Category: Spain

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Barcelona Remixed

“Maria Maria you remind me of the West Side Story”-Carlos Santana
Kydee WilliamsDay two in Barcelona was way better. We had an early start and made our way to the beach. Barceloneta was calling our names, as the sun shined bright and was beaming in our faces. We were in SPAIN and it finally felt like it. We took a bus to the boardwalk and settled at a cozy restaurant where we shared an array of Tapas and Paella. AHHH! Spain food was to die for. So rich with flavor. I loved how much seafood they used in their dishes. We then walked to the beach and relaxed there for hours.

Kydee WilliamsKydee WilliamsKydee WilliamsWe decided to head back to the hotel so we could get ready for the night. Our first stop was Chupitos where they light your drinks on fire. Burn Baby Burn. We then ate dinner at the most amazing restaurant ever…La Flauta (I still look at the pictures of the food and salivate over the mussels and prongs). Dinner was followed by a night on the town where we danced the night away at The Sutton Club.

ChupitosKydee WilliamsKydee WilliamsThe next day, we had a jam-packed schedule. After a little R&R by the pool, Parc De Guell was our first stop. At the peak of this attraction, we saw all of Barcelona and it was literally breathtaking. We also saw the amazing artwork of Gaudi. I love all of the bright colors and abstract architecture in Barcelona. It’s such a metropolis, however, it still has some out of the ordinary structures that are exquisite. I spent the rest of my day as a tourist walking around, shopping and just enjoying all it had to offer. I also had an amazing dinner with LaSaundra where we reflected on the trip and everything we learned.

Kydee WilliamsKydee WilliamsKydee Williams

Kydee WilliamsKydee Williams IMG_3311That night it was time to experience the world-famous Opium Nightclub. This club is one of the best clubs in Barcelona, standing out from all of the other clubs I’ve ever been to because the party continues onto the beach. It’s fabulous. We stayed there for a few hours and then found a tapas bar, where we ate some more…the food in Spain is addictive.

Kydee Williams Kydee Williams Kydee WilliamsKy’s Verdict: Barcelona was fun, but probably the one city I enjoyed the least. I think after traveling for so long, you become numb. For me, Spain wasn’t what I expected. I realized I loved the cities that made me feel like I was in Europe, rustic, archaic, historical and Barcelona was just like being in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn with loads of Spanish speaking citizens. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful city. Some people suggested that I may have liked Madrid better…who knows?

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Espana…I’ve Arrived

Baila Mi Cha-Cha-Abraxas Pool

Kydee WilliamsHonestly, when we landed in Barcelona El Prat Airport the vibes were a bit off for me. I wasn’t excited. At this point, I was sleepy, cranky and had very little energy. My emotions were quite odd because every country we visited up until this point made me giddy like a little girl.

Now, the hard task of finding the hotel had begun. Once in Barcelona, we discovered that our hotel was located at the end of town in a neighborhood called Diagonal. Learning this made me even madder because this was my first mistake when choosing a hotel. I didn’t spend enough time researching the neighborhoods of Barcelona and figuring out which one would be best for us.

Ky Tip: If you are ever visiting Barcelona and want to be by the action you may want to find hotels in Barceloneta or La Rambla.

We took 3 trains and 1 bus to get to our hotel. On the last train, I felt a lady try to go in my purse. She unsnapped the lock and luckily I felt it and asked aggressively “What are you doing?” She turned away with shame on her face as if she didn’t understand and got off the next stop. I couldn’t believe I was almost pickpocketed. This experience made me paranoid for the rest of the time I was in Spain.

Ky Tip: Europe doesn’t have as much lethal crime as the U.S does but they do have pickpockets all over. BEWARE! You never know who you’re around and who is watching you. Don’t be the one who ends up with a missing passport or cell phone. Always be conscious of your belongings and wear bags that are harder to get into or that you will feel if someone is trying to get into.

Once we got outside of the train station it was pouring rain. We stopped at a bakery before making our way down to the hotel. At least it was close to the metro. Once we checked in, we realized there was not much for us to do. It was raining, the pool was closed and we had no idea what Barcelona was all about. Eventually, we faced our weather blues and explored our neighborhood. There was a mall next door to our hotel so we went shopping. We then tried to find a cute restaurant to eat at but came to the realization that we were in the middle of nowhere and there were no restaurants in the area (Hard to believe right? Well it’s true). We went back to the mall and ate Chinese food (Ridiculous..where’s the authentic food?). As blessed as we were to be in Spain, this part of the trip was turning into a disaster.

The rain got worst as the night went on. Fatigued to the max, we decided to spend our first night in Spain in the hotel and have a girls’ night in the beautiful and girly Desigual common area.

Princess

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