Columbia College Comes to Barcelona

August 5, 2012

This weekend, I had a visitor from Columbia College: Kate Shugar, a former classmate in the French program at Columbia College.  She arrived late on Saturday night to the Sants train station and we headed home to eat a pizza and have girl talk until the wee hours of the morning.  It was SO great to have someone from home here in Barcelona with me. 

The next day, we headed off to explore the city.  We visited the Sagrada Familia, the Park Guell, the Gothic neighborhood, and walked along the beach, of course.  Later that night, we went to the Magic Fountain which was amazing, as always.

The following day, we went to Sitges (a town about an hour’s drive from Barcelona).  I don’t know if I’ve told y’all yet, but I’m absolutely IN LOVE with Sitges.  It is one of the most beautiful cities in Catalunya (in my opinion, at least).  It has old narrow, windy streets; white buildings with blue shutters; the Mediterranean Sea; tons of excitement; and small-town charm.  Kate was completely enamored with Sitges as well and after spending the afternoon playing in the surf, perusing the streets of the city, and having an AMAZING dinner at a hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant in the city center, we finally headed back to Barcelona.

On the final day of Kate’s visit, we walked up and down the Ramblas de Catalunya and visited the beach boardwalk of Barceloneta one final time.  As Kate boarded her train that afternoon, I was sad to see her go, but extremely thrilled that I was able to share the magic and wonder of my new home with a fellow Columbia College woman =)