February 28, 2013-
The University of Barcelona was closed today due to a "manifesto" or strike the students were having. Most of my classes were cancelled so this weekend would be a four day weekend!
Just as I had mentioned in the last blog post, I would be crossing things off my Barca bucket list. Today we decided to stay clear of the university and visit the Museu de la Xocolata (the museum of chocolate) right around the corner from where we live.
We met our friends at our metro stop and walked to the museum. I'm getting pretty good at knowing my way around Barca, so no, I did not have a map, and no, we did not get lost. If we did have a map I'm sure I would have found some way to get lost.
The chocolate museum was a real gem! We went inside and bought tickets, which were a chocolate bar, and walked around the museum learning about how chocolate was made. After learning about how it was made, we continued through the museum to the chocolate sculptures. The sculptures were anything from the UP! house with the balloons on top (my favorite movie and by far favorite sculpture) to a Barca player (the professional futbol team of Barca) and they were all made only from chocolate. It really does take an artist to do something like that. They also had sculptures of buildings around Barca such as the Segrada Familia and one of the Arc (my roommate and I are obsessed with the Arc, don't know why).
I am looking in to taking a chocolate and cava (champagne) class offered by the museum in early April. This class enables you to try the chocolate and then try the cava and then combine them and observe the changes it causes. You also get to learn about which cava's and wines go with which chocolate. I am excited!
When we were finished with the museum we headed to find a place to eat lunch. As we were walking by the Arc De Triomf (down the street from where I live) we noticed a bunch of smoke and thought it was rather weird. A few seconds later we heard a large amount of sirens. Then, waves and waves of students sprinting and filling the streets. Panicked, we ran inside of a building and just stood there. We had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. We talked to one of the students and asked and they said there was a "demonstration" going on in the Arc park. Was this place having a manifesto too? We had no idea.
After the sirens dissipated we walked outside of the building and continued on our walk to find a restaurant to eat at. A minute later, we turned around to see about 5 "policia" vans with a massive amount of swat type members piling out. They were covered in all black, with gas mask on their faces. You couldn't see an inch of their skin. They were carrying what looked like batons. Then the sirens went silent. Probably so that the kids would come out thinking they were gone.
We hid inside another store and a friend watched as they raided the last building we were in. Then we heard a gun shot. By this time the store owner closed the roll down garage door so that they could not come in. We hid there for about 10 minutes and then left because they had gotten back in the vans and continued to circle around the park.
We still continued to walk to find another restaurant, but this time we headed to a neighborhood far away from where we had been: the "gothic quarter." We asked the police where a specific restaurant was and started to head there. As we were walking, on the side of the buildings was paint splattered, that looked like it had been shot by a paintball gun. Some of the buildings also had their windows smashed. The police had just started to arrive as we were walking by, so the raid had just finished. Scared to death and feeling so unsafe, I left the group and took the metro (yes, the dumb metro) home and stayed in my apartment for the rest of the day.
Never again will I be going out when a "manifesto" is scheduled for ANYWHERE in the city. We didn't even know there was one scheduled for UPF (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, a private university in Spain, near the Arc). I can only imagine what my school looked like today. These Spanish people don't mess around when it comes to rioting and education.
Today was probably one of the hardest days on me. I had never experienced anything like this before. My life has never been in danger like that before, it was probably one of the scariest moments of my life. I've never seen anything like it or been in that much fear, I was shaking. Being in a foreign country, not knowing what's going on and being in the middle of a riot was nothing I ever want to experience again. Thankfully our group made it out okay and home safely.
Chao!
February 27, 2013-
I've decided to make a bucket list of things I WILL do before I leave Barcelona. I am looking forward to the next few weekends when I won't be going away to just explore my wonderful city.
Here is my list (so far):
1. Take a tour of the Chocolate museum- I don't know what it is, but ever since I've been in Barca I crave chocolate. So unlike me...
2. Hike Monjuic
3. Go to a Barca game- Barcelona's professional futbol team, which they are WILD about. I will be attending a game during Saint Patrick's day weekend with a bunch of my friends! I could not be more excited!
4. Take a tour around the Olympic stadiums- Barcelona held the Olympics in 1992 and the stadiums are on top of a hill which overlooks the city called Mount Olympic (how original, huh)
5. Go to the San Antoni market- just like the bocqueria on Las Ramblas, except on a much grander scale. I loved the Bocqueria so I'm more than confident I will love San Antoni too!
