Day 108: Ghrian agus Spraoi i Barcelona

Just after classes ended and before school started, I decided to take a last minute trip to relax and enjoy some sunshine in the beautiful city of Barcelona. I spent three days there and did whatever I wanted each day that I was there.

The first day was kept very relaxed. I walked to the nearest shopping center for lunch (an amazing serrano ham sandwich) and then spent the rest of the day relaxing on the terrace of the hostel sunbathing.

view from the sun terrace

the Sagrada Familia from the shopping centre

The next day was spent walking around the gothic quarter and the art quarter of the city. I went on this walking tour that lasted over 3.5 hours and I never had as much fun on a tour as this one.  Our tour guide was really into telling us the history of the city and the layers that can be seen across it. Some of the really interesting things that we saw were the cathedrals, the original city walls, and a public art collage.

Santa Maria del Mar Cathedral

public art exhibit

Spanish and Catalonia flag on the parliament building

Saint Eulalia's Cathedral

carvings of Picasso's work

remnants of the original city wall

damage to a wall from bullets of executions and bomb during civil war

After the walking tour, I spent a couple hours sunbathing along the coast. Then it was time for my second tour of the day, a tapas tour! We went to three different tapas restaurants and tried different dishes among with the local drinks. We first tried the local cider which is poured from at least a meter away. It was pretty awesome, but not as sweet as the cider found in Ireland. The other cool local drink we had was wine poured from a porrón.  A porrón is a pitcher that has a spout attached to it for pouring the wine into your mouth. The trick with this drink is that like the cider, the goal is to pour it from a long distance and try not to spill any of it on you. At first I think I poured more outside my mouth than inside it, but over time I got better with each try.

sunbathing along the water

first tapas stop of the night

bartender serving us cider

drinking from a porron

the only way to finish a tapas tour? Sangria!

My last day in Barcelona was spent doing my own personal walking tour to the last two things I wanted to see there: the Sagrada Familia and the beaches along Port Olímpic. First I went to the Sagrada Familia. The exterior of the church was just amazing and really intricate with the details and figures all over. I spent about 30 minutes just staring at the front of the church trying to take it all in. My eyes just kept jumping from thing to another.

front of the cathedral

christmas tree sitting at the top of the church

Next, I walked down to the coastline and the beaches of the port. I loved it there so much I spent several hours just relaxing to the sounds of the waves and reading a book. The time just flew by and because I forgot to put sunscreen on that morning and ended up with a small burn on my shoulder.

Overall, it was a great trip to help me relax and forget for a while about the stress of taking finals. I got a little sun and fun.

Port Olimpic

the beautiful beach

Day 104: Bhlarna agus Corcaigh

I finally finished my Ireland checklist today! I kissed the Blarney stone and made it to Cork!

I took a guided day trip to Blarney, Cork, and Cashel. With Blarney being our first stop it made getting up early and sitting on a bus for a couple hours well worth it. The castle grounds were full of cute little gardens and blooming flowers all over the place.  At the top of the castle, you were able to see the whole grounds and of course where you kiss the stone. The best part of kissing the stone though is that you have to lie on your back and lean down the edge of the castle to kiss the underside of the stone.

me kissing the stone

one of the gardens

view of Blarney Castle

After kissing the stone, I went on a walk through the gardens and found the wishing steps. This is a small stone staircase that if you walked backwards up the stairs then down with your eyes closed then whatever you wished for would come true. The catch though is that it can take up to a year for that wish to come true. I did the steps the correct way, but while doing it I couldn't think of anything but not tripping over the stairs or hitting myself on the rock overhang.

walking up the stairs backwards

We then took the short drive down to Cork for lunch and a little look around the city. The one main thing that I wanted to do was visit the old market there. It was this old brick building hidden off a side road and full of little shops selling fruits, vegetables, meat, chocolate, and bread. I found this bakery stand and bought some amazing sourdough bread. For lunch, I went to a local café and bought a sandwich and some local chips.

Our last stop of the day was Cashel to visit the Rock of Cashel. Since I already went there with my family I spent that time just walking around the town and window shopping in the local stores. It was a great end of the day to just relax in a small town and go shopping.