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Waves of Thoughts



Another trip, another post! And this time the destination was Barcelona (Bcn). My friends and I have been dreaming about this trip since last year and we finally got around to do it! So here is my experience and thoughts on this lovely city.


DAY 1

I woke up at 6h30 and got to our meeting point at 7am. However, due to delays, we only arrived at the airport at 8h40, 15 minutes before our gate closing time! Sara and I ran through security, lost Patricia in the meantime as she got fully checked, then flew by the duty-free section, got the shuttle train but still managed to get to our gate just in time. What a start to the trip!
We arrived in Barcelona around 11h40, with big smiles on our faces due to the excitement. We tried to figure out how to get to the city centre, hopped on a train and 20 minutes later, there we were: sunny Bcn!
First things first, we had to leave our luggage at the hostel, so that is exactly what we did. After that, we wandered around, trying to find a place to have lunch at. Now, this is where everything actually starts falling apart. I was feeling so tired but thought it was just due to being hungry. Nonetheless, as soon as I sat down at the restaurant, I realised it was much more than that: I was actually getting sick. And so, after lunch, I passed by a pharmacy on my way back to the hostel and went back to the room, where I spent the rest of the day resting.

DAY 2

Thankfully the rest and the meds I bought really helped as I woke up feeling much better.
The first thing on our to-do lists was the 'New Europe Tour' we had booked. While waiting for it to start, we had breakfast at cappUKccino. The tour was really interesting. It lasted 2h30 and our guide was the funniest and wisest. He told us so many stories and legends while we walked through the Gothic and Jewish Quarters. Some of the highlights we saw were the Catedral de Barcelona, Igreja de Santa Maria del Mar (known as the Church by the Sea due to its prior proximity to the sea) and to finalise, El Born Centre Cultural (where you can find the remains of the old village that Bcn used to be).

  
   

After the tour, and following our guide's advice, we made our way to the Parc de la Ciutadella, where we relaxed for a bit and contemplated the waterfall. Since there were some protests going on that day, we did not manage to get close to the Palau del Parlament de Catalunya. Close to the park, you can also find the Arc de Triomf.

  


After lunch, we made our way to the Palau de la Musica Catalana. Unfortunately, the tours that day had just terminated so we did not manage to go in.


Nearby is the Mercat de Santa Catarina, where we had a fresh juice.



Next stop was the well-known Las Ramblas. This consists of a really long street filled with stores and street performances. Some of the things we did along the way: visited the busy Mercat de la Boqueria, had a delicious hot chocolate at Escribà and met up with a friend (that is currently on his year abroad) at the Flaherty's Irish Pub.



After that, he took us to see the sunset at the lovely Port de Barcelona. 

  


And to finalise the day, we watched the show at the Font Màgica de Montjuïc. It starts slightly before 7pm during the winter months and each session lasts around 25 minutes. It was honestly one of my favourite things to visit!

  
  

DAY 3

Unfortunately, the final day of our short getaway arrived.
The first stop was La Sagrada Familia. There are no words or photos that could ever explain how beautiful and impressive the Basilica is!


Afterwards, we hopped on the metro and made our way to the Universitat de Barcelona. The architecture is stunning and the small gardens within it the cutest.


Close by, you can find Passeig de Gràcia. This is another long street with the fanciest stores. In addition to this, this is where you find many of the Gaudi creations: Casa Amatller, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà and Casa Comalat are some of the ones we saw along the way. A bit further and slightly less known, but definitely worth the 20-minute walk, is the Casa Vicens.


And still close to the area is the Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia, one of the most dynamic areas in Barcelona: the perfect mix between old and new. This is where we had a delicious lunch that day.



The Platja de la Barceloneta was our next destination. The weather that day was so nice I was even wearing a dress! And obviously, we could not leave Barcelona without checking out the beach! On the way back we also had an ice cream.

  


The next spot was actually too painful to get to: Bunkers del Carmel. It was definitely worth the 20-minute insane and steep climb from the closest metro station, though. However, I 100% recommend you take a bus instead!




And just 15 minutes away you can find the famous Parc Güell. Tickets to the park are 8.50€ and that morning, when we tried to reserve them, the only timetable available was 6pm. Now, we had read that before opening and after closing entrance is free. And as the park was supposed to close at 7pm, we opted to try our luck to see if what we had read was true. And to our surprise it indeed was! The timing was also so perfect as we saw the sunset with a beautiful view of the city!




To conclude the day, we met again with our friend at Las Ramblas, where we had tapas, Paella and a Mojito to celebrate our final dinner.




FINAL THOUGHTS:

  • Where we stayed
We stayed at the lovely No Limit Hostel Grafitti, a 10-minute walk away from La Sagrada Familia. I really enjoyed our stay: the hostel was very clean, everyone was extremely friendly and the location just perfect. In addition to this, you can sign up for free dinner everyday: the perfect opportunity to meet new people!

