and just like that, this is the last blog post about spain! this time we're back in sunny barcelona!
frigid, rainy madrid really dampened our moods and after walking almost 100 miles the previous 8 days, we were ready to be on the coast again! we arrived at our hostel (which was decorated like an old tailor shop no less! photos below!) and wasted no time making friends with the staff and guests before setting out to explore. this time we were staying in the heart of the city, super close to las ramblas and placa de catalunya which meant that yet again we were walking everywhere! one afternoon we followed las ramblas all the way to the port where the statue of christopher columbus stands tall and took in the vibrant colors, birds, sail boats and fantastic architecture. we also spent a while in mercat de sant josep de la boqueria (also simply know as la boqueria) which is the one of the oldest and largest markets in the city. that night we ate amazing churros con chocolate, watched the three kings parade (during which they tell the whole story of the three kings coming to visit jesus and bringing gifts) and stopped by moritz again for drinks.
we had forgotten that our last day in spain would be three kings day and we woke up to find the entire city closed down except for a few shops here and there. earlier in the trip we had missed out on attending an fcb futbol match but some of our roommates reminded us that there was a game that night and tickets were super cheap! so we snagged a few tickets with the help of sara at the front desk and then spent half the day wandering around barca trying to find a shop that was open and selling authentic jerseys:) our morning espresso came from a great little place called bacanal by our hostel and lunch consisted of the best burgers from bacoa. later that evening we met up with our new friends carlos and ricardo, brothers from mexico city, and headed out of the city towards camp nou. our seats were way near the top and the winds whipped hard through the packed stadium but it was glorious! futbol fans are some of the most exciting and the energy in the stands was contagious! as soon as the game was over (barca won!!) we ran half way around the stadium to meet up with the guys for a photo in the stadium but security sent us all out before we reached them so we settled for a photo out front. we could not have asked for a better way to end our trip!!!
if you missed the rest of our travels around spain, follow these links:
