Change of scenery- Escaping to Barcelona

Barcelona is by far my favourite city in the world. For some reason, I love the mixture that Catalonia's capital has to offer: City life with all its benefits, the Mediterranean atmosphere, the beach and the beautiful Montjuic which sticks out of the scenery. So when I recently completed my bachelor thesis I had this urging feeling of getting out and just enjoying myself. But instead of joining other recent graduates in their search for alcohol and parties I decided to pay Barcelona a short visit. After we had survived the Ryanair flight to Gerona, we took a bus to the Northern Station of Barcelona. When we arrived we had a little moment of confusion as there were no indications of the subway at all. Nonetheless, we managed to get on the tube and made our way to the hotel.The next morning, I ehhhhhhh hit the snooze button for a couple of times and we left the hotel to hit the city. Luckily, the weather turned out to be much better than back home and I finally had the chance to parade some of my new summer dresses (wohooo). First, we walked towards the Ramblas area, clearly enjoying the gentle morning breeze. Since we were staying in Eixample, we quickly reached Las Ramblas, the strolling promenade of Barcelona, and just joined in with the flow of tourists. This gave me the chance to buy some overpriced postcards and take a look at souvenirs. By the way, even though Las Ramblas is probably one of the more touristy areas of the city I figured that the prices at some hidden souvenir shops are a lot higher. So don't be fooled, compare prices before you make any purchase decisions and most importantly try to negotiate with the seller!  From here, we took a trip to the so-called Barri Gòtic.This district is just perfect for explorers as you literally get lost in the maze of alleys. 

Next stop: Mercat de Sant Josep.

The entrance to the market is near the Ramblas promenade and unmissable. You just need to walk straight and keep a lookout for a sort of archway indicating the entrance area. Usually there are a lot of people, especially tourists, so just follow the crowd ;). At the market, you cannot only buy exotic fruits, like Pitaya or Mangosteen (yuuuummiii) but try all sorts of Spanish specialities. Another plus is definitely the amazing offer of juices. In my opinion, there is nothing better than a cool smoothie in the summer time! 

 
Afterwards, we made our way to the Port Vell in order to have a glimpse at the water and the shimmering yachts. It's not only a perfect place to have a little rest but it also offers plenty of entertainment.The cinema, the shopping mall, the aquarium as well as some museums are located around Barcelona's port.

 

The next day, we decided to have some beach time in Barceloneta. Don't you also think that the building in the back has some tiny resemblance with that luxury hotel in Dubai??

Another spectacle we didn't want to miss were the Magic Fountains of Montjuic.The dancing water has become a true tourist attraction and lures hundreds of people to the  Palau Nacional at late hour. I personally love this kind of shows as it gives you that tingling sensation... Anyway, after an hour of "Oh's" and "Ah's" I finally finally got my paella. :)

Now you're probably wondering why I didn't upload any photos of the beloved Sagrada Familia or the Parc Güell. Well, you're right. But the truth is I didn't pass by Gaudi's masterpieces this time. The purpose of the whole trip was to escape from my thesis writing routine and scent some Barcelona air. So overall, the trip was a total success. Barcelona is always worth a visit, even for only two days....