6. Take a visit to the Barcelona Aquarium and hang out with the fishies for the day
7. Visit the animals at the Barcelona Zoo
8. Hike Mount Tribidabo- a mountain overlooking all of Barcelona with a huge cathedral on the top of it that can be seen from almost anywhere around the city.
9. Visit the El Raval district
10. Visit the Born Barrio (neighborhood)
I am so excited to accomplish all of these things, stay tuned as I cross off, and blog about, each one of these on my list!
Chao!
February 25th 2013-
Today it was time to come back to the beautiful city of Barca (pronounced Bar-sah). After three long cold days in the snow I was excited to see the sun and be back at the beach.
The flight went well and we arrived in Barca safely, now to catch the RENFE train to take us in to the city and then to our homes. After sprinting to get on the train, the doors shut right on us and we did not get on. After having to wait 45 minutes, the next train finally arrived.
Apparently we got on the wrong train and it did not take us to the stop where I needed to go, but it took us to a place where I could transfer and get on the train I needed to get on.
After not being able to find the right train to take, we finally decided just to take the metro. Because I had already bought a ticket for the RENFE train to my metro stop (which the renfe also goes to) I used one of my friends passes for the metro (she has unlimited, so she swiped herself in, and then I took the pass and swiped me in). Everything was going great until I left my friend and ran in to a checkpoint where they check your tickets. And Allison did not have a ticket.
So I told the man I didn't have a ticket and he told me it was against the law and that I would now receive a fine. GREAT. I was shaking I was so nervous and of course the tears came as he wrote me up a ticket for 50 euro, 100 if I would have paid it the next day.
Shaken up I walked home and skyped my mom and brother, who instantly knew exactly what to say to make everything better. Family really is everything, they know the exact words to change my whole day around.
I rarely ever take the metro because I like to walk everywhere, but I won't be taking it AT ALL anymore because I refuse to give them any more of my money: my own personal boycott.
Overall, despite that small bump, it was a great weekend. Now, back to school, before Valencia, Spain this weekend! Oh, the life I live.
February 24, 2013-
Today we took a trip to Versailles. We figured we'd only be in France once and it would be wrong if we didn't see Versailles.
Versailles is probably the only thing I remember from history class because I am so fascinated by the Queen and King type governments, the palaces, etc. I was so excited to have the opportunity to finally see all the palaces and estates in Versailles.
We headed to Versailles on the train and were on it for about 40 minutes. Of course, it was also snowing and freezing there, but that didn't stop us. As we walked up the street (took us about 20 minutes to figure out we needed to walk UP the street not down) we turned the corner to this beautiful dazzling palace with golden gates overlooking the whole city. I've never seen a more beautiful "building" before.
As we made our way up the hill on the cobblestone walkway we entered in to the palace, showed them our visa in hopes of getting in for free, and entered into the angelic palace. Every single room I went in to in the palace was absolutely breath taking, even the ceilings! I was thinking about my Aunt Sharon and my Mom the whole day and how much they would love the palace. There was gold everywhere and the paintings were marvelous, the whole thing was spectacular. I simple cannot come up with the words to describe how beautiful this place actually was. After we were done touring the palace (which took about 4 hours) we walked outside to look at the gardens. The gardens were shaped like mazes. We stood on a ledge that overlooked a huge river with more gardens and a white statue at the end of it. I can only imagine what the gardens look like in the summer with all the flowers planted in between the maze in bloom. 
After, we walked about 40 minutes to arrive at Grand Trianon. On the map this was still located on the huge property and apart of the palace, just another area with many different palaces. Our ultimate goal was to find Marie Antoinette's estate, which was in the very far corner of the map so we figured on our way there we could see these places as well. The Grand Trianon was a PINK castle (my favorite color). We didn't know what it was so we mosied around and saw the gardens there too. This was beautiful as well, but not as great as the palace, of course.
Leaving the Grand Trianon, we headed to the petite Trianon. These "Trianon" buildings were build by King Louis for he and his family to live in to get away from the high stress of the palace and spend some quality family time together.
After the petite Trianon we wandered and wandered for about two hours deeper in to the property. There was a label on the map that said "Marie Antoinette's Estate" so that was where we were headed. You can't go to Versailles and NOT see Marie Antoinette's house, that'd be crazy! After walking around in the freezing snow for a long time trying to find this "estate" we realized it was just land and that there was no number on the map that would correspond with a building. BLONDE MOMENT. Although it was beautiful, we might have skipped wandering around for hours had we known there wasn't actually a "house."
