Almost wrapping up my time in Barcelona as I am motivated to catch up on my blogging and update you guys on my latest adventures. Although I am 2-months behind, I am determined to publish a new post every other day and hopefully power through to the end of my trip. So much has happened in this 4-months time and I am very excited to share and show you visually my stories, so please wait—I am worth it!

This was the last week of October and almost 2-months in the semester, and I forget why or how, but the topic of curry came up while chatting away in class. So a bunch of us decided to go for Indian food after class and it was my first time trying Indian in Barcelona. Shaun who had discovered the place first and he ordered a bunch of food for us to share. Naturally, I love spicy food, so when he told me that it was going to be spicy, I just couldn’t wait. The restaurant we went to was called Swagatam and it was harder to find than most restaurants because it was located in a hidden alleyway! A little sketchy, but the food was very authentic and judging from the atmosphere and decor, it was very traditional Indian. We ordered four different curry (a mix of sweet and spicy and paired with either chicken, lamb, or beef), nan bread, and rice. There were eight of us and portions were fair, so we had plenty of food to share! The food was very good, but I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t spicier as it didn’t pack enough of a kick in my mouth. Afterwards, we wanted desert, specifically Spanish churros and hot chocolate, but when we got to the cafe, it was already closed, so we resorted to gelato

The next day, a group of us woke up extra early and took the train to PortAventura! It was an amusement park located just south of Barcelona in Salou, Tarragona. It was like a Spanish Disneyland with its own hotels, restaurants, and of course, rides for all ages. The park was divided into five main areas, Mediterrània, Far West, México, China, and Polinesia, and each having its own themed rides and special roller coasters. Each area is also decorated to fit the theme of the area, not to mention, we went during the week of Halloween, so the park was transformed to fit the occasion with people in costumes roaming around. There were also several additions to the park just for Halloween like haunted houses, parades, shows, events, and games.

We first went to China since they have two thrilling rides: Dragon Khan and Shambhala. The Dragon Khan has been with the park since the opening and it’s suppose go as fast as 110km/hr. However, I felt the Shambhala was more fun since it was the highest roller coaster in Europe (76 meters), longest drop (78 meters), and the fastest as it reaches 134km/hr during the first drop. I love roller coasters, so this was definitely one of my favourites and its no wonder there’s always a full line for this one! Next, we explored México and rode on the Hurakan Condor, which at the first glance, it just looked like a higher version of hellevator. However, it was actually pretty scary since it was about 100 feet high and just before I was dropped, the seat tilts upwards and I found myself facing the ground. When it drops, it felt like free falling (much unlike the regular hellevator). Some of us like Shaun has actually gone skydiving in Budapest, and he said that the ride was even scarier than skydiving…I don’t know if that’s true, but it was definitely worth the 30 mins wait.

A little tired and hungry, we stopped for food in their food court just in time for a singing and dancing show. Oh I forgot to mention, this park also features Woody the woodpecker (cartoon) as their mascot. I’m not entirely sure if this cartoon still runs, but it used to be one of my favourites growing up. So don’t be surprise if he shows up here and there around the park. Afterwards, we moved on to Far West and raced in a ride called Stampida. This ride allows you to choose between red or blue colour ride and they blast off side by side and compete to win the race. Although, I am pretty sure the operator controls the speed of the ride, so really, it was a matter of which colour the operator favoured. I didn’t like this ride that much since it shook a lot and I got bumps and bruises from bouncing around in my seat. The Silver River Flume was up next and it was your typical log ride expect with more drops and a whole lot of wet. This ride was pretty fun except for the fact that during the last drop, my cap threw off and fell into one of the cliffs of the ride. It was a very sad moment indeed and long story short, I begged and begged to collect it after the ride closed and nada, they didn’t let me and told me to report to customer service which led to no where since I received an automated email the next day saying they don’t have my property. Rude. Of course, I complained through social media and it took so long for them to reply back to me that by the time I received an email from them, I already have a new cap. The last ride we did from Far West was Grand Canyon Rapids, which was kinda like river rafting in a round floaty-thing (I have a way with words don’t I?). Of course, water would spray out of no where and we would crash into rapids and splash water everywhere. Needless to say, we were pretty soaked after the two rides.

I don’t think we spend that much time in Polynesia since there wasn’t a ride worth trying. So the last area we explored was the Mediterrània and behold, the ultimate ride and my personal favourite: Furius Baco! This ride was super fast (faster than the Shambhala) as it blasts off from 0 to 135km/hr in a second. It was so much fun that I went on it three times and it becomes super scary at night since it basically launches you into darkness!

All in all, this park was super fun and definitely worth a visit! And if you’re coming to Barcelona anytime soon, there’s a deal going on (I think until January 31) that if you buy two bags of Chupa Chups candy with the marked stickers and bring the two empty bags to the ticket office, you can basically buy two regular adult tickets for the price of one! What a sweet deal right?

Beside having an awesome day at an amusement park in Spain, I also made my way up Montjuïc and visited the Castell de Montjuïc which once was a military fortress that dated back to the 1600s. There’s still tanks and cannons positioned around the castle! Since it was located on top of the hill, it overlooks a great deal of the city. You can see the port, the beach, ‘W’ Hotel and everything from Agbar Tower to Sagrada Familia. But I must warn you that it requires a lot of walking and it can be quite chilly at the top. Then after our hike, we went to good ol’ El Raval for paella, pizza, and empanadas for dinner at L’Avia, where we also met up with James Shaw (from Sauder who is studying in Bordeaux)! It still boggles my mind that I’m studying in Barcelona as I’ve never been away from home for this long before!

Lastly, on Halloween, there was a house party with all the BBA exchange students and I struggled trying to find a costume for the event. Mainly, because I didn’t know where to find a costume shop as Spain or most parts of Europe is not that invested in Halloween, let alone dressing up. Pretty last minute, Sophia, David, and I google mapped a few stores and managed to find a matching costume for us three! We went as Fairies! We were so cool and unique that even SeongHyuk joined in our ‘fairy fest’. Also the fact that it was super last minute and the costume costed literally 3 euros made this decision a no brainer.

Anywho, that wraps up October and with only two more months left of my exchange, my weekends are going to be jam-packed with food, travelling, friends, sightseeing, and shopping!

Cheers,
Kevin