Hotel Vela

Hotel W, or Hotel Vela as the locals call it, is the huge hotel on the beach that looks like a boat sail. This weekend my roommates and I rented out an enormous suite overlooking the sea. We spent the entire weekend relaxing on the beach and near the pool, soaking up the great weather on our last weekend in Barcelona.

It was a great weekend and we had a party on Saturday night. The party was fun, but the time spent laying in the sun allowed us to think and realize that we would be leaving Barcelona in just over a week.

It was a nice way to end our semester in Barcelona. The time spent here was unbelievable and the best experience of my life. The food, night life, city, culture, and everything I got to experience here over the past 4 months have all made me into a better person.

Barcelona is now my favorite city in the world!

Olé!

Today I went to the opening day of bullfighting in the Monumental de Barcelona stadium. Bullfighting is something that I did not defend or oppose until today. I can now say that this sport should be abolished in Barcelona, and eventually all of Spain.

The bull is tortured throughout the duration of the "fight" and is stabbed repeatedly until it is exhausted and can barely stand. Then the matador stabs the bull in the neck and finally kills it. I saw six fights and could not bare any more.

Attending the fight was an amazing experience however. It is one of the most traditional Spanish events I have attended and was a great cultural experience. It is something I recommend all students do once while studying abroad.

El Raval

For our last class trip we visited El Raval, located on the left side of Plaza Catalunya. It is a very old area that is home to some of the older buildings and less wealthy people, it is also inhabited by a lot of younger people during the daytime.

We saw the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, which is the museum of contemporary art. The area is also home to the Universitat de Barcelona campus. The campus is currently undergoing some minor construction but appears to be a great area to hang out and go to class.

The area is slowly being redone; there are currently parks under construction and the government of Barcelona appears to be interested in adding much more green space into the narrow and dim-lit neighborhood.

Munich.....Almost

We were on line to board our flight to Munich, Germany on April 16th, when at the last second, our flight was cancelled. My friends and I were really upset due to the fact that we would not be able to attend Springfest, the beer festival in Munich. This was also the last trip we had scheduled this semester, and because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland flights all over Europe were canceled.

However, once we arrived back in Barcelona from the Girona Airport, we stayed at the Hotel W for the rest of the weekend. Although we were still upset over not making it to Munich and being able to spend time with our friends who were lucky enough to get there, we still had a great time relaxing by the pool.

FC Barcelona 3 - 0 Deportivo de La Coruna

For the third straight time, I went to a Barcelona game to see the other side shut out. Maybe I should continue going to every game as a good luck charm.

Today, Bojan, Pedro, and Toure scored. Pedro scored a phenomenal goal off of a bad clearance from the Deportivo goalkeeper. He shot the misplayed clearance from about half field and curved it right into the goal over the head of the retreating keeper. Simply amazing.

As my study abroad experience comes to an end, I am encouraged to soak up as much of the Barcelona culture as I can; to me that includes attending and viewing as many FC Barca matches as possible.

FC Barca 2 - 0 Osasuna

After we enjoyed a great meal at Tapas 24, I took my friends to Camp Nou, this was my second time watching a game live. We won 2 - 0 on scores from Ibrahimovic and Bojan. My friends really enjoyed watching the best team in the world and were really happy that they got to see Leo Messi, even despite not getting to see him score a goal.

Tapas 24

I also took my friends out to a traditional Spanish dinner. They had never eaten Spanish food so I decided to take them to one of my favorite restaurants in all of Barcelona. Tapas 24 is located on Carrer de la Diputacio, right next to Passeig de Gracia.

This restaurant is extremely popular and it is often hard to get a table; it is always packed.

We ordered patatas bravas, carne con chimichurri sauce, alitas de pollo, hamburguesas, ensalada rusa, and much more. Along with a bottle of wine, this is truly one of the best places to eat in Barcelona.