What an amazing trip!! This past weekend, I headed to Barcelona, Spain with Katie and Caroline to see our friends who are in the Chicago program there. We got there midday on Friday and started exploring immediately. Since apparently Spainards are really up on walking, we adventured around the area near my friends’ dorm (La Residenca Onix). Within 5 minutes, we were right at the Spanish version of the Arc de Triompf (modeled after the one in Paris). It was so beautiful! Surrounded by palm trees and with the glowing sunshine, it was such a nice change from the sights and weather of Paris.

We had lunch in a small restaurant; I had pumpkin soup with grilled chicken and vegetables and cheesecake for dessert. All absolutely colorful and delicious. We started walking around after lunch and of course started shopping. There were so many interesting stores: clothes, shoes, souvenirs, jewelry, and so many scarves! I of course walked away with a new pair of black boots, just the kind I’ve been looking for since getting to Europe.

After a brief siesta (afternoon nap), we all got together again for dinner. This time, following traditional Spanish culture, we waited til almost 9pm to eat!-but it was so worth it. Enjoying a variety of tapas and with the wine freely flowing, it was so nice to visit with my friends and get a real taste of Spanish cuisine. I really can’t say what I ate, Isabelle did most of my ordering (my Spanish has been pushed out of my head to make room for the French). 

That night (Friday) we decided to check out one of the beach clubs known as Opium. Suffice to say that anyone reading this can only imagine a bunch of American college girls hitting up a beach club in Barcelona. I’ll just say it was a fantastic and memorable night, even after the tequila shots. 

Saturday was another day of LOTS of walking. Sam and Ann took me to an area of the city called Las Rambelas and we visited the famed Boqueria. Similar to the markets that I’ve visited in Paris, it is a little smaller but definitely has its own charm. There was a variety of unique Spanish dishes, from lamb heads and rabbit to fresh made juices (2/2euro) and decadent chocolates. We wandered around, ate delicious tortillas (similar to quiche) and snapped pictures of the different foods, enjoying the sunny and 65 degree day. 

So here are some interesting things I discovered/really liked about Barcelona:

• dogs don’t walk on leashes.. how are they so well trained?
• a lot (more) people speak english and I understood a lot of the Spanish
• people walk EVERYWHERE and are never really in a rush
• there aren’t any squirrels, but the pigeons are out of their minds! One literally camped out under my chair during lunch on Friday
• okay so I’m being lazy and can’t think of the rest right now, but I will eventually.

Ahh, to finish my broken and scattered thoughts, I start my “second quarter” of class tomorrow! New professor, new topics in history. I’m hoping to get out and really start exploring the city some more now that I’ve got 1/3 of the program under my belt already. 

As always, check out the pictures I’ll be posting to facebook!

1. pointagailmarie posted this