Barcelona Bound!

       After arriving late Tuesday night (sprinting to just barely catch one of the last trains out of the airport for the night), we pretty much just got to our hostel and went to bed because we had a busy day in Barcelona on Wednesday! We were staying about 40 minutes outside the city because we knew we wanted a prime beach location, as well as easy access to via public transport to all the sites. It really worked out well and we got the best of both worlds.

Antoni Gaudi is the famous Catalan architect who is responsible for much of the structures around Barcelona. This includes the house above, and La Sagrada Familia. The magnificent Park Guell is also one of his masterpieces. He used mosaics to decorate the entire park, it is unlike anything I have ever seen. So many colors and vibrant decorations make it one of my favorite places!

La Sagrada Familia, it is quite an impressive structure.
As you can see, the cranes kind of mix up the look, but as I have learned throughout me travels...ALL of Europe is under construction.  

At the very top of Park Guell overlooking beautiful Barcelona!

The mosaics on one of the benches at Park Guell. 

Park Guell
The structures make you think as you are in a magical world, I didn't hate it!
Its like the Disney of Barca!

We found a 'Dunkin Coffee' down near the metro-- AMERICA SHOUTOUTT!
 And this is the small...I guess things are smaller in Spain...

       We covered A LOT of ground in one day. Chloe and I were quite proud of all that we got to see! We hopped on the metro and took it across town to visit the site of the '92 Barcelona Olympics. It was so cool to see the site and actually stand where so much history took place!

Fakin' it til I make it!
I blend in, right? 

        We headed back after a very long day, but it was SO worth it! Barcelona is another one of my favorites! I know I probably have a lot of 'favorites,' at this point... but I mean it! It was so vibrant and colorful, unlike any other place I had been. That is something very different from all of the other major cities I have visited.

Just a casual beach day, oh how I love the Mediterranean Sea...

Not a bad place to sleep...
(minus the bazillion mosquito bites I got...but nothing is perfect!)

Villanova, just outside Barcelona

Last RyanAir flight...so hard to believe!
But I'm just casually recreating a picture from my 1st RyanAir flight...TIME FLIES!

Adios Espana! Its been real!

    Now after a FABULICIOUS vacayyy we heading back to Belgium. Crazy that this whirl-wind of a year is coming to an end! But don't worry, I got back to Leuven just in time Friday night to pack, hang with my roomies, and than catch some zzz's before my flight to Dublin in the morning!     

 #cantstopwontstop! I obviously have to take advantage of my precious days left in Europe!