Spring Break: Barcelona

I knew Barcelona would be cool based on the number of people I know who love it, but I really didn't know much about it. What I didn't expect was that it would end up having some of my favorite spots in the world.

I didn't know anything about Antonio Gaudí before my trip, but he's now my favorite architect by far. Parc Güell and La Sagrada Família, both of which he designed, were two of the coolest places I've ever seen. Parc Güell had such cool features and felt nothing like your typical park. The mosaic gardens inside were well worth the visit too, though I honestly thought the parts around them were even cooler.

In La Sagrada Família, I had to remind myself to keep my mouth closed after my jaw dropped. The outside, which is still under construction after 100 years, looks like a sort of creepy castle. But when you step inside, you're met with stained glass reflecting on white pillar-like structures that reach up to an incredibly high ceiling. It's designed to feel like a forest inside, and pictures can't do justice to the unreal design.


One thing I was surprised I enjoyed as much as I did was the "magic fountain," Font màgica de Montjuïc. At night, it features a light show set to music. Normally I can only watch things like that for so long before getting bored, but the varied music selection, which ranged from Destiny's Child to choral hymns, kept it interesting, and I couldn't keep my eyes off the changing colors.

At least among the college crowd, Barcelona is probably best known for its nightlife, and it was everything I'd hoped for. The clubs don't start filling up until 2 a.m., meaning rolling home after sunrise is pretty common. We went to a club called Opium, which is located on the beach, giving my friends and I the chance to escape the club scene for a bit and chill by the water.