As soon as we realized this, we turned around and walked back to the palace. We were freezing, wet, and felt really dumb, but we made the trek. We arrived back to the palace and then made our way back to the train station and back to Paris.
We hadn't eaten all day and still wanted to see the Notre Dame Cathedral, even if it was at night, so food had to wait. We got off the train and on to the metro and headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral. Although it was nighttime it was still so beautiful.
I love seeing all the gorgeous cathedrals around Europe, it's a constant
reminder that everything I have and get to experience is made possible
by Him. I wish we could have gone during the day to be able to attend mass, as it was Sunday, but at least we got to see the outside.
We took pictures and walked around the Cathedral for a bit and then found a restaurant called the "Notre Dame Cafe" across the street and sat and ate dinner there. I had a personal pizza with French Fries and Amanda had chicken that looked really good. This "Notre Dame Cafe" is where I had THE BEST chocolate cake and strawberries I've ever eaten. The flavor was indescribable, but I wished it would've lasted forever.
Again, after leaving the restaurant it was time to find the metro to go home. And leave it to us, we got lost again. However, the one good thing about getting lost, is you always find neat things and encounter buildings you don't plan on seeing. I kind of like it!
Our feet hurt from walking so much, we calculated it and we had walked around 8 miles in Versailles and we had been walking non stop since we woke up. I love that we can walk everywhere, it gives me energy and a sense of freedom. It's going to be difficult to return to the states and get in the car and drive places, I wish I could walk everywhere!
Unfortunately though, it was our last day in Paris and tomorrow we would have to head home to Barcelona. Excited to get home to the sun and our own beds, we closed our eyes after a long day.
February 23, 2013-
Our first full day in the beautiful city of lights!
Awakened by the sun because the curtain didn't cover the whole window, we woke up in the beautiful city of Paris.
Before heading in to the heart of the city we decided to get sandwiches and lunch things at the local market right up the street from where we live. I bought some kind of French cookies, a sandwich, and water for the rest of the time there. My friend (Amanda) and I started this tradition in the beginning of the trip that whatever country we go to, we must buy an authentic chocolate bar from that city. We keep the labels from each of the wrappers and write the date that we bought it. Just something for fun and something to remember all the places we have been together. We also get to sample the countries chocolate, so that's always an added bonus. In Paris we bought some kind of chocolate with raspberry filling, my taste buds have never been so happy!
After the market we headed in to the city to the Louvre museum: home of the Mona Lisa. Before we left we were researching the Louvre and we found out that Art students and residents of the European Union get in for free with proof of residency. I thought it was worth a try to see if our Visa's would work, and luckily, they did! Afterall, we are residents of the EU for six months (never thought I'd be able to say that, but am so proud to be able to). The Louvre is a huge museum with 3 floors and three different sections. The museum was MASSIVE. Easily, to do the whole thing it could take one whole day, and that's not an exaggeration. Amanda and I went in to the room where the Mona Lisa and there it was, posted on the wall with guards around it. It wasn't very big and I expected a lot more, but I can say that I saw it.
Embarrassing moment of the day: Amanda and I thought maybe Vincent Van Gogh painted it. Clearly we were SO wrong. I guess we should have payed a little bit more attention in art classes. Woops.
After wandering around the museum for about 5 hours we walked around the shopping mall located inside the same building and ate pastries. Then, we went and were true Americans and sat and drank hot chocolate at Starbucks and talked for awhile until it was time for dinner.
For dinner we were meeting one of Amanda's friends who is studying abroad in Paris for the year at a local French restaurant. It was close to the Louvre so we thought it would be easy to get to. However, if I've learned anything while I've been here it's that I am directionally challenged in foreign cities and I can't read maps. We left for the restaurant and got so incredibly lost. We ended up going the completely wrong direction and then when we found our way, passed the restaurant completely. Keep in mind, it's snowing super hard and the wind chill is incredibly cold: a good time to be lost.
After we found the restaurant, now popsicles, we went down to the basement and sat down to eat. I had an avocado salad, steak, and mashed potatoes. For dessert I had a white chocolate cake, which was good. We sat, ate, and talked for about 3 hours again. Then we said goodbye to her friend (Matt) and made our voyage back to the "sketch inn," as we called it, in the freezing cold.
Tomorrow, destination: VERSAILLES!
