119 days sounds like plenty of time to travel and see everything there is to see, right? Well factor in; class, field trips, homework, money, and exploring the city of Athens, it’s not. Thankfully CYA offered spring students 3 optional trips, Venice and Ravenna, Barcelona, and Crete.

3 a.m.

Rise and shine! Headed to the buses with our bags packed, 25 students from CYA are off on a weekend adventure to Barcelona, Spain. After getting through security we were off to find a cafe where we could get our caffeine fix before boarding the plane. A quick nap, a layover in Rome, and a bumpy landing later, we arrived in Barcelona.

Day 1

After arriving, we gathered our bags and headed to the bus for a panoramic tour of the city.

Mayor’s Look Out, a beautiful look out point that is right on the coast. Not only could you see the water fade into the horizon, but also the city skyline with the spiked the Sagrada Familia Basilica and the Torre Agbar.

We ate a quick lunch at the look out and were off to the Miro Museum, a museum of modern art honoring Joan Miro. Off to one side there was an exceptional exhibit that displayed other artists work, and to the other side was Miro’s work which consisted of paintings, drawings, and cultures.

The final stop of the day was at MACAB, Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona. The museum consisted of three floors and multiple rooms on each with different themes. My personal favorite was on the 3rd floor where the theme was food of the world. Within that exhibit there was one sculpture in particular that stood out, it was a huge table of colored loafs of bread. This sculpture spread the span of the room and at each end had two tables with salt on it and signs flashing salt, sugar. And if anyone knows me they know I love salt!

Olivia and I set off in search of something close to the hotel. We found a cute restaurant next to the water called, Tapa Tapa! If you ever have the chance to go, I highly recommend the lobster paella, any tapas of your choosing (they were all delicious), and the pink mojito. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! For those of you who are thinking, what are tapas? Tapas are small Spanish savoury dishes, typically served with drinks at a bar.

Day 2

Breakfast came early the next morning at 8 am but was made okay by some bacon, eggs, and croissants. Back on the bus we headed to Port Olympia. A versatile beach and home to the Olympic Village from the Olympic games in Barcelona. Filled with clubs, cafes, casinos, and beach sports galore.

The true highlight of the trip was our visit to the Sagrada Famillia. Not going to lie these pictures are awful compared to the magnitude of the basilica. It doesn’t fit in one photo. One side is in the form of cubism, depicting the passion of Christ and the other is gothic architecture which depicts the birth of Christ. The Sagrada Familia is not fully-built yet, it will gain enough hight to be the tallest tower dedicated to Christ. The inside of the sanctuary is massive and extremely detailed, all the way down to the pillars, which are shaped like trees. The stain glass was hand created in a mosaic fashion. Gaudi believed that there should be very little artificial light in the sanctuary, hence why there are so many windows.

Fun fact: Antoni Gaudi, the architect, neglected his appearance to the extent that many times he was taken for a beggar!

Parc Guell is a public park that reflects upon Gaudi’s naturalist phase. It contains much of Gaudi’s mosaic artwork and has since been converted into a municipal garden. The focal point of the park is the main terrace which is surround by a mosaic, serpentine bench.

Homeward Bound

Barcelona was beautiful, it took my breath away, but I will admit it made me miss my home here in Athens.