Barcelona

This is just going to be a quick post to tell you about my trip to Barcelona!

This trip was very hectic with various problems going on simultaneously that I'll neglect to get into here, but just to paint a picture, I was a freaking mess going into this trip. All I wanted to do was see my Mommy and Daddy, but the buses were sold out and I almost missed my first train, but I got there. Thankfully, once in Barcelona, things settled down and became much more relaxing.

It was incredible to see my parents. Being away from home for 4 months isn't that bad, except for missing friends and family. It's like you're fine, but then all of  a sudden you get hit with a tidal wave of emotions. So, yes, seeing the rents was great.

Barcelona is absolutely beautiful! It was really funny to me because all of the locals were all bundled up and freezing, while the rest of us were walking around in light jackets and relatively warm. It was nice to feel some warmth, even though our first day there was really rainy. I was only there for the weekend, which wasn't nearly long enough, but a girl's gotta work, right?

We got into the train station at about 9 PM and took a taxi to the hotel. After checking into our rooms, I went out to dinner with my parents at a little burger place near by. It was nice to catch up and drink some beers, but we were all pretty tired, so we called it an early night.

The next day, we got up late (around 10) and headed out towards La Rambla for some touristy sight seeing. We were there during the off-season, plus it was raining, so we didn't see all of the crazy street performers and excitement that is normally happening, but it was still pretty cool. Before we got onto the main road, we stopped and drank from this famous fountain. It's rumored that if you drink from it you'll return to Barcelona in your lifetime, so there's hope yet!

We poked in and out of the shops, bought some souvenirs, and checked out one of the markets near by. We also decided to get some sangria at one of the little terraces, which was fun, but quite the shock when we got the bill. 13 euros each! And the sangria wasn't even that incredible. It was still nice to share drinks and chat on a busy street in Barcelona with the parents though!

We walked all the way down La Rambla to the Mediterranean, which was just so beautiful. There is a big monument dedicated to Christopher Columbus there and he's pointing to the new world, but he's actually pointing in the wrong direction, which I think is really funny.

After taking some pictures, we headed back towards town in a different direction. We walked by such beautiful architecture and incredible churches.

After making our way back towards the hotel, we stopped for some more sangria at a university bar close by, which was much more delicious and much less expensive. We rested for a little at the hotel and went to grab some dinner later that night. After dinner and drinks, we went back to the hotel and we all hung out in my parents room drinking from the mini fridge and talking until it was time for bed.

Once again, around 10 AM we headed out and walked towards la Sagrada Familia, which is this incredibly old and BEAUTIFUL church that is still under construction today. It was designed by Gaudi, but he knew it would never be completed in his lifetime. If you walk around the church, you can see so many different styles of architecture and themes and images, all on one building. The inside is just as beautiful with its stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings. We went up into one of the towers and looked out over all of Barcelona. It was so lovely.

After some tapas at a near by restaurant, we walked back to La Rambla and and Mama Green and I checked out some more shops while the boys went to an old roman monument. My parents headed back to the hotel while Jason and I found our way to the beach, which was so beautiful. The waves were big and people were surfing and the water was warm. The wind was very strong though and a little too cold for my liking, so we didn't stay there for too too long.

We met my parents back at the university bar to grab some food to hold us over until dinner time. We ended up in this awesome Irish pub for dinner because they were playing American football. Even though the only food this pub had to offer was very basic nachos, we stayed put. After all, it's the playoffs. After a 49er's victory, my parents went back to the hotel (Mind you, it was about 1 AM in Barcelona). Jason and I watched the first half of the Pats game before we were kicked out for closing time. We went back to the hotel and checked updates on his phone, only to be ousted by the stupid Ravens. Oh well, at least I was disappointed about my team losing while I was in Barcelona. How bad could things really be, right?

My parents and Jason left to go back home in the morning and I puttered around Barcelona for a couple hours before heading to the bus station and making my way back to Toulouse.  Now, it's back to the grind and it feels very odd. I only have 3 more months left and I don't know if that makes me happy or sad. I guess a little bit of both.