Standing at the top of the summit among the clouds, I looked out in awe at how high we had climbed. Tall, strangely configured rocky formations surrounded us, like hands reaching up to the sky. Looking down at the small houses below, it was hard to image that just earlier that day, we had been there. After 3 long hours, what felt like hundreds of stairs, and lots of breaks to take pictures, we had finally made it to el Monasterio de Montserrat, a beautiful monastery at the top of the Montserrat mountain in Spain.
This past week, two of my friends and I traveled to Barcelona, Spain. Vibrant colors, fun-loving people, and a unique landscape with both mountains and beaches dominate the country. The first time I stepped foot into the city, I immediately fell in love with the culture, one that I had studied for years in Spanish classes, but had yet to experience. The people were so friendly and wonderfully loud, something I hadn't realized I missed until leaving Denmark, whose culture is much more quiet and humble. It was also great being able to communicate with the locals and understand what was going on around me, unlike in Denmark whose language is so hard for me to understand.
We arrived late Sunday night and checked into our first AirBnb, a cute loft that had once been an old ceramics studio in the neighborhood of San Cugat de Valles. The light brick walls were covered with pictures, paintings, and drawings and hundreds of books lined the bookshelves, a cozy space filled with so much history. After getting some much needed sleep after the late traveling, we went on a walking tour to see as much of the Gaudí architecture in the city that we could including a tour of
La Sagrada Familia
El Parque Güell
and la Casa Batlló
After seeing the buildings, we sat down and had some traditional Spanish paella and went back to our loft for the night.
The next day, my personal favorite, we climbed to el Monestario de Montserrat, an amazingly satisfying experience. Even though we were sweating profusely and our legs were dying from the hundreds of rocky steps we had climbed, it was so worth it. The views were amazing, the weather was perfect, and the monastery was beautiful.We also met some really nice people, including another hiker from New York. Here are a few pictures from that perfect day.
On Wednesday, we took the day to travel to our next AirBnb, which was located in Castelldefels, a beach-side neighborhood where all of the Barcelona Soccer players allegedly hang out. For the next few days we stayed here, hung out on the beach, and enjoyed our last few days in the country.
In between our time at the beach, we decided to go into the city center of Barcelona for Halloween. The city was so energetic and vibrant, people laughing and smiling, some dressed up and other just having a good time. Here we got some traditional tapas, went shopping for souvenirs on La Rambla, and saw the fountain light show.
Throughout the week, we only got a small taste of what is means to live in Spain, but even just this small bite left me wanting more. I want to learn more about the culture, the language, and most importantly the people. I hope that one day, I can come back again to experience more of what this beautiful country has to offer.