Last Wednesday, I parted ways with Dirk and Rotterdam and hopped on a train to Amsterdam. I made it to my hostel with no trouble and then went out for a walk to get my bearings. The city centre is over the top – what a sensory overload. Every window has sex, drugs or food. There is so much to look at that I felt I had to slow my pace to take it all in. However, it was very interesting, and it certainly did not fall short of what I had imagined. I made my way to the Jordaan district for an excellent vegan meal. The Jordaan district is much calmer, and more scenic with canals and crooked old houses.
The majority of my time in Amsterdam was spent walking around with Benji – a guy from Switzerland I met in the hostel – and later, his 5 friends who all arrived later on Thursday for the weekend. The day before I left for Spain, we all went on a walking tour with an elderly Dutch man named Jan. His stories were usually long and anticlimactic, and his walking pace matched. However, he was very sweet and the weather was beautiful.
On Thursday, I hopped a plane to Barcelona, where I am currently. And I am completely enamoured by the city. It’s colourful, and beautiful, and lively. It is busy, but not in the same hectic way as cities like London or Sydney. As a bonus, the weather has been absolutely perfect – clear and 16 degree highs. The hostel where I’m staying (Central Garden Hostel One) is the best one I’ve ever stayed at. The staff is amazing, and the hostel itself feels more like being in someone’s apartment, so it’s been a great place to meet people.
I spent Sunday and Monday sightseeing with a couple of girls – Melissa and Venus – from New York. We visited La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell, Montjuic Castle and the Olympic Stadium, as well as a couple more of the Gaudi houses. Gaudi’s architecture is all over Barcelona, and I’m loving it. His designs are so functional, but very unusual and informal looking – like Dr. Suess buildings. On Sunday evening, the hostel hosted a pizza and sangria night, where I met a couple of guys who studied in Barcelona. Their grad was this past weekend, and they invited me out to “Nasty Mondays” at their favourite club. So after climbing into my bunk some time after the sun came up this morning, I had a lazier day today. I rounded out my sightseeing by visiting the Gothic Quarter, the Ports and La Rambla – where there are dozens of street performers of every shape, colour, and style.
Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia
Parc Guell
Barcelona Olympic Stadium
More Olympic Park
My personal favourite street performer on La Rambla
The rooftop terrace of Gaudi's Casa Batllo
Tomorrow is my last day in Barcelona. I plan to revisit La Sagrada Familia to look inside and hopefully go up Mount Tibidabo to see what I’ve been told is another excellent view. Then Thursday I move on to Madrid, where I will meet Andrea after the weekend.
Sending love from Spain!
No comments:
Post a Comment