Petra didn’t want to overload on sightseeing right when we first got there, which is understandable since she’ll be here way longer than me. So I headed out to Barcelona solo one day to see some stuff.
First stop was by default. The bus let me off right by the Arc de Triumf so I had to stop and take some pictures.
Next stop was the Museo de Xocolata. Given the headline of my blog, it should come as no surprise that I’m a fan of chocolate. I had heard it wasn’t that great, but I didn’t care. It’s chocolate after all, what’s not to like?! My admission fee was 2 euro and that came with a chocolate bar. Already this seems worth my time. Then I wandered around the exhibits and learned about the cocoa bean:
beans
I also saw some really cool models, which I couldn’t decide if I wanted to stare at because they were cool looking or eat because they were made entirely of chocolate:
a chocolate arc de triumf
wall-e!
I also found the biggest mixer ever, though you can’t really tell its size in this picture
That was a great start to the day for sure. Next stop: Olympic Village. The subway system in Barcelona is amazing, but it’s so big that the map really is kind of hard to read. Regardless, I used my navigational skills to end up at the hill where the Olympic Games took place in 1992. Once there, I stopped in the Olympic Museum.
model hurdler
Michael Johnson's shoe
US Dreamteam - totally undefeated
The museum also had an area where you could sit and watch highlights of all sports, not just Olympic ones from throughout the decades. You could also sit at your own table and look up videos of various Olympic highlights of your choosing. All in all this museum was pretty cool. And the fact that it was air conditioned on a sweltering hot day didn’t hurt either 
I wandered over to the Olympic stadium and took a few pictures.
the track. i had no idea it wasn't in the same shape as the tracks around here (aka shaped so a football field fits in the middle)
I sat down at one of the tables and ate the lunch I had packed. Hey, I just graduated and don’t have a full-time job. This was Europe on a budget! Of course, my lunch had to include a nutella and banana sandwich – that’s just how I roll! However, as soon as I whipped out my food, this mangy looking cat came over and got extremely close to me. I’m all for cats – I want one so badly! – but this one looked like it was possessed by some evil force. It also looked ready to give me rabies. Again, being on a budget, it seemed that a trip to the ER would be too expensive. I kept my eye on this mongrel to make sure it didn’t get too close.
such a filthy beast. and i usually love cats, even strays
After I was rejuvenated with some food and water, I braved the hills in the heat once more. I tried to find the Museum of Catalon Art, but took a wrong turn and ended up in the Botanical Gardens. Not a bad place to be! I even found a tiered waterfall/fountain. Pretty cool!
At this point the heat was really getting to me, so rather than go to the Art Museum and then walk all the way back up the hill again, I just decided to head back to the bus station and see the Placa Catalunya on my way. Petra and I had walked by it a few times, but I was never able to stop and see it up close or take pictures. So this was my chance.
It’s basically just a GIGANTIC roundabout, but has some stuff in the middle.
I wanted so badly to jump in this fountain, with all my clothes. I restrained myself to avoid the costly fees associated with getting arrested
Now that I’ve successfully navigated the streets of Barcelona and Dublin by myself, I consider myself a travel expert