Booking.com



  • Transportation
We bought the T-10 ticket, which is ideal for a 2-3 day trip. It costs 10€ and gives you 10 trips, which you can split between trains, metros and buses. 
Something to keep in mind is that you can use this ticket to and from the airport as well, as it is still within zone 1. However, the metro is not included: you can only use the train!



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 Last Tuesday, 12th of March of 2019, I went to Oslo. 

It was the most spontaneous trip ever. My friends and I were hanging out by the lakes at my university. It was a beautiful sunny and warm day. In addition to the good mood, we all felt the need to break the monotony of lectures and assignments and were craving an exciting adventure. Luckily enough, RyanAir was having promotions. That is when we found tickets to Oslo for £4.98 (?!?!?!?!??). Without hesitating or thinking twice, we bought the tickets. 

Two weeks after that, the day we were expecting arrived. We 'slept' at Sara's place (which basically equals to one hour of proper sleep). At 3.45am the alarm rang and we started making our way to the airport. We were all so tired that we slept pretty much the entire flight. In fact, I woke up with the announcement that we would be landing in 30 minutes. I looked through the window and saw a beautiful white forest. 


As soon as we landed, we could already feel the cold. But really, how could you not when you're Portuguese and are used to warm weather and your body is randomly presented with -8°C?

Now, first things first, we needed to get to the city centre. We followed the signs and managed to get to the train terminals, where we bought a student return ticket for around 200 NOK (which roughly equals to £18). The train trip was really magical. We passed the most stunning views: forests and charming houses covered with snow. 

Twenty minutes later, we were in central Oslo. Although we had some ideas of things to visit, we did not have much of a plan for the day. The goal of the trip really was to bond and explore, without any restrictions.

However, and to our surprise, as soon as we got to the station, we saw a sign to Operahuset, Oslo's Opera House, one of the landmarks we were actually considering visiting. The national opera and ballet theatre is an impressive building, all covered in Italian marble. The coolest thing about it is that you can walk all over it, including the rooftop, from where you get amazing views of the city.

 


Next stop was the Tøyen's Botanical Gardens. Honestly, I was quite disappointed with them. On one hand, I acknowledge I should have not expected much from a garden covered in snow. On the other hand, the greenhouses and museums around it were technically open until 4pm. Nevertheless, for some reason, we were not able to visit any since they were all closed! Despite all of this, I reckon its potential for a lovely visit during Spring or Summer. 

 

At this point, we were freezing, hungry and tired. So we made our way back to the train station, where most restaurants are. Sadly, due to high prices and a slight lack of variety, we just opted for BK, where we rested for a while. We had planned to continue sightseeing at 2pm but, as Sara fell asleep at the table, Stefi and I decided to get another coffee to warm up. I had a delicious white mocha at Expresso House, where we were very well received: from nice chats to extra chocolate syrup!


We got back, finished our coffee and started walking towards the Havnepromenade. A few minutes into the walk, it started snowing. You can imagine how content I, a Portuguese that has seen snow 4 times throughout her almost 20 years of existence, felt. One of the cool things we saw along the way was the 'We Are Still The Same' project, at the Arctic Pyramid, near the Sauana. This consists of a series of torn everyday shirts displayed along the tunnel, representatives of different people coming together in one single space simultaneously.
'We still act like fish, always going in a group,
following each other in the same direction,
like a shoal of fish. We are a part of
nature, and nature is within us.'
- Artist Kaarina Kaikkonen

 


Next, we decided to visit Akershus Fortress. The medieval castle has been the home for the Royal Family, a military base during WWII and nowadays, a museum. Very near, you can also find the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum as well as Norway's Resistance Museum. The Fortress was honestly one of my favourite landmarks: the views are unbelievable and the architecture incredible. 

 

 

After this, we went back to the station, where we just rested, drank tea and chatted until our returning train. Due to the weather conditions, our flight was delayed 45 minutes. Nonetheless, the day was an amazing experience.


Final thoughts:

Overall, I enjoyed our trip to Oslo. 
Nonetheless, I acknowledge that the best time to visit must definitely be during Spring or Summer as this will make sightseeing more enjoyable. Not only in terms of temperatures, but also since many of the most charming places are parks and gardens. 
Secondly, another thing I would like to mention is the fact that the majority of the city was during construction! Not the most pleasant views due to this...
Thirdly, I actually think that the centre of Oslo is not that beautiful. In fact, I believe that, to get the most stunning landscapes, one should drive 20 minutes away from the centre.
Despite all of this, there is no denial that Oslo is an impressive metropolitan area, filled with the best of three worlds: city life, historical and artistic places and nature.


Thank you Patricia, Sara and Stefi for such a lovely day ♥ 



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Hi! My name is Irene and I am a Portuguese 20 year-old who is currently living her dream of living and studying in the UK

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