Little by Little you will go far
Sorry it’s been so long since I posted…if you’ve seen my FB you’d know I had a crazy week/weekend. Last Monday was my 21st and it was SUPER FUN as I told you…but the more exciting part was last weekend when Nick, Jillian, Alex and Jake came to see me and celebrate Barca style!!!
Nick, Jake and Alex arrived Wednesday and immediately were thrust into the Barcelona lifestyle as we went to a local bar called Obama where legit no one but the waitresses speak English. Afterwards we adventured to a bar called Dow Jones and went to bed at our ooh so cozy hostel so we could enjoy the next day of TOURING!!! Now don’t get me wrong….I love all three of those guys, but sharing a hostel room with 3 boys is something I will never ever do again…haha. The hostel was clean and nice and we actually met some nice kids! For anyone coming to Barcelona look up Equity Point Centric!
The next day we ventured into my favorite area of Barcelona, bari Gotic. I showed them the cathedral where Ferdinand and Isabel greeted Mr. Cristobal Colom, aka Christopher Columbus, after he found the new world. We also saw the old Roman pillars and walls which are the last remaining original Roman pieces in Barcelona and some of the last few in Spain. After our adventuring we came back for a quick siesta before Nick and I came here for dinner with Paloma y Martin! Dinner was fit for a king, and that’s exactly how Paloma intends to treat the novios, or boyfriends, of her girls here. A whole Lamb’s leg cooked with onions and potatoes was the first dish. Followed by salad and complimented by cheese, two bottles of red wine, and the Catalan tradition bread with tomatoes and jamon. Dessert was the most impressive course of all thought…oranges cut and hollowed out, filled with custard made from the oranges and heavy whipping cream I assume, then egg whites whipped and flamed ontop garnished by crushed almonds…yes, I live with Paloma Dean. For only two semesters of Spanish in college Nick held his own surprisingly well although there were times where he’d give me a “was that even in Spainish?” look. After dinner we made our way out for a typical Spanish night on the town
ending with 3 very sleepy guys crashing in the Hostel at 5 am.
The next morning the lovely Jillian Taub and her two awesome roomies arrived and we did more touring than I thought possible in a day. Down La Rambla, into the Market and Placa del Rei, Past Christopher Columbus and the Port, metro and walk to Park Guell, then back to the Hostel for another little siesta. That night we went to your quintessential “down the alley, past the man dressed as a mime, and into the jail-looking door” bar called L’Oveja Negra, or the black sheep. Here the sangria flows like water and the people are an eclectic mix, you can ask Jill about her friends she made from Madrid….but none the less it was a great way to show everyone the locals and a more secluded place in my city.
Saturday we all toured the Sagrada Familia where we all could have spent the whole day just looking at the breath taking architecture. From the stained glass, to the gold leafing on the ceiling, to the melting exterior, I cannot imagine how much grander this cathedral could get and yet the tallest and most major parts of it still have yet to start being constructed. After that we made a trip to Mount Monjuic where I showed the guys the city from above….and even from there you cannot get a whole view of how large Barcelona is in one shot…or 4 for that matter. The night was my fake birthday celebration and the wonderful shot book my friends made was the starting point for the festivities at a shots bar called Chupitos… for all my friends who wondered what shots I took of theirs, well despite the fact this shot bar has about 150 shots a lot of the American usuals were not there. So we made some substitutions. The bourbon (Sarah) tequila (Meredith) Goose (Michelle) Kentucky…Burbon and Beer (thanks again Jill, hahah NOT), Snow White (which was actually a Barcelona BUT theyre the same colors, Reet), Whiskey (Lisa), Absinth (thanks Jake and Alex) and the final shot called a Monica Lewinski (Julia and Meghan my Barca friends)...yes I owe those two some SERIOUS payback! After the pregaming we went to a club and danced the night away…until 5. No better way to celebrate my 21st, in Barcelona, with my friends, dancing until the morning.
The last day we were all exhausted needless to say…while the beach is cold right now it’s still gorgeous and seeing it gets me excited for March!!! The boys left, and well, I’ve been trying to catch up on sleep for a week now. The concept of Juabado, or staying up all night and day Thursday (Jueves) to Saturday (Sabado) night, or really Sunday morning when you get home, is NOT a sustainable life style. But none the less it made for one heck of a weekend with my friends packing in the maximum touring, eating, partying, and enjoying this city and each other I could have ever imagined.
After a month, having gotten to know the city, showed friends around, celebrated my 21st, made so many new friends, settled into a new home stay, taken a trip to Valencia, and improved so much on my Spanish. But now, it’s time to explore Eruope and get to know Spain on a more intimate level. I hope for the next month to be able to meet more locals, feel completely comfortable with the non major city streets, know of a cool bar nearby where not even the bartender speaks English and most importantly TRAVEL…thank god I have 4 months here, 1 just would not have cut it!!! So far my plans include a day trip to Montserrat tomorrow which is about an hour from Barcelona and is known for its mountains which look like stalagmites in a cave, the monastery which is built into the mountains, and VINO ofcorse. The next weekend I am going on a trip to Interlaken which is a sweet village tucked in between two lakes in Switzerland. I plan to hike, sled, visit the chocolate factory, and enjoy the serenity of being in a legitimate winter wonderland. 3 weeks from now Nick and I will be meeting in Paris for a weekend of exploring the city of love…and wine…and bread…and cheese. I’m excited to see our friends we have studying there and spend our 4 year, yes I said FOUR, enjoying such a historical and gorgeous city. For now, I’ll leave you with that taste of my schedule as March is a little crazy and I’m sure your all asleep now anyways.
