After my trip in Paris, it was my first time ever experiencing the real feelings of being “alone” in a “foreign country”. The idea hit me pretty hard and got me scared and trembling. I finally got my ass on the plane and decided my next destination would be Spain. Barcelona was the closest and cheapest place to enter into from France. Barcelona it was!
It was a relief knowing I was at least going somewhere so I no longer felt scared. I landed in Barcelona and immediately walked out to catch the cab for around $30 USD to get to “Hostel O’Paralelo”. I read some raving reviews about this place being “super friendly” and in a good location. Since I was desperate for friends, I booked this place without a second thought. What a great decision I made! Not only did I make new close friends but it made everything felt very homey. I had such a good time the four days I was in Barcelona that I basically forgot to take pictures while I was there (which I personally regret).
First day, I met the staff and they were incredibly friendly to me. They let me play music in the lobby/kitchen then we started chatting about my travel experiences. The staff later invited me to join their communal hostel dinner for free then party together later into the evening. I agreed! It was just nice to be able to talk to a person lol. I no longer felt alone.
I finally went to my room where there were 3 other hostel mates. I saw a friendly face in the bunk bed right next to me so I quickly introduced myself to this Canadian friend. The conversation went on great as burningman became our main topic of interest and also a common factor for us both. From there on, we explored Barcelona together on foot for the next 3 days.
1st night in, the entire hostel got together and had a very drunk Spanish dinner in the backyard. We played really bad music for the fun of it all then we all walked on over to the night club around 2am on a Monday. The club was huge and completely packed. Loud American rock music was playing and everyone was dancing and jumping around. I was just blown away to the fact that “it was a Monday morning” and everyone is clubbing. America doesn’t do that lol. Blew my mind! I actually got tired and hungry at 2:30am so my sweet Canadian friend walked me back to the hostel, after he went back to the club. From there, I ran into my other 2 Norwegian hostel mates smoking a joint with their skateboards in their hands. I welcomed myself to use their skateboard and in their cool Norwegian accents they said “go for it!”. I took one of the skateboards and just road downhill into the empty streets of Barcelona. It was quiet, no one was out. All I heard was my own voice shouting out laughter and the two Norwegians that were smiling and cheering me on while I was going fast down the street. This was around 3am. What a time to remember!
2nd, 3rd, 4th night in, I took strolls around Barcelona by myself and discovered great architectures, great food, the busy beach, beautiful parks nearby, and cool fun shops. But what I mostly fell in love with is the old and crampy narrow streets. It was different from what I ever seen in America. I also spent some days hanging out with my hostel mates discovering other parts of Barcelona on foot, including the famous soccer stadium. Also, Barcelona has a beautiful park with row boats, a huge fountain, etc. Good thing I found this place by accident.
I actually extended my stay for one more day. I wanted to leave when most of my hostel mates were checking out.
My time in Barcelona was amazing and it’s mostly because I was always surrounded by great folks. Great people and beautiful city.
Traveling Photographer 