Week 7/8: Back to Toulouse, Off to Barcelona

I headed back to Toulouse, ready to head to university once again. But, I wasn't to stay in Toulouse for long. My friend, Hayley, who was studying in Montpellier at the time, had her birthday and had planned a big girls' trip to Barcelona.

I hadn't visited Barcelona since I was a child and I couldn't wait to visit. I'm a big lover of Spain, and I've always loved Madrid and Barcelona - they're such vibrant, lively places and full of character, art and culture. I headed out to meet the girls on a coach from Toulouse to Barcelona (around 6 hours) and I was struck by how much hotter it was than France, even in the winter.

Barcelona is always buzzing with tourists, although given what's happened over the last few days, it might grow a bit quieter as France did the week of the Paris attacks, and London has over the past year with the incidents across the UK. It's important to remember that most attacks that happen are isolated incidents, and it's probably best to get out and about and live life after incidents - security is at its highest and you should never feel afraid to leave the house after things happen, so don't feel scared about being in big cities and public places (I get it, it's easy to, but having lived through this in various cities, it's best to go about your day-to-day life as normal).

During my couple of days in Barcelona, myself, Hayley and her friends went around Barca, exploring everything and doing as much as we could in our limited time there. We visited the Magic Fountain show, which is an incredible colourful water display of which there are multiple showings in the evenings, Park Guell (absolutely incredible - number 1 tourist destination though, so be aware of queues and long waits), and we also headed to Las Ramblas for drinks and dinner (tapas is so good there). 

If you're a student in Toulouse or around the South of France, I'd definitely recommend visiting Barca for a weekend break or a few days away - you feel like you're completely away from France, and it's sunny all-year round, so it's perfect at any time of the year. It's super cheap to get from Toulouse too (around £10-£15 if you book in advance). You really miss how cheap and easy it is to get around France when you're back in the UK so make sure to take advantage.

Week 9 - Things Head South For France & Coping With Living In A Foreign Country Following Incidents / Attacks

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