For the past few days I had the opportunity to travel with a few of the other students to visit the lovely city of Barcelona. Early in the morning I awoke to catch a subway to the train station, and was supposed to meet a friend on the way. When she missed the metro, I met up with the rest of the group somewhat in a panic, but almost immediately after a quick prayer she showed up, saying that her alarm was set for an hour later than she hoped to get up. Fortunately, she made it with time to spare for the train, but it is always a good opportunity to be thankful to God for providing in every situation (some more tangible than others).
The trip up was lovely; the train tracks literally run right along the Mediterranean coastline, and we got to see the sunrise over the sea. Once we got to Barcelona, we made our way to the hostel to check in and leave our bags. Though some hostels may get a bad rap, the one we stayed in was actually quite nice (we checked lots of reviews). The place had a theme throughout of "tailors," so there were old sewing machines, clothes, and retro decor. Plus, you have the chance to meet people from all over the world, such as the guys I spoke to from Poland and France.
On the first day, we took a free tour through the older part of the city. One of the guides tried to get us to take it in English since we are from the US, but I managed to convince him that we would prefer it in Spanish, and to not worry (about his tips) because we wouldn't be leaving early. Though it was pretty long (3+ hours), he took us down many smaller streets to see things we would normally not have seen, such as one of the oldest Jewish synagogues in Barcelona or the street were Picasso frequently sat outside. That evening we went across town to find that the infamous magic fountain was under construction, which was a bummer, but didn't ruin the trip. After walking through the olympic park from the '92 games, we caught a concert before the night's end.
Day two was crazy busy, but we got to see so many of the famous tourist-y sites around Barcalona. First, we went to La Sagrada Familia, which is one of the most famous churches in Europe. It has been under construction for over 134 years, and will not be done for another decade! Because it is so old, I expected the interior to be simlar to other older churches, but it actually was rather distinct; it was mostly white with very brightly stained glass windows, and had very sharp edges in much of the design; a drastic contrast from the exterior. I also loved the back portion of the outside of the church, as there was a progression of the story of Christ's crucifixcion from the garden of Gethsemene to the cross, displayed in a series of nine or ten sets of sculptures. I enjoyed it very much, but was a little disappointed that the final depiction was of Christ on the cross, as the story doesn't end there!
From the Sagrada Familia, we went to Gaudi's Parc Guell, and actually stopped in a grocery store to buy some food for a picnic lunch to eat in the famous park, saving lots of money in the process. The park was pretty interesting, definitely unique in the way that the tiled mosics are covering the winding benches and sculptures, as well as how there is a combination of the abstract with more tradtional style, such as the roman columns, included. We next went up a mountain via riding a subway, funicular, and bus, then hiking to get to the top of Tibidabo mountain, where there is a beautiful church and arguably the best view of the city. A little chilly, but definitely worth the tough journey. For dinner afterward we found a place on the famous La Ramblas street, which apparently was featured in a Cheetah Girls movie, but I didn't see it.
Our final day we actually were able to stop into Hillsong Barcelona for a service. The people were friendly, the energy was very high (something missing in a lot of churches), and the message was engaging, but my friends and I felt that it could have had a little added depth and/or application. For me it's very challenging not to be hypercritical of churches, as I have had the priveledge of attending some really great ones, so I will say that I liked the emphasis they had on outreach and inviting others as well as becoming involved in small groups and building up community of believers. After lunch, we went toward the Picasso museum, but because it is free on Sundays the line was literally hundreds of people long, so instead we checked out the nearby museum of world history. Though I normally would never have gone in, I'm glad that I did, as it had lots of relics and objects from ancient tribes and peoples from all over the world. We then raced back to the train station, and said adios to Barcelona. It was a quick weekend, but an incredibly good time of developing closer friendships with those I went with and visiting sites around a new city.