Anyone who truly knows me, knows I love traveling. A few months back, I wrote an article about steps to studying abroad, based on my Rutgers Study Abroad experience in Rome during Spring 2017. While I was there, I was fortunate enough to branch out and visit other countries— including Spain!
During Spring Break, my friends and I were trying to figure out what we should do. After much deliberation, we decided to head on over to Spain. Flights within the EU were pretty cheap, (shout out to RyanAir), we would have plenty of time to explore, and the weather in Barcelona was perfect. All we had to do was book our AirBnB and we were good to go!
Words couldn’t describe how excited I was to go to Spain. The culture, the food, the music, was always so enticing to me. (Plus I finally got to live out my childhood dream of becoming a Cheetah Girl lol). The sun was shining as soon as we arrived. Our AirBnB was located in the heart of the city, and our trip was already off to a perfect start.
Fantastic Eats!
One of the best parts of any travel experience is the cuisine. My first meal in Barcelona was an authentic, seafood paella, that was completely out of this world! Later that night, my friends and I hit up a quaint tapas bar for some yummy eats. This wasn’t like a normal tapas bar you would find in New York City, I experienced the real deal. Next, I finally got to go to the Instagram famous Brunch & Cake, for a delicious, fulfilling breakfast. Lastly, I took a walk on the wild side and I tried a squid ink bagel. At first, I was like “wtf is a squid ink bagel,” but I was in Spain and I was not about to pass up the opportunity to try something new —no regrets!
Beautiful Sights!
Next were the beautiful sights that make Barcelona one of the top destinations for any world traveler. La Sagrada Familia (first pic), is one of the most famous churches in Europe, if you travel to Barcelona, visiting the Sagrada Familia is a must. I had seen pictures of it on social media but it was nothing compared to the real thing.
Next, we took a day trip to Barceloneta, which is a seaside area of Barcelona. As a California girl, I can tell you that not all beaches are created equal. So while I was itching to get to the beach, I wasn’t sure what I was in for. Luckily, I was not disappointed. The beach was absolutely beautiful—white sand, blue water, everything about the beach was perfect.
Lastly, we went to the Carmel Bunkers, which is a viewpoint that lets you see the entire city of Barcelona. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Mind you, the wind was blowing at what seemed like 100 miles per hour (hence my shirt flying up in the pic above…oops). It was totally worth the hike!
Conclusion
Traveling is one of the greatest joys in life — these days it’s once in a lifetime experience. It doesn’t matter if you’re traveling internationally, or just a couple states over, if you’re in a position to travel—take advantage of it. Try some new foods, immerse yourself in the local culture, who knows maybe you’ll even fall in love. Either way, expand your horizons and live your life regret free!
*All images via: Raychelle Rhodes