Barcelona, Spain

So last weekend I had a small vacation from Siena and went to Barcelona to meet up with my friend Steph. For only spending a few days in Spain I got to see a good amount of the city and get a taste of the culture and experience the Spanish night life. Barcelona isn't like any other city I've seen before. While it definitely has modern aspects the architecture on the buildings that have been preserved isn't really identifiable and reminds me a bit of a Dr. Seuss- like world. This combined with the diverse group of tourists and the street performers and musicians everywhere definitely added to the unique feel of the city. After getting in late Thursday night, first thing Friday morning I went to find the Sagrada Familia only to realize it was right down the street from my hostel. While the lines were really long and I didn't get a chance to go inside, it was really spectacular to see this grand cathedral that was started hundreds of years ago still being constructed today. After Steph and I walked around a bit and made our way down to the beach stopping to take pictures along the way. Saturday after an amazing piece of banana bread at Brunch & Cake I wandered around the city from Las Ramblas and the Mercat Boqueria to the Gothic district, seeing the famous Barcelona Cathedral to Plaza Catalunya and all the way to Park Guell ending with a panoramic view of the city. After we went down to the water to see the sunset before getting dinner near the Arch de Triumph. Sunday morning, earlier than I would want to ever wake up, I checked out of my hostel and took a train to the airport catching a beautiful sunrise as my last look of Barcelona before flying back to Italy. After a very long day of travel I made it safely back to Siena just in time to see the sun setting behind the Tuscan hills.