Barcelona and Istanbul

Barcelona and Istanbul

Hello All!

My last trips during my semester abroad were to Barcelona, Spain and Istanbul, Turkey. Both of these cities were places I never expected to visit, but I’m incredibly glad I did!

Barcelona

Barcelona was beautiful. We arrived at night, when the weather was nice and cool. The first morning we walked to the beach, which was my main reason for wanting to visit the city. The beach was beautiful, but the water was very, very cold!

After spending some time at the beach we decided to get a traditional Spanish breakfast – chocolate con churros. It was delicious!

The city of Barcelona is gorgeous – light and airy architecture surrounded by mountains, and (of course) the sea.

One of the best parts of Barcelona is Las Ramblas, a beautiful stone, tree-lined, lamp-lit boulevard that runs from the Placa de Cataluyna to the Mediterranean Sea. It reminded me of Paris, especially the beautiful black rod iron lamps. The main tourist attraction of Barcelona is La Sagrada Familia, a cathedral designed by the famous architect Gaudi. Construction was started 150 years ago and it still hasn’t been finished!

Istanbul

Istanbul is an amazing city, filled with good food and very old architecture. Here are some of my favorite pictures:

Turkish Coffee

Baklava

The Asian Side of Istanbul

Turkish Tea

Inside the Hagia Sofia