The Farthest Away From Home I've Ever Been

Our time in the Basque Country has been spent between San Sebastián and Bilbao. After exploring the old district in San Sebastián we went to Alderdi Zahar, a cosy restaurant which was highly recommend to Logan by a family friend, where we had the menu of the day. Our time in Bilbao has been spent exploring the city, as well as the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (which was hosting a Goya exhibition), the Bilbosko Eueska Museoa, and the Guggenheim Museum. So far the Fine Arts Museum has been one of the most interesting places to visit, though the Guggenheim certainly had some pieces which stood out. On Thursday evening we stumbled across an Holy Week Procession. Several floats were carried through the streets over the coarse of a couple hours, with different brass bands and formations separating them. We also spent a couple of nights checking out various Pincho bars, which offer their own Basque style of tapas.

We caught a train out from Barcelona to the Montserrat mountain and then a gondola up to the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey. There were numerous walking tracks that weave their way around the mountain and look down onto the surrounding countryside and distant towns. There was also a museum with various paintings and sculptures, some relating to Montserrat others just featured exhibits.

The last two days have been spent exploring and site seeing. We went to the MACBA Museum of Contemporary Art, and saw some really interesting prices / exhibits. The ancient Catedral de Barcelona was an incredible sight. Towering spires and an enormous interior, with over 40 side chapels all intricately decorated, a crypt and a cloister. The whole area was stunning. Next door is the Frederic Marès Museum which houses his impressive collection of sculptures, many of which were Christian related and grouped by centuries, but there were also other miscellaneous collections such as photography, timepieces, pipes, and gentleman’s and ladies quarters. We also spent half a day exploring Antoni Gaudí’s various projects around the city. Unable to get inside, Segrada Familiar was still an incredible sight from every angle, and Park Güell offered a near perfect view looking down at the city of Barcelona.

Starting in the Plaça de Catalunya, we ventured down La Rambla (a 1.2 KM long street/mall with shops, cafes, news stands and stalls everywhere). Halfway down is a market (Marcat de la Boqueria) filled with stalls and little tapas eateries, and at the end is a pillar monument to Christopher Columbus (Monument a Colom). From there we made our way to the Barcelona Aquarium which focuses mostly on sea life in the Mediterranean. Close by was the History Museum of Catalonia, which took us on a tour through the history of the Catalonia region, beginning with the dawn of civilisation, then walking us through over 2000 years of history, the numerous empires that had occupied the land, and the culture it had shaped along the way. There was a lot of information to take in! We continued to explore the cities Gothic Quarter and stumbled across the Picasso Museum, which took us on a thorough tour through his life and artwork. From there we filled in the rest of the afternoon exploring, g...

After some uncomfortably long flights, countless coffees and getting lost in an Uber, we finally made it to the first hostel.