barcelona, a younger, more modern, beachy city, however still true to its Spanish culture, whereas Madrid embodies the old Spanish culture. Both wonderful cities that I hope I will be able to return to one day.