February 22, 2013-
Time to visit the fashion capital of the world: PARIS, France. To say that I was excited was an understatement.
Wake up call Friday morning: 3 am.
Bed time Thursday night: 12 am.
Running on three hours of sleep, having to be at the bus station at 4:30 because we 1. were unfamiliar with the bus system and how it would get us to the airport and 2. our flight was leaving Barcelona El Prat at 7 am! Waking up at 3 was not hard at all, I felt like a million EURO! I took a taxi to the bus station because it was still dark out and met my friends to look for the bus. Luckily, we found the correct station and sprinted to the bus to get on.Our flight was through Vueling Air which had
scheduled a strike on Friday. Some flights were affected, ours
however, was not. THANK GOD.
As we arrived at the airport we had our carry on bags measured (they are very strict with the measurements) and got on the plane. It went very smoothly and I don't even think they checked our passports!
After the hour and a half plane ride we arrived in Paris ready to embark on our adventure. Looking out the window as we were towed to our gate, it was snowing: Beautiful! After getting off the plane we walked around to find a bus that would take us further in to the city and to our hotel. Only problem: we can't speak French to ask anyone how to do that.
After looking (and gazing at the colorful macaroons) and looking some more, we finally found someone who would help us AND who spoke English. He told us where to go and from there we got on the bus.
Check in time at our hotel was not until 2 p.m. though and by this time it was only 10. After taking the bus in to the city as far as it would go it left us off at Arc De Triomphe. Which, so happens, is where I live in Barcelona, right by the Arc De Triomf. From there we found the closest metro and headed to the area of the hotel to eat and waste time until it was time to check in. We stopped at a fast food restaurant called "Quick" I got a chicken sandwich and french fries and my friends got burgers. I have to say, after not eating fast food for a long time, it was good, just this once. We sat at the table for about two hours before we left to see if we could check in to the hotel early.
From "Quick" we walked up and around and down exploring Montmarte (pronounced Mont-mart) and then finally arrived to our hotel: Hotel Des Arts. By that time it was about 1:30 and we were lucky enough to be able to check in early.
Walking up the spiral staircase we found our room on the third floor, the third room. As we opened the door and looked inside, we all said to ourselves: WHAT have we got ourselves in to. The beds looked like they have been sitting there for 400 years, the mirror had a layer of dust on it. We did have a table with a red table cloth on it and the bathroom was attached to our room, so we were thankful for that. HOWEVER, there was NO WAY I was sleeping underneath those covers of that bed. Who knows what would be crawling around underneath those.
After putting our stuff down, it was time for siesta, we had been up since three, walking around until our legs could fall off: we were exhausted. But first, pastries at the local pastry shop.
As we walked out the door the man who checked us in came out and asked for our keys to our room. Slightly confused we asked him why. He pointed at the rules in English and we red them. Apparently it was the policy of the hotel that the guests leave the keys whenever they go out and when they return, pick them back up. Okay, weird. (We went back up, grabbed our valuables to take with us, and hid our luggage). Then gave him the keys.
When our siesta was over we headed in to the city to grab dinner and look at the Eiffle Tower at night. The Metro station was about a block away from us and inside there was an American flag painted on the wall: we were RIGHT where we belong.
Looking at the Eiffle Tower at night was absolutley breathtaking. Pictures do not do the tower justice, it simply is just beautiful. The lights illuminating the wood of the Tower and shining out in to the sky lighting it up like a firework was magical. It was snowing, windy and freezing, but so worth it to be there.
When we were done gazing at the Eiffle Tower we wandered around to find a cute cafe to eat at. Just a few blocks from the tower we ate at this cute cafe. I ate the best mozzarella and tomato salad that I've ever eaten for my appetizer and a delicious grilled steak as my entree (first time eating steak since I've been in Europe). At dinner we met a United Flight Crew who was based out of New York, but had a layover in Paris for the night. They sat next to us and we talked with them telling them all about our experiences in Europe thus far and they shared stories about their lives. Talking to them seemed like we were talking to our friends parents, they were so down to earth and had families of their own. The Captain told us we reminded him of his daughters and showed us pictures of them. As we were finishing dinner our waitress came to us and said that the Captain had paid for our dinner. I can't explain how grateful I was to not only have good company to get to know and talk to, but now someone whose paid for our dinner out of the kindness of their heart? Some people in this world really do make it a great place. Americans really do take care of each other.
