Pro tip: If you're studying in Madrid, don't miss the opportunity to take a weekend train excursion to Barcelona.
Hello from Barcelona! These past few days have been an absolute blast and I still can’t believe this is real life!
Friday was an early morning and a very busy day. Elli (the other student I'm living with) and I left for the train station around 6:05 a.m. in the morning for our 7:05 a.m. train. The train station is a lot like an airport in a way. You go through security and there are different platforms for trains just like there are different terminals for airports. We had a 2.5-hour train ride. I would highly recommend taking the train to Barcelona if you have the opportunity because it’s usually cheap and very convenient. When we arrived in Barcelona, we went to the Mediterranean Sea to walk around and enjoy the sun! After that, we walked to Sagrada Família. This basilica was started in 1882 and was taken over in 1883 by architect Antoni Gaudí, known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism. La Sagrada Família remains unfinished, but they plan to have it completed in 2026 in time to mark the centennial of Antoni Gaudí’s death. Next on our list was Casa Batlló, also designed by Gaudí and considered one of his masterpieces. For dinner, we went to a little restaurant on the water. We had Tapas which are like appetizers in the United States. A very typical tapa is patatas bravas with aioli.
Saturday morning, we went back to the Mediterranean Sea and had coffee and croissants by the beach! Then we took an hour walk to Park Güell. Even though it was a long walk it saves you a lot of money on taxis or Ubers and is a great way to see more of the city, so my suggestion would be to walk if you can! Park Güell was designed by industrialist Eusebi Güell and once again, Antoni Gaudí. The architecture in this park is beautiful and the tile work is incredible!
Some things I noticed in Barcelona were a lot of signs were in Catalan, but I did not hear a ton of it. I could get the gist of what most signs were saying but there's a big difference between Catalan and Spanish. Also, most people in Barcelona spoke English with Elli and me. This is different from Madrid because here in Madrid I feel there are not as many people who speak English, which is a good thing because I’m here to learn Spanish!
Overall, Barcelona is a beautiful city and I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to see it!
Ella Morris, a second-year human physiology and Spanish major from Ankeny, Iowa, studying this spring in Spain on the CIEE Liberal Arts Madrid program.
"After we made our way to the Mediterranean Sea to walk around and enjoy the sun!"
"Next on our list was La Sagrada Família. This basilica was started in 1882 and was taken over in 1883 by architect Antoni Gaudí, known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism."
"Elli and I then walked to Casa Batlló, also designed by Gaudí and is considered one of his masterpieces."
"For dinner, we went to a cute little restaurant, Brisa, and had some tapas."
Park Güell
Park Güell
Park Güell - "The architecture in this park is beautiful and the tile work is incredible."
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