Barcelona

When you live in Madrid, you can feel an almost palpable sense of rivalry with the other sprawling metropolis in Spain, Barcelona. The two enormous soccer dynasties, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, are almost always contending with each other for league titles, but the dislike between the two cities runs deeper than sports. Barcelona is the largest city in Catalunya, a state in the northeast of Spain known for its fierce sense of indepencence. Catalunya has its own language, Catalan, and often supports separatist political parties. People in Madrid feel that Catalunya should stop their childish goal of independence, while Catalunyans feel that their relatively strong economy has carried Spain throughout the crisis and that they deserve to be their own nation. Knowing this (and hearing only the biased perspective of Madrid natives), I was a little apprehensive beginning the 8 hour night train journey to Barcelona. When we arrived, we immediately saw that many of the signs were in three language: English, Spanish, and Catalan. My friend Neeraj and I weren't supposed to meet the person we were staying with until noon, so we decided to head over to Parc Guell, one of the most important works of the renowned architect Gaudi. Not only did the park have a gorgeous view of the entire city, it also contained a lot of the distinctive, mosaic-style architecture that Gaudi was known for. After a quick nap on a random bench, we met up with my friend Erik to explore the city. As disloyal as I felt for thinking it, I had to admit that Barcelona was a more beautiful city than Madrid. The architecture, plazas, fountains, sights, and people just seemed more attractive. One local that we talked to in Barcelona described the city as European, while Madrid was heavily Spanish, which I agreed with. Madrid seems to have an almost insular feel, while Barcelona's proximity to the rest of Europe and better tourism industry lends it a greater sense of multiculturalism. Some of the things we saw included the indescribable Sagrada Familia church, Plaza de España (which contains the largest fountain in Europe), Las Ramblas, and the Olympic Stadium. Overall, the only regret I have about Barcelona is that I couldn't stay longer. Even though we saw a lot, it was clear to me that the city had a lot more to offer, and I hope to see it all one day.

Here's a great view of Barcelona from a different park we visited, which shows the Mediterranean Sea as well.