By the time dinner was over it was about 11 p.m. and we were exhausted. Which brings me to another point that I love about Europe. When Europeans go out to eat dinner, it's a time to talk and spend time with those you came with. It is perfectly normal to stay at the restaurant for 2-3 hours for a meal without the waitress asking you to leave or giving you hints to go. In fact, it's encouraged, and I love it! It's so relaxing to be able to just sit and talk and not have to worry about being rushed off. Just one of the many things that show that it's such a slower paced life over here and I couldn't love it more!
Anyway, after dinner we decided to call it a night and get some rest before our first full day in Paris.
February 18,19,20-
Not much is new here, just getting back into the groove of going to school and doing homework.
On Monday I wasn't having a very good morning, because, well, it was Monday and because I was tired and my 3 hour class was the last thing I wanted to do. But I made it to class and was a little grumpy afterward. As I was walking home I walked in to a little family owned grocery shop to buy some food, got everything I needed and walked up to the counter to pay and this sweet girl (about my age) tells me that I am beautiful and I have beautiful hair. In Spanish, of course and she obviously was a local. It made my day completely. It's crazy how one person and one compliment can change your day around in a matter of seconds. The rest of the day was fantastic all because of those few words.
Tuesday I had classes all day and night, but I got to hang out with my friends in between. I went to the ISA (pronounced e-sah in Spanish) with my friends and printed off my boarding passes for our trip this weekend: PARISSSS.
Wednesday, I woke up and seemed to have caught the Barcelona plague (just kidding Mom and Dad, it's not really a plague, more of me just overreacting). What I really have is just a head cold and maybe last night a fever, but I'll make it through! I booked my flight to Norway today to see a good friend who studied abroad at my high school senior year. I will be going there in April and am so excited to stay with her and have her show me her life like I did with her!
My next blog will be about my adventures in Paris this weekend! I am SO EXCITED!
Chao!
February 15,16,17 2013-
This weekend we took a trip to the south of France!
Things going through my head while on the bus ride to France: 1: Well, I've never been to France before and I heard the French loathe Americans so this should be an interesting trip. 2: I speak NO French so I'll just be a mute for these three days. 3: Heard they eat caviar (fish eggs) so I'll just be starved for 3 days too.
Thursday night e-mail from my program: Tomorrow morning we will leave for France! Be at the bus at 9:30 A.M. BE PUNCTUAL OR WE WILL LEAVE WITHOUT YOU. "(eye roll) yeah, okay.... sure! 10 a.m. it is"!
However, we did make it to the bus Friday morning at 9:30 just because we were scared the one time we show up later the bus is going to be gone.
Bags packed and all on the bus we took a 3 and a half hour bus ride to the town of Colliure. I've never seen anything like it! As we walked across a bridge over the water of the Mediterranean sea all we could see in the distance were boats tied to a dock and the blue water glistening as the sun rose higher into the sky. We had two hours to explore the city, which for me and my friends meant sit in the sun on the rocks by the water. The water was so crystal clear that you could see to the bottom. The wind was blowing and the water was freezing, but in the summertime it'd be a great place to stay for a weekend!
Of course we were late leaving Colliure and it was another two hour bus ride to Montpellier, where we would stay for the night. The bus that I was on got separated from the other and incredibly lost in the town of Montpellier. We missed the walking tour we were supposed to do in Montpellier and just checked in to our hotel right away and had free time for the rest of the night.
As we wandered around the town square to find a place to eat, we found a little Italian place that would accommodate the 12 of us. I had a 4 cheese calzone because I had been craving one ever since I left the United States and it was HEAVENLY. Then, my friend and I shared a creme brule for dessert. After dinner we walked around more looking for places to go for the night.
Eventually at one of the bars we were at we met a group of French guys who showed us around to the local bars and clubs for the rest of the night. As we were talking to them other people would walk up and join in the conversation and then eventually walk away. People approached us and were so nice even after finding out we were from America! They were very interested in our culture and what it was like back in the States.
After Montpellier, the next day we headed to the town of Toulouse for cheese and wine tasting. I was super excited about this because if you know anything about me, you know that I am IN LOVE with cheese.
Side note: I was scared to come to Spain in fear of them not having good cheese. True Story. We took a tour of a few museums and then went to the marketplace where we would taste our cheese and wine. The marketplace (I don't know the exact name) was exactly like the bocqueria here in Spain, only it was in a large warehouse and the food was inside of cold cases unlike the open air bocqueria. The cheese we had was FABULOUS and I was in the restroom so I did not get a chance to taste the duck liver they apparently ate too. I was perfectly okay with that.
