Barcelona and Faro

I finished my classes here in Edinburgh last week (Yay!!), so I decided to reward myself with a trip to a city I've always wanted to go to. Don't worry, the exam period still hasn't happened and I still have an online class, so I'm not finished with school entirely. This past Thursday morning I got on a flight to Barcelona, Spain. I landed around lunchtime, checked into my Airbnb, and was off to explore the city for a bit on my own. I visited Las Ramblas, an iconic market street in the city. Las Ramblas led me to Barcelona Beach, which I later learned was manmade for the purpose of attracting tourists for the Olympics in 1992. While along the beach I stumbled upon the Van Gogh experience which is something I've wanted to do since getting to Europe. I was planning on just waiting until mine and Garrett's trip to Amsterdam in a few weeks to see it, but I took advantage of the time I had (and the student discount offered here). It was incredible. I had almost the entire place to myself, so I was able to take my time and truly appreciate every detail. If you have the chance to go, take it and take your time. After the Van Gogh experience I tried to go to the Picasso museum only to find it sold out, so I got some Paella for dinner at a local family restaurant, followed with churros and chocolate and returned to the Airbnb for the night.

Friday morning I woke up and found a cafe in the main square to get breakfast before my first walking tour of the day started. My tour guide was amazing! She was so energetic and excited to share everything about the city with us. We learned all about the history of the Catalan region, their political beliefs, how the language developed (yes, Catalan and Spanish are different languages), and about the history of the city. Who knew what is now one of the top three cities to visit in Europe used to be infested with heroin and prostitution? The Olympics coming to Barcelona called for a major cleanup of the city. They cracked down on drugs and everything that comes with it, built an entire metro system, a new stadium, and made it an attractive and inviting place to be. After my tour concluded I had a few hours to kill, so I called my mom to catch up, got some lunch, and visited the famous Park Guell. I didn't have a ticket to go down to the part where all of the tile work is, but it was still well worth the view.

My tour of Gaudi's masterpieces in the city was well worth it as a lot about the artist's life was laid out and his works were explained in detail. We visited a few of the homes he designed and then ended at La Sagrada Familia. This was by far the highlight of my day. While he died well before its completion, especially since it still isn't complete, he did live to see the creation side finished (the one I'm standing in front of). The details of this church are beyond breathtaking, and it's no wonder it's taken over 100 years to get anywhere close to completion. Our tour was wrapping up when I got a message from Sarah's best friend from home asking if I was not only in Barcelona, but outside of the church! I responded immediately and we met up outside of the entrance. I had just missed meeting Jen when she was in Edinburgh, so it was nice to finally meet her in person instead of just over FaceTime! After we talked for a bit I entered the church with an audioguide that explained the purpose for the designs seen. For example, the columns inside are designed to look like trees as Gaudi wanted to incorporate nature into all of his works. There were 4 pillars around the alter for each of the 4 gospels. There will be 12 towers on top of the church, one for each apostle. Needless to say, everything in this design has a purpose. I left as the church closed, grabbed a quick dinner, and went to view the Magic Fountain show on my last night in the city. The fountain is choreographed with lights and music and is quite the sight to see. The show ended around 10pm, so I went back to the Airbnb and went to bed since I had a flight Saturday morning.

Saturday was another early morning, as I had to get to the airport to catch my flight to Faro, Portugal. I wasn't really planning on going to Portugal while I'm here, but at Friendsgiving this past year, one of mine and Garrett's friends, Amanda, told me I couldn't miss it! So while looking at flights to Barcelona I decided to look into cheap flights to Portugal and then back home to Edinburgh, and Faro just happened to be the winner ($30 flights never fail to get me). I've been describing this little city as "the most beautiful place I never knew I wanted to go to" when people ask me how it was. I landed around noon on Saturday, met my Airbnb host, and then went to the 3pm walking tour. The tour lasted a little less than 2 hours, but while on it I learned about when the area was under Roman rule, how the Lisbon earthquake and various hurricanes damaged the physical structures and land surrounding the city, and that the Great Recession has had a lasting impact on the country. Many people had to relocate to other countries around 2010 because there was no work to be found throughout most of Portugal, and as a result the country is still struggling to recover financially. Faro isn't exactly a tourist destination, so it's really just the locals who are there, especially since it's offseason. I met some locals, shopped, ate dinner, and strolled the streets until sunset and then returned to my Airbnb just in time for bed.

Sunday was rainy. And it stayed rainy. I had booked a boat tour of the barrier islands for 11am and it got cancelled. So I booked another one with a different company for 11:30am, and we tried to wait it out, but it eventually got cancelled. So I decided I would go without a tour and pay a little more for the ferry to the islands. And then all of the ferries for the day got cancelled. I'm pretty sure God knew I would've gotten seasick and was looking out for me. Sometimes that's just how traveling goes though; you make plans, they get changed, you adapt, and you adapt again. So my adaptation was I took the bus to Faro Beach for the afternoon and relaxed for a bit. Afterwards I went to the local mall to get a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in Portuguese for Sarah's classroom, ate a salad full of fresh fruits and shrimp from the area, and returned to the Airbnb to pack and clean since my flight Monday was early.

This past weekend was quite the adventure, and I'm glad I went! Now, I'm focusing on studying and preparing for my move back to the States. I made it safely back to Edinburgh yesterday, and I'm in a coffee shop looking up at the castle as I write this. It's hard to believe I leave a month from today! Time has simultaneously flown by and stood still while I've been here. I'm excited to be home with my family and dogs for a bit, to eat some Chick-Fil-A and Mexican food, and to have a sense of normalcy again. This weekend Sarah, Genna, and I are venturing to Italy for the official start of our Spring break. Then, my parents and Garrett come NEXT WEEK! I'm beyond excited and ready to see them! I'll make another post about our Italy visit in about a week or so. Until then, I hope everyone has a great rest of their week!