Following the adventures of Spring Break, it was off to Barcelona for the weekend with my friend Holly. It’s been on my bucket list to attend a FIFA fútbol match so at the end of January, Holly and I bought our tickets for the FC Barcelona vs. Palma Mallorca game! Our seats were centerfield, second stands up. After buying our #10 Messi jerseys we were ready to hit the stadium for a professional Spanish fútbol match!

           

       We took the midnight train from Granada to Barcelona, arriving into Barcelona early in the morning giving us the entire day to explore the city! Our hostel was amazing as well; I’d definitely recommend it to anyone traveling around Europe- the name was Equity Point. The prices were cheap, breakfast was included, the facilities were super clean and the staff was really personable! Plus, it was right in the heart of Barcelona, a minute from the metro stop, giving us perfect access to tour the entire city.  First day, we did the walk- through tour of La Sagrada Familia-  the church still in the process of being built. The end date for the construction is set in 2026 for a section of the building while the final completion for the entire church is 2040. That night we hit up an Ice Bar, which is on the coast. The entire bar is made of ice, including our drinks. We had to wear thermal coats and mittens in order to chill there. After this, we walked along the coast for a while until we came across the discoteca- “Opium”. At first we were hesitant to go in since they were turning away a majority of the people waiting in line but of course we decided to give it a shot. Good thing we did cause we made it in! Best part was we were standing in line behind a group of guys dressed in suits and there we were me wearing yoga leggings and Holly wearing an oversized Grandpa sweater. Somehow, the bouncer just asked us how many and then showed us the way in. It was definitely a highlight of the night!

Once in we headed towards the dance floor where we spotted the VIP section. My friend then makes it our goal for the night to make it into the VIP section, which I thought was a completely unattainable goal but somehow by the end of the night we had made it into VIP where there was free champagne and fruit platters for everyone! That night will definitely go down as one of the most spontaneous, epic nights of the semester!

            

         Waking up bright and early the next morning, we headed out for our first full day in Barcelona. Prior to the fútbol match, we took the metro around the city and explored more of Gaudí’s architecture as well as the food markets. We decided for dinner to make our own pesto sandwiches using products from the market. After buying all the ingredients we returned to the hostel where we met some boys staying in our room who were from Singapore, studying in London. Ironically enough, they had tickets to the game too so we decided to chill together before hand and head to the game as a group. That’s definitely one thing I love about hostels is the people you meet. Everyone’s so friendly and wanting to get to know others. We stayed in a room of 12 others so it was super easy to meet new people since there was a group of French students, Canadian travelers and the boys from Singapore.  It’s the perfect way to widen your social network.

            

          Arriving at the game, outside the stadium was packed with people. Everyone was crowding through the gates to enter the super store then the stadium. Finally entering, we found our seats center field, two levels up. It was an incredible view with the field and lights. The game resulted in a score of 5-0, FC Barcelona. They played Palma Mallorca which is ranked pretty low in the scorings for teams so it wasn’t a very competitive match but the overall experience made it all worth it. With each goal, the crowd burst into cheers and went wild. The wave continuously went around as fans created chants and cheers. We sat next to two adorable, old men who spoke Catalan, the language of Barcelona. They kept trying to talk soccer with us but unfortunately; we weren’t able to understand them.  Best part was watching the teams warm up and score each goal; their foot skills will put you in a trance watching them!

           

       Following the win, we met up with the Singapore guys to celebrate FC Barca’s victory. We headed to the hostel to chill in the lounge until it was time to hit the discoteca! The rest of the night was spent dancing and laughing with some new- found friends!

          

       The next day we explored the city for our final day. We visited the Picasso museum as well as Park Güell and then the beach. Unfortunately, the weather became overcast while we were on the pier so the beach was pretty cold. We ate empanadas for lunch while strolling near the marine area. It was the perfect way to end one epic weekend in FC Barcelona, where the city’s motto (the fútbol team’s motto) is where “Impossible is Nothing”.