Beach Bums in Barcelona

We flew to Barcelona from Milan in the afternoon and decided that we definitely prefer taking trains over flying. Some people might think that flying is faster, but the whole airport process takes about the same time as it would to take the train. Plus on the train we can relax the entire time!

When we got to Barcelona we hurried to our hotel to put our stuff away and then ran to meet up to take another Fat Tire Bike Tour. Our tour guide took us around the city explaining the history and architecture of the city. 

We stopped by a park right beside the Barcelona Zoo and found a big statue of a mammoth. So of course we thought this was a great photo op.

Next we went by Me Grada Familia, a church designed by the famous architect Gaudi. This church was started year and is not estimated to be finished for at least 75 years.

At the end of the tour we stopped at the beach to get some dinner and drink some sangria.

The next day we went to Stiges a beach outside the city. Our bike tour guide recommended this beach because it is less crowded, has softer sand and is way more beautiful. The beach was full of locals, which was kind of a culture shock for us. We stood out as tourists because we were the only ones with our swimsuit tops on. We stayed on the beach all day relaxing in the sun and working on our tans. 

That night we went to watch the Magic Fountain. It is a large fountain that does a light show to music and it was surprising entertaining to watch.

 

Although the music was not our personal favorite with many songs from the 90’s the light and water show was one of the coolest things we have seen. 

Home Sweet Bergamo

We arrived in Milan early from our night train and freshened up in the train station bathroom. One of the first things we had to do was get some authentic Italian gelato, this was one of the things we had been waiting for the whole trip. 

Then we went to see the Duomo and walked around the city center before our reservations to view The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. To view The Last Supper we had to plan ahead, we had to book the tickets two months in advance because only 30 people are allowed to view it at one time. Once inside Santa Maria delle Grazie you are only aloud to view the painting for 15 minutes.

The painting was large and it covered an entire wall. It was painted in 1498 and has been restored many times. The most interesting part of the painting was the different expressions on the apostle’s faces and how they depict their personalities.

After the viewing we headed directly to Bergamo to meet up with our friend Carrie. Two summers again we both studied abroad here so we were very excited to go back. The students had a party at a local winery that night so we went to meet up with them. The winery was on the side of a small mountain that had a beautiful view of the city. 

After the winery we went to Citta Alta to hang out at our favorite restaurant for some drinks with Carrie. We were so excited to be back in Bergamo to see the city and some familiar faces.

Next stop Barcelona!