Sorry it’s been so long since I posted…if you’ve seen my FB you’d know I had a crazy week/weekend. Last Monday was my 21st and it was SUPER FUN as I told you…but the more exciting part was last weekend when Nick, Jillian, Alex and Jake came to see me and celebrate Barca style!!!
Nick, Jake and Alex arrived Wednesday and immediately were thrust into the Barcelona lifestyle as we went to a local bar called Obama where legit no one but the waitresses speak English. Afterwards we adventured to a bar called Dow Jones and went to bed at our ooh so cozy hostel so we could enjoy the next day of TOURING!!! Now don’t get me wrong….I love all three of those guys, but sharing a hostel room with 3 boys is something I will never ever do again…haha. The hostel was clean and nice and we actually met some nice kids! For anyone coming to Barcelona look up Equity Point Centric!
The next day we ventured into my favorite area of Barcelona, bari Gotic. I showed them the cathedral where Ferdinand and Isabel greeted Mr. Cristobal Colom, aka Christopher Columbus, after he found the new world. We also saw the old Roman pillars and walls which are the last remaining original Roman pieces in Barcelona and some of the last few in Spain. After our adventuring we came back for a quick siesta before Nick and I came here for dinner with Paloma y Martin! Dinner was fit for a king, and that’s exactly how Paloma intends to treat the novios, or boyfriends, of her girls here. A whole Lamb’s leg cooked with onions and potatoes was the first dish. Followed by salad and complimented by cheese, two bottles of red wine, and the Catalan tradition bread with tomatoes and jamon. Dessert was the most impressive course of all thought…oranges cut and hollowed out, filled with custard made from the oranges and heavy whipping cream I assume, then egg whites whipped and flamed ontop garnished by crushed almonds…yes, I live with Paloma Dean. For only two semesters of Spanish in college Nick held his own surprisingly well although there were times where he’d give me a “was that even in Spainish?” look. After dinner we made our way out for a typical Spanish night on the town
ending with 3 very sleepy guys crashing in the Hostel at 5 am.The next morning the lovely Jillian Taub and her two awesome roomies arrived and we did more touring than I thought possible in a day. Down La Rambla, into the Market and Placa del Rei, Past Christopher Columbus and the Port, metro and walk to Park Guell, then back to the Hostel for another little siesta. That night we went to your quintessential “down the alley, past the man dressed as a mime, and into the jail-looking door” bar called L’Oveja Negra, or the black sheep. Here the sangria flows like water and the people are an eclectic mix, you can ask Jill about her friends she made from Madrid….but none the less it was a great way to show everyone the locals and a more secluded place in my city.
Saturday we all toured the Sagrada Familia where we all could have spent the whole day just looking at the breath taking architecture. From the stained glass, to the gold leafing on the ceiling, to the melting exterior, I cannot imagine how much grander this cathedral could get and yet the tallest and most major parts of it still have yet to start being constructed. After that we made a trip to Mount Monjuic where I showed the guys the city from above….and even from there you cannot get a whole view of how large Barcelona is in one shot…or 4 for that matter. The night was my fake birthday celebration and the wonderful shot book my friends made was the starting point for the festivities at a shots bar called Chupitos… for all my friends who wondered what shots I took of theirs, well despite the fact this shot bar has about 150 shots a lot of the American usuals were not there. So we made some substitutions. The bourbon (Sarah) tequila (Meredith) Goose (Michelle) Kentucky…Burbon and Beer (thanks again Jill, hahah NOT), Snow White (which was actually a Barcelona BUT theyre the same colors, Reet), Whiskey (Lisa), Absinth (thanks Jake and Alex) and the final shot called a Monica Lewinski (Julia and Meghan my Barca friends)...yes I owe those two some SERIOUS payback! After the pregaming we went to a club and danced the night away…until 5. No better way to celebrate my 21st, in Barcelona, with my friends, dancing until the morning.
The last day we were all exhausted needless to say…while the beach is cold right now it’s still gorgeous and seeing it gets me excited for March!!! The boys left, and well, I’ve been trying to catch up on sleep for a week now. The concept of Juabado, or staying up all night and day Thursday (Jueves) to Saturday (Sabado) night, or really Sunday morning when you get home, is NOT a sustainable life style. But none the less it made for one heck of a weekend with my friends packing in the maximum touring, eating, partying, and enjoying this city and each other I could have ever imagined.After a month, having gotten to know the city, showed friends around, celebrated my 21st, made so many new friends, settled into a new home stay, taken a trip to Valencia, and improved so much on my Spanish. But now, it’s time to explore Eruope and get to know Spain on a more intimate level. I hope for the next month to be able to meet more locals, feel completely comfortable with the non major city streets, know of a cool bar nearby where not even the bartender speaks English and most importantly TRAVEL…thank god I have 4 months here, 1 just would not have cut it!!! So far my plans include a day trip to Montserrat tomorrow which is about an hour from Barcelona and is known for its mountains which look like stalagmites in a cave, the monastery which is built into the mountains, and VINO ofcorse. The next weekend I am going on a trip to Interlaken which is a sweet village tucked in between two lakes in Switzerland. I plan to hike, sled, visit the chocolate factory, and enjoy the serenity of being in a legitimate winter wonderland. 3 weeks from now Nick and I will be meeting in Paris for a weekend of exploring the city of love…and wine…and bread…and cheese. I’m excited to see our friends we have studying there and spend our 4 year, yes I said FOUR, enjoying such a historical and gorgeous city. For now, I’ll leave you with that taste of my schedule as March is a little crazy and I’m sure your all asleep now anyways.
Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! And hopefully I’ll be posting soon! Miss and love you all and look on my FB for pictures and more current status updates!!!
Hasta Luego y Besos
-Cacky
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