After the marketplace we headed over to a beautiful church to walk around and take a tour. They took us in to this beautiful courtyard and explained what everything was. The group continued on, but somehow, my two friends and I got separated from the group and lost them completely. We looked around, retraced our steps, but they were no where to be found. We asked a lady at the information desk if she spoke English? Nope. Espanol? Nope. and then she proceeded to tell us something in French. We all looked at each other after she said it, our eyes got big, and we walked away. Greeeeattt, we were lost in a country where we didn't know the language and in a city we had never even seen. After walking around deciding what we should do, we finally found someone who was in the other tour group and asked them when/where we needed to meet up with everyone. After that, it was lunch time. We decided to eat at a place called "Street Food." I ate a "kebab pita" that had some kind of meat with tomato and lettuce. The meal also came with french fries (how great! French fries in France, however, I think Americans have it down better than France) The best food I've eaten on my study abroad experience so far! Well, besides gelato. However, afterward, it made my stomach hurt, but it was worth it. During lunch we were approached by a funny French man in his 40s wearing a topiary on his head. He was speaking to us in French for 5 minutes until one of his friends got the hint that we had no idea what he was saying. As he was talking to us he was spitting like a sprinkler and his friends kept putting their hands in front of his face to shield us from the spit, it was hilarious! After he found out we didn't speak French he said "Well, welcome." Spoke a little more in French and then walked off. By the time he walked off we were cracking up. Another great experience from someone who was French and knew we were Americans and was still nice to us. The French hate us? I've had a good experience thus far.
After lunch we headed to the buses and on to the hotel. Our hotel overlooked a beautiful waterway that went through the city. After taking a nap for a few hours we went out for dinner and ate at a Japanese restaurant. The owner didn't speak much English, but tried so hard to help us choose what we wanted since the menu was in French. I had chicken thai and my friend had ginger chicken, which were both very tasty.We had a fried banana (I think?) for dessert. After dinner we stumbled upon a movie theater and saw "Silver Lining Playbook." My new favorite movie! The movie was in English with French subtitles and only 4,90 euro!
The next day we left for Carcassone, a mid-evil city on our way back to Barcelona. We took a guided tour of the castle and then had two hours to browse and eat lunch. For lunch we had a 4 cheese pizza which was so good! Then we walked around the shops and found the French chocolate store. They had tons of free samples and after loving every single thing I tasted, I bought about 5 euro worth of French chocolate: the best chocolate I've ever tasted!
Carcassone was freezing so we were glad to get back on the bus, but the four hour bus ride was a bit long.
After sleeping most of the way back, we finally arrived to Barcelona and back to our apartment. Ahhh, it was good to be home.
Oh yeah, class tomorrow, I almost forgot. Back to reality. Chao!
February 13, 2013-
Classes have been better this week as I have decided to have a more positive outlook. Today was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lentin season. For Catholics, lent is a time to reflect on ones life and their relationship with the Lord. This Ash Wednesday will forever be a memory that I look back on and realize how lucky I truly am.
This morning I had the privilege to attend Ash Wednesday mass at the Cathedral in Barcelona. Although I did not understand the mass because it was in Catalan, it was relatively the same so I understood what was going on. The Cathedral was breathtaking and celebrating mass at it was life changing! The columns, the architecture, the baubles inside, everything was beautiful, I truly felt like I was in God's home.
After a great morning, on our walk to school we stopped and got some fantastic gelato. Since we were early, we sat on a bench in the sun and ate it until it was time for class. After class it was back to the bocqueria with all of my friends! What a great day.
Chao!
We met our friends at our metro stop and walked to the museum. I'm getting pretty good at knowing my way around Barca, so no, I did not have a map, and no, we did not get lost. If we did have a map I'm sure I would have found some way to get lost. 
The chocolate museum was a real gem! We went inside and bought tickets, which were a chocolate bar, and walked around the museum learning about how chocolate was made. After learning about how it was made, we continued through the museum to the chocolate sculptures. The sculptures were anything from the UP! house with the balloons on top (my favorite movie and by far favorite sculpture) to a Barca player (the professional futbol team of Barca) and they were all made only from chocolate. It really does take an artist to do something like that. They also had sculptures of buildings around Barca such as the Segrada Familia and one of the Arc (my roommate and I are obsessed with the Arc, don't know why). 
