<h2>Dancing in the streets of Barcelona </h2>

¡Hola mis guapos!

Last week I flew to Spain with 5 girls from my Spanish class and I must say Barcelona lives up to all the expectations derived from the Ed Sheeran song. The 5 days we were there offered so much culture and excitement, not the place for a relaxing long weekend if you ask me.

First of all, I should mention where we stayed. Since we were a bunch of 18 year olds looking for a week of clubbing we decided to stay in a hostel called Sant Jordi Alberg. This a HUGE contrast to the quiet hotel we stayed in last year in Mallorca, but it gave us exactly what we bargained for. We made so many friends from all across the globe, from Brazil, Australia, Puerto Rico, and we went out every. single. night.

Despite the hangovers, we managed to do the essential tourist must-sees. Being the crazy Gaudí fan that I am, I'm obliged to talk about the architecture. I actually spoke to someone staying at the hostel who was studying architecture who told me he hated Gaudí because, as architecture, his work is simply pointless. I understood his opinion, but from my point of view Gaudí's work is more like art. It doesn't have to be functional, because as I see it, Gaudí's work is to please the eye and that's exactly what it did. We visited Park Güell, Casa Batlló, La Sagrada Familia, of course, and my personal favourite, La Pedrera (Casa Míla). Although La Pedrera is rather expensive, it is worth it. The view from the top was breathtaking and it made for some very nice Instagram pictures ;)
We also wandered up and down Las Ramblas, perfect for souvenirs, and went to the market where we bought a very elaborate Spanish style picnic.

The nightlife was buzzing, particularly since our hostel was very central. Club Coconut was a small but lively place on the front which was very typically Spanish. The songs were Spanish, everyone was clapping and there was lots and lots and lots of tequila. There was also Opium, which gave more of a heels and dresses vibe. The music was great if you like electronic dance music, but it was difficult to enjoy when every 5 minutes you were approached by a different group of men over 30 asking if you wanted to go back to their hotel or trying to feel you in totally inappropriate places. Tip: if ever in that position TELL THEM TO GO AWAY OR MOVE YOURSELF! It's important to be firm or you'll be taken advantage of. Okay, life lesson over. Also, we ordered 2 cocktails and it came to $34 so don't go to Opium on a low budget if you're planning on having a few to drink.

Finally, I have to rave about the food. TAPAS is officially my favourite thing ever. I love it so much I held a tapas night for my family. My boyfriend, Matthew, and I made all sorts of dishes, my favourite of which was actually the easiest to make: peppadews stuffed with feta. BBC good-food was a lifesaver, not gonna lie.

Although Barcelona is very tourist based you still get the authentic Spanish vibes wherever you go. I really regret not visiting a flamenco bar whilst we were there though, that is definitely on my to-do list for the next time I go to Spain. In my opinion, you can't live your whole life without one trip to Barcelona and let's be honest, the weather is always going to be better